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Thread: GSMArena

  1. #16
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    Default Live images of the Samsung Galaxy S7 front camera and display surface

    The Samsung Galaxy S7 is now less than a month away, with a rumored announcement due for February 21. And right on schedule, after we're almost entirely familiar with the specs and looks of the upcoming flagship, we're now being treated to a couple of photos straight from its production line. One shows an array of front camera modules, with the SM-G930F model name (which we already know is the Galaxy S7's internal designation, plus the F at the end for regional version) clearly stamped on the board. If that means anything, it's probably revision number 5 of the module, judging by the R05 marking. Compared to the one inside the existing Galaxy S6, this new camera has its connector offset to one side, while the old one was centered, teardowns revealed. The second photo depicts the entire smartphone, though in developer attire, making its design nearly recognizable. You're getting the purpose of the rig - to have a functioning device for testing, without revealing the looks. Despite the sticker on top of the brand name though, the home button and capacitive key markings clearly state Samsung. Which makes it all the more ironic that the shot is taken with what is almost certainly an HTC One, the first one. Special thanks to Hiep Thong for the...


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    Apple's next 4-incher now tipped to be named iPhone 5se, iPhone 6/6s hardware inside
    A possible new 4-inch smartphone from Apple has been entertaining the mobile world pretty much ever since the company moved to larger diagonals with the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus generation. Some have called it the iPhone 7c, others insist on iPhone 6c, and iPhone 5e was also mentioned. Well, apparently, the latter is closest to reality, if this new report is to be believed. According to sources close to 9to5Mac, Apple's return to 4 inches will be named iPhone 5se and will be a blend of the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. So the alleged iPhone 5se will drop the chamfered edges in favor of gently curved glass on the front, like the iPhone 6. It's been said to come with the 8MP/1.2MP camera duo from the iPhone 6, which was in turn borrowed from the 5s. The iPhone 6s will lend its Live Photos to the new model too. Apple iPhone 5s What will come straight from the iPhone 6 is the A8 chipset, but it is said to be complemented by some iPhone 6s hardware, namely the Bluetooth 4.2, VoLTE and Wi-Fi 802.11ac chips. The iPhone 5se will also come with NFC support, so it could hop on the Apple Pay train. The intel seems pretty detailed and thus perhaps believable. However, until we hear the announcement from Apple, we're not betting on any of the above, and neither should...


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    Apple Watch Hermes now available online, prepare $1,250 for the Double Tour
    So far only available in select physical stores, the Apple Watch Hermes collection has been released to the masses. If the masses are willing to accept the $1,100 to $1,500 price tags, that is. Listed on the Apple's online store, 7 out of the 10 available models are based on the 38mm Apple Watch. The Double Tour models, which have dominated promotional material for the range, and counsequently are the ones to get, come in four colors and 38mm size only. Price is $1,250/€1,450/£1,150. Single Tour models (which is basically your regular leather strap) go for $1,100/€1,300/£1,000 for the 38mm case and 50 more of either currency for the larger version. The most expensive option is the Apple Watch Hermes Cuff, only available in 42mm size and listed for $1,500/€1,750/£1,350. Source |...


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    January security update hits Huawei Honor 5X ahead of its US launch
    Just a week after we reported that the Honor 5X smartphone - which is set to launch in the US on January 31 - will get regular android security patches, the January update has hit the device. As you can see in the screenshot above, the 'Android security patch level' field has a value of 'January 1 2016' after the update. The size of the update is 111 MB. This means that those purchasing the handset in the US will have the latest security patch pre-installed on their device. The $200 handset is currently up for pre-order in the country, available from Amazon, Newegg, and...


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    Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 with Windows 10 launches on January 26
    Xiaomi has announced that it will be offering the Windows 10 version of the Mi Pad 2 tablet starting on January 26. The company had promised back in November last year that such a Mi Pad 2 would exist, but it's only now that it will actually be available for purchase. The Mi Pad 2 features a 7.9-inch display with 2,048 x 1,536 pixels resolution and is powered by an Intel Atom X5-Z8500 chipset with a quad-core 2.24GHx processor. There's 2GB of RAM on board, and internal storage for the Windows 10 model is 64GB, while you can alternatively get 16GB if you go Android. Neither model has a storage expansion slot, though. The tablet has you well covered and future-proofed on all other fronts with Wi-Fi 802.11ac, USB Type-C connector, and an 8MP/5MP camera combo. The battery inside packs 6,190mAh worth of juice and it all comes in a nicely finished metal body. The Windows 10 Mi Pad 2 will retail for CNY 1,299 ($200 minus change), which is the same price as the 64GB Android version. Source |...


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    Leakster reveals Samsung Galaxy S7's US launch date
    Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S7 smartphone has been the subject of endless rumors and leaks until now, revealing its design, variants, specs, and even accessories. As for its availability, an MWC 2016 unveiling has been rumored. However, what we haven't heard yet is when it will go on sale, especially in the US. Well, looks like now we have an answer to that, too. According to the usually reliable leakster ‏@evleaks, the flagship will be available for purchase in the US on March 11. Starting to look like a Friday, March 11th Galaxy release in the U.S.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 22, 2016 To refresh, the S7's predecessor - the Galaxy S6 - was unveiled at last year's Mobile World Congress and went on sale in the US and several other countries on April 10. Needless to say it's still just a rumor despite coming from a leakster of repute, and as we all know, rumors aren't always correct. So, take it with a pinch of...


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    Default Google sets up its first free Wi-Fi hotspot in India in Mumbai

    Google had previously announced its plans to bring free internet service to the railway stations of India. As part of that project, the first free Wi-Fi hotspot has been setup at Mumbai's Mumbai Central railway station, one of the country's oldest and busiest railway stations, in collaboration with Indian Railways and RailTel. Initially, the internet service will be free, but Google plans to monetize it in future to make it self sustainable and expand it to other areas. Google plans to bring this service to 100 stations across the country by the end of this year. The key here is that it is a high-speed Wi-Fi, allowing not just browsing but also streaming of content. To prevent abusing the service, the high-speed will only be available for the first hour, after which the speed drops down for the user. The setup process is based on the simple SMS login code system that is commonly used. The service will be available in Allahabad, Jaipur, Patna, and Ranchi...


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    Lenovo K5 Note launched with Helio P10 SoC, all metal body
    Well, that was quick. Just a few weeks after unveiling the K4 Note, Lenovo has made official its successor - the K5 Note. The device comes with an all-metal body and is powered by a Mediatek Helio P10 SoC with 64-bit octa-core processor and Mali-T860 GPU. The handset sports a 5.5-inch Full HD LTPS display, and has 2GB RAM and 16GB expandable internal memory. In terms of camera, there's a 13MP unit at the back and an 8MP shooter at the front. It packs in a 3,500mAh battery that supports fast charging, and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with Vibe UI on top. Measuring 152 x 75.7 x 8.49mm, The K5 Note offers support for dual-SIM, 4G LTE, as well as VoLTE. It also comes with a fingerprint sensor at the back, which can also be used for making payments as well as capturing images. In addition, the smartphone features 1.5W speaker on the rear with Dolby Atmos surround sound effect. As for the price, it carries a tag of RMB 1,099 (around $167) in China, where it will be sold through flash sale model, with first sale to held this week. Color options include gold and silver. Head to the Source link below for more details. Source (translated) |...


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    Another Samsung Galaxy S5 receives Android 6.0.1
    Late last month, Samsung - which is currently testing the the Marshmallow beta for its Galaxy S6/S6 edge smartphones - surprised everyone by rolling out the Android 6.0.1 update to a Galaxy S5 device. While that was said to have happened accidentally, the update has hit another Galaxy S5 now. Someone in France, this time, has received the Android 6.0.1 update OTA on their Galaxy S5 phone, which carries a model number of SM-G900F. The screenshots shared by the user reveal that the update includes Android security patch for the month of January. The fact that the Galaxy S5 is getting the Marshmallow update is interesting given that the handset is from 2014, while the South Korean company's latest flagships haven't started getting the final update yet. However, what it does indicate is that aside from the Galaxy S6/S6 egde, Samsung is close to rolling out the Marshmallow update to some of its other devices,...


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    Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro variant said to be in the works
    Samsung is working on a Pro variant of the recently-launched Galaxy A9 smartphone, according to a new report. The variant carries a model number of SM-A9100, and is aimed at the Chinese market. Samsung Galaxy A9 The report also notes that development for the device's firmware is currently in progress. As for the specs, there's no word yet, although it'd be safe to assume that it'll have at-least some bumped up specs compared to the regular model. Sporting a 6-inch screen and packing in a 4,000mAh battery, the A9 was made official last month. It went on sale in China earlier this month, carrying a price tag of around...


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    Several top Twitter executives are leaving the company
    Several top executives at Twitter, including global media VP Katie Jacobs Stanton, senior engineering VP Alex Roetter, product VP Kevin Weil, as well as VP of Human Resources Brian Schipper have chosen to leave the company. This was confirmed by CEO Jack Dorsey after there were reports suggesting that they've been asked to leave. Was really hoping to talk to Twitter employees about this later this week, but want to set the record straight now: pic.twitter.com/PcpRyTzOlW— Jack (@jack) January 25, 2016 While not explicitly mentioned by Dorsey in his tweet above, Jason Toff - who heads the company's Vine video streaming service - has also confirmed his departure, revealing that he's joining Google to work on virtual reality. Personal update! I'm joining Google to work on VR. So much exciting potential there.— Jason Toff (@jasontoff) January 25, 2016 If you recall, co-founder Dorsey returned as the company's new CEO back in October last year, a few months after former CEO Dick Costolo stepped down. Shortly after Dorsey assumed the new role, Twitter announced that it will cut up to 336 jobs, or 8% of the company's total workforce. Earlier this month, the company's stock hit an all time low - below $20 a share for the first...


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    HTC Desire T7 tablet with 6.9-inch display spotted on GFXBench
    Rumors of HTC working on an entry-level tablet aren't new. While reports about an H7 tablet cropped up back in May last year, a Zauba listing (shown below) from June 2015 reveals a 7-inch Desire T7 tablet with dual-core processor, costing around $170. Now, a device named HTC IV5001-A has been spotted on GFXBench. Like the Desire T7 tablet mentioned above, this new device also has a 7-inch screen (6.9-inch to be precise) and is also powered by a quad-core CPU (Spreadtrum SC8830 SoC). RAM is 1GB, while internal memory should be 16GB. As for the camera department, both front and back shooters are 5MP. The listing also reveals that the tablet runs Android 5.0 out-of-the-box, and includes connectivity options such as Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and WiFi. Reports say the device could be announced at this year's Mobile World Congress, which is scheduled for next...


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    Best Apps and Games of the Week
    These are some of the best apps and games that came out this week. Music Memos Apple released a new app for its iOS devices. Called Music Memos, the app is essentially a recorder app to record your voice or instruments. The app can differentiate between the two, and when it detects instruments it can also detect the instrument and the tempo and then provide a suitable drum and bass background that goes with what and how you're playing. The app is designed for musicians to quickly record their ideas wherever inspiration strikes in high quality uncompressed files that can be organized and shared with others or backed up and synced on iCloud. Price: Free Download: iOS Adobe Voice Another recorder app, this time from Adobe. Adobe Voice was previously iPad exclusive but v2.0 now also brings it to the iPhone. Adobe Voice lets you record your voice and then adds images and a suitable background track to it to create a quick animated video in very few steps. This can then be used in a presentation, whether it's in an office meeting or a classroom. Price: Free Download: iOS CornerTube CornerTube is a picture-in-picture YouTube app for the iPad. It allows you to play a YouTube video anywhere in a floating window. The app scans your clipboard for any YouTube video links. Any copied links immediately appear in the app widget in Notification Center. Tapping it instantly opens the video in a floating window. It also adds an option in the share sheet, so if you find a YouTube link somewhere, just share it to the app to open it in a window. The app works with older iPads, such as iPad Air, and iPad mini 2, so you don't need the latest model to use picture-in-picture. Price: $1.99 Download: iOS Kickstarter Kickstarter finally has an Android app. Now you can find and back all those crazy, weird ideas without having to use the mobile site on your Android device. Price: Free Download: iOS • Android I Have no Mouth, And I Must Scream I Have no Mouth, And I Must Scream is a point and click adventure game that released on the PC back in 1995. Based on a novel of the same name, the game takes place in a post apocalyptic world 109 after a supercomputer named AM wiped out humanity. The last five survivors are immortal, who are being tortured by AM for eternity. Not exactly a fun, light hearted story but the game is known for its puzzles, story, and atmosphere. It's a bit long in the tooth visually but otherwise worth a shot. Price: $3.99 Download: iOS •...


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    Poll: Galaxy Note5 vs iPhone 6s Plus vs Lumia 950 XL
    The droids battled it out last week, now it's time for the clash of the platforms. And it's as if we anticipated your vote on the previous poll and picked just the right droid to pit against the iPhone 6s Plus and the Lumia 950 XL - the Galaxy Note5. The trio represents the best the three OS's have to offer, and in a way makes for the ultimate shootout - the winner is to be crowned the best smartphone, period. Okay, such absolutes are obviously flawed, as no one phone can work for everyone, we know that. But we now set on to find out which of the three you like the most. Is it the iPhone with its rich ecosystem, high-performance chipset and 3D touch? Alternatively, you can pick the Lumia 950 XL on the grounds of Continuum, a high-res camera and near color-perfect display? Or will the Galaxy Note5 snatch this one thanks to a balanced all-round performance, plus an S-Pen? A week of voting starts now, go ahead and hit the thumbs-up on your favorite of the...


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    Week 3 in review: Lumia, LG G5 and HTC rumors
    As we send off the third week of 2016, let's look back and see what excitement the news section had to offer. The Nokia brand has been one constantly reoccurring theme these past few days and the promise of a glorious return to the smartphone realm with a new batch of devices now seems more plausible than ever. Mysterious handsets with the legendary Finnish logo have been popping up all over the place in photos, online listings and videos. Samsung made the headlines quite a few times during the week. Galaxy S7 rumors are constantly intensifying, but it finally feels like we are getting closer to uncovering the full story about all the variants and their screen sizes. As of today, that includes a 5.1-inch basic S7 and a 5.5-inch S7 edge. The Korean giant has also been keeping busy updating its "J" family. Consequently, the Galaxy J5 (2016) and J7 (2016) have been popping up in leaks all over the place. The same goes for the refreshed "A" family as well. In other news, HTC also has big plans for 2016, with two new Nexus phones, allegedly lined up, as well as the eagerly-anticipated release of the M10. LG is also generating a lot of hype around the G5 flagship, due out this year. It might be a radical departure from its predecessors with volume and power buttons moved away from the back to help in crafting a thinner profile. The idea of a detachable bottom part to grant access to the battery has also been tossed around. .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; } Motorola's 'shatterproof' Moto X Force landing in India soon The company's India Twitter account has posted a new teaser confirming the same. Lenovo K4 Note up for grabs in first flash sale today The sale, which is for the INR 12,499 ($185) priced Vibe K4 Note VR Bundle that also includes an ANT VR headset, will begin at 2pm IST LeEco announces Le Max and Le 1s in India Priced at $485 and $161, respectively. Xiaomi is now locking the bootloaders on Redmi Note 3, Mi 4c, and Mi Note Pro Xiaomi has locked the Redmi Note 3 bootloader, Mi 4c and Mi Note Pro are next. New Xiaomi Mi 5 image leaks, shows white variant This comes just over a week after the black variant leaked online. Microsoft mistakenly reveals unannounced Lumia Phone X Is it the long-rumored Surface Phone? Mysterious all-metal Nokia resurfaces in a new set photos The boxy device is said to be a budget-friendly offer, possibly coming this year. Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016) gets benchmarked, has specs revealed Previously, the upcoming handset was spotted entering India for testing purposes. Samsung LED View Cover for Galaxy S7, S7 edge clears FCC he US telecom governing body has certified a pair of accessory cases for what appear to be the Samsung Galaxy S7, and the S7 edge. Leaked LG G5 diagram shows new design, volume buttons on the side LG is looking ready to fully give up on the design language it's been using for the G series up until now. Two HTC Nexus phones coming this year, rumor claims They will allegedly have 5" and 5.5" touchscreens, respectively. Is this the new Nokia phone in the company latest video? A large tablet shows up briefly, too. Apple is now pushing iOS 9.2.1 to all supported devices The new version of the company's mobile operating system is focused primarily on fixing bugs. Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) specs spotted...


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    Poll results: Note5 wins our first 5.7" three-way fight
    We concluded last week's three-way shootout with a question which one of the smartphones you liked best, and the results are in. The Nexus 6P, LG V10 and Samsung Galaxy Note5 put up quite a fight, much like they did in the shootout itself, but Samsung's phablet emerged victorious. Gathering 42% of readers' votes, the Note5 had a comfortable advantage over the other two. For all the V10's strong points, not limited to its camera and build, and the Nexus 6P stock Android appeal, the Note5 is arguably the most well rounded of the bunch, hence the overall win. The battle for the silver was a much closer one. Only 2% split the V10 and the 6P and for a while there it could have gone either way. Eventually though, LG's phablet edged ahead. The Note5 returns this week for the tri-platform throwdown, and we'll be offering you the chance to have your say on the matter, so stay...


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    11 thoughts on the Huawei Mate 8
    The Huawei Mate 8 is already at the office and while we are already busy preparing its full review, we thought you might appreciate a bunch of early impressions we got. An all-aluminum design like the one of the Huawei Mate 8 is no rarity these days, particularly in the high-end, but the lack of ugly plastic inlays of different color really makes it stand out. Plastic is still there as it's required for the bunch of antennas inside to work, but it's been painted over and matches the rest of the back, looking like accents rather than defects. We especially like the Space gray version, though ladies might prefer the Mocha Brown one. Having said that, at 157.1x80.6x7.9 mm, the Mate 8 is unlikely to attract a lot of female attention. Given the 6" screen, however, Huawei actually did a very impressive job with the bezels - the new phablet is just as large as a 5.7" Galaxy Note - if you can handle one, you'll do just fine with the other. The 6" screen sticks to 1080p resolution, as Huawei believes that anything higher is merely a waste of battery and computing power. Its sharpness does suffer a bit if you make direct side-by-side comparisons, but the overall image quality seems pretty good. We detect a slight purplish tint, but contrast seems great and the screen is easily visible when outside. Another thing to justify the ample size is the enormous 4,000mAh battery - we don't have the exact numbers just yet, but even at this early stage it's clear that it's going to be one of our battery champions. As with other devices hailing from the East, the Mate 8 launcher (based on Android 6.0) exhibits a flat style - that is, no app drawer (every shortcut goes on the homescreen, mixed in with the widgets). You get a rich app package out of the box and certain quirks (e.g. the RAM cleaning button that's more placebo than useful). The automatic battery manager feature that detects apps running in the background and consuming too much power and prompts you to disable them. Mind you, it's not preventing the app from running altogether - it just doesn't allow it to stay in the background when you are done with it. The first smartphone to pack the new ultra-powerful Cortex-A72 cores, the Mate8 delivers blazing fast performance. Our particular unit has 3GB of RAM as opposed to 4GB on the 64GB versions, but it still breezes through its UI with no traces of lag. The 16 MP camera seems like a large step forward over the Mate7- it comes complete with OIS and a larger 1/2.8" sensor and a dual-LED flash. Selfie lovers will also appreciate the 8MP front snapper, which is among the highest resolution ones on the market. The photos have nice colors although detail isn't as impressive as we hoped. We suspect that might be due to some issues with the AF missing that we can't quite get our fingers on just yet. We hope it's a software issue that Huawei will address by the time the Mate 8 hits international markets, but we'll investigate just to be on the safe side. Huawei Mate 8 camera samples: Good and low-light Lack of 4K video is a disappointment for a flagship in this day and age. Likely stemming from the limitations of the Kirin 950 chipset, this relegates the Mate 8 to a lower tier, compared to its direct rivals. Smooth 1080p at 60fps and slo-mo 720p@120fps are available and they look decent although far from making up for the lack of detail that a good 4K-capable camcorder delivers. The fingerprint sensor implementation is still arguably the best on the market - located on the back as befitting a phablet and always on, the sensor lets you go from a locked screen to homescren before you have completed taking the phone out of your pocket. We had our reservations about Huawei switching to a circular sensor, but as it turned out it doesn't make any difference to the...


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    Play Store had twice the downloads of iOS App Store in 2015, earned less cash
    A new App Annie's report for 2015 takes a detailed look at quite a few statistics from major app stores and a few observations from the report instantly stand out. For one, it appears that in 2015, Google's Play Store has registered twice as many downloads as the Apple's App Store. The difference stood at around 60% in 2014, which means that Google's mobile software ecosystem I truly growing at a phenomenal rate so as to outpace iOS. However, we shouldn't fail to mention the enormous difference in market share between the two platforms and the sheer number of Android users definitely help justify the doubled app download counter. The biggest growth spurts in 2015 came from emerging markets, such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Turkey, and Mexico. Volume is one thing, but what does that equate to from a business perspective? The trend here is plainly clear as well - even though Apple users are downloading less apps, they are spending a lot more than their Android friends, about 75% more to be exact. In 2014, Apple's App store also out-earned its rival by 70%, so the trend is only solidifying. Cupertino clients seem to be inclined to spend more, which has been a well-known fact for some time now and it is natural for app developers to take advantage of that with increasing efficiency. As a final interesting observation from the report - that games still constitute around 90% of downloads and revenue on the Google Play Store, whereas for Apple that number is closer to 75%. Source |...


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    Google pays £130m in back taxes in the UK
    Google and the UK tax watchdog Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs have come to an agreement following a six-year open audit of the US company's books. According to it, Google will be paying £130 million for a period dating back to 2005. Google, among others, has been accused of avoiding taxes in the UK, thanks to its multinational tax structure, with EU headquarters in Ireland, where corporate taxes are lower than the UK, and also holding offices in corporate tax heaven Bermuda. This has lead to the company paying just £20.4 million in taxes on sales valued at £3.8 billion in 2013. The tech giant has agreed that, going forward, a larger portion of its sales activity will be registered in the UK. Another change from now on will see Google paying taxes based on sales, rather than profit, which has been the case so far. Matt Brittin, president of Google's EMEA business and operations branch, has insisted, that the company always followed the rules as they were at the time, and will continue to do so. Source |...


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    Default LG sold around 60 million smartphones last year

    LG Electronics has released its Q4 2015 financial results, revealing that the company sold 15.3 million smartphones in the October-December period. For the full year, the South Korean company sold 59.7 million units, slightly up from the 59.1 million number it achieved in 2014. Of the 15.3 million units that LG sold last quarter, nearly 11 million were LTE models, making this the first time that the quarterly sales of LG's LTE-powered smartphones have crossed the 10 million mark. The company's mobile division reported a revenue of 3.78 trillion KRW ($3.26 billion) in Q4. Although the figure was down 0.4% year-on-year, it was up 12% compared to Q3 2015 thanks to improved smartphone sales in the North American market, led by the V10 flagship. The division's operating loss also improved compared to the third-quarter. Talking about LG Electronics as a whole, the Q4 net loss stood at 140.4 billion KRW ($117 million), down from the 205.6 billion deficit the company reported in the same quarter of 2014. Over all, for 2015, the net income was 249.1 billion KRW, which is down 50.3% compared to...


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    Dropbox's Android app crosses half a billion installs
    The Android app of popular cloud storage service Dropbox now boasts of over 500 million installs. The app has hit the milestone less than six years after it was launched. Although Dropbox for Android is still halfway when compared to competitor Google Drive (which crossed the 1 billion milestone in October last year), the achievement is no less impressive considering the app doesn't comes pre-installed on most Android devices like the Google's offering. Back in June last year, Dropbox announced it has more than 400 million registered users worldwide, although it didn't reveal how many of them are monthly active...


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    Microsoft releases new Lumia 550 firmware update
    A new update for the Windows 10-powered Lumia 550 smartphone has been quietly released by Microsoft. The update bumps the firmware version of the handset from 15461.48007 to 15503.21007, while the OS version remains the same. What's worth mentioning here is that the update is reportedly only available through the Windows Device Recovery Tool, meaning it isn't currently rolling over-the-air (OTA). Keep in mind that if you use the the Windows Device Recovery Tool to update your device, you'll lose all your data. There's currently no official information on what the update includes, although given that it's already available via the recovery tool, an official announcement (followed by an OTA roll-out) shouldn't be far...


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    Samsung starts rolling out January security update
    Inline with its August 2015 commitment of providing monthly security updates, Samsung has now announced the roll-out of this month's Android security patch. As always, the company said the update is for "major flagship models," but didn't list any specific handsets. FYI, previous months' updates rolled out to the Galaxy Note5 as well as the Galaxy S6 family, among others. The update includes patches - including those for several critical issues - from both Google as well as the South Korean company. While Samsung provided details on several publicly known issues, it didn't disclose any information on some, presumably citing security...


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    Entry-level LG K4 spotted listed on company's Russian website
    LG unveiled the K7 and K10 smartphones at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this month. A week after that the company revealed plans for the entire K-Series, which also includes the K8, K7, K5, and K4. Now, the K4 has been spotted listed on LG's Russia website. The listing reveals that the device is powered by a MediaTek MT6735M SoC and sports a 4.5-inch (480 x 854 pixel resolution) IPS display. RAM is 1GB, while internal memory is 8GB, although expandable. The device packs in a 1,940mAh battery. In terms of camera, the K4 features a 5MP rear unit and a 2MP front shooter. Offering dual-SIM functionality and 4G LTE support, the handset runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box. It measures 131.9 x 66.7 x 8.9mm and weighs in at 120g. Source (Russian) | Via...


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    Buy Nexus 5X for just $299 in US and get $20 Visa gift card as well
    If you are in the US, and are planning to purchase the LG-made Google Nexus 5X, here is a deal for you: BuyDig (via eBay) is offering the 16GB model for just $299 and the 32GB model for $349. And that's not it. Those purchasing either of the models will also get a $20 Visa gift card, which will arrive in 6-8 weeks. The models on offer are North American variants, meaning they'll work with all major US carriers. Close to 200 units of each have been sold at the time of writing, and the seller says the models are available in limited quantities. So, make sure you act fast if you want to purchase the handset. Officially, the 16GB model is being sold for $349, while the 32GB iteration will set you back $399. Source 1...


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    Samsung Galaxy Tab E 7.0 leaked, specs revealed
    Just a week after the Samsung Galaxy Tab E 8.0 with 4G LTE support launched in Taiwan, there are reports that the South Korean company is also working on a 7-inch variant, which carries a model number of SM-T280. SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab E 7.0 WiFi, 8.0GB, Black (SM-T280NZKA) 1.3GHz, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB Flash • 7.0" (18cm), 1280x800 Pixel. 4G model is (SM-T285)— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) January 25, 2016 Specs-wise, from what has been leaked, the variant will be powered by a 1.3GHz processor, and have a 7-inch display with 1280×800 pixel resolution. There will be 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable internal memory. The device will also have a model (SM-T285) offering 4G connectivity. In addition, reports say that a Lite variant (SM-T113) of the Galaxy Tab E as well as its Kids version are also in the works. Via 1...


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    Microsoft's keyboard for iOS to be released to testers soon
    Microsoft still has the keyboard in early stages and will release it to Beta-testers soon. The Verge was able to get its hands on the Windows Keyboard ahead of the Beta release. Peculiarly, the one-handed mode does not compact to one side like on other Windows phones, rather, it fans out from either corner. Word Flow on iPhones will be quite similar to its original counterpart on Windows Phone. The official version is expected to come to the App Store in the next few months while an Android version will be expected later in the year. The iOS keyboard works well and I've always found myself going back to it, even when switching to Swiftkey. The iOS keyboard can register keystrokes really fast and I didn't find Swiftkey as able to keep up as the stock iOS keyboard. Though, Swiftkey remains one of our favorite keyboards on Android. Is anyone on iOS using an aftermarket keyboard they like? Let us know in the comments! Via |...


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    JetBlue to convert in-flight entertainment systems to run Android
    When you hop on a plane, you never know if you're getting a newer plane with an updated entertainment system or if you're getting an older plane with no entertainment system and TVs that drop down from above. Jet Blue has been pretty good about always having a proper entertainment system working in-flight with Fly-Fi, which is JetBlue's Wi-Fi service available in flight within the United States. Most airlines in the US have or have had a Linux-based operating system. JetBlue promises to offer a "Fully Connected In-Seat Experience from Gate to Gate". This means the airline won't shut off its Wi-Fi services during takeoff and landing. JetBlue says it will become the first domestic airline to launch an inflight system that can communicate with the plane's own Wi-Fi connection. Up until now, customers have had to use their own devices to connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot in the sky. JetBlue's Fly-Fi service is free for customers to use with 12 to 20 Mbps speeds to each connected device. Let's see if JetBlue can deliver that particular promise. The airline also says to be providing an outlet and USB port for every seat on the plane, though, this isn't very new as American Airlines has been doing this in a few aircrafts for a couple of years now. JetBlue goes on to say that the new entertainment system will call for a seat reconfiguration, meaning they will remove some seats and spread them out a little but more, so everyone has a tiny bit more room. JetBlue has the best legroom of any domestic airline. The new Cabin reconfigurations are set to start later this year with completion aimed at 2019. Source |...


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    Galaxy Note 5 vs. iPhone 6s Plus vs. LG V10: The snow camera field test
    When you are pinned in the city, winter hardly feels like a pleasant season. But once you step outside of the city's boundaries, the sweeping vistas of the snowy slopes make for some of the best photo opportunities...


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    First alleged image of the 4-inch iPhone 5se surfaces
    While there doesn't seem to be a consensus in the rumors about what it will be called, by now it seems pretty clear that Apple is in fact working on a new 4-inch smartphone. There have been many leaks about it lately, and this one could be the biggest yet. The image you can see below allegedly depicts this device (on the right) standing next to an iPhone 5 (on the left). The new 4-inch handset might be called iPhone 5se, as per the latest rumor on the matter. However, in the past we've also heard that it would go by iPhone 7c, iPhone 6c, as well as iPhone 5e. If this leaked picture is actually showing the next 4-incher from Apple, then it's easy to observe that it will come with a TouchID fingerprint scanner embedded in its Home button, the power button on the side, and a FaceTime camera placed to the left of the earpiece. As for dimensions, they seem to be more or less identical to those of the iPhone 5. Hardware-wise, the latest mumblings have the iPhone 5se sporting the A8 chipset, Apple Pay support, VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, an 8 MP rear camera, and a 1.2 MP front snapper. It's due to be outed (and released) in March. Thanks for the tip, dexterouz! Source (in Dutch) |...


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    Huawei Honor 5X launches in Europe on February 4
    Huawei's Honor 5X is headed to the US before the end of January, as you may know. But the affordable handset announced in November is also on its way to the UK and Continental Europe as it turns out. The Chinese company has already listed the device on Vmall, its European online store. No pricing information has been revealed so far, but a countdown timer that's attached to the listing does reveal the launch date for the Honor 5X in Europe: February 4. If you enter your email on that page, Huawei will give you a promo code taking £20, €20, or CHF 20 (depending on your location) off the handset's price - and if you do grab an Honor 5X then you'll also get another promo code shaving £10, €10, or CHF 10 off your next order. Huawei's online store is currently available in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland. So if you live in one of these countries you'll soon be able to order one straight from its maker. The Honor 5X comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, a 5 MP selfie snapper, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 615 chipset (with a 1.5 GHz octa-core CPU), 2 or 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, and a 3,000 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, but an update to Marshmallow has been promised for the future. Thanks for the tip,...


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    LG G5 dual camera design confirmed by another case leak
    The LG G5 is taking the spotlight from the Galaxy S7 for a change and stars in another story today, this time courtesy of a case maker. Accessory manufacturers are given the phones' drawings well in advance and have become a reliable source of intel on upcoming product designs. So in this particular instance, we're talking about a range of rugged G5 cases, which are just as good at providing protection, as they are at revealing certain design choices on LG's part. For one, the dual camera on the back gets yet another confirmation, after today's boxed prototype and an older diagram. LG G5 case renders The circular fingerprint reader on the back is all but a certainty by now, but the volume buttons will be a thing of the past, for the G-series at least. Even though a couple of the case renders still feature remnants of those buttons, the volume rocker on the left side clearly states otherwise. The question must be asked then, where's the power button, and by the looks of it the fingerprint sensor may actually be inside one, like on the V10. The rest of the details are very much in line with the previous leak - a Type-C USB connector and speaker on the bottom, and the 3.5mm headphone jack on top. There's a mic on either end of the smartphone, and we'd venture a guess that the second cutout on the top is for an IR blaster. The one thing that we can't seem to get a confirmation on is the slide-out...


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    Spotify's video streaming service launching on Android this week
    Back in May last year, it was reported that popular music-streaming company Spotify is planning to launch a video service. And now, the company has confirmed that the service will be available on Spotify for Android this week, followed by the iOS app by the end of next week. The service will initially launch in the US, UK, Germany, and Sweden, and will feature content - mostly consisting of short clips - provided by firms like ESPN, Comedy Central, the BBC, Vice Media and Maker Studios. Videos would be available in packages like "News of the Week" or "Laughs at Lunch," the company said. As for the revenue model, the company isn't relying on advertising, at-least not initially - the aim is to expand the user base and get existing users spend more time with the...


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    Oppo's sold 50 million smartphones in 2015
    Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo announced that it sold 50 million smartphones last year. This is inline with what handset supply chains in Taiwan and China were expecting towards the end of 2014. In addition, it was revealed that around 15 million of those were either R7, R7s or R7 Plus units. The company also said that devices priced in the RMB 2,000 - RMB 3,000 range were its best sellers. Other prominent Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi sold 70 million smartphones last year, while the figure for Meizu and LeTV (now LeEco) stood at 20 million and 4 million, respectively. Leading the pack, however, was Huawei, which sold over 100 million smartphone sales in...


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    Samsung Gear app updated with battery indicator
    Samsung launched the new edition of the Gear S2 Classic smartwatch and it also updated the app used to manage all of its smart wearables. The Samsung Gear app is now at version 2.2.16011842. The big addition is that the app now displays the battery charge of the smartwatch. Next to the indicator are three simple tips on how to improve battery life, including using a black watch face (so that the OLED display uses less energy). The updated Samsung Gear app The update weighs in at about 32MB and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Galaxy Apps. Note that the update is still rolling out across app store...


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    OxygenOS 2.2.0 for the OnePlus X is rolling out today
    The OnePlus team definitely took its time with updating the OnePlus X to OxygenOS 2.2.0, but today, well over a month after its sibling, the OnePlus 2 received it, the rollout has finally started. Granted, the two models do have a pretty distinct and different set of problems to address and the OnePlus X did, already receive a 2.1.3x hot patch for a lot of its aches a while back. Still, it is nice to see that the OEM is actively supporting its products. As per the concise changelog, the OxygenOS 2.2.0 OTA includes: Manual mode for Camera App Save to SD card option in Camera App USSD bug fix for India Added dual SIM preferences back in system settings OTA App upgrade Security patches General bug fixes and optimizations The USSD bug in particular was a major problem within the community, seeing how it prevented users in India from reviewing their call info after ending a conversation - quite basic functionality. The rollout is incremental, as expected, so if you have the aforementioned problem or any of the other listed issues on the OnePlus 2, be sure to check the update option frequently in the next few days. As for the eagerly-anticipated Marshmallow update for the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X, there is no official word yet, but the dominant opinion throughout the community seems to be that it is still a couple of months...


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    Samsung Gear S2 Classic Rose Gold and Platinum global rollout starts with China
    The new edition Samsung Gear S2 Classic smartwatch (first unveiled at CES earlier this month) has been launched in stores. The premium Rose Gold and Platinum finish watches can now be purchased in China and will gradually expand across the globe. The Rose Gold version of the watch features 18K gold plating and an Ivory Genuine Leather band. The Platinum version has a Black Genuine Leather band instead. Both come preloaded with bespoke watch faces featuring Peanuts characters. Samsung Gear S2: Rose Gold • Platinum Also, Samsung has worked with its partners to bring CNN and Bloomberg apps to the Gear S2 (which have their own watch face features). Additional apps include ones from eBay, ESPN, Uber and...


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    Xiaomi Mi 5 photographed again, check out the rounded metal unibody
    The Xiaomi Mi 5 launch is a month away, but production should already be underway. The metallic frame of a Mi 5 has been photographed (well, allegedly). It shows a design much like that of an iPhone 6 or an HTC One A9 - a metal shell with rounded sides and visible lines near the top and bottom edge. Interestingly, there's an angle that shows a regular microUSB, even though Xiaomi has already ventured into Type-C with the Mi 4c. Alleged photos of the Xiaomi Mi 5 metal shell Anyway, the Xiaomi Mi 5 is expected to come in two versions - the basic one with a flat screen and one with a curved screen, both options coming with a choice of two storage capacities. The price will range from $335 to $470 based on screen and storage. Source (in Chinese) |...


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    Does the Microsoft Lumia 950 screen have clipping issues?
    AMOLED displays are loved for their ability to render pitch black, but sometimes they go overboard. The Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL may clip black levels, same as the Galaxy Note did years ago. Cristian from the Windows Central forums has a detailed post and a test image to try on your phone. He even shot multiple images at different brightness settings. The numbers indicate a gray RGB value (e.g. "12" is RGB 12-12-12). Most people report that anything below 3 is pure black and the 3 often has a tint (which can change depending on the screen mode). This issues affects all dark pixels, not just dark grey ones. Lumia 950 screen clipping issues: Test image • 100% brightness, auto on • 100% brightness, auto off In some of these photos you can just barely see a faint 2 and the issue doesn't seem connected to the Auto brightness feature. The effect is more noticeable when you bring the brightness slider below 100% though. You can load this image on your Lumia 950 (or another AMOLED-packing phone) and go in a dark room. The ambient light sensor doesn't affect the result, but the dark room will allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness and see the faint portions of the image. Thanks for the detailed investigation,...


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    Default Sony restructures PlayStation division into a bigger US-based company

    It is no secret that Sony has been struggling on the mobile market for quite some time. But thankfully for the Japanese giant, its business extends far beyond the mobile realm and there are a lot of other company branches that are actually doing quite well. Sony's gaming business is definitely one of the leading divisions when it comes to turning a profit and it is only natural for the company to try and nurture it as best it can.In a move to strengthen the PlayStation business as a whole, Sony has decided to merge Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) - responsible for creating the console hardware and Sony Network Entertainment, which runs the PlayStation Store and Network as well as the PlayStation Vue streaming service. The new business unit is entitled Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and will begin operating on April 1. Interestingly enough, it won't inherit SCE's headquarters in Tokyo, but will rather operate out of San Mateo, California. It will be headed by president and global CEO Andrew House. He commented on the merge, saying:By integrating the strengths of PlayStation's hardware, software, content and network operations, SIE will become an even stronger entity, with a clear objective to further accelerate the growth of the PlayStation business. Along with our business partners, SIE will develop pioneering services and products that will continue to inspire consumers' imaginations and lead the market.The merger constitutes a strong effort to ensure the future of the PlayStation business and to also get one step closer to the US consumer market and understand fan needs better. Initially, PlayStation users shouldn't notice any change to the services they are using. However, it is likely that in the long run, the new Sony Interactive Entertainment division will be a lot more active than its predecessors in creating and delivering interesting new experiences.Source |...


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    Alleged vivo Xplay5S benchmark listing reveals 5.5-inch QHD display
    The vivo Xplay5S, which is said to be the successor to the Chinese company's Xplay3S smartphone, will be powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 820 chipset and will have 4GB of RAM. This was revealed in an Antutu listing of the device.If you recall, this is not the first time that SD820 SoC and 4GB RAM have been rumored for the Xplay5S. However, what's new here is the 5.5-inch QHD display as well as the 16MP rear and 8MP front shooters, which is a downgrade from the 6.0-inch 4K display and 21MP/12MP camera combo rumored earlier.Meanwhile, Chinese analyst Jan Jiutang says that the handset will ship with a whopping 6GB RAM, juts like the Huawei P9. It's unclear what that assumption is based on, but we'll have to wait a while longer to find out who's...


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    Default Gionee unveils Marathon M5 mini with 2GB RAM and 4,000mAh battery

    After announcing the Marathon M5 lite last month, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee has unveiled a mini variant of its Marathon M5 smartphone. The device is powered by a Mediatek MT6580 SoC and sports a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixel resolution) IPS display.It has 2GB RAM and 16GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a large 4,000 mAh battery. In terms of camera, the M5 mini features an 8MP rear and a 5MP front shooter. Measuring 143.5 x 71 x 9.6mm, the handset runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with Amigo UI 3.1 on top. Connectivity options include 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Commenting on the launch, the company's Nigeria Marketing Director Somoye Habeeb said, "Gionee focuses on innovation, efficiency and affordability in ways that other brands don't. Having received a warm reception from the Nigerian market when we introduced the Gionee M5 a few months ago, Gionee is following up with the M5 Mini.""The Gionee M5 Mini as the name implies, is a compact version of the M5. It is just as effective and stylish, but more affordable. It can be considered a sequel to the highly durable M5, and is the latest phone to be released in Nigeria," he added.There was, however, no word on the M5 mini's price.Via 1...


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    Lenovo Vibe X3 launched in India for $293
    Lenovo has launched its Vibe X3 smartphone in India, which will be the company's flagship device in the market. The phone will be available through Amazon for INR 19,999 ($293).The Vibe X3 puts a lot of focus on the audio quality aspect. The phone has powerful stereo speakers up front. The headphone output is handled by a premium 32-bit ESS Sabre 9018C2M DAC with 3x op-amp for music and Cirrus Logic Wolfson WM8281 for phone calls. The phone also offers Dolby Atmos effect over headphones and speakers.Otherwise, the specs are fairly run of the mill. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage with microSD support, dual SIM, LTE, IR, 21 megapixel rear camera with PDAF and 4K, fingerprint sensor, 3600mAh battery, and Android 5.1 with Vibe UI.Lenovo stresses the focus is more on the experience than the specs. The phone has a metal frame with a curved back for a comfortable grip. The display has 100% NTSC color gamut coverage. The Vibe UI has been scaled back a bit and is closer to stock Android in some places. The phone also supports Lenovo's TheaterMax feature that works with the optional ANTVR headset for a bigscreen experience for your movies or games.The phone goes on sale tomorrow, January 28, on Amazon at 2PM...


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    New Hangouts update lets you reply directly from message notifications
    Google has started pushing a new update to its Hangouts for Android app that bumps the version to 7.0 and brings along new features like quick replies and conversation shortcuts on home screen, as well as some design tweaks.With the new update, the Hangouts app now lets you reply directly from within message notifications without opening the app itself, saving you time in case you need to quickly compose and send replies.Next up, the update also includes the ability to create shortcuts to conversations on the home screen. The new Save to home screen option added to the overflow menu does this trick for you.Finally, the updated app also features some design changes, replacing checkboxes with toggles and giving the sharing dialog box a more Material look. The update is currently rolling out, so it may take some time before it hits your device.Source |...


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    Xiaomi Mi 4 Windows 10 variant receiving new update
    The Windows 10 Mobile variant of Xiaomi's Mi 4 smartphone has started receiving a new firmware update, which majorly includes bug fixes as well as some improvements and enhancements.As per the change log, the update fixes various issues such as those related to alarm clock, Outlook e-mail syncing, and freezing screen. In addition, it improves the camera quality for pictures taken at close range, as well as brings along a new vibration switch button (Settings -> Extras -> vibration settings) and some battery-related optimizations.For those who aren't already aware, back in March last year, Microsoft and Xiaomi entered into an agreement to provide Windows 10 Technical Preview support on the Mi 4, following which the ROM was released last...


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    Samsung Gear S2 Classic Rose Gold and Platinum now on sale in US
    Just a couple of days ago, Samsung announced the global launch of the Gear S2 Classic New Edition, with China becoming the first country where the device was released. Now, the premium Rose Gold and Platinum finish watches are on sale in the US, although not officially.Both the variants are currently listed on Amazon US, which is selling them for $450. If you compare, this is $100 more than what the regular Classic model officially costs in the US - Amazon is currently selling it for $319 though.However, what's worth mentioning here is that you won't get these new variants anytime soon as the retailer has mentioned a shipping time-frame of 1 to 2 months. A quick look at Samsung's official US website reveals that the company will officially start selling Rose Gold and Platinum models in the country sometime next month.Source 1 2...


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    Samsung's Apple-like phone leasing program to reportedly launch alongside Galaxy S7
    Back in September last year, there were reports that Samsung is planning to launch an Apple-like phone leasing program for its Galaxy smartphones. And now, a new report from the company's home country of South Korea is suggesting that the program will be launched alongside the Galaxy S7 flagship.This means that those purchasing the Galaxy S7 family of smartphones (which are expected to be unveiled at MWC next month) from Samsung will be able to pay in monthly installments. In addition, they will also be able to upgrade their device every year.For those who aren't aware, Apple announced the iPhone Upgrade Program at the iPhone 6s/6s Plus unveiling event last year. It requires you to sign a two-year financing agreement and pay a little over $32 a month. In return, you get a new, unlocked iPhone every year directly from the company. The program also includes Apple...


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    $299 price for Nexus 5X in US now permanent, Google confirms
    Update: The gold color variant of the Huawei-made Google Nexus 6P has also received a $50 official price cut.Just a couple of weeks after Google slashed the price of its LG-made Nexus 5X smartphone in the US by $30, the device has received another official price cut in the country, bringing the total discount to $50.For those doing the math, the handset can now be purchased for $299 - that's the price for the 16GB model, obviously. Similarly, those looking to buy the 32GB variant will now have to shell out $349.Meanwhile, there's another deal going on for the Nexus 5X (we already told you about it yesterday), allowing you to purchase the phone at the same rate as it is being officially sold now, plus you also get a $20 Visa gift card with each purchase.Source 1...


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    T-Mobile begins selling BlackBerry Priv
    As scheduled, the BlackBerry Priv is now available for purchase from T-Mobile in the United States. The Android-powered device is in stock at the magenta carrier's online as well as physical stores.As for the price, you can purchase it on the carrier's standard leasing program, paying $0 down followed by $30 each month for two years. Alternatively, you can also opt for T-Mobile's JUMP! On Demand program, where-in you'll have to pay $34 a month for 18 months.Purchasing the Priv outright from T-Mobile will set you back $719.99. However, before you go ahead with this option, keep in mind that BlackBerry is officially selling the unlocked unit for $699 in the...


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    Lyft partners with Waze as new default app for driver directions
    A new Transport SDK will bring integration for partners to use Waze's maps. Even though Waze is owned by Google, the map experience is completely different on either navigation app. This new SDK for Waze will let app-developers access maps with helpful crowd-sourced traffic information.The new SDK will provide more optimized routes for delivering packages or picking up passengers. Waze lists benefits for partners, users, and other Waze users. Partners can benefit by being able to get better routes to reach more customers in the same time.Users can wait less time for a ride, and enjoy a quicker route while the Waze community benefits from more drivers actively using the app. Waze is crowd-sourced so it relies on its regular users for its latest information on accidents, weather, road closures, and police traps.Waze believes its SDK is capable of supporting a business or company in any country where Waze has a presence, just as long as Waze finds it feasible to partner up with it.Lyft states that riders can expect the shorter wait times, quicker routes and more efficient carpool rides in the next coming weeks. Both iOS and Android Lyft apps will be updated for drivers to take advantage of the new integration, including a button that seamlessly returns from navigating maps back to Lyft to pick up another customer.Source (Waze) | Source (Lyft)|...


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    G4 bootloops are caused by hardware issue, LG vows to repair affected units
    Many owners of the LG G4 have complained about a bootloop issue, but so far without receiving any assistance whatsoever from the Korean smartphone maker. Well, that's finally changed.LG has now acknowledged the bootloop issue, and after a thorough investigation has concluded that a hardware problem is to blame. Specifically, the bootloops are caused by a "loose contact between components".The company has vowed to fix the problem for affected devices, with no additional cost for its customers of course. It turns out that the G4 units experiencing this are not from one particular retail partner - they can be among those sold by carriers, or third-parties.LG advises people who own handsets affected by the issue to contact the carrier they purchased it from (if that's the case) or a nearby LG service center to make the necessary arrangements for repair. It's also apologized for having previously wrongly diagnosed this issue for certain...


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    Microsoft Lumia 650 goes up for pre-order even though it's not official yet
    Last we heard anything about it, the upcoming Microsoft Lumia 650 was supposedly delayed until mid-February (from its initial launch time frame of early next month). Now though, as you wait for it to finally become official after a huge number of leaks, you can already pre-order one if you so wish.It turns out that UK-based online retailer MobileFun has the yet-unannounced handset up for pre-order. It's priced at £199, SIM-free and unlocked of course.Unfortunately the company doesn't mention a shipping date for the Lumia 650, but we assume it can't happen much later than the aforementioned mid-February time frame.The listing comes with a full spec list as you'd expect, so the phone's innards have been confirmed yet again. It has a 5-inch 720p IPS touchscreen, an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 1.1 GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 2,000 mAh battery. It runs Windows 10 Mobile, naturally. It weighs...


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    Apple Watch (2016) to enter mass production in Q2
    The second-generation Apple Watch is planned to enter mass production in the second quarter of the year. The information comes from sources in the upstream supply chain, cited by DigiTimes. According to the sources, Quanta Computer is going to be the sole manufacturer of the smartwatch.Originally, Apple considered splitting some of the production efforts to Foxconn Electronics but decided to keep all of the orders with Quanta. The reason is that Apple doesn't anticipate high enough sales volumes for the second-generation Apple Watch.Reportedly, the company has reduced its shipment forecast twice - once in the fourth quarter in 2015 and now, in 2016. Nevertheless, the company still hold over 50% of the smartwatch market at the end of...


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    MediaTek to bring LTE to everyone with three ultra-affordable new chipsets
    The mobile market has definitely changed a lot in the past few years and while many big-name players might not appreciate the influx of new brands and increasingly more affordable offers, there seems to be no end in sight for the ongoing smartphone revolution. Nowadays, you really don't have to break the bank to get solid smartphone experience and you can buy a perfectly usable device for as little as $100.We largely have MediaTek to thank for enabling most of these amazingly priced offers with its affordable solutions and judging from the latest addition to its silicon lineup, the next wave of low-end handsets might be more impressive than ever, now with LTE support for as little as $50!The MT6738 is the cheapest of the new trio. It uses four ARM Cortex-A53 chips, clocked at 1.5 GHz and a Mali T860 MP1 GPU. Screen resolution support is capped at 720P, but there is support for up to 4GB of RAM and a 13MP camera, Of course, the biggest upgrade is the Cat.6 LTE support. The MT6750 ramps things up with a total of eight Cortex-A53 cores, four running at 1.5 GHz and the other at 1.0 GHz. The GPU is the more powerful Mali T860 MP2, but resolution is still capped at regular HD. The camera support, however, is bumped up to 16MP.Last, but not least, is the MT6750T. Its specs look practically identical to the none "T" model, except that maximum resolution is set at FullHD. Considering the GPU should be the same Mali T860 MP2, we can only assume it will be working at a higher clock-rate. The aforementioned trio of chips will be in production after the Chinese New Year, so if things move along as planned, they should start appearing in ultra-budget LTE handsets this summer.Source (in Chinese) |...


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    HTC offers up to 30% off its products in the US for one day only
    HTC has brought back its Holiday discount program, just for a day (ends on January 26 at 11:59 PT time). And yes, it is US-only again.Here's the spread: 30% off for purchases over $650 20% off over $500 10% off over $150There's a cap of $2,000 on your purchase (before shipping and taxes). It's more or less the same discount as before except the 20% and 10% thresholds have shifted.Note: the UA HealthBox is not part of this promotion. Also, while the A9 technically costs $499.99 it's counted as "over $500" for the purposes of the promotion (you see the discount in the cart).Still, an HTC One A9 goes down to $400 (from $500), the One M9 to $455 (from $650). The Nexus 9 isn't a great deal - only the 32GB Wi-Fi version is in stock (and then only the white one) and you only qualify for 10% off (last time HTC did this promo, the 20% threshold was at $400 instead).Source |...


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    HTC One M10 to follow A9 design trend
    With MWC 2016 around the corner, the rumor mill is already exploding with info on the next wave of flagship offers, like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5. We are quite confident that the aforementioned pair will make a debut appearance soon, but there are still quite a few major flagships to wait on, one notable example being HTC.Last we heard, the Taiwanese OEM was the center of attention with its the One X9. That is all fine and dandy, but what about the flagship "M" family? Well, to cite Evan Blass, who has proven himself a worthy source of mobile info in the past, the HTC One M10, codename "Perfume" is still alive!It's ALIVE pic.twitter.com/J8zLLKh6zo— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 25, 2016The only other piece of information @evleaks shared on Twitter is a rather cryptic side note that One A9 fans should find the One M10 appealing as well. This, most likely means that the new flagship will have a similar design to its slim, metal unibody sibling. It could also suggest a similar stripped-down approach to the OEM's own Sense UI.If you like the A9, you'll love the M10.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 26, 2016From the looks of things, it appears the HTC One M10 definitely won't make it in time for MWC, so we will just have to wait on it after the event. Another rumor talks of a March release, so the wait shouldn't be too long. The One M10 is allegedly going to feature a fingerprint scanner, a 23 MP rear camera, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 at the helm, and a 3,000 mAh battery. In a first for HTC, it will also be IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. Evan Blass has also promised more info on the handset in the future, so we will be sure to keep an eye on his Twitter feed.Source 1 | Source...


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    Xiaomi Mi 5 will be unveiled on February 24, Hugo Barra confirms
    It's officially official folks, Xiaomi's second launch for 2016 will be the Xiaomi Mi 5 and that's happening on February 24. This has been confirmed by a Xiaomi co-founder and now by Global VP Hugo Barra and India Head Manu Kumar Jain.Both of them are promising "everything you imagined, and more," but don't give out any details on the phone itself. Leaked slides point to a 2-hour long presentation, so we will hear plenty about it, come February 24.For now, we have rumors to go on - four versions total (half with curved screen, half with flat), a Snapdragon 820 chipset, 16MP camera and other goodies.Source 1 2 |...


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    Dixons Carphone to close down 11% of UK stores, merge the remainder
    In late 2014 the UK lost Phones 4U, a well-known phone retailer. Now Dixons Carphone (a merger between Dixons and Carphone Warehouse from 2014) will close 11% of its UK stores, totaling 134 stores.That's not bad news though. The company says it has been doing this on a small scale for a while now and that experience makes it confident that the impact on sales and employee numbers will either be positive or at worst neutral.Here's the plan - PC World and Currys will merge into a single store, which will have a Carphone Warehouse section inside.Dixons Carphone will have to spend around £50 million on refitting the stores, plus £70 million on exit costs. It does expect £20 million in recurring cost savings.Source |...


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    Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Special Edition with Intel Z3590 chip goes official
    Asus has revealed yet another Zenfone 2 variant, this time boasting an updated Intel chipset. The refreshed Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Special Edition packs an Intel Z3590 chip with quad-core CPU running at 2.5GHz. There's 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 256GB of internal storage, further expandable via the microSD card slot.The rest of the specifications remain virtually unchanged. The camera setup consists of a 13MP Pixelmaster camera on the back and a 5MP shooter on the front. A non-removable 3000mAh keeps the show running. At the front, there's a 5.5" 1080p display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection.The Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Special Edition will be offered in Silver Polygon and Carbon Night, but so far we have neither a release date nor a...


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    Default Samsung Galaxy S5 now available for just $260 in US

    Samsung's flagship from 2014 - the Galaxy S5 - is now available for just $260 (unlocked) in the United States. Daily Steals is selling the device at that price, with color options including white, black, and gold.The discount is on the G900A version of the handset, which is compatible with GSM/LTE carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile - those on Verizon and Sprint are out of luck. A quick look at the Daily Steals' listing for the device reveals that the deal ends in 3 days.That's a nice discount, given that third party retailers like Amazon and NewEgg are selling the same model at way higher prices - the former is selling it for around $350, while the latter has it listed starting at $300.Source | Amazon |...


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    Huawei Honor Holly 2 Plus unveiled with 13MP camera, 4,000mAh battery
    As expected, Huawei has unveiled the Honor Holly 2 Plus, which is the successor to the Chinese company's Honor Holly from 2014. The Holly 2 Plus is powered by a 64-bit MediaTek MT6735P SoC with quad-core CPU and Mali 720 GPU, and sports a 5-inch HD IPS display.It has 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory, which can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD slot. In terms of camera, the handset features a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. There's a 4,000mAh battery to keep the lights on.Featuring textured design on its back and a polycarbonate body, the Holly 2 Plus offers dual-SIM functionality. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS, and MicroUSB. The device also supports CDMA network.Those purchasing the device will get 15 months manufacturer warranty and 30 days of display replacement for free.The phone was unveiled today at an ongoing event in the Indian capital of New Delhi. There's currently no information on its price (said to be under INR 10,000 or $145) and availability, but we'll update this post as soon as we hear something. Alongside the Holly 2 Plus, Huawei also launched the Honor 5X in...


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    IDC: Samsung retains leadership in smartphone shipments for both Q4 and 2015
    Samsung was the top smartphone vendor worldwide last quarter, capturing 21.4% of the market, up from 20% it claimed last year, according to latest data revealed by market research firm IDC.The South Korean company shipped a total of 85.6 million smartphones in Q4 2015, up from the 75.1 million figure it reported in the same quarter the year prior. On the other hand Apple, which retained its second spot, shipped 74.8 million iPhones last quarter, claiming 18.7% of the market. Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi rounded up the top five with 8.1%, 5.1%, and 4.6% share, respectively.Talking about 2015 as a whole, there wasn't any change in the rankings - Samsung was still at the top with around 325 million smartphone units shipped, followed by Apple, Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi, shipping 231.5, 106.6, 74.0, and 70.8 million units, respectively.Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei reported the strongest year-on-year growth in the top five. "Usually the conversation in the smartphone market revolves around Samsung and Apple, but Huawei's strong showing for both the quarter and the year speak to how much it has grown as an international brand," said Melissa Chau, Senior Research Manager with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker."While there is a lot of uncertainty around the economic slowdown in China, Huawei is one of the few brands from China that has successfully diversified worldwide, with almost half of its shipments going outside of China. Huawei is poised to be in a good position to hold onto a strong number 3 over the next year."Total global smartphone shipments in 2015 stood at over 1.4 billion, up 10.1% compared to...


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    Gionee Elife S8 to be launched at MWC next month
    Gionee has announced that its upcoming Elife S8 flagship will be launched at this year's Mobile World Congress, which is scheduled for next month (Feb 22 - Feb 25). The handset has been the subject of little to no rumours or leaks lately.As clear from the image above, the launch event is set for the first day of MWC 2016 - February 22. The Chinese manufacturer says the device will offer "hassle-free photo-shooting features" as well as "pressure-sensitive display."In the company's words, "A new era of mobile photography has arrived and we welcome our consumers to explore this era together with joy in their hearts. We believe technology is part of our lives and we enjoy the convenience and creativity it brings. At MWC 2016, GIONEE will introduce a new member to its S series - the Elife S8, an innovative mobile device that comes with hassle-free photo-shooting features and a pressure-sensitive display."The handset's predecessor - the Elife S7 - was unveiled in March at last year's MWC. At 5.5mm, it's among the thinnest dual-SIM...


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    Google Sheets, Slides, and Docs gain mobile commenting feature
    Google has announced that the real-time collaborative commenting feature in its Sheets, Slides, and Docs productivity apps is now also available on mobile. You can now instantly add a comment using the comment bubble present on the right side of a doc.To add a new team-mate to an ongoing conversation, you just have to type their name in the comment. If the person in question doesn't have the access to the document, you'll be prompted to give them the access, following which they'll be notified about their inclusion in the conversation.The rich commenting feature is now available to users of both iOS and Android mobile operating...


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    LG announces global rollout of its K10 and K4 smartphones
    LG has announced that its newly-unveiled K10 and K4 smartphones will be launched globally this week. While the K10 is already available for purchase in the company's home country of South Korea, the K4 was recently spotted listed on LG's Russian website.LG says both handsets will be available in Europe as well as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region starting this week, and will be launched in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia in the weeks to come.There was, however, no word on the K7, which was unveiled alongside the K10 at this year CES and is currently available for purchase in the US from Boost Mobile as the Tribute 5."Affordable mass-tier phones with advanced features are becoming more and more important," said Juno Cho, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "Our newest K Series is designed for our consumers to experience LG's premium design philosophy and optimized mobile experience across disparate smartphone...


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    Samsung will update Kids Mode for a new tablet this year
    Samsung's kids mode has been found in the past few iterations of Samsung flagship tablets and smartphones designed to let kids play with notes, voice recordings, games, and a special camera app, all without letting kids wander around your smartphone's sensitive information.According to a source, there will be a new major Kids Mode update coming to Samsung Devices later this year. Along with this information, there was a rumor of a new Kids Tab E that will be quietly launched.The Tab E Kids is rumored to come with a 1.3GHz processor, 1 and a half GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage, a 7 inch screen with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution.The specs aren't out of this world, really. But the selling point of these tablets will be the software with parental controls for kids.Source |...


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    T-Mobile increases its prepaid data allotments without price hikes
    T-Mobile has been the one to disrupt the mobile industry in the US these past few years. The prepaid market space in the US, while still a great value, T-Mobile strives to provide an even greater value with its newest data hikes.T-Mobile is raising its data allotments for $40, $50, and $60 prepaid plans from 1GB, 3GB and 5GB to 3GB, 5GB and 10GB respectively.These plans also include T-Mobile's Music freedom and its new video optimizer which lowers video content's resolution to 480p in order to save data and watch up to 3 times more video with the same amount of data.If you stream a lot of music, you'll want to look into getting a prepaid plan from T-Mobile. Raising data without raising prices is another reason T-Mobile wants to give more to its customers and wants customers to love their carrier. Keep it up T-Mobile!Source |...


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    Huawei Mate 8 review: Checkmate
    The Huawei Mate 8 has dropped the Ascend badge, but it offers all the key pros of the Ascend Mate7 and then some. Coming a year after the Mate7, it was only expected that the Mate 8 will show maturity and address its predecessor's shortcomings, most notably the poor graphics performance and the less than stellar camera output.


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    T-Mobile offering 'buy one, get one half off' deal on select Apple, Samsung, and LG phones
    T-Mobile is currently running a promotion that lets you purchase a qualified Apple, Samsung, or LG smartphone and get 50% off the second device. Appropriately dubbed Buy One Smartphone, Get One Half-Off, the promo can only be availed by making a call or heading to a local T-Mobile store.Eligible devices include the Apple iPhone 6 and above, the Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge, Note5, S6 edge+, as well as the LG G4 and V10. An important thing worth mentioning here is that the second device being purchased should be of equal or lesser value and from the same manufacturer as the first one.The Magenta carrier notes that it's a limited time offer, although it doesn't exactly specify when the promotion ends. Also, the deal is subject to the availability of...


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    Samsung Galaxy S7 with S820 benchmarked, here's how it compares with the Exynos 8890 version
    You've probably heard by now (how could you not) that the Samsung Galaxy S7 chipset strategy will be split again - some get the Exynos 8890, some the Snapdragon 820.Last week we saw the 8890 take a swing at the Kirin 950 (Huawei's latest and greatest), but now the AT&T version of the Galaxy S7 has passed through Geekbench 3 too, giving us an opportunity to compare both versions of the phone..jrGraphContainer { background: none !important; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee !important;} ul.jrGraph { left: 166px !important; } ul.jrGraphControls { padding: 0; margin-left: -10px !important; } JRGRAPH_EXPANDABLE_VERSION = false; GeekBench 3Higher is better Huawei Mate 8 (Kirin 950) 6088 Samsung Galaxy S7 (Exynos 8890) 5946 Samsung Galaxy S6 (Exynos 7420) 5215 Galaxy S7 (Snapdragon 820) 4979 Huawei Nexus 6P (Snapdragon 810) 4539 Huawei Mate S (Kirin 935) 3475The S820 chipset loses on multi-core performance (it's a quad-core), but it does win the single-core fight - 2,282 for the S820 and 1,873 for the 8890 chipsets.Keep in mind that the software is not final yet and the scores might change. The current Snapdragon 820 result is behind the old Exynos 7420 chipset and earlier benchmarks (Geekbench 3 again) showed the S820 had a small lead.The Galaxy S7 is expected to launch in the US on March 11.Source |...


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    iPhone 7 Plus again tipped to come with a dual-camera setup
    September is still a long way off, but rumors regarding Cupertino's next iPhone are already coming in hard. Apple analysts from KGI, like Ming-Chi Kuo have definitely proven a trustworthy source of information in the past and although they mostly deal with analytical results and speculations, predictions have often turned out true in the past. In a new memo to investors, Kuo talks of a dual rear camera setup for the iPhone 7 Plus, or at least a certain version of it.Considering Apple's track record for the past couple of years, we have every reason to believe that the company will release two variants of its handset, most-likely a 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and a 5.5-inch 7 Plus one. The rumor for a dual rear iSight camera setup concerns the bigger iPhone 7 Plus model. According to Kuo, the handset will be available with an two CIS setup, most-likely powered by LinX - a company specializing in creating ultra-compact camera sensors for slim smartphones, acquired by Apple back in 2015. The alleged setup will include two 12 MP sensors, one with optical image stabilization and a wider field of view and the other, a 2-3x telephoto lens. OIS is definitely not a novelty, but optical zoom is a whole new uncharted territory for the iPhone.The dual camera setup will surely allow for some pretty neat new features like variable focus and bokeh effects.Ming-Chi Kuo also speculates that not all the iPhone 7 Plus models will have the dual-camera setup. The option will allegedly be offered at a premium which should help reduce the production strain for the new technology - a rather common occurrence with new Apple tech. He expects that about 25% to 35% of shipped iPhone 7 Plus units will have the extra feature. To be honest that seems very hard to believe as manufacturing two different Plus versions doesn't sound like Apple at all and it will mostly likely be a case of all or none of the units get the feature....


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    Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X get €80-€100 price cuts in Europe
    If you've been looking at the Nexus price cuts across the pond with some envy, you'll be pleased to hear Google brought them to Europe too.The Huawei Nexus 6P is now €100 off, putting the base 32GB version at €550 (down from the salty €650), while the top-specced 128GB version is €700.The LG Nexus 5X gets a €80 discount, so that the base 16GB version is €350 and the 32GB option is €400.This is a limited-time promotion, not a permanent discount. It ends February 12, so you still have a couple of weeks to mull it over.Note that the UK is getting a different deal - the Nexus 5X comes with a £20 Play Store credit and a free Chromecast. The 6P just gets 90 days of Play Music,Source 1 • Source...


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    Huawei Mate 8 battery life endurance test [VIDEO]
    Huawei Mate 8 is surely one of the hottest flagships this season and lots of people are looking forward to its performance. It has a massive 6-inch 1080p display and runs on the company's latest Kirin 950 chip. There is also a 4,000 mAh battery inside while Android Marshmallow is in charge, skinned with Emotion 4.0 UI.Our in-depth review is already in the works, and while you are waiting for it to go live on our website, we decided to give you a teaser of what's coming.The battery life test has been one of the most important chapters in our reviews and most of the people are used to checking them first hand. We've compiled a short video for the Mate 8's battery life endurance - it will shed some light on the Mate 8 features, performance and power options, battery life and how it stacks against the competitors.Enjoy!Our Huawei Mate 8 review is almost ready for publishing, so stay...


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    Apple posts record quarterly figures for first quarter of 2016
    Apple announced its first quarter financial results for the financial year of 2016, which ended on December 26, 2015.The company posted record quarterly revenue of $75.9 billion and record quarterly net income or profit of $18.4 billion, the highest in the company's history. In comparison, Apple earned $74.6 billion revenue and $18 billion net income in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 66% of the quarter's revenue.In his statement, CEO Tim Cook attributed the record quarter to the strong sales of iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. He also said the growth of Apple's Service business accelerated and the company's install base crossed one billion active devices, roughly 1/7th the Earth's population.However, despite the impressive numbers, Apple's stock fell after hours, as although the company exceeded the $18.22 billion net income projected figure by analysts, it fell short of the $76.67 projected revenue...


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    Lenovo Vibe X3 launched in India for $293
    Lenovo has launched its Vibe X3 smartphone in India, which will be the company's flagship device in the market. The phone will be available through Amazon for INR 19,999 ($293).The Vibe X3 puts a lot of focus on the audio quality aspect. The phone has powerful stereo speakers up front. The headphone output is handled by a premium 32-bit ESS Sabre 9018C2M DAC with 3x op-amp for music and Cirrus Logic Wolfson WM8281 for phone calls. The phone also offers Dolby Atmos effect over headphones and speakers.Otherwise, the specs are fairly run of the mill. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage with microSD support, dual SIM, LTE, IR, 21 megapixel rear camera with PDAF and 4K, fingerprint sensor, 3600mAh battery, and Android 5.1 with Vibe UI.Lenovo stresses the focus is more on the experience than the specs. The phone has a metal frame with a curved back for a comfortable grip. The display has 100% NTSC color gamut coverage. The Vibe UI has been scaled back a bit and is closer to stock Android in some places. The phone also supports Lenovo's TheaterMax feature that works with the optional ANTVR headset for a bigscreen experience for your movies or games.The phone goes on sale tomorrow, January 28, on Amazon at 2PM...


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    New Hangouts update lets you reply directly from message notifications
    Google has started pushing a new update to its Hangouts for Android app that bumps the version to 7.0 and brings along new features like quick replies and conversation shortcuts on home screen, as well as some design tweaks.With the new update, the Hangouts app now lets you reply directly from within message notifications without opening the app itself, saving you time in case you need to quickly compose and send replies.Next up, the update also includes the ability to create shortcuts to conversations on the home screen. The new Save to home screen option added to the overflow menu does this trick for you.Finally, the updated app also features some design changes, replacing checkboxes with toggles and giving the sharing dialog box a more Material look. The update is currently rolling out, so it may take some time before it hits your device.Source |...


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    Xiaomi Mi 4 Windows 10 variant receiving new update
    The Windows 10 Mobile variant of Xiaomi's Mi 4 smartphone has started receiving a new firmware update, which majorly includes bug fixes as well as some improvements and enhancements.As per the change log, the update fixes various issues such as those related to alarm clock, Outlook e-mail syncing, and freezing screen. In addition, it improves the camera quality for pictures taken at close range, as well as brings along a new vibration switch button (Settings -> Extras -> vibration settings) and some battery-related optimizations.For those who aren't already aware, back in March last year, Microsoft and Xiaomi entered into an agreement to provide Windows 10 Technical Preview support on the Mi 4, following which the ROM was released last...


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    Samsung Gear S2 Classic Rose Gold and Platinum now on sale in US
    Just a couple of days ago, Samsung announced the global launch of the Gear S2 Classic New Edition, with China becoming the first country where the device was released. Now, the premium Rose Gold and Platinum finish watches are on sale in the US, although not officially.Both the variants are currently listed on Amazon US, which is selling them for $450. If you compare, this is $100 more than what the regular Classic model officially costs in the US - Amazon is currently selling it for $319 though.However, what's worth mentioning here is that you won't get these new variants anytime soon as the retailer has mentioned a shipping time-frame of 1 to 2 months. A quick look at Samsung's official US website reveals that the company will officially start selling Rose Gold and Platinum models in the country sometime next month.Source 1 2...


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    Default Grab a 128GB Samsung Galaxy S6 for £399.99 on eBay

    Samsung Galaxy S6 has been offered in three storage flavors since its inception - 32, 64, and 128GB. Naturally, this means the bigger the memory, the higher the price. Most of the users usually opt for the 32GB, but the Galaxy S6 omits a memory expansion option, which should make you think twice before buying.Anyway, if you've considered getting a Galaxy S6 but you are still exploring your options here is new one for you. Now you can get the 128GB model of the Galaxy S6 on eBay for just £399.99 or €525. That's pretty much the base price for the 32GB model. Hit the source link for more info.The quantity available from the seller is limited, so if you like the offer you should grab one sooner rather than later.The Galaxy S7, among other next-gen top phones, should be introduced in three weeks at the MWC though, so it may be wise to postpone any flagship smartphone purchases right...


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    Alleged Xiaomi Mi 5 screenshot reveals dual-SIM functionality, NFC support
    Xiaomi's upcoming Mi 5 flagship smartphone will come with dual-SIM functionality as well as support for NFC. This was revealed in a screenshot - shared by chairman Lei Jun - alleged to be of the device's home screen.This isn't the first time we're hearing rumors of the Mi 5 supporting these features. If you recall, last month we reported on a document from China UnionPay that revealed the NFC functionality for the flagship. And recently, the handset was spotted listed on GearBest's website revealing support for dual-SIM.However, those were regular rumors. Given that the information this time has come directly from Xiaomi's chairman, it's all but official that the Mi 5 will include these features. And the good thing is that we won't have to wait long for these to become official, as the smartphone will be officially unveiled in just a few weeks from now.For those who aren't already aware, the Mi 5 will also be available for media preview at this year's...


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    Oppo teases F1 Plus with 5.5" screen, 4GB RAM
    After just releasing the first entry in its new "F" line, the Oppo F1, today the OEM announced that it plans to out an upgraded F1 Plus version soon. The handset should arrive this April and is said to offer a bigger 5.5" display with FullHD resolution and 4GB of RAM, compared to the smaller 5" HD panel and 3GB of memory on the F1.The announcement took place at the company's Mumbai launch event for the Oppo F1 today. The provided teaser also mentions an improved selfie experience for the Plus model. The basic F1 is already marketed as a selfie expert phone and packs an 8MP f/2.0 front snapper with a 1/4" sensor, so the Plus could potentially upgrade the front camera even further, or at least, improve the software side.Other than that, we can only assume that the F1 Plus will share the rest of the specs with its sibling, as well as most of the Oppo R7 line. This includes the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 SoC, a 13MP main shooter with f/2.2 aperture, also LTE connectivity and Dual-SIM support. Design-wise, we expect little change as well, meaning that overall the F1 Plus could be somewhat of a mirror image of the R7s, just like the F1 is to the R7 in a lot of respects.As already mentioned, the new device should go on sale in India this April for INR 26,990 or around $395, which is quite a big of a markup from the INR 15,990 (around $235) the F1 is going for.Image...


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    Default SwiftKey updated for Marshmallow, adds new emoji

    Popular Android keyboard SwiftKey has been updated for Android 6.0 Marshmallow.One of the major changes, something users may have been looking forward to, is the inclusion of new emoji, that were added to Android in the latest 6.0.1 update. Of course, the new emoji will only be available to those on the latest version of Android, and updating SwiftKey won't magically add them to your Lollipop or even 6.0 devices.Other changes include support for inputting currency for Russia, Argentina, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, Germany, Canada & Australia, bug fixes, and performance updates.The update is now available on the Play...


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    Microsoft sold only 4.5 million Lumia phones last quarter
    Only 4.5 million Lumia phones were sold by Microsoft in the last quarter of 2015, according to the company's just released Q2 fiscal 2016 earnings report. That's down from the 10.5 million figure reported in the same quarter the year prior.This translates into a drop of around 50% compared to the last quarter of 2014. Considering the latest IDC report which said that a total of around 400 million smartphones were shipped in Q4 2015, Microsoft's share comes out to be just over 1% for the quarter.Well, what to say? The numbers speak for themselves. Hopefully Q1 which will be the first where the new Lumia trio - 550, 950 and 950XL is available for the full three months will help turn things...


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    Huawei sends out MWC 2016 invites
    Huawei has sent out invites for its Mobile World Congress press conference. The event will be held at Barcelona's Montjuïc Exhibition Centre on February 21, which is a day before this year's MWC formally begins."We invite you to join Richard Yu, Chief Executive Officer, Huawei Consumer Business Group, and other Huawei executives, for the global unveiling of Huawei's newest device at Mobile World Congress 2016," the Chinese company said in the invite. "Come see how Huawei continues to meet the demands of the next generation of mobile innovation."Sadly, no teasers were included in the invite, making it difficult to speculate about the star of the event. The company's flagship smartphone - the Mate 8 - was showcased at CES this month, and multiple reports have suggested that the upcoming P9 will be unveiled weeks after MWC.Last year's event saw Huawei unveiling the Watch. We would have placed our bet on its successor, but given the fact that the company just unveiled two new variants of the wearable at CES 2016, a second-gen Huawei Watch also seems...


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    Google paid over $2 million to security researchers last year
    Google has released some interesting statistics related to its Vulnerability Reward Program for the year 2015. The company revealed that it paid more than $2 million to security researchers as part of the program last year.The program was launched way back in 2010, and Google has paid a total of over $6 million to researchers till now. Last year, Android joined the program in June, and by the end of 2015, researchers were paid over $200,000 for finding vulnerabilities in the mobile OS. This included the largest single payment of $37,500 to an Android security researcher.Google gave more than 750 individual rewards last year, and those were received by over 300 security researchers. For more information and statistics, head to the Source link...


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    LG fixes vulnerability that affected millions of G3 devices
    LG has fixed a vulnerability in its G3 smartphone that researchers said could potentially allow an attacker to remotely steal sensitive data saved on the device's SD Card. An estimated 10 million G3 units are said to be vulnerable.The vulnerability is in an app called Smart Notice, which comes pre-installed on new LG G3 devices, and can be thought of as a scaled down version of Google Now, delivering you relevant information before you need it.The problem is that the app doesn't validate the data it handles, potentially allowing attackers to execute malicious code by manipulating the information it ferries to the user."Using the vulnerability, an attacker can easily open the user device to data theft attack, extracting private information saved on the SD Card including WhatsApp data and private images; put the user in danger of phishing attack by misleading the end-user; and enable the installation of a malicious program on the device," researchers revealed in a blog post."We informed LG, which responded quickly to notice of the vulnerability and we encourage users to immediately upgrade their application to new Smart Notice release, which contains a patch."Source (registration required) |...


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    Samsung Gear S2 Classic New Edition goes up for pre-orders in UK
    Less than a week after it started rolling out globally, the new edition Samsung Gear S2 Classic smartwatch - which was unveiled at CES earlier this month - is now available for pre-order in the UK.Local online retailer Mobile Fun has both Rose Gold and Platinum finish variants listed on its website, offering them at a pre-order price of $570.99, which translates into around £400 at current exchange rates. No exact shipping date was specified though.Over in the US, the new models were recently spotted listed on Amazon carrying a $319 price tag and shipping time-frame of 1 to 2 months. However, the listings seem to have been taken down now.Source 1 2 |...


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    Lenovo to launch a 'more innovative, more attractive' phone in US in Q3
    Lenovo has plans to launch what it is calling a "more innovative, more attractive" smartphone in the United Sates later this year. This was revealed Chief Executive Yuanqing Yang in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal.© ChinaFotoPressThe said device will be from the Chinese company's Motorola division, Yang revealed. If you recall, Lenovo recently said that going forward, its high-end smartphones will use the Moto branding while budget devices will carry the Vibe brand.So, given the brands' popularity in the US, it'd be fair to assume that the device - which Yang said will be launched in the month of July - will be from the Moto line-up. Sadly, nothing else was revealed about the handset.Interestingly, Yang also took a jab at Apple in the interview, saying that iOS has no more room to grow in the US. "Apple already has more than 50% share in the U.S. Can you expect more? I don't think so," he said. "I think Android will take more...


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    BlackBerry offering free accessories worth $99 with Priv
    If you are planning to purchase BlackBerry's debut Android-powered smartphone Priv, here is some good news: for a limited time, the Canadian company is offering free accessories worth $99 with the handset.The accessory bundle includes a Leather Smart Flip Case in black and Sync Pod with 1.2m USB cable. "Think of it as our way of saying 'thank you' for remaining loyal members of #TeamBlackBerry through the years," BlackBerry said in a blog post.As already mentioned, it's a limited time offer, which ends February 24 (11.59pm PST). In addition, the company is also offering deals on its Passport smartphone - head to the Source link below to learn...


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    Facebook brings live video streaming to every iPhone user
    In August of 2015 Facebook unveiled its answer to Periscope and other similar apps focused on live video streaming. But up until now the social network's live video feature has been exclusive to verified celebrities.That's changing, though. From today the ability to stream live video is being rolled out to every iPhone user in the US, with an international expansion coming in the following weeks. This should also make its way to Facebook's Android app soon.You'll know you have the new feature because a new icon will show up for you in the Update Status box. And that Live Video icon is the one you need to tap to get things going. You can add a short description too, and choose who to share with before you go live.While you're broadcasting you get to see the number of live viewers, the names of friends who are watching, as well as a real-time stream of comments. When you end your live session, the recording will be available in your Timeline like any other video you've manually uploaded. Of course you'll be able to delete it if you so wish.As a viewer, you'll see such live videos in your News Feed, and while you're watching one you can hit Subscribe to get notified the next time that person does a...


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    LG Pay's White Card leaks out, will be required to use the service
    We've known since October that LG is working on a payments service of its own, which should launch this year. However, unlike the payment solutions from Apple, Google, or Samsung, LG's entry into this field will not work through smartphones. In an odd twist, LG Pay will require a special "White Card" in order to be used.This card can be seen in the leaked shot below. Size-wise, it's very similar to a normal credit card, and it isn't much thicker either. It is different, though, as you can see. The White Card will essentially hold information from multiple actual credit cards on it - so in this regard it's not that dissimilar from Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay.Marked with 1 above is a small built-in display that will show you the card you're currently using. The arrow buttons marked 2 will let you quickly switch between cards, while the pins seen at No.3 in the image will be used for charging the card. That is needed because this is after all an electronic device.LG apparently thinks older people will be more likely to use its solution rather than go with one of its competitors' smartphone-based options, especially since one can use its White Card at ATMs as well as in stores. The payment service is set to be officially unveiled at MWC next month, and for now it looks like it's only going to launch in the company's native South Korea, at least initially.LG has already pre-ordered 50,000 of these cards, and it's in active discussions with one provider for mass production of even more. Quite a few financial institutions and retailers from Korea will be involved with LG Pay, it's been revealed. And according to an unnamed representative for one of these partners, by next month most card companies in the country will have joined LG's effort.Source |...


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    HTC One M10 (Perfume) has its specs outed
    A couple of days ago famed leakster @evleaks brought us news that the upcoming HTC One M10 flagship (codenamed Perfume) would sport looks that are similar to those of the already launched One A9. And today he's at it again, but this time with a pretty complete list of the phone's most important specs. Let's dive in then.The One M10 is said to have a 5.1-inch QHD AMOLED touchscreen. It shall be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset as you'd expect, 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.The handset's rear camera is apparently a 12 MP UltraPixel unit, coming with laser autofocus and optical image stabilization. Interestingly, the front camera is going to have OIS too. Unlike past offerings in the One line, the M10 will not have front-facing stereo speakers. However, a fingerprint scanner will be embedded in the Home button placed below the display.The One M10 will run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC Sense 8 on top. As previously rumored, it won't be revealed in February at MWC. Instead, HTC will schedule a dedicated event just for it at a later...


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    iPad Pro can update the firmware of accessories through Smart Connector in latest iOS 9.3 beta
    Apple sent out the second public beta of iOS 9.3 to interested testers yesterday, and already a new feature has surfaced in this release.It turns out that the iPad Pro can now update the firmware of your accessories, using the Smart Connector. Two different sources have confirmed that this already works for the Logitech Create iPad Keyboard, when attached to the iPad Pro through the tablet's Smart Connector. The update has thankfully fixed issues having to do with keyboard lag as well as missed keystrokes.The message you can see in the image above shows up, and then if you hit Update, a few minutes later the process will be complete. While it's happening, you'll see an indication of what percentage has been already achieved. Hopefully the incredibly generic update prompt captured by the screenshot above will be changed to something more specific (which will include the name of the accessory in question) before iOS 9.3 is finalized. One important thing to note is that while your accessory is being updated in this manner, you won't be able to use it at all.Source 1 • Source...


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    Oppo has big plans for MWC, teaser reveals
    With Mobile World Congress now being less than one month away, the companies that are going to participate are starting their respective teaser campaigns for their events in Barcelona. Case in point - Oppo. The Chinese smartphone maker has not only talked about a new F1 Plus model at the launch of the F1 in India, but it's also released its first teaser for MWC.You can see that image to the left, but even more important is the PR text that accompanied it. Oppo says we should expect it to unveil a couple of big things at MWC.First off, a "groundbreaking power solution" is mentioned, obviously without any additional details that could help us discern what this might be - it is, after all, just a teaser.What's also coming in February from Oppo is "an unprecedented smartphone camera innovation". Here too the wording is vague enough that it could mean anything - software, hardware, or even a mix of the two.Clearly though the company thinks you should get excited about these innovations it plans to bring forth. Together, these are said to "offer tomorrow's consumers a reinvigorated user experience". Perhaps Oppo will elaborate on these things somewhat in subsequent teasers in the coming...


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    Apple issues voluntary recall of device chargers shipped from 2003 to 2015
    Following in the footsteps of Microsoft, today Apple has issued its very own voluntary recall of AC wall adapters. However, in this case there seem to be a lot more units involved, because we're talking about chargers having been packed with certain Macs, iOS devices, and also as part of the company's World Travel Adapter Kit.Apple says device chargers that it's shipped with its products from 2003 to 2015 "may break and create a risk of electrical shock if touched", but only "in very rare cases". There's some good news here, in that not all types of chargers are affected. The issue can manifest itself in those units designed for use in Continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Argentina, and Brazil. Not affected are the chargers shipped with Apple products sold in the US, UK, China, and Japan.The image above neatly sums up which exact models can suffer from this. And if you have such a charger, with two prong wall plug (one of the variations depicted above), then you can easily spot if yours needs replacing or not by whether it has 4 or 5 characters or no characters on the inside slot where it attaches to an Apple power adapter. The redesigned (and safe) models all have a three-letter regional code in there (EUR, KOR, AUS, ARG, or BRA depending on location).If you have one of the bad chargers, Apple will replace it with a good one for free. The procedure you need to follow for this to happen is outlined at the Source link below. You will need the serial number of your Mac, iPad, iPhone, or iPod in order to participate. When you have that ready, you can choose to perform the exchange at your local Apple store or online.Source |...


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    Case listings confirm the existence of a new 4-inch iPhone
    It has been just a little bit over four month since Apple unveiled the iPhone 6s line, but it seems its bubble has already burst, with fans already getting excited and anxious about Cupertino's 2016 releases. September is still some time away, but rumors about the iPhone 7 have been spreading like wildfire for some time now and understandably so - it is a major update this time around, not an "S" model.There is, however, yet another rumor that has been a frequent presence in our news section, namely the possibility for a resurrection of the 4-inch form factor. The alleged device has really been shrouded in mystery, even by Apple standards, with initial rumors suggesting internals, based on the iPhone 5s platform and more recent ones talking of a more powerful iPhone 6 or 6s specs hardware. The iPhone 5se moniker has also been cited on several occasions, but today finally brings some tangible evidence of the existence of a new 4-inch iPhone. It comes in the form of a couple of case listings on MobileFun.co.uk for what is referred to as the iPhone 6C. The accessories are already available for pre-order.It might not be a lot to go by, but the name does strike up instant association with the 2013 iPhone 5c, which was indeed, one of Apple's last phones with a 4-inch display. Of course, even if we assume that the listings prove the existence on a new compact iPhone, there is still a sea of mysteries to solve, like whether or not Cupertino will go for a similar plastic design and what hardware the unit will be based on. Hopefully more info will become available in the following...


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    OnePlus X will no longer require invites to purchase
    OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei announced on the company's official forum today that the OnePlus X will be available for purchase without invites from now on. Previously, potential customers only had "invite-free Tuesday" to get the phone.Currently, the OnePlus One, OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X are sold wihtout invites. For the OnePlus One the company needed one year to do so, while the OnePlus 2 took about four months from its launch. The OnePlux S is the quickest of the three to go invite-free in just three months. Here's what Carl Pei had to say about the milestone.We're extremely excited to be making the OnePlus X invite-free more quickly this time around. With every device we release, we grow more mature and more adept at handling the demands and expectations of our community. We largely owe our success to your unrelenting support, so we hope that this development will make the process of purchasing your very own OnePlus X as smooth and effortless as it can possibly be.As a reminder, the phone has a 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, an 8 MP selfie shooter, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801 chipset running things aided by 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, and a 2,525 mAh battery. The software version employed is Android 5.1.1...


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    BlackBerry Priv launched in India at a steep $923
    BlackBerry finally launched the Priv in the Indian market. However, if you have been looking forward to buying this phone then you will have to come to terms with the rather steep pricing. The phone is priced at INR 62,990, which is around $923. In comparison, the phone is priced at $699 in the US, which was already considered expensive by many.BlackBerry's reasoning is that the phone comes packed with high-end specifications and that there is a market for high-end devices such as the Priv and consumers who are willing to pay a premium for premium devices. Unfortunately, even with BlackBerry's relative popularity in India, the high-end market is pretty much dominated by the iPhones, with most consumers choosing to go with Apple if they are spending over a certain amount, and Android largely being the second preference for those with less deep pockets.It remains to be seen how the combination of high price, high-end specs, Android, and BlackBerry brand work in favor of the...


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    Default Asus ZenWatch drops to $99 in the US

    The first-generation ZenWatch from Asus has received an official price cut in the US. A quick look at the Taiwanese company's online store in the country reveals that the wearable device is now available for just $99.The model on offer is the silver/rose gold variant featuring a tan strap. Third party retailer Best Buy is also selling the same model for $99, but it's currently on back-order, with no specific shipping date mentioned.Other third party retailers are currently selling the smartwatch at much higher price - for example, Amazon US has the same model listed for $130.Source | Best Buy |...


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    MediaTek confirms bug that affects Android devices running its chipsets
    MediaTek has officially confirmed the existence of a software bug that has put several Android devices running the company's chipsets at risk. The chip-maker says the issue in question only affects Android 4.4 KitKat devices.First reported by security researcher Justin Case earlier this month, the bug could potentially allow an attacker to enable root access on a vulnerable device. "Root user could do many things, such as access data normally protected from the user/ other apps, or brick the phone, or spy on the user, monitor communications etc," Case said.For its part, MediaTek explained that the vulnerability stems from a debug feature that the chip-maker said smartphone manufacturers should have disabled before shipping the devices."We are aware of this issue and it has been reviewed by MediaTek's security team. It was mainly found in devices running Android 4.4 KitKat, due to a de-bug feature created for telecommunication inter-operability testing in China," a MediaTek spokesperson said."After testing, phone manufacturers should disable the de-bug feature before shipping smartphones. However, after investigation, we found that a few phone manufacturers didn't disable the feature, resulting in this potential security issue."MediaTek, however, didn't provide anymore details, just saying that the issue affects "a portion of devices" from "certain manufacturers," and adding that it has alerted all manufacturers about the feature.Source |...


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    BLU Vivo XL now available for purchase; company offers limited-time $50 rebate
    Announced earlier this month during this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the BLU Vivo XL is now available for purchase in the US. "Celebrating the availability" of the device, BLU is offering an immediate $50 rebate to those purchasing the handset.This means that the Vivo XL will set you back $99, down from its regular price of $149. The phone is available exclusively at Best Buy (online as well as physical stores), which has both gold and blue variants in stock.The offer is only available for the first 3 days of the device's availability, meaning it ends Sunday, January 31.Source | Best...


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    New Google Calendar update brings smart suggestions
    Google has pushed out a new update to its Calendar app. The update brings along a new 'smart suggestions' feature that the company claims lets you quickly create events."When you begin typing an event title, you'll see matching suggestions―choose one or keep typing," Google explained in a blog post. Tapping "at..." lets you add a location to your event and later get directions.Similarly, tapping "with..." allows you to add people to your event - you can call or message them from the event, but can't send them an invite. Finally, tapping "on." lets you specify the date, time and duration of the event.The update - which also brings support for 30 new languages - is available on both Android and...


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    Sprint HTC One M8 Marshmallow update imminent
    If you are on Sprint and own an HTC One M8 or its special Harman Kardon edition, here is some good news: the carrier has announced the roll-out of Android 6.0 Marshmallow for the handset, and it should begin anytime now.Sprint HTC One M8 / M8 HK Owners! Great news, we have received technical approval on the Marshmallow OS update! OTA will start tonight! Thx!— Mo Versi (@moversi) January 29, 2016As usual, the announcement was made by HTC's VP of Product Management Mo Versi on Twitter. He said that they have received technical approval for the update and the OTA roll-out will begin tonight (US time).This comes around a couple of months after the Taiwanese company started rolling out the Android 6.0 update to unlocked M8 units in the US. At that time, it was said that the carrier versions will get the update "as soon as possible."If you aren't already aware, Sprint's HTC One A9 has just started receiving the Android 6.0.1...


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    LG hints its G5 will have a removable battery while poking fun at Samsung
    Many users were upset when Samsung decided to discontinue a removable battery design and we hope LG does not go the same direction as Samsung as LG is one of the few phone makers that still design its smartphones with hot-swappable batteries.Samsung posted a picture of a Galaxy S6 edge+ with a caption stating that it can charge from 0-to-full in 90 minutes. Then LG USA replied with "Go from zero to full instantly with a removable battery" LG also includes a link to its LG V10 product page.@SamsungMobile Go from zero to full instantly with a removable battery: https://t.co/xBcf65TGno #LGV10— LG USA Mobile (@LGUSAMobile) January 27, 2016This jab at Samsung could indicate that LG still plans to keep designing phones with a removable battery. Specifically, the LG G5 could feature a removable battery.It's funny to think just a couple short years ago, Samsung used to boast its removable battery when a film crew took the Galaxy S5 on a trip from the East Coast to the West Coast.The battery lasted all the way across the country with a combination of texts, phone calls, photos and lots of time in Ultra Power Save Mode. Once the battery died, a crew member swapped the battery and had a full charge all over again.The LG G5 is rumored to have a 16MP and 8MP camera on the rear and front, respectively, a USB Type-C port, a 5.6 inch QHD display, and a Snapdragon 820 chipset.The LG G5 is expected to be announced on February 21 at Mobile World Congress in Spain this year.Source |...


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    Xiaomi Redmi 3 review: Precious little one
    Xiaomi Redmi 3 is not your usual budget smartphone. The word budget is hardly a good match for an aluminum unibody, a 5" IPS display, a powerful octa-core processor, a 13MP camera, and a beefy 4,100 mAh battery. And yet, here we are. The Xiaomi Redmi 3 may be cheap in price but it does not skimp on features...


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    Sprint's HTC One A9 is now getting Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update
    HTC clearly wants to set a good example in the way it's dealing with software updates for the One A9. Perhaps the company got "inspired" by Apple in more ways than just the handset's looks.The update to Android 6.0.1 is already out for the A9 units that have been sold unlocked, and now it's time for the same software to roll out to devices bought from Sprint.The carrier has announced the release of software version 1.57.651.1 for the One A9. This brings with it the 6.0.1 iteration of Android (which includes many new emojis), but also battery life improvements, enhanced camera features, the addition of Wi-Fi calling functionality, as well as some "system enhancements".The over-the-air update should already be on its way, but if your phone hasn't yet notified you about it, just be patient as these things are generally staged and can take a few days to make it to all devices out there. If you're impatient, you can head to the Source link below and download the 1.86GB RUU file which will load the software on your handset through your PC (if you have HTC Sync Manager installed).Source |...


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    ZTE Grand X 3 is now available in the US from Cricket
    At CES this year ZTE took the wraps off the Grand X 3, an entry level smartphone, and now this is already available to purchase in the US.You'll have to get it from Cricket, though, as that's the only carrier currently offering it. The Grand X 3 is priced at just $79.99 if you bring your number from another carrier, or $129.99 if you don't. Keep in mind however that this is a prepaid carrier, so these prices don't come with a two-year contract attached or anything like that. The phone is already up for grabs on Cricket's website.The ZTE Grand X 3 comes with a 5.5-inch 720p touchscreen, an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 2 MP Selfie cam, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 210 chipset (with a 1.3 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 4G, and a 3,080 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1...


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    Samsung Galaxy S7 tipped to land in Europe on March 11
    Samsung's highly anticipated Galaxy S7 smartphone will begin rolling out in Europe on March 11. This was revealed by leakster @ShaiMizrachi, who has provided some credible information in the past.Mark your calendar: the first European rollout for #GalaxyS7 family starts on 11/3 pic.twitter.com/TdhtJIJ2dD— Shai Mizrachi (@ShaiMizrachi) January 29, 2016If the date turns out to be correct, it'd be a simultaneous global roll-out for the flagship given that just last week reliable leakster ‏@evleaks revealed the same date for the device's US launch, and not to mention that leaked China Mobile slide from last month that revealed March launch for the Asian country.For those who aren't already aware, the handset - which has already been the subject of a bucket load of rumors and leaks until now - is expected to be unveiled at this year's Mobile World Congress, which is set for next month (February 22 - February 25).Source |...


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    Galaxy S7 to last for 17 hours of video playback at full brightness
    The Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin has been the source of quite a few notorious leaks in the past, and most of his posts used to be ranked with high credibility. After Nokia's demise though his reports became controversial at best.Still, a good rumor is always worth reporting, so here is a new hot one concerning the upcoming Galaxy S7 flagship. According to the Russian blogger the Samsung Galaxy S7 will be capable of playing videos at maximum brightness for more than 17 hours. If true, this will surely rank the Galaxy S7 among the best in its class.The Galaxy S7 is rumored to run on the Samsung's latest in-house chipset - the Exynos 8890 with 4GB RAM. The new SoC is going to be company's first to use custom CPU cores instead of regular Cortexes. According to a recent infographic by Samsung, the new processor will provide 30% faster performance and 10% better energy efficiency compared to the one used within the Exynos 7420 (Galaxy S6 series).The Galaxy S7 is expected to premiere this February at the MWC expo in Barcelona. It may come in two models - one with the Snapdragon 820 beast and one with Samsung's Exynos 8890 chip. We'll get more details soon...


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    Oppo F1 Plus image shows it differs in scale, not design
    We have an image of the Oppo F1 Plus, but you'll have to trust us on this. Mostly because the phone looks exactly like the smaller F1.That's no surprise, the same design has also been used for the A53 and R7/R7s/R7 lite (but not the R7 Plus).In case you've missed it, the Oppo F1 Plus will be a bigger version of the camera-focused F1. The screen will grow from 5" to 5.5" (with resolution getting a bump to 1080p). You get an extra gig of RAM too.Oppo F1 PlusThe F1 Plus is expected to launch in India this April for INR 27,000 ($395), a massive jump over the INR 16,000 price of the regular F1. And you still get a 13MP camera and Snapdragon 616 chipset.Oppo has so far only teased the F1 Plus so maybe it has an ace up its sleeve. An INR 11,000...


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    Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) specs confirmed from kernel source code
    After updating its "A" line for 2016, Samsung appears to be moving on to its budget "J" family. The Galaxy J1 (2016) is already here, well, at least in Dubai, while the J5 (2016) and J7 (2016) are expected shortly. The latter's existence now looks to be proven even further by some kernel sources, unearthed by one of our readers. The code was spotted alongside recently published kernel sources for the Galaxy A9 and talks of a device, codenamed "j7xlte".Conveniently enough, the code also holds clues to most of the phone's specs. The Galaxy J7 (2016) will be equipped with a FullHD panel, probably a 5.5-inch one, judging by a previous GFXBench leak. Super AMOLED is naturally expected, but if you want, you can try and find more details for yourself using the model number - ss_dsi_panel_S6E3FA3_AMS549JR01_FHD. The new J7 will be powered by a Snapdragon 650 SoC (previously known as the SD 618). There is no mention of memory in the code, but we expect 3GB of RAM. The main camera looks to be a 13MP model with the Samsung S5K3L2XX sensor. The front shooter is reported as a 5MP one with a Samsung S5K5E3YX sensor, 1.1µm pixels, paired with a 23mm f/2.2 lens.Interestingly enough, there are hints of a fingerprint reader on the Galaxy J7 (2016), which would definitely be a wonderful upgrade to the budget line. The rest of the known specs include a microSD card slot and a 4,300 mAh battery.Thanks for the tip Louis...


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    Isaac Mizrahi-designed HP smartwatch has classic looks, hidden OLED display
    HP has added another name to its revolving door of fashion designers who add the looks to the company's smartwatch brains. This one is done by Isaac Mizrahi. And sorry, guys, this one is ladies only.The watch is all form over function - a classic analog movement hides a small OLED display, normally invisible under the mirrored watch face. This isn't an Android Wear timepiece, you get a more limited set of text notifications and fitness tracking functions.HP Isaac Mizrahi smartwatchThe watch features a 42mm gold-plated or stainless steel case with Swarovski crystals around its bezel. Mineral glass and 3atm water resistance make this much tougher than most smartwatches. The watch bands are easily exchanged to customize the look.Also, the watch movement is independent from the smart features, which have 5 days of battery life. You can connect to an Android phone (4.4+) or an iPhone (iOS 8+) over Bluetooth.You can snag one for $250 (both color options cost the same). Additional leather watch bands will cost $40 (not available yet).Source |...


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    Microsoft sold only 4.5 million Lumia phones last quarter
    Only 4.5 million Lumia phones were sold by Microsoft in the last quarter of 2015, according to the company's just released Q2 fiscal 2016 earnings report. That's down from the 10.5 million figure reported in the same quarter the year prior.This translates into a drop of around 50% compared to the last quarter of 2014. Considering the latest IDC report which said that a total of around 400 million smartphones were shipped in Q4 2015, Microsoft's share comes out to be just over 1% for the quarter.Well, what to say? The numbers speak for themselves. Hopefully Q1 which will be the first where the new Lumia trio - 550, 950 and 950XL is available for the full three months will help turn things...


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    Huawei sends out MWC 2016 invites
    Huawei has sent out invites for its Mobile World Congress press conference. The event will be held at Barcelona's Montjuïc Exhibition Centre on February 21, which is a day before this year's MWC formally begins."We invite you to join Richard Yu, Chief Executive Officer, Huawei Consumer Business Group, and other Huawei executives, for the global unveiling of Huawei's newest device at Mobile World Congress 2016," the Chinese company said in the invite. "Come see how Huawei continues to meet the demands of the next generation of mobile innovation."Sadly, no teasers were included in the invite, making it difficult to speculate about the star of the event. The company's flagship smartphone - the Mate 8 - was showcased at CES this month, and multiple reports have suggested that the upcoming P9 will be unveiled weeks after MWC.Last year's event saw Huawei unveiling the Watch. We would have placed our bet on its successor, but given the fact that the company just unveiled two new variants of the wearable at CES 2016, a second-gen Huawei Watch also seems...


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    Google paid over $2 million to security researchers last year
    Google has released some interesting statistics related to its Vulnerability Reward Program for the year 2015. The company revealed that it paid more than $2 million to security researchers as part of the program last year.The program was launched way back in 2010, and Google has paid a total of over $6 million to researchers till now. Last year, Android joined the program in June, and by the end of 2015, researchers were paid over $200,000 for finding vulnerabilities in the mobile OS. This included the largest single payment of $37,500 to an Android security researcher.Google gave more than 750 individual rewards last year, and those were received by over 300 security researchers. For more information and statistics, head to the Source link...


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    LG fixes vulnerability that affected millions of G3 devices
    LG has fixed a vulnerability in its G3 smartphone that researchers said could potentially allow an attacker to remotely steal sensitive data saved on the device's SD Card. An estimated 10 million G3 units are said to be vulnerable.The vulnerability is in an app called Smart Notice, which comes pre-installed on new LG G3 devices, and can be thought of as a scaled down version of Google Now, delivering you relevant information before you need it.The problem is that the app doesn't validate the data it handles, potentially allowing attackers to execute malicious code by manipulating the information it ferries to the user."Using the vulnerability, an attacker can easily open the user device to data theft attack, extracting private information saved on the SD Card including WhatsApp data and private images; put the user in danger of phishing attack by misleading the end-user; and enable the installation of a malicious program on the device," researchers revealed in a blog post."We informed LG, which responded quickly to notice of the vulnerability and we encourage users to immediately upgrade their application to new Smart Notice release, which contains a patch."Source (registration required) |...


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    Samsung Gear S2 Classic New Edition goes up for pre-orders in UK
    Less than a week after it started rolling out globally, the new edition Samsung Gear S2 Classic smartwatch - which was unveiled at CES earlier this month - is now available for pre-order in the UK.Local online retailer Mobile Fun has both Rose Gold and Platinum finish variants listed on its website, offering them at a pre-order price of $570.99, which translates into around £400 at current exchange rates. No exact shipping date was specified though.Over in the US, the new models were recently spotted listed on Amazon carrying a $319 price tag and shipping time-frame of 1 to 2 months. However, the listings seem to have been taken down now.Source 1 2 |...


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  10. #25
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    Default Xiaomi Redmi 3 review: Precious little one

    Xiaomi Redmi 3 is not your usual budget smartphone. The word budget is hardly a good match for an aluminum unibody, a 5" IPS display, a powerful octa-core processor, a 13MP camera, and a beefy 4,100 mAh battery. And yet, here we are. The Xiaomi Redmi 3 may be cheap in price but it does not skimp on features...


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    Sprint's HTC One A9 is now getting Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update
    HTC clearly wants to set a good example in the way it's dealing with software updates for the One A9. Perhaps the company got "inspired" by Apple in more ways than just the handset's looks.The update to Android 6.0.1 is already out for the A9 units that have been sold unlocked, and now it's time for the same software to roll out to devices bought from Sprint.The carrier has announced the release of software version 1.57.651.1 for the One A9. This brings with it the 6.0.1 iteration of Android (which includes many new emojis), but also battery life improvements, enhanced camera features, the addition of Wi-Fi calling functionality, as well as some "system enhancements".The over-the-air update should already be on its way, but if your phone hasn't yet notified you about it, just be patient as these things are generally staged and can take a few days to make it to all devices out there. If you're impatient, you can head to the Source link below and download the 1.86GB RUU file which will load the software on your handset through your PC (if you have HTC Sync Manager installed).Source |...


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    ZTE Grand X 3 is now available in the US from Cricket
    At CES this year ZTE took the wraps off the Grand X 3, an entry level smartphone, and now this is already available to purchase in the US.You'll have to get it from Cricket, though, as that's the only carrier currently offering it. The Grand X 3 is priced at just $79.99 if you bring your number from another carrier, or $129.99 if you don't. Keep in mind however that this is a prepaid carrier, so these prices don't come with a two-year contract attached or anything like that. The phone is already up for grabs on Cricket's website.The ZTE Grand X 3 comes with a 5.5-inch 720p touchscreen, an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 2 MP Selfie cam, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 210 chipset (with a 1.3 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 4G, and a 3,080 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1...


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    Samsung Galaxy S7 tipped to land in Europe on March 11
    Samsung's highly anticipated Galaxy S7 smartphone will begin rolling out in Europe on March 11. This was revealed by leakster @ShaiMizrachi, who has provided some credible information in the past.Mark your calendar: the first European rollout for #GalaxyS7 family starts on 11/3 pic.twitter.com/TdhtJIJ2dD— Shai Mizrachi (@ShaiMizrachi) January 29, 2016If the date turns out to be correct, it'd be a simultaneous global roll-out for the flagship given that just last week reliable leakster ‏@evleaks revealed the same date for the device's US launch, and not to mention that leaked China Mobile slide from last month that revealed March launch for the Asian country.For those who aren't already aware, the handset - which has already been the subject of a bucket load of rumors and leaks until now - is expected to be unveiled at this year's Mobile World Congress, which is set for next month (February 22 - February 25).Source |...


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    Galaxy S7 to last for 17 hours of video playback at full brightness
    The Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin has been the source of quite a few notorious leaks in the past, and most of his posts used to be ranked with high credibility. After Nokia's demise though his reports became controversial at best.Still, a good rumor is always worth reporting, so here is a new hot one concerning the upcoming Galaxy S7 flagship. According to the Russian blogger the Samsung Galaxy S7 will be capable of playing videos at maximum brightness for more than 17 hours. If true, this will surely rank the Galaxy S7 among the best in its class.The Galaxy S7 is rumored to run on the Samsung's latest in-house chipset - the Exynos 8890 with 4GB RAM. The new SoC is going to be company's first to use custom CPU cores instead of regular Cortexes. According to a recent infographic by Samsung, the new processor will provide 30% faster performance and 10% better energy efficiency compared to the one used within the Exynos 7420 (Galaxy S6 series).The Galaxy S7 is expected to premiere this February at the MWC expo in Barcelona. It may come in two models - one with the Snapdragon 820 beast and one with Samsung's Exynos 8890 chip. We'll get more details soon...


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    Default Poll results: Galaxy Note5 wins platform clash vs iPhone 6s Plus and L

    A winner among droids, and now a winner among platforms - we give you the Galaxy Note5. Samsung's latest in a line that started the whole phablet trend captivated the most of our readers in yet another poll this week. This time around the Note5 gathered more than half of the total votes for an uncontested 51% win.In a more curious turn of events, the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL came in second, 5 points ahead of the iPhone 6s Plus. Persisting anti-Windows rants about lack of apps and the OS being bug-infested don't seem to have affected the Lumia's image in the eyes of loyal fans.The iPhone 6s Plus has to settle for third place in our poll, which in all likelihood will mean zero to the company. After all, the most recent financial report out of Cupertino cited quarterly records in both revenue and profit, which isn't something Microsoft's smartphone division can brag...


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    Top 10 trending phones of week 4
    Apple's iPhone 6s returns to our weekly Top 10 trending chart after being absent for more than a month, leaving it to the iPhone 5s to defend the company's honor. Defend it it did, and is also present this week, the two-generations-old model in 8th, while the current one is in 10th.In between them is the Samsung Galaxy Note5, a spot down from last week. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has dropped 3 places, and we're finding it in 7th, but the smaller non-Note Redmi 3 has dropped off the Top 10 altogether.Climbing up the chart, it's a Samsung Galaxy fest, with the Grand Prime in 6th, one up compared to week 3. The J2 is in 5th, while the S6 is the one that's made the most progress - from 9th to 4th.The Galaxy J5 is in third and the J7 is this week's runner-up - we're used to seeing the two together, but the J7 used to hold the crown for a long time, only not since week 2. The Lenovo K4 Note showed up and pushed the J's off the top and seems to set on staying there for a while..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;} Lenovo Vibe K4 Note RANK: 1WAS: 1 specs gallery Samsung Galaxy J7 RANK: 2WAS: 2 specs review Samsung Galaxy J5 RANK: 3WAS: 3 specs review Samsung Galaxy S6 RANK: 4WAS: 9 specs review Samsung Galaxy J2 RANK: 5WAS: 6 specs review Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime RANK: 6WAS: 7 specs review Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek) RANK: 7WAS: 4 specs review Apple iPhone 5s RANK: 8WAS: 10 specs review Samsung Galaxy Note5 RANK: 9WAS: 8 specs review Apple iPhone 6s RANK: 10NEW IN specs...


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    Microsoft promises it will address the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 power issues ASAP
    Microsoft is still under a lot of heat concerning the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4. This time around, users are justifiably complaining about an improper sleep function on the devices, along with a few other battery management issues that ultimately lead to poor power performance. Sadly, this is far from the first issues that was found to plague the high-end hybrid devices and similar topics have been exploding on the support forum ever since the pair was announced in October 2015.If you don't recall, at a Microsoft even on October 8 2015, the Surface Pro 4 was unveiled as the bigger brother to the Surface Pro 3 and the US giant also endeavored to take things to the next level with its powerful 13-inch tablet-pc crossover device, dubbed the Surface Book. At the time, both seemed like really amazing products with lots of potential, which even managed to justify the eye-watering price tags for some users.Since then, however, many of the early adopters have been dreading the purchase, or at least that is what a quick browse through the support forum led us to believe. It appears both models might have been outed a little prematurely, with a few notable issues reaching end users. Both exhibited a rather annoying flickering issue and a lot of power problems, one of which has become known as the infamous sleep issue we already mentioned. Yesterday, Microsoft outed a new update which is said to offer: .refinements to improve battery charging and thermal tuning, wireless and Bluetooth performance, and to the detach-reattach experience on Surface Book.However, the elephant in the room was still not addressed. It is at least reassuring that the bug was acknowledged, but currently disgruntle users have only a promise to hang on to: We know some of you are still experiencing issues, including issues related to power management, and we are working to address those as quickly as possible. We'll publish additional updates as soon as they are ready. Interestingly enough, there are also rumors circulating that the issue lies within the Intel Skylake processor, which could mean that other non-Surface devices are prone to the bug as well. We will be sure to keep a close eye on the matter in hopes that a speedy resolution will be found and that this will be the last unfortunate set of bugs the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book experience.Source |...


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    S6 and S6 edge get Marshmallow update in South Korea
    Samsung has started rolling out the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update for the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge in South Korea.The final version comes out after a brief beta test where users had to sign up to receive the beta build.Looking at screenshots by SamMobile, the update brings some minor UI changes, such as the updated notification menu and power menu, along with the usual under the hood changes, such as enabling the fingerprint sensor to work in third party apps.The update should eventually make its way outside of South Korea, and also to other Samsung...


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    The Bluboo Xfire 2 comes with a metal body and fingerprint reader for $60
    As with any other great tech advancement in history, smartphones have developed rapidly from luxury to a necessity and as such are constantly becoming more and more affordable. OEMs, especially those operation out of China are always pushing the envelope on what is possible on a shoestring budget and it is an undeniable fact that you can now get a decent mid-range Android device from a major brand for around $200 and enjoy a modern Android experience.But what if you want to go cheaper still? A quick search online revels that you could opt for a no-brand device or a very outdated one for as little as $40. Blueboo's latest model, the Xfire 2 definitely goes one step beyond. We don't typically dip our foot into the vast sear of obscure Chinese brands, but this one is definitely an eye-catcher, at least on paper that is. For $59.99, the handset offers a metal unibody design, with a nice-looking arc and even complete with a 2.5D glass and a back-mounted fingerprint reader.That is definitely great value. The rest of the specs sheet is also decent with a 5-inch HD panel and powered by an MTK6580 quad-core processor and Mali 400 GPU. Memory is set at 1GB for RAM and 8GB for internal storage, but there is also a microSD card slot for up to 32GB more. The camera setup includes a 5MP main shooter with AF and a single LED flash and on the front there is a 2MP unit, which it also has an LED flash of its own. Powering the show is a 2150 mAh battery and the Xfire 2 boots Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box, so you are really getting an up-to-date experience for your buck.The only real, obvious, downside of the Bluboo Xfire 2 specs-wise is the Lack of 4G LTE, but perhaps such handsets will also become reality in the sub $100 price range soon, thanks to MediaTek's latest line of ultra-affordable chips. According to the manufacturer's website, the Bluboo Xfire 2 is currently in pre-sale for the special price, which will later be raised to $69.99, still an amazing value. Both GearBest and Geekbuying currently have the dual-SIM variant listed for $73.86 and $79.99, respectively and shipments are expected to begin in February.Source |...


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    Google adds a Watch Later button to YouTube notifications on Android
    It is a well-known fact that the best technology is the one that goes unnoticed, in other words, things that simply work and you feel like they are just the most natural thing ever and have always been. Amidst all the largescale and revolutionary work Google is doing in most every perceivable field of technology, the online giant still puts a lot of value in supporting its products with tiny details that polish them to perfection over time.Now, don't get us wrong, even Google isn't without error and there are plenty of blunders to go around, but it definitely makes us smile when we learn about the little things the team made time to introduce to the user experience. The Calendar app on both Android and iOS, just got an update with real-time text suggestions and now, the YouTube app for Android also has a new feature.It also fits into the hard to spot category perfectly, so much so, that you either have to be involved with YouTube's Android team on be really, really diligent in sifting through your notifications to spot it. The feature is a new "Watch Later" button, added to YouTube notifications for new video uploads. If you don't recall, back in the summer of 2015, YouTube added the convenient feature that allows users to subscribe for new upload notifications per channel. It is a pretty good idea, but up until recently, you could only tap on the notification to watch the video instantly or swipe it away and probably forget about it.The new style of actionable notification was noticed by fans and it appears is not tied to any app update, but is rather a server-side deal. The other action slot is filled with a quick link to potentially unsubscribe from the feed for the particular channel - also convenient. If you haven't started getting the new style of notifications yet, you will probably notice the change when the next one comes along, now that you know what to look...


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    Sony Xperia M5 and M5 Dual getting Android 5.1 update
    Sony has started rolling out the Android 5.1 Lollipop update to both Xperia M5 and M5 Dual smartphones. The update also includes Android security patch for the month of January.Weighing in at around 600MB, the new update bumps the M5's build number to 30.1.A.1.33, and that of the dual-sim variant to 30.1.B.1.33. It brings along the ability to take pictures from the camera using the SmartWatch 3, as well as improvements related to volume and silent mode control.For those who aren't already aware, the M5 will land in Europe in February - it's currently up for pre-order in the UK, with shipments beginning February...


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    Snapchat is aiming for sports fans with live score overlays for NBA games
    Snapchat is one of those odd social app experiments that often confuse their very own user base, let alone newcomers. What started out as a fairly clever "no traces left behind" picture chat, has since exploded into a wild mess of often puzzling user content, specially crafted multimedia experiences within the Discover feature, as well as, more recently, a sprawling video sharing community. Amidst all this, there seems to be only one unifying trend - striving for revenue and lots of it. Be it from paid ad content, or sponsored video "lenses" or even paid replays of snaps, Snapchat has been doing everything in its power to back up estimates for the company's enormous market value.Now, it seems, the playful white ghost has shifted its priorities towards sports fans and is striving to become the de facto social platform for sharing sports events and experiences. The newest effort to this end is a special score filter made available to users attending certain NBA contests. The overlay provides live scores for the game you are currently at. The feature is available at every NBA arena and some other matches.It might sound like an incredibly silly concept, but, oddly enough, it appears to be working. Just last week, Live Score geofilters saw 20 million views, gathered on content from 51 NBA games. At this point, we can't decide if the Snapchat team is just incredibly lucky, or full of brilliant social experts, as this new feature could very well open the way to a whole new stream or ad revenue.And Basketball is not the only sport Snapchat is going after. It has been working with NFL to produce Live Story compilations for major games, as well as to offer fans the aforementioned Live Score filters. And with the US Super Bowl coming up, it is anybody's guess just how far Snapchat will manage to take its new...


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    Huawei officially announces January 31 launch for Honor 5X in US
    Earlier this month, Huawei announced that the Honor 5X will be launched in the US at the end of this month. So, we were already expecting it to go on sale around January 31. Now, the company has officially announced the launch date.Yes, the device will be available for purchase in the US starting January 31. You'll be able to grab it online at HiHonor, Amazon.com and Newegg.com. As already announced, it will carry a price tag of $200, and will be available in gold, silver, and grey color options.For those in Europe waiting for the Honor 5X, the phone is expected to land there next week - on February...


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    MediaTek confirms bug that affects Android devices running its chipsets
    MediaTek has officially confirmed the existence of a software bug that has put several Android devices running the company's chipsets at risk. The chip-maker says the issue in question only affects Android 4.4 KitKat devices.First reported by security researcher Justin Case earlier this month, the bug could potentially allow an attacker to enable root access on a vulnerable device. "Root user could do many things, such as access data normally protected from the user/ other apps, or brick the phone, or spy on the user, monitor communications etc," Case said.For its part, MediaTek explained that the vulnerability stems from a debug feature that the chip-maker said smartphone manufacturers should have disabled before shipping the devices."We are aware of this issue and it has been reviewed by MediaTek's security team. It was mainly found in devices running Android 4.4 KitKat, due to a de-bug feature created for telecommunication inter-operability testing in China," a MediaTek spokesperson said."After testing, phone manufacturers should disable the de-bug feature before shipping smartphones. However, after investigation, we found that a few phone manufacturers didn't disable the feature, resulting in this potential security issue."MediaTek, however, didn't provide anymore details, just saying that the issue affects "a portion of devices" from "certain manufacturers," and adding that it has alerted all manufacturers about the feature.Source |...


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    BLU Vivo XL now available for purchase; company offers limited-time $50 rebate
    Announced earlier this month during this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the BLU Vivo XL is now available for purchase in the US. "Celebrating the availability" of the device, BLU is offering an immediate $50 rebate to those purchasing the handset.This means that the Vivo XL will set you back $99, down from its regular price of $149. The phone is available exclusively at Best Buy (online as well as physical stores), which has both gold and blue variants in stock.The offer is only available for the first 3 days of the device's availability, meaning it ends Sunday, January 31.Source | Best...


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    New Google Calendar update brings smart suggestions
    Google has pushed out a new update to its Calendar app. The update brings along a new 'smart suggestions' feature that the company claims lets you quickly create events."When you begin typing an event title, you'll see matching suggestions―choose one or keep typing," Google explained in a blog post. Tapping "at..." lets you add a location to your event and later get directions.Similarly, tapping "with..." allows you to add people to your event - you can call or message them from the event, but can't send them an invite. Finally, tapping "on." lets you specify the date, time and duration of the event.The update - which also brings support for 30 new languages - is available on both Android and...


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    Sprint HTC One M8 Marshmallow update imminent
    If you are on Sprint and own an HTC One M8 or its special Harman Kardon edition, here is some good news: the carrier has announced the roll-out of Android 6.0 Marshmallow for the handset, and it should begin anytime now.Sprint HTC One M8 / M8 HK Owners! Great news, we have received technical approval on the Marshmallow OS update! OTA will start tonight! Thx!— Mo Versi (@moversi) January 29, 2016As usual, the announcement was made by HTC's VP of Product Management Mo Versi on Twitter. He said that they have received technical approval for the update and the OTA roll-out will begin tonight (US time).This comes around a couple of months after the Taiwanese company started rolling out the Android 6.0 update to unlocked M8 units in the US. At that time, it was said that the carrier versions will get the update "as soon as possible."If you aren't already aware, Sprint's HTC One A9 has just started receiving the Android 6.0.1...


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    LG hints its G5 will have a removable battery while poking fun at Samsung
    Many users were upset when Samsung decided to discontinue a removable battery design and we hope LG does not go the same direction as Samsung as LG is one of the few phone makers that still design its smartphones with hot-swappable batteries.Samsung posted a picture of a Galaxy S6 edge+ with a caption stating that it can charge from 0-to-full in 90 minutes. Then LG USA replied with "Go from zero to full instantly with a removable battery" LG also includes a link to its LG V10 product page.@SamsungMobile Go from zero to full instantly with a removable battery: https://t.co/xBcf65TGno #LGV10— LG USA Mobile (@LGUSAMobile) January 27, 2016This jab at Samsung could indicate that LG still plans to keep designing phones with a removable battery. Specifically, the LG G5 could feature a removable battery.It's funny to think just a couple short years ago, Samsung used to boast its removable battery when a film crew took the Galaxy S5 on a trip from the East Coast to the West Coast.The battery lasted all the way across the country with a combination of texts, phone calls, photos and lots of time in Ultra Power Save Mode. Once the battery died, a crew member swapped the battery and had a full charge all over again.The LG G5 is rumored to have a 16MP and 8MP camera on the rear and front, respectively, a USB Type-C port, a 5.6 inch QHD display, and a Snapdragon 820 chipset.The LG G5 is expected to be announced on February 21 at Mobile World Congress in Spain this year.Source |...


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    Default The Bluboo Xfire 2 comes with a metal body and fingerprint reader for

    As with any other great tech advancement in history, smartphones have developed rapidly from luxury to a necessity and as such are constantly becoming more and more affordable. OEMs, especially those operation out of China are always pushing the envelope on what is possible on a shoestring budget and it is an undeniable fact that you can now get a decent mid-range Android device from a major brand for around $200 and enjoy a modern Android experience.But what if you want to go cheaper still? A quick search online revels that you could opt for a no-brand device or a very outdated one for as little as $40. Blueboo's latest model, the Xfire 2 definitely goes one step beyond. We don't typically dip our foot into the vast sear of obscure Chinese brands, but this one is definitely an eye-catcher, at least on paper that is. For $59.99, the handset offers a metal unibody design, with a nice-looking arc and even complete with a 2.5D glass and a back-mounted fingerprint reader.That is definitely great value. The rest of the specs sheet is also decent with a 5-inch HD panel and powered by an MTK6580 quad-core processor and Mali 400 GPU. Memory is set at 1GB for RAM and 8GB for internal storage, but there is also a microSD card slot for up to 32GB more. The camera setup includes a 5MP main shooter with AF and a single LED flash and on the front there is a 2MP unit, which it also has an LED flash of its own. Powering the show is a 2150 mAh battery and the Xfire 2 boots Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box, so you are really getting an up-to-date experience for your buck.The only real, obvious, downside of the Bluboo Xfire 2 specs-wise is the Lack of 4G LTE, but perhaps such handsets will also become reality in the sub $100 price range soon, thanks to MediaTek's latest line of ultra-affordable chips. According to the manufacturer's website, the Bluboo Xfire 2 is currently in pre-sale for the special price, which will later be raised to $69.99, still an amazing value. Both GearBest and Geekbuying currently have the dual-SIM variant listed for $73.86 and $79.99, respectively and shipments are expected to begin in February.Source |...


    More...

    Google adds a Watch Later button to YouTube notifications on Android
    It is a well-known fact that the best technology is the one that goes unnoticed, in other words, things that simply work and you feel like they are just the most natural thing ever and have always been. Amidst all the largescale and revolutionary work Google is doing in most every perceivable field of technology, the online giant still puts a lot of value in supporting its products with tiny details that polish them to perfection over time.Now, don't get us wrong, even Google isn't without error and there are plenty of blunders to go around, but it definitely makes us smile when we learn about the little things the team made time to introduce to the user experience. The Calendar app on both Android and iOS, just got an update with real-time text suggestions and now, the YouTube app for Android also has a new feature.It also fits into the hard to spot category perfectly, so much so, that you either have to be involved with YouTube's Android team on be really, really diligent in sifting through your notifications to spot it. The feature is a new "Watch Later" button, added to YouTube notifications for new video uploads. If you don't recall, back in the summer of 2015, YouTube added the convenient feature that allows users to subscribe for new upload notifications per channel. It is a pretty good idea, but up until recently, you could only tap on the notification to watch the video instantly or swipe it away and probably forget about it.The new style of actionable notification was noticed by fans and it appears is not tied to any app update, but is rather a server-side deal. The other action slot is filled with a quick link to potentially unsubscribe from the feed for the particular channel - also convenient. If you haven't started getting the new style of notifications yet, you will probably notice the change when the next one comes along, now that you know what to look...


    More...

    Sony Xperia M5 and M5 Dual getting Android 5.1 update
    Sony has started rolling out the Android 5.1 Lollipop update to both Xperia M5 and M5 Dual smartphones. The update also includes Android security patch for the month of January.Weighing in at around 600MB, the new update bumps the M5's build number to 30.1.A.1.33, and that of the dual-sim variant to 30.1.B.1.33. It brings along the ability to take pictures from the camera using the SmartWatch 3, as well as improvements related to volume and silent mode control.For those who aren't already aware, the M5 will land in Europe in February - it's currently up for pre-order in the UK, with shipments beginning February...


    More...

    Snapchat is aiming for sports fans with live score overlays for NBA games
    Snapchat is one of those odd social app experiments that often confuse their very own user base, let alone newcomers. What started out as a fairly clever "no traces left behind" picture chat, has since exploded into a wild mess of often puzzling user content, specially crafted multimedia experiences within the Discover feature, as well as, more recently, a sprawling video sharing community. Amidst all this, there seems to be only one unifying trend - striving for revenue and lots of it. Be it from paid ad content, or sponsored video "lenses" or even paid replays of snaps, Snapchat has been doing everything in its power to back up estimates for the company's enormous market value.Now, it seems, the playful white ghost has shifted its priorities towards sports fans and is striving to become the de facto social platform for sharing sports events and experiences. The newest effort to this end is a special score filter made available to users attending certain NBA contests. The overlay provides live scores for the game you are currently at. The feature is available at every NBA arena and some other matches.It might sound like an incredibly silly concept, but, oddly enough, it appears to be working. Just last week, Live Score geofilters saw 20 million views, gathered on content from 51 NBA games. At this point, we can't decide if the Snapchat team is just incredibly lucky, or full of brilliant social experts, as this new feature could very well open the way to a whole new stream or ad revenue.And Basketball is not the only sport Snapchat is going after. It has been working with NFL to produce Live Story compilations for major games, as well as to offer fans the aforementioned Live Score filters. And with the US Super Bowl coming up, it is anybody's guess just how far Snapchat will manage to take its new...


    More...

    Huawei officially announces January 31 launch for Honor 5X in US
    Earlier this month, Huawei announced that the Honor 5X will be launched in the US at the end of this month. So, we were already expecting it to go on sale around January 31. Now, the company has officially announced the launch date.Yes, the device will be available for purchase in the US starting January 31. You'll be able to grab it online at HiHonor, Amazon.com and Newegg.com. As already announced, it will carry a price tag of $200, and will be available in gold, silver, and grey color options.For those in Europe waiting for the Honor 5X, the phone is expected to land there next week - on February...


    More...

    MediaTek confirms bug that affects Android devices running its chipsets
    MediaTek has officially confirmed the existence of a software bug that has put several Android devices running the company's chipsets at risk. The chip-maker says the issue in question only affects Android 4.4 KitKat devices.First reported by security researcher Justin Case earlier this month, the bug could potentially allow an attacker to enable root access on a vulnerable device. "Root user could do many things, such as access data normally protected from the user/ other apps, or brick the phone, or spy on the user, monitor communications etc," Case said.For its part, MediaTek explained that the vulnerability stems from a debug feature that the chip-maker said smartphone manufacturers should have disabled before shipping the devices."We are aware of this issue and it has been reviewed by MediaTek's security team. It was mainly found in devices running Android 4.4 KitKat, due to a de-bug feature created for telecommunication inter-operability testing in China," a MediaTek spokesperson said."After testing, phone manufacturers should disable the de-bug feature before shipping smartphones. However, after investigation, we found that a few phone manufacturers didn't disable the feature, resulting in this potential security issue."MediaTek, however, didn't provide anymore details, just saying that the issue affects "a portion of devices" from "certain manufacturers," and adding that it has alerted all manufacturers about the feature.Source |...


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  13. #28
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    Default Samsung Galaxy S7 passes through China's 3C certification authority

    Although there have already been reports that Samsung's Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone will land in China sometime in March, we're yet to hear any confirmation on this. Now we have some sort of unofficial data pointing that way as three variants of the device have recently cleared China Compulsory Certification (3C).The said variants carry model numbers of SM-G9308, SM-G9300, and SM-G9350 - while the first two are Galaxy S7 models, the third one is Galaxy S7 edge. All three feature support for fast charging at 9V 1.67A and 5V 2A.Sadly, as is the case usually, nothing else was revealed by the 3C listings. However, we're hopeful that detailed specs will be revealed when the models pass through China's TENAA agency.In case you missed it, Samsung just officially confirmed that the flagship device will be unveiled on February...


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    Despite missed sales target, Xiaomi was still at top in China last year
    Despite falling short of its 2015 sales target, Xiaomi was still the top smartphone manufacturer in China for the year, according to a new Wall Street Journal report which cited "early figures" from market research firms Canalys and Strategy Analytics.According to Canalys, Xiaomi claimed 15.2% of the market in China. Huawei came in second with 14.7%, while Apple was third with 12.5% share.The report cited Chinese analysts as saying that brisk sales of the company's Redmi Note 3 smartphone - which they said comes with "competitive pricing and trendy features" - along with the end-of-year sales season were some of the main reasons that helped Xiaomi claim the spot.They also predicted that in 2016, Xiaomi will have to face a tough fight from competitors like Huawei, which shipped over 100 million smartphones in 2015 - Xiaomi, for comparison, shipped only 70 million.For those who aren't already aware, Xiaomi's next flagship smartphone - the Mi 5 - will be unveiled on February...


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    Possible next-gen Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablets spotted on Zauba
    Two new tablets from Samsung have been spotted listed on Zauba, a website which tracks India's import and export. The listings for these devices reveal that they carry model numbers of SM-T719 and SM-T813, respectively.Another crucial information that the listings reveal is the display sizes. While the SM-T719 sports an 8-inch screen, the SM-T813 has a 9.7 inch display.Given that the Galaxy Tab S2 series from last year has 8-inch and 9.7-inch variants (with model numbers SM-T710/SM-T715 and SM-T810/ SM-T815), these new devices could very well be the next generation tablets in the series.Aside from the specs, the Zauba listings also gives an idea about the price tag the new tablets will carry - the SM-T719 is listed at INR 13,817 (around $215), while the SM-T813 is priced at INR 17,271 (around $255). Keep in mind, however, that pricing information on Zauba is not always precise.Via...


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    It's official: Samsung to unveil Galaxy S7 on February 21
    Turns out the rumors were correct. Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone will be unveiled on Sunday, February 21 (19:00 CET) in Barcelona, just a day before MWC 2016 officially kicks off.The South Korean company has also posted a teaser video on YouTube (embedded below) that confirms the same. The video, however, doesn't reveal much - it just shows a man wearing the company's Gear VR headset."Get ready to rethink what a phone can do," Samsung said in the text accompanying the video. "#TheNextGalaxy will be revealed at Unpacked on February 21." The Galaxy S7 has already been the subject of endless rumors and leaks. It is expected to be launched in the US and Europe on March...


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    New update to Samsung's Android browser brings support for ad blocking
    Samsung has pushed out a new update to its Web browser on Android that adds a new API using which developers will be able to build ad blocking extensions for the browser. The update will only be available to Samsung devices running Android 5.0 or up.Once you update your Samsung Internet browser, you'll be able to block ads by installing a content blocking software that takes advantage of the new API. One such tool is Adblock Fast, which is claiming to be the first free open-source ad blocker for the browser.The team behind Adblock Fast for Android claims the extension allows webpages to load an average of 51% faster. The ad blocker is also available for Chrome and Opera on desktops and laptops.Source |...


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    Motorola's 'shatterproof' Moto X Force set for India launch today
    The Motorola Moto X Force, which is claimed to be the first smartphone in the world to come with a shatterproof display, will be launched in India on February 1 - today. The announcement was made by the company in a tweet yesterday.Are we there yet? Almost! #1DayToXForce, launching on 1st Feb at 3 PM https://t.co/q6VpVxSNrr pic.twitter.com/nPyufpRhv5— Motorola India (@MotorolaIndia) January 31, 2016The event is set for 3PM (IST) today, and you can catch the device's live unveiling by heading to the YouTube link at the end of this story.The launch comes nearly a couple of weeks after Motorola India started teasing the phone on Twitter, and a couple of days after it was spotted listed as 'coming soon' on Amazon India. There is currently no official information on its India price though - in the US, where it is sold as the Droid Turbo 2, it carries a price tag of $624 for the base model.Source |...


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    Best Apps and Games of the Week
    These are the best apps and games that came out this week.Guides by Lonely PlanetGuides by Lonely Planet is exactly what it sounds like. The app has guides for popular locations, which tell you more about the place, what to see, where to shop, what to do, etc. It also has offline maps for the locations, along with useful tips. and bookmarking for locations. The app currently includes maps for Amsterdam, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Chicago, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Kyoto, London, Madrid, Montréal, Moscow, New Orleans, New York City, Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, San Francisco, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, St. Petersburg, Sydney, Tokyo, Vancouver, Venice, Vienna, Washington, DC, and more will be added later.iOS • AndroidChrooma KeyboardChrooma is a simple, resizable keyboard for Android that automatically changes color to match the color of the app. There's also a night mode that changes color according to the time of the day.AndroidMimicker AlarmMimicker is an alarm app by Microsoft. The app makes you do certain tasks after the alarm rings, such as snap a selfie or speak a phrase. If you fail to do that the alarm keeps ringing. If you have trouble getting up in the morning then you could give this a try.AndroidTwofoldTwofold is a color matching game, where you have to move around squares and match their colors. You have to match a certain number of colored squares to get to the next level. Use up all your moves and it's game over. Twofold is made by the developers of rymdkapsel and has the same level of polish and finesse in gameplay and presentation.iOS • AndroidDownwellDownwell is a fast-paced action game, which is now also available on Android. You fall down a well, shoot enemies with your Gunboots, and collect red gems. There is not much else to know nor should you need to.iOS •...


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    Weekly poll: Huawei Mate 8 - hot or not
    We kicked off our review year with the Huawei Mate 8 and set the bar pretty high for the ones to come. And while we were certainly impressed with the smartphone, it's also hard to overlook its flaws, which we made sure to point out.And now that you're familiar with our findings (perhaps some of you also have first-hand experience with the Mate 8), we're determined to find out what you think of Huawei's top-tier phablet. Our classic hot-or-not formulation sums up the question whether the good outweighs the bad.Are supreme build, powerful chipset, fine 6-inch display, and record-braking battery life enough for you to turn a blind eye on a camera that doesn't quite measure up to the standards of the segment and an Android overlay that's polarizing, to say the least? Additionally, other smaller pros and cons could tip the scales either way depending on who you are and which particular bit of a smartphone's performance is higher on your list of priorities.And since we can't really speak for everyone, we're asking you to speak for yourselves and tell us what you think on the matter at hand - is the Huawei Mate 8 hot or...


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    Week 4 in review: Flagship rumors intensify
    As MWC 2016 inches ever closer, it seems that our news section is overrun by rumors and not much else. After witnessing a sea of specs leaks and rumors about the Galaxy S7 line in the past few weeks, now we are finally starting to catch glimpses of the device as well, or at least parts of it.Apple has also been popping up frequently in the news section.Cupertino is set to unveil a brand new generation of iPhones this year - the iPhone 7, which is definitely more exciting that an "S" upgrade. But there is also another reason why the US giant has caught fan attention so early in the year, prior to its typical fall announcement session. Everything seems to suggest that 2016 will see the resurrection of the 4-ich iPhone form factor. Information on the matter is still scarce at best, but the very prospect seems to have everybody excited.LG and HTC also appear to be hard at work on their next flagship offer. The LG G5 is shaping up to be quite interesting and a definite departure from the OEM's signature design and approach for the past few flagship iterations. HTC only recently appeared back on the radar with a fresh batch of flagship rumors and despite the tardiness, it is hopefully still in the game. An upgrade to its signature "M" series is apparently on the way, but this time it might come with an entirely new look, one borrowed largely from the company's recent One A9 model.Lastly, we take a look towards Asia, where Xiaomi has been teasing its own crown jewel for some time now. The Xiaomi Mi 5 definitely shouldn't be underestimated, as it could, very well play a key role in shaping the flagship scene this yearLive images of the Samsung Galaxy S7 front camera and display surface Originating from a manufacturing facility, the photos confirm that the smartphone's production is well under way. Samsung Galaxy S7 with S820 benchmarked, here's how it compares with the Exynos 8890 version This is the AT&T version, while the other result comes from a Canadian model. Lenovo K5 Note launched with Helio P10 SoC, all metal body It carries a price tag of RMB 1,099 in China (around $167). Apple's next 4-incher now tipped to be named iPhone 5se, iPhone 6/6s hardware inside Sources say it will be powered by the A8 chip and come with the 8MP/1.2MP camera combo. Xiaomi Mi 5 to have four versions, pricing revealed Previous rumors had suggested that the flagship will arrive in two different versions. First alleged image of the 4-inch iPhone 5se surfaces The next small smartphone from Apple has reportedly been captured next to an iPhone 5. iPhone 7 Plus again tipped to come with a dual-camera setup A KGI analyst believes that a version of the iPhone 7 Plus will be offered with a dual iSight camera setup. Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Special Edition with Intel Z3590 chip goes official The rest of the specs remain unchanged, including the 256GB of internal storage and 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM. Lenovo Vibe X3 launched in India for $293 Going on sale on Amazon starting tomorrow. LG G5 dual camera design confirmed by another case leak Farewell to the rear-mounted volume controls, alas. Xiaomi Mi 5 photographed again, check out the rounded metal unibody The comparisons with an iPhone 6 or an HTC One A9 are unavoidable. HTC One M10 to follow A9 design trend The handset is apparently still in development and heading to...


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    Top 10 trending phones of week 4
    Apple's iPhone 6s returns to our weekly Top 10 trending chart after being absent for more than a month, leaving it to the iPhone 5s to defend the company's honor. Defend it it did, and is also present this week, the two-generations-old model in 8th, while the current one is in 10th.In between them is the Samsung Galaxy Note5, a spot down from last week. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has dropped 3 places, and we're finding it in 7th, but the smaller non-Note Redmi 3 has dropped off the Top 10 altogether.Climbing up the chart, it's a Samsung Galaxy fest, with the Grand Prime in 6th, one up compared to week 3. The J2 is in 5th, while the S6 is the one that's made the most progress - from 9th to 4th.The Galaxy J5 is in third and the J7 is this week's runner-up - we're used to seeing the two together, but the J7 used to hold the crown for a long time, only not since week 2. The Lenovo K4 Note showed up and pushed the J's off the top and seems to set on staying there for a while.


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    Microsoft promises it will address the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 power issues ASAP
    Microsoft is still under a lot of heat concerning the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4. This time around, users are justifiably complaining about an improper sleep function on the devices, along with a few other battery management issues that ultimately lead to poor power performance. Sadly, this is far from the first issues that was found to plague the high-end hybrid devices and similar topics have been exploding on the support forum ever since the pair was announced in October 2015.If you don't recall, at a Microsoft even on October 8 2015, the Surface Pro 4 was unveiled as the bigger brother to the Surface Pro 3 and the US giant also endeavored to take things to the next level with its powerful 13-inch tablet-pc crossover device, dubbed the Surface Book. At the time, both seemed like really amazing products with lots of potential, which even managed to justify the eye-watering price tags for some users.Since then, however, many of the early adopters have been dreading the purchase, or at least that is what a quick browse through the support forum led us to believe. It appears both models might have been outed a little prematurely, with a few notable issues reaching end users. Both exhibited a rather annoying flickering issue and a lot of power problems, one of which has become known as the infamous sleep issue we already mentioned. Yesterday, Microsoft outed a new update which is said to offer: .refinements to improve battery charging and thermal tuning, wireless and Bluetooth performance, and to the detach-reattach experience on Surface Book.However, the elephant in the room was still not addressed. It is at least reassuring that the bug was acknowledged, but currently disgruntle users have only a promise to hang on to: We know some of you are still experiencing issues, including issues related to power management, and we are working to address those as quickly as possible. We'll publish additional updates as soon as they are ready. Interestingly enough, there are also rumors circulating that the issue lies within the Intel Skylake processor, which could mean that other non-Surface devices are prone to the bug as well. We will be sure to keep a close eye on the matter in hopes that a speedy resolution will be found and that this will be the last unfortunate set of bugs the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book experience.Source |...


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    S6 and S6 edge get Marshmallow update in South Korea
    Samsung has started rolling out the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update for the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge in South Korea.The final version comes out after a brief beta test where users had to sign up to receive the beta build.Looking at screenshots by SamMobile, the update brings some minor UI changes, such as the updated notification menu and power menu, along with the usual under the hood changes, such as enabling the fingerprint sensor to work in third party apps.The update should eventually make its way outside of South Korea, and also to other Samsung...


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    Default Microsoft Lumia 950 drops to £380 in the UK

    January 12: Lumia 950 is £410 January 14: never mind, £400 now January 22: Did we say £400? We meant £390 February 2: Fine! £380 and it's yoursIt sounds like UK retailers are haggling with themselves and drop the price of the Microsoft Lumia 950 every few days.The latest offer comes from Expansys, which has both the Black and White models for £380. Amazon is close behind with £386.There are other shops that carry the 5.2" Windows 10 flagship, but they will charge you a few pounds more (gasp!). You can look at a few other Lumia models too, many of them get weekly discounts too.Unfortunately for Microsoft, price isn't the only thing about Lumia phones that is falling - sales plummeted 50% to just 4.5 million in the last...


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    New Microsoft Band 2 update brings weight tracking capability on Android
    If you are a Microsoft Band 2 owner who pairs the wearable with their Android phone, here is some good news: now you'll also be able to track you weight as well share your workout with your friends. This is all thanks to a new update that Microsoft has rolled out to the wearable.The update bumps the Microsoft Health companion app to version 1.3.20128.2, and in addition to the features mentioned above, it also brings along the ability to show sports scores and news headlines, an option to extend the fitness tracker's battery life, as well as activity reminders.The updated Microsoft Health app can now be downloaded from Google's Play Store - head to the Source link...


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    Samsung Galaxy Tab E 8.0 as well as rumored Tab E 7.0, Tab E Lite, and Tab E Lite Kids are all coming to US
    Last month, Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab E 8.0 with 4G LTE support in Taiwan. A week after that, there were reports that the company is also working on a 7-inch variant as well as Tab E Lite and Tab E Lite Kids.Now, looks like all of these four tablets are coming to the United States as they've been spotted listed on the website of US-based retailer United Office.As you can see in the screenshot above, the listings do not contain any information related to the devices' pricing and availability, but the fact that they've been listed is a strong enough indication that they'll be available in the US sometime this year. From what we've heard about the Galaxy Tab E 7.0, it's powered by a 1.3GHz processor and has a 7-inch display with 1280×800 pixel resolution. RAM is 1.5GB, while internal memory is 8GB, although expandable. It's also said to have a 4G-capable model.Source |...


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    Asus Zenfone Zoom with 13MP camera and 3x optical zoom now available for purchase in US
    The Asus Zenfone Zoom, which is claimed to be the "thinnest phone with 3x optical zoom," is now available for purchase in the United States. The device was up for pre-order in the country since January 20.Retailer B&H Photo was taking pre-orders for the device, and has already started the shipments. The phone is now also available for purchase to new users. As for the price, the black-colored unlocked unit will set you back $399.Announced way back at last year's CES, the Zenfone Zoom finally went on sale in December 2015, with Taiwan becoming the first country where it was available for purchase. Asus also recently launched the device in...


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    Nexus devices are now getting Android's February security update
    Google has announced that it has started rolling out this month's Android security update to Nexus devices. The update includes fixes to five critical issues, four high-priority issues, and a moderate bug.The Nexus 6P, 5X, 6, 5 and 7 (2013) are all getting Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based MMB29Q build. The February patch is also rolling out to the Pixel C, Nexus 9, and Nexus Player, with build numbers MXB48T, MMB29R and MMB29U, respectively. In addition, the Nexus 10 - which is now over three years old - is also getting the update with Android 5.1.1-based LMY49G build.If you haven't received the OTA notification yet, and are feeling impatient, you can head over to the Source 2 link below and download the factory images. But before you do that, keep in mind that installing a factory image will restore your handset to factory settings, meaning you'll lose all your personal data.Source 1 | Source...


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    W5.5 Pro is a Windows 10 phone with 5.5-inch display and 13MP camera
    Spanish smartphone manufacturer Funker has launched a new Windows 10-powered smartphone. Dubbed W5.5 Pro, the device is powered by a Snapdragon 410 chipset with quad-core 1.2GHz processor, and sports a 5.5-inch (1270×720 pixel resolution) display.It has 2GB RAM and 16GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a 2,600mAh battery. In terms of camera, the W5.5 Pro features a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. It measures 154.8 x 78.6 x 6.9mm and weighs in at 135g.The handset apparently only comes in black color option, which the company is selling for €239 - around $260 at current exchange rates.Source (translated) |...


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    Gmail crosses 1 billion monthly active users milestone
    Google has revealed that its email service Gmail now has over a billion monthly active users. The revelation was made by the Mountain View, California-based company's CEO Sundar Pichai while announcing last quarter's earnings.At the company's annual I/O developers conference in May last year, Pichai - who was Google's senior vice president of products then - had revealed 900 million monthly active users figure for Gmail. This means that the service gained 100 million users in the past 7 months.Other Google services/apps that have already crossed the 1 billion active users mark include Search, Android, Google Play, Chrome, Maps, and YouTube.During the earnings call, Pichai also revealed that Gmail's Smart Reply feature, which suggests responses based on the emails you get, is used in 10% of all replies made through the service's mobile...


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    LG G4 Marshmallow update now rolling out in Canada
    Over a month after it started rolling out in the US, the Android 6.0 update for LG's last year's flagship smartphone G4 has started rolling out in Canada, too. Local carrier Telus started pushing out the update on February 1.Among other major Canadian carriers, Rogers has updated its OS upgrade schedule to reflect that the update will be rolled out to G4 devices on its network starting February 3. There's, however, currently no information on when Bell will start pushing the update.The rollout of LG G4 Marshmallow update started as a soak test in Poland. Then came a staged rollout in the company's home market of South Korea, which was followed by a European rollout.Source 1 2 |...


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    WhatsApp has 1 billion users since dropping subscription fees
    Not too long ago, WhatsApp decided to drop the $1 a year subscription fee. And since WhatsApp has promised to never show ads for the sake of their own users, it only leaves us wondering how the messaging platform is planning to make money.Well, just around the time that WhatsApp dropped its subscriber fee, it had reported that it had over 900 million subscribers.Thanks to making the messaging platform free to use, WhatsApp now has passed 1 billion users according to a post that WhatsApp made today.WhatsApp now joins Facebook and more recently Gmail in the 1 billion+ club. Way to go WhatsApp!Source |...


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    World's most valuable company is no longer Apple
    Alphabet just released its Q4 2015 earnings today which shot the stock prices of both Stock A and Stock C up to about $750-$780. Alphabet is now the most valuable company in the world, surpassing Apple's position in the ranks.With Apple's earning beginning to show plateauing over earnings from the year before, Google stole the show, showing great numbers of growth. Investors are going crazy buying more stock which drove the price up this afternoon.Alphabet's Year-over-Year revenues are increasing, which means its growth is actually growing exponentially. Revenues went up 24% from the 12% the year before.The majority of Google's revenue is from ads, and while the number of ad clicks have gone up 31%, the cost per click has gone down 13 percent. Don't be fooled. This means the company still made more money on ads!During the sales call, the company also announced that it has more than 1 billion active monthly Gmail users. Google now joins Facebook and What's App who also have more than 1 billion active monthly users worldwide.Source |...


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    Exynos version of the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) gets benchmarked
    The upcoming 2016 refresh of Samsung's Galaxy J7 has been caught in a benchmark's database once before, and now it's happened again. This time around however, we're treated to the details of the Exynos version of the device, and from two different benchmarks no less - Geekbench and GFXBench.Yes, it seems that like for its predecessor, the original J7, Samsung will once again release two models - one running its own Exynos chip, and another with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 on board.Interestingly though, the Exynos SoC inside the J7 (2016) will be a new one, namely the Exynos 7870. This is probably going to be a successor of sorts to the Exynos 7580 found in the previous J7. It's got an octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU clocked at up to 1.7 GHz, at least in these two tests.This iteration of the new J7 only has 2GB of RAM, and a 5.5-inch 720p touchscreen (the Snapdragon model apparently sports 3GB and 1080p resolution). The built-in storage is 16GB, and the main camera has 13 MP resolution while the selfie snapper is a 5 MP unit. The Exynos-powered Galaxy J7 runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow in the benchmarks, so there's a chance it will actually launch with this version on board.Source 1 • Source 2 | Via 1 • Via...


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    Google apparently wants to exert more control over the Nexus program
    According to a new and as of yet unconfirmed rumor, Google wants to change what the Nexus program is about. If up until now Nexus devices have been developed in partnership by the search giant and Android device makers, the report says that will change going forward.Google apparently wants to exert Apple-like control over upcoming Nexus releases. That means the company is going to have the only say in all matters, including the hardware (which has been a cooperative effort so far). This is allegedly because "Google doesn't want its revenue-generating services for high-end smartphones to be at the mercy of Apple like they are now".So if this is true then you should expect the Nexus line to become akin to the Pixel series of devices - designed 100% by Google, yet obviously manufactured by other companies (since Google doesn't have hardware-making factories of its own). It's probably safe to assume this will mean the end of co-branding as well, so a Nexus will only bear that moniker and that alone (it won't be joined by the name of the company producing it like before).This is said to have been "signaled to colleagues and outsiders" by Google CEO Sundar Pichai himself, as well as his lieutenants. It's unclear why well-known handset makers would want to be part of the Nexus program if this change gets implemented, since they won't even have the benefit of getting their brands in front of consumers. And it's been rumored countless times that even as things stand today Google doesn't let partners profit a lot from the Nexus line, so clearly such a tie-up wouldn't be about the money-making opportunities.Despite all this, HTC (or at least part of its management) reportedly still wants to make this year's Nexus smartphone (or smartphones), though it's unclear if these will be the last ones of the old type Nexuses or the first ones of the new...


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    Leaked iPad Air 3 drawing reveals quad speakers, Smart Connector, LED flash
    As previous rumors have hinted, in designing the upcoming iPad Air 3 Apple has taken a lot of inspiration from the unique features it introduced with the bigger iPad Pro. And today a new leaked drawing which purportedly shows the iPad Air 3's dimensions and various cutouts seems to confirm just that. While anyone can create such a rendering, this is said to originate at a reliable source for what it's worth.The iPad Air 3 is thus going to feature a quad speaker setup akin to the iPad Pro. Furthermore, it will borrow its bigger sibling's Smart Connector, so we assume there will be a Smart Keyboard accessory for it available at launch too. The main camera will get a LED flash for whatever reason.The cost of all these new features will be seen in the dimensions of the device. It will be slightly thicker and wider than its predecessor, with the full measurements coming in at 240 x 169.6 x 6.15 mm. However, the differences are .1 and .05 mm, respectively, so you're unlikely to notice them in real-world use.The iPad Air 3 will supposedly launch in mid-March alongside the new affordable 4-inch smartphone from Apple (which may end up being called iPhone...


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    Original Nvidia Shield Tablet gets Android 6.0 Marshmallow update
    Back in December Nvidia released the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow for its Shield Tablet K1. And today the company is doing the same for the original Shield Tablet from 2014.As you'd expect, the new software brings with it all the goodies that Google's included into Marshmallow, such as Now On Tap, support for adoptable storage, the new app permission system, standby power drain improvements (with Doze mode), app optimization, as well as better power efficiency when using Bluetooth Low Energy. Memory usage is monitored for each app, and the security patch for January 2016 is in too.Nvidia has also added a few things of its own, like a camera app with material design, improved burst functionality and new real-time HD effects, new wallpapers for the home and lock screens, improvements to Wi-Fi connectivity, and "optimized preloaded apps".As the rollout is occurring over-the-air, it may be a few days before all original Shield tablets receive the notification. Of course if you're impatient you can always manually check for the availability of the new release by going to Settings > About tablet.Source |...


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    Xiaomi and Meizu land on US soil through US Mobile
    Xiaomi and Meizu are now being sold officially in the US through a carrier and that carrier is US Mobile. The MVNO, which uses T-Mobile's network, is now offering select models by the two companies, though the orders are in fact fulfilled by a third party.The m2 note is the only Meizu smartphone that you can get at this point, priced at $149 if paid in full, or $9 a month for 18 months. The Xiaomi options include the affordable Redmi 2 at $119, the aging Mi 3 at $139, and the Snapdragon 615 midranger Mi 4i at $219. All of these can of course be purchased in monthly installments as well.Xiaomi Mi 4iThe catch is that while three of the smartphones (Mi 3 excluded) do support LTE, none of them has radios for T-Mobile's 1700MHz band. So you'll be stuck at 3G speeds, which may or may not be a problem depending on where you stand. US Mobile CEO, however, states that in the future devices may come with proper LTE support. Not exactly a promise, but it's something.Source |...


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    Microsoft Band 2 is just £169.99 until February 5
    We've seen quite a few deals for the first generation Microsoft Band wearable, especially in the UK where you could purchase it for just £50 as recently as last month. That's perhaps understandable since Microsoft's got a newer smart band on the market.Now though this too has been discounted in the UK, following a similar move in the US in December. The Microsoft Band 2 can currently be snagged for just £169.99, which is £30 less than its recommended retail price.The new pricing is already in effect both at Microsoft's own online store as well as at Amazon. This is a limited time deal, only being available until February 5 (which is this Friday). So if you want one of these wearables, perhaps you should act fast.Via 1 • Via...


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    Leaked Samsung Galaxy S7 photo shows the back design
    @evleaks has just outed a photo showing the backs of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. As per the photo, Samsung intends to keep the glass design on its upcoming batch of flagships. In our eyes, it looks like the Galaxy S7 and its variants will have a similar back to the Galaxy Note5, which is slightly curved towards the edges.Previous leaks have suggested the phone will have four versions: Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Plus, Galaxy S7 edge, and Galaxy S7 edge Plus. In terms of specifications, expect a choice between the Exynos 8890 and Snapdragon 820 chipsets. Other rumors point a brand new 12MP 1/2.0" sensor.Samsung today officially announced it will reveal the Galaxy S7 on Sunday, February 21 in Barcelona. That's just a day before MWC 2016 officially kicks...


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    Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) review: Standing tall
    The A-Team is back and we start with the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016). It pairs a premium build with premium features, a true S6 lookalike.


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    BlackBerry Priv's February security update rolling out already
    Well, that was quick. It's February 1 today, and BlackBerry's Android-powered Priv smartphone has already started receiving the Android security update for the month. That's less than a month after January's patch begun rolling out.There's currently no information whatsoever on exactly what fixes are included in the update given that even Google is yet to disclose the details about Android's February security patch.As for the devices receiving the update, it'd be fair to assume that only unlocked Priv units purchased directly from BlackBerry will be getting it for now as carriers usually take some time before rolling out any update to variants bought from them.Via 1...


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    Jolla tablet is officially dead, backers to get full refund
    Jolla finally gave up on the Jolla Tablet and it's officially pronounced dead. All efforts of bringing the slate to live are being abandoned, and company's next concern will be refunding its Indiegogo backers.The Jolla slate was crowdfunded via Indiegogo at the end of 2014, and it was backed by more than 21,000 people with north of $2.5 million. The Jolla Tablet was demoed at the MWC in 2015, but later it faced numerous difficulties.Previously Jolla had to lay off half of its staff, and the slate's fate was on the bubble. While eventually Jolla managed to secure funding for the slate, the financial troubles had inflicted irreparable damages on the supply chain.Jolla's executives have tried their best to push the tablet into the market, but apparently it isn't possible.With the Tablet confirmed as not happening, Jolla's efforts will be focused on refunding its fans and on the Sailfish OS future. Only 540 units of the Tablet were manufactured, and those will be shipped to the first backers.The first refunds will happen by the end of Q1 this year, while the rest should be completed by the end of 2016, depending on Jolla's financial situation.Currently Jolla is trying to make money from licensing the Sailfish OS to manufacturers and it should be its primary source of money. According to the statement, there are lots of licensing negotiations with different players happening at the moment.Fairphone 2 with Sailfish OS 2.0 is one of those projects, and its pre-orders are open.Source •...


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  15. #30
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    Default Helio X20 doesn't overheat, CPU enters octa-core Cortex-A53 mode past

    MediaTek entered the news yesterday for the wrong reason, with rumors of the Helio X20 chipset suffering from overheating issues, Snapdragon 810 style. Sources claimed that industry heavyweights Xiaomi, Lenovo and HTC were put off by the SoC's thermal behavior and weren't using it for future smartphones. The Chinese chipmaker was quick to respond, and has now insisted on Weibo that the Helio X20 is in mass production, no heating issues are observed, and it's business as usual with its partners. And while that was to be expected, the truly interesting bit is how the chip actually handles the high temperatures. Apparently, when the pair of Cortex-A72 cores inside the CPU reach a certain threshold, they are shut down and the processor turns into an octa-core Cortex-A53 affair. MediaTek has been using the True octa-core concept in previous designs, meaning that all cores can run at the same time, as opposed the big.LITTLE architecture, where two separate clusters handle tasks depending on performance requirements. So in effect, the 10-core CPU is such for a limited amount of time and then turns into your regular octa-core Cortex-A53 familiar from current designs, like the Helio X10. It will be interesting how that translates into repeated benchmark runs and, more importantly, continuous real-world use. Source |...


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    Marshmallow-based CM13 nightly builds now available for Sony Xperia M
    The Sony Xperia M was launched back in 2013 and the device received official Android updates till version 4.3 (Jelly Bean). Does that mean it'll be stuck there forever? Well, no. The good news is that now you can experience Android Marshmallow on the device. This is all thanks to alternative Android OS developer Cyanogen, which has released the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based CyanogenMod 13 nightly for the handset. Before you go ahead with the install, make sure that your Xperia M device is running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean firmware. The official nightly build is currently only available for Xperia M, meaning M Dual users are currently out of luck, although not completely as there are some patches available on XDA (head to the Source 2 link below) that'll help you experience Marshmallow on your device. Source 1 | Source...


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    Upcoming BLU phones to come with Truecaller as default dialer app
    Swedish company Truecaller has partnered with US-based BLU to bring its popular smart dialer/caller ID app to the latter's upcoming range of smartphones this year. Truecaller will be the default dialer app on some 15 million BLU devices, replacing the stock Android dialer app. As you might already know, Truecaller offers smart caller ID capability that allows users to see the caller's name on their device's screen. The app also offers spam detection and reporting, as well as search functionality. The company - which boasts of around 200 million users worldwide - recently entered into a similar partnership with Indian smartphone manufacturer...


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    Counterpoint: India becomes world's second-largest smartphone market, surpasses US
    India has surpassed the United States to becomes the second largest smartphone market in the world, according to a new report from market research firm Counterpoint. India's smartphone user base increased to 220 million by the end of last year. Smartphone shipments grew 15% year-on-year in Q4, 2015. Overall, for the complete year, smartphone shipments crossed the 100 million mark, which represents an year-on-year growth of 23%. Nearly 50% of the mobile phones sold in India last year were 'Made in India', and nearly 40% of the total shipped units were smartphones. Online retailers seem to have caught the customer's imagination in the country, with almost one in three smartphones sold through Internet. As for phone vendors, Samsung topped the charts both in smartphone as well as feature phone segments, with local company Micromax coming in second. The remaining three spots were claimed by India's Intex and Lava, and China's...


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    Microsoft Lumia 550 selling for just €98.70 in Germany
    Looks like the Microsoft Lumia 550 has received yet another price cut in Europe. The Windows 10-powered device is now available for just €98.70 in Germany, where retailer MindFactory is selling the budget handset for that price. A quick look at Amazon's Germany website reveals that the retailer currently has the phone listed for €118. This means that those purchase the Lumia 550 from MindFactory are saving at-least €19. The device has already been the subject of multiple price cuts in the UK. Meanwhile, If you are in the UK, and are planning to purchase the Lumia 950 flagship instead, you'll be glad to know that it's now available for just £380 in the country. Source |...


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    Alcatel OneTouch Idol 4 and 4S leak; complete specs revealed
    Two unannounced Alcatel smartphones - the Idol 4 and Idol 4S - have been leaked. Both devices were spotted listed on the company's own support site, revealing almost all of their specs. The listings, however, have now been taken down it seems. The Idol 4S is powered by a 1.8GHz + 1.4GHz octa-core CPU (SD652 SoC) and sports a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display. It comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a 3,000mAh battery. In terms of camera, the device features a 16MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. The handset runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and also supports VoLTE. Coming to the Idol 4, it's powered by a 1.7GHz + 1.2GHz octa-core CPU (SD617 SoC) and sports a 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display. It has 2GB/3GB RAM options, while internal memory is 16GB, although expandable. The device's camera department is handled by a 13MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. It packs in a 2,610mAh battery, and like the Idol 4S, runs Android 6.0. There's currently no information on their pricing and availability, although Alcatel is said to be eyeing an MWC launch for them. Via 1...


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    US Mobile defends itself in wake of Xiaomi's 'not an authorized seller ' remark
    Earlier this week, US Mobile started offering select Xiaomi and Meizu smartphones in the United States, with orders being fulfilled by a third-party. As the news spread, Xiaomi issued a statement saying that the carrier and its partners are not authorized sellers of any of the company's products. Now, US Mobile has defended its decision in an official blog post. "This is nothing new. Amazon, Ebay and other US marketplaces offer Xiaomi, Meizu and countless other brands," US Mobile said. "The challenge with such marketplaces however is that you don't always know whom you're dealing with. The concern is that if something goes wrong with your phone or if you have any service related questions, you are stuck without a warranty to back the device." "Here's where we created a better experience for our customers. By partnering with third party distributors who sell and ship the devices, US Mobile is able to offer our customers warranty and support on the devices locally in the US. Very simply, customers can call US Mobile's 24/7 Customer Support team with any service related issue or send the phone back to US Mobile for repairs." The carrier also said that it never claimed to be an official distributor, stressing that even product listings on its webshop specifically noted that the devices are "sold and fulfilled" by its third party partners. The listings, however, have since been removed, something the carrier said has been done because the devices in question are currently undergoing "testing and certification" with its "enabling...


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    Microsoft acquiring mobile keyboard maker SwiftKey for $250 million
    Microsoft has agreed to buy mobile keyboard maker SwiftKey for around $250 million, according to a new Financial Times report. While both companies are currently tight-lipped about the deal, report says an announcement in this regard will be made later this week. For those who aren't aware, SwiftKey is a popular keyboard app currently available for both Android and iOS and installed on around 300 million devices. It was first launched for Android back in 2010, and came to iOS in 2014. Initially a paid app, SwiftKey became free a couple of years ago, but started offering in-app purchases. Given that Microsoft already offers a keyboard app, dubbed Word Flow (although only for Windows Phone devices at the moment), it may seem rather strange that the company is purchasing another Keyboard app. However, the report notes that the Redmond, Washington-based company is actually eyeing UK-based firm's artificial intelligence technology that's used in its keyboard. The technology can be used by Microsoft in several other products in addition to mobile...


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    iPhone 7 reportedly won't have camera hump, antenna bands on the back
    With all the talk about the 4-inch iPhone 5se lately, you may have forgotten about the fact that Apple will launch a more important phone this year - yes, the iPhone 7. Yet a new rumor is now here to talk about it too. The iPhone 7 will reportedly feature a very similar design to its predecessor, but there will be some notable differences. First off, its rear camera will be flush with the back, so the camera hump from the iPhone 6s will be gone. Second, the iPhone 7 will get rid of those pesky antenna bands that run across the previous model's back. However, the iPhone 7 will still have antenna bands, as seen in the mockup image above. It's just that they'll be confined to the handset's sides, top, and bottom edges. This will clearly make for a more loved design, though we hope Apple will find a way to paint the remaining bands in the same color as the metal body of the device. This information allegedly comes from a source that's been reliable in the past, so perhaps that's happening again this time. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are expected to be unveiled sometime in September. The smaller model will get a traditional camera on the back, while the bigger version has recently been rumored to receive a dual-lens arrangement. At this point it's unclear if the design changes will influence the dimensions of the iPhone 7 compared to the...


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    Marshmallow finally jumps past 1% in Android distribution chart
    As a new month begins, Google has updated its Android distribution chart. And in this State of Android report, Marshmallow finally manages to jump past the 1% market share hurdle. To be specific, it now stands at 1.2%. That's obviously not impressive, given how many months have already passed since its official release (almost four, actually). Still, this is a milestone of sorts. And with updates to Android 6.0 now being out (or coming soon) to incredibly well selling devices such as Samsung's Galaxy S6 series (and the Note5), we assume this iteration of the OS will pick up the pace and reach a better position in the chart in the future. Lollipop sits at 34.1% of the pie at the moment, up from 32.6% last month and 29.5% in December. In fact it's close to catching KitKat, which has now dropped to 35.5%. The three versions called Jelly Bean are collectively at 23.9%, Ice Cream Sandwich has 2.5%, Gingerbread is at 2.7%, while Froyo still commends 0.1% of the market (though it's obviously on the way out and may not show its face in next month's report). Source |...


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    Apple to unveil the iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 on March 15, rumor says
    It's already been rumored that Apple is going to hold an event sometime in March during which it will unveil the new 4-inch iPhone and an update to the Apple Watch. Meanwhile in the rumors, the iPad Air 3 has joined those two and should be outed at the same event. If you've been wondering exactly when to expect this big thing to happen, well, wonder no more. The latest rumor on the matter has a precise date in mind: March 15. That is allegedly the day on which the iPhone 5se and the iPad Air 3 are set to become official. Unless, of course, something changes from now and until the point when Apple announces the date. As for the Apple Watch, the latest speculation says we shouldn't expect new hardware so early, instead the second generation of the wearable is apparently due in September. There will be Apple Watch news on March 15, however, but smaller. The existing smartwatch is going to receive some new band options and refreshed software. We'll see multiple new hues for the Sport bands, new Hermes models, a 'space black' Milanese Loop, and a new band line made from a material that isn't yet used in Apple's lineup. The iPhone 5se will allegedly look almost identical to the iPhone 5s, save for the possible addition of some extra curves at its edges, and an overall "less shiny" look. It will start at $450 (unlocked), and you'll be able to buy it with either 16 or 64GB of storage. It will sport the A9 chip, support for Live Photos and Apple Pay, and improved cameras compared to the 5s. The iPad Air 3 was revealed to borrow some of the iPad Pro's unique features, such as the quad speakers and Smart Connector. It's also apparently going to be the first iPad to have a LED flash on the...


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    A new update for the offline map data on Windows 10 available now
    One of the things many people love about Windows 10 is the option for voice-guided offline navigation around the world. Microsoft has licensed HERE maps as part of the deal with Nokia and has been using them on its devices ever since. The Maps app on Windows offers you offline mode, and you can download country maps for free and use them abroad free of roaming data. Microsoft seeds occasional updates for the offline maps. Such update is available now, and the Windows 10 users can find it Settings>System>Offline Maps. If you want to use the latest maps with the most recent updates, you should go and update yours. The update can be found on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. We can't confirm it on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 though. Feel free to share your experience in our comments...


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    Samsung confirms Galaxy S7 edge, wide and narrow edge features will be supported
    Either a genuine mistake, or part of the pre-launch teasing process (our money is on the latter), a Samsung website now lists the Galaxy S7 Edge in a table detailing the different uses of the curved screen. Keeping the Galaxy S6 edge and S6 edge+ company, the yet-to-be-released model (announcement confirmed for February 21) will be able to do the exact same stuff as its older brethren. With the screen on, the trio can display either the narrow type strips available since the S6 edge's inception, or the wide one-third of the screen type introduced with the Marshmallow update. With the screen off it's the usual clock and notifications feed. And if we were hoping to get something else out of the slip-up, like the name for example, tough luck - it's a bit of a naming mess. The existing Galaxy S6 edge is officially spelled with a small 'e', and the S6 edge+ formally gets a symbol instead of a 'Plus'. So that remains to be settled, for those that care. Source |...


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    Samsung Galaxy Tab E 7.0 gets FCC approval
    Earlier today, a slew of new tablet offers was spotted on a US-based retailer website, suggesting they are heading toward a release. The devices in question include the Galaxy Tab E 7.0, Tab E 8.0, Tab E Lite and Tab E Lite Kids. After the 8-inch one already obtained an FCC certificate, now it is the smaller Tab E 7.0's turn. According to the document, the tablet will have a 7-inch display, which in case the name wasn't clear about it. The actual model number listed for the device is either SM-T280 or its alternative version SM-T285 and its exact dimensions are 186mm x 117mm x 180mm with a non-removable battery. Other info, shared with FCC is scarce and only includes mentions of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, both quite expected. Luckily, another recent leak provides some more insight on the hardware of the Galaxy Tab 7.0, or at least the SM-T285, said to be the network-enabled one with 4G. It will be powered by a 1.3GHz Spreadtrum SC8830 chipset with a Mali-400 MP2 GPU, and have a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. There will be 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable internal memory. It will have two cameras - a 5MP main one and a 0.3MP one on the front. Source |...


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    MediaTek Helio X20 allegedly plagued by overheating issues
    Remember the Snapdragon 810? If you do, chances are that you associate it with the infamous overheating issues. That reputation has plagued the chip almost constantly throughout its lifecycle and it was the major reason behind Samsung's decision to skip using the SoC on its Galaxy S6 line. Now, in an unfortunate twist of faith, industry sources have begun accusing the upcoming MediaTek Helio X20 of the same kind of thermomanagement issues. Naturally this is yet to be confirmed by any official source, so don't take this too seriously. That being said, the report claims that the issues with the Helio X20 is present and was enough to deter Xiaomi, HTC and Lenovo and make them cancel their Helio X20 smartphones. If you don't remember the Helio X20 and what is so special about it, it is officially the first 10-core mobile SoC. It uses an innovative tri-cluster design, which is a first in the smartphone realm as well. For MediaTek's sake, we sincerely hope the rumors get debunked and soon, before we have a repeat of the unfortunate Snapdragon 810. Source (In Chinese) |...


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    Motorola offering freebies with Moto 360 and Moto G, discounted X Pure too
    In time for Valentine's day shopping, or just this month's shopping if you're the forever alone type, Motorola is offering some deals on popular products. In the US, the most obvious monetary benefit comes with the Moto X Pure Edition, more specifically the Limited edition, designed by Jonathan Adler. Usually retailing at $475, the fancy designs are now available for $400. If the Moto X Pure sits too high in the company's lineup for you needs, you can get a Moto G (3rd gen) and grab two additional rear shells. And if you've got your mind set on the Moto 360 smartwatch, you can now get a free leather strap with the purchase of a watch with a stainless steel bracelet. In Europe, at least the UK and Germany, the company is offering a discount on the Moto G and Moto 360 bundle. In the UK we're talking £80, while Germans are getting €130 off. The US deals are active now until February 16, so they're good for last-minute shoppers. Europeans only have a small window until February 5, so it takes some more careful planning this side of the Atlantic. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 |...


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