GSMArena

**GSMArena** · 06-03-16, 15:21

Verizon isn't always the fastest US carrier when it comes to releasing Android updates for the handsets it sells, in fact it's usually one of the slowest. But that's not the case for the Samsung Galaxy Note5 as it turns out.Big Red is already rolling out the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow for Samsung's premium phablet, just a couple of weeks after the new software was first released anywhere in the world. That's some fast turnaround indeed.Aside from all the goodies that Google's packed into Marshmallow, the update also brings with it certain improvements to Live Broadcast and Wi-Fi Calling for HD Voice users. The Amazon Appstore will no longer be preinstalled (thus dropping the number of app stores on the device to 'just' two).As always, this one is bound to be a staged rollout, so it might take a few days for it to reach your particular Note5 unit. If you're impatient, you can always force your handset to manually check for the new software by going to Settings > About phone.If, on the other hand, you own an HTC One (M8) bought from Verizon, you are mere days away from seeing Marshmallow on your device too. HTC VP Mo Versi has announced that the rollout will begin on March 7, which is this coming Monday.Source 1 Â• Source 2 | Via 1 Â• Via...

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You can now claim your freebies for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge pre-orders in the USA

If you pre-order the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge from certain retailers you have been promised free stuff, most often - the Gear VR headset ($99 value) with a bunch of compatible games. Samsung Promotions official website is now live and allows you to claim your freebies.You must choose the retailer where you pre-ordered your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge and then you can learn what's your prize.AT&T, Metro PCS, Sam's Club, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Walmart, Verizon's Retail, pre-orders will receive Gear VR bundled with some compatible games. First they need to claim their prize via the Samsung Promotions website, otherwise they will not get any free stuff.By the way, T-Mobile is throwing a 12-months free Netflix subscription in addition to the Gear VR bundle.Users who pre-ordered at BestBuy, Costco, Sprint, and Target will get their Gear VR bundle delivered directly to their home without any further verification.Verizon Online is the only retailer to allow you to choose between the Gear VR with six games bundle of the dark gray model or the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch (sold for $300 separately).All who pre-order the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge between February 23 and March 18 are eligible for some free hardware. The supplies are limited though, so if those matter to you, consider placing an order sooner rather than later. The same goes for claiming the free stuff.Samsung Promotions Â•...

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This weekend you can grab an Honor 5X in the UK for just £149

Huawei has been selling the Honor 5X in the UK for quite a while now. You can opt to buy the phone from its maker's official online store for £189.99. Yet if you choose a third party online retailer and do the deed this weekend, you can save £40.That's quite a lot given the already pretty small price of the Honor 5X. The deal is offered by Clove, and you can take advantage of it by using the promo code MAR5X16 when you go through checkout. This will lower the price of the device all the way down to £149, making the Honor 5X even better value for money than it already was.The one caveat is that you need to buy the handset before 11:59 pm on March 6 - that's this Sunday, so you basically need to act at some point during this weekend.The unit you're buying is SIM-free. The Honor 5X has a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP main camera with LED flash, a 5 MP selfie snapper, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 616 SoC (with a 1.5 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, LTE, and a 3,000 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop underneath Huawei's EMUI...

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HTC 10 leaks in brand new press renders and live images

A very short while ago we told you about the fact that HTC won't be selling its next flagship smartphone as the One M10 (like everyone anticipated), instead opting to go with the much simpler moniker of HTC 10. And now, to complement the new name, two well-known leaksters have unleashed a torrent of new images of the device. First off, Evan Blass gives us full press renders for the upcoming handset.Now in case you're wondering how these renders would translate into real-life images of the HTC 10, wonder no more. Three live shots of the phone have been shared by @onleaks. Here they are for your viewing pleasure (make sure you click on the thumbnails to get the full-size pictures).HTC 10 live imagesAlong with these, @onleaks has also revealed some "prototype specs" for the HTC 10. It's supposedly coming with a 5.15-inch QHD touchscreen, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset on board, 4GB of RAM, a 12 MP main camera, and a USB Type-C port.None of these are surprising, of course, as we've heard about the 10 sporting these exact innards many times before. The 12 MP camera on the back should be of the UltraPixel variety, meaning it will be incredibly similar to the solution Samsung's chosen for its Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Camera comparisons between the HTC 10 and the S7 will thus be very interesting indeed, especially as HTC itself has already claimed that its phone's camera will be "very compelling".HTC has already started teasing the handset, with an image and a video so far, but the company should probably just set an announcement date already, now that these leaked renders and pictures are out. At this rate, we assume a full spec list will be revealed pretty soon, so HTC might not want to drag things along any...

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Next flagship to be called HTC 10, not HTC One M10

HTC has already outed both a teaser image and a teaser video for its upcoming flagship smartphone, and we assume more such things are to follow before the official unveiling (which doesn't have a set date yet, or at least not one that has been leaked).In the meantime, however, leaker extraordinaire Evan Blass (also known as @evleaks) has something to say about this device's name. According to him, it will be marketed as the HTC 10, and not HTC One M10 as everyone has so far assumed.You heard it here first:"HTC 10"Â— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 4, 2016The latter (now probably debunked) option seemed logical enough, seeing as how the smartphone is going to be the successor to the One M9 from last year, which itself came after the One (M8). But it looks like HTC may have finally grown tired of the One brand (and its overuse), while the "M" made little sense from the beginning (it got there because the company at one point decided to use its handsets' codenames as actual names).HTC's teasers have incorporated the hashtag "powerof10", which, in retrospect, may have been a hint at the name - notice how it's not "powerofM10" or "powerofOneM10".The HTC 10 has been rumored to sport a 5.1-inch QHD AMOLED touchscreen, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 16 / 32 / 64GB of built-in storage, a fingerprint scanner, and a "very compelling" camera. It should run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow from day...

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Lava Iris Fuel F2 goes official, available exclusively on eBay India

Lava Iris Fuel F2 was announced and launched immediately in India. It's an entry level handset running on Android Lollipop and priced at INR 4,444 or $66. Although it's a successor of the Fuel F1, the F2 is a less capable device.The Lava Iris Fuel F2 has a 5" FWVGA display and is powered by a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 processor with 512MB RAM. The Fuel F2 packs a 5MP rear camera with an LED flash, a front 0.3MP snapper, and a 3,000 mAh battery.The Lava Iris Fuel F2 is a dual-SIM device, and it can tap to 3G networks. There is 8GB storage expandable via a microSD slot (up to 32GB).The phone is available exclusively through eBay India, and you can get it right now in black or white for INR 4,444 ($66).eBay Â•...

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**GSMArena** · 07-03-16, 15:30

Xiaomi has announced an updated version of its Mi Box 3 media player, called the Mi Box 3 Enhanced Edition. The biggest change in this is the faster processor. The Enhanced Edition ships with a 64-bit MediaTek MT8693 with a hexa-core CPU (2 x 2GHz Cortex-A72 + 4 x 1.6GHz Cortex-A53) and PowerVR GX6250 GPU. The CPU performance is said to be 80% faster and the GPU performance 240% faster than the standard Mi Box 3. There is an improved cooling system with a fan to keep the temperatures low. The memory and storage have also been doubled, and it now has 2GB RAM and 8GB storage space. The Wi-Fi is now 802.11ac 2x2 with transfer speeds up to 300Mbps and Bluetooth 4.1. The Mi Box 3 Enhanced Edition is priced at 399 yuan, which is about...

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Android Marshmallow for the Sony Xperia Z5 is rolling out globally

Sony might consider abandoning its signature "Z" series in favor of a more dialed-back new "X" family, but it hasn't turned its back on Xperia Z5 fans quite yet. Marshmallow has now begun seeding globally for the device. Currently, the confirmed regions where the update has been spotted include - Thailand, Russia, Algeria, MENA Arabic, Saudi Arabia, United States, India, and Malaysia. The covered models include the single SIM E6653, as well as the Dual-SIM varieties, with model numbers E6683 and E6633. The 6.0_32.1.A.1.163 firmware is currently available through the Sony PC Companion app and an OTA is expected shortly. As for the official changelog, it the new run time permissions model and app dozing. Other additions are a long-overdue update to the camera interface, Xperia Messaging with sticker support and Direct Share for relaying your activities to friends. Thanks for the tip...

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Xiaomi announces 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank Pro with USB Type-C

Xiaomi has a new 10,000mAh power bank in China, called the Mi Power Bank Pro. The cool new feature here is the presence of USB Type-C and two way fast charging. The Mi Power Bank Pro can output power from both the Type-A connectors and can be charged from the Type-C connector. It can output and draw 12V 1.5A, 9V 2A, or 5V 2A. It can also charge accessories like Bluetooth headsets and fitness bands that usually draw very low current and can cause some power banks to switch off. The Mi Power Bank Pro comes with a USB cable with a Type-A connector on one and end microUSB on the other, and also a microUSB to Type-C adaptor. This allows you to charge devices with a microUSB port, with a Type-C port and also to charge the power bank itself. Like the other Mi Power Banks, the Mi Power Bank Pro has an aluminum body and temperature, input overload, short circuit, output overcurrent, and reset protection. The Mi Power Bank Pro is priced at 149 yuan, which is about...

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HTC financial report for February 2016 shows record low revenue

HTC outed its financial report for February with some grim numbers. Revenue for the month was $128 million (NT$4.2 billion), less than half than the same period of 2015 - $261 million (NT$9.2 billion). Worse still, the revenue is 35% less than it was in January, which traditionally is a slow month after the Christmas holidays. Sadly for HTC, this is just another month in a series of poor financial performance. For Q4 2015, the Taiwanese phone maker reported a net loss of $101 million (NT$3.5 billion). Revenue for the period was $766 million (NT$25.7 billion). The company retains an upbeat mood however. The upcoming HTC M10 flagship will carry a new dose of hope for turning the company's fortunes around. The phone will be announced on April 19, according to recent rumors. Source |...

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New ransomware targeting OS X was spotted in the wild

Yes, we all know that convenient, long-standing myth about OS X being immune to viruses and while Apple has done a great deal to secure the platform, it was bound to happen sooner or later - a ransomware application was caught infecting OS X machines. Palo Alto Networks claims that the software, going by the name of "KeyRanger" is the first known case of a malicious encrypter running on OS X, other than a reportedly unfinished bit of code known as "FileCoder", spotted back in 2014. If you don't know what ransomware actually is, it is basically a file encrypter that infects your system and in the case of KeyRanger, lays dormant for three days, after which it encrypts your files and asks you to pay a sizable amount of money (in bitcoin form) to an unknown organization to get them un-encrypted. The malicious code is already in the open and is being distributed as a part of the popular Torrent client app Transmission. Just to clarify, it is not the work of the app developers, but Transmission has rather been employed as a host. Apparently, hackers got their hands on version 2.90 of the app package, so, if you are currently running that one, you might be infected. If the aforementioned three days haven't passed yet, you might still have a change to delete KeyRanger before it locks you out of your files. Specialists from Palo Alto Networks have released an in-depth analysis of the software and how it works, which you can check out at the source link, but generally suggest that users be on the lookout for a suspicious kernel_service process in Activity monitor and you can also check for the existence of a "General.rtf" file inside the Resources folder of Transmission. But even if you don't intend or want to get your hands dirty, both Apple and the Transmission team have taken swift measures. The former has revoked the certificate used by the affected app package, so it can no longer be installed. As for Transmission, it has issued an emergency version 2.92 update that claims to actively remove the ransomware files, if present. Source |...

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Oppo R9 and R9 Plus unveiling officially scheduled for March 17

You can officially mark March 17 on your calendars as the announcement of the camera-focused Oppo R9 and R9 Plus. Both phones passed through TENAA and will bring all-metal bodies and AMOLED screens. The R9 will have a 5.5" 1080p screen, the R9 Plus will be bigger with a 6" 1080p screen. Both have octa-core processors with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage (before you put in a microSD card in the hybrid slot) and will run Android 5.1 Lollipop at launch. As for the camera, they will have 16MP sensors on the front and back (yep, 16MP selfies!). It's not clear if they will feature the sensor-shift image stabilization tech Oppo demoed at the MWC. They will have VOOC rapid charge for their 2,850mAh (R9) and 4,120mAh (R9 Plus) batteries. It won't be the Super VOOC from MWC, though, that tech is still in development. Source (in Chinese) |...

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Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Dual Pixel autofocus tested against that of Canon 70D

Well, here's a very unscientific but still demonstrative test of Samsung Galaxy S7 edge's Dual Pixels autofocus system. This fellow from Thailand put the S7 against the Canon 70D, a DSLR with its own Dual Pixel AF system (which reviews show is faster and more accurate than traditional Phase Detection AF). Here's a video of the two cameras, S7 edge and 70D, keeping track of fast moving objects. The difference in speed is tangible. And here's the same test in the dark. Things are moving too fast to really tell, but the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge seems to have an edge in image quality as well as focus speed. You can read how Dual Pixel autofocus works and see our own test of the S7. Thanks to THE-DEVIL (oh my!) for sending this...

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Huawei P9 now tipped to launch second week of April

Huawei had officially announced a press event in Berlin for March 9, and it made every bit of sense to be the announcement of the P9 smartphone. The timing is about right, the date rings with the model number, it was a match made in heaven. Apparently not. Huawei P9 launches Wednesday, April 6th.Â— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 6, 2016 Over the weekend @evleaks revealed that the P9 is coming on April 6th, but a few hours ago the leakster had second thoughts and the date is now more of a guideline. The launch date had been given to him in number of days and not a precise date, so the pesky February 29 might have messed up the calculations. UPDATE: I was told a number of days, not an exact date; may have done the calculation wrong. Will inquire. https://t.co/gCq4gYnTKSÂ— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 7, 2016 There's little about the Huawei P9 that will surprise us at this point, as the smartphone often made the news in renders and a couple of sets of live images. In terms of hardware, we expect to see the in-house Kirin 950 chipset, found in the Mate 8, 5.2-inch FullHD display and a dual-camera setup, among other...

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Best Apps and Games of the Week

hr { width: 92%; margin: 0px auto 25px auto; border: 1px solid #eee; background: none; border-top: none; } #review-body .best-apps-title { border-bottom: 1px solid #eee; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: .5em } These are some of the best apps and games that came out this week. M Cam M Cam is a camera app for the iPhone that allows you more control over the photography process than the stock Camera app. You can now control the ISO, white balance, and focus more precisely. With focus peaking and focus zoom you can be sure everything you want is in perfect focus. Download: iOS GetSpace GetSpace is a photo management app for the iPhone. It lets you find and automatically delete duplicate photos. It scans and finds visually similar photos and will keep the best ones and delete the rest. It can also scan for blurry and out of focus photos and delete them. Lastly, the app can also delete old screenshots for you. Download: iOS Morning Kit Morning Kit is an alarm application that shows vital information along with your alarm so you are up to speed with things as soon as you wake up. The app will show you today's schedule, weather, news headlines, world clock, exchange rates, and even motivational quotes. Download: iOS Â• Android Hound Hound is a powerful search assistant app. Like Google Now and Siri, it lets you find information by asking for it but Hound can also understand complex questions with multiple queries in it, and you can continue a conversation with it and it will refine its search based on your previous queries. It's also way faster than any other voice assistant. Hound is currently only available in the US. Download: iOS Â• Android Clash Royale Clash Royale is a new game from the developers of Clash of Clans. Clash Royale gameplay is a mixture classic tower defense games, and card games such as Hearthstone. The characters in the game are from Clash of Clans but that's pretty much the extent of the similarities. Except maybe for all the in-app purchases, of which there are many. The game itself is fun, though. Download: iOS Â• Android Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered Fahrenheit is a third person mystery/horror/action game that originally came out back in 2005 on the consoles. The remastered version was released on iOS last year and is now finally on Android. It is one of the more critically acclaimed games out there on any platform, and although the visuals might look a bit long in the tooth now the gameplay and story still make it very playable. Download: iOS Â•...

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Top 10 trending phones of week 9

With all the clamor surrounding this year's MWC over the past two weeks, we couldn't find time to update you on the latest developments in phone interest trends on a weekly basis. Well, we're back at it, and there's plenty to talk about. The Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) joins its little brother A5 (2016), which entered the chart earlier, and the two occupy 10th and 8th spots respectively. In between them we have the Sony Xperia X Performance, the Japanese company's new flagship. The Galaxy J5 is far from its regular comfort zone on the podium, this week in 7th. In 6th we find the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note, the bronze holder in the last edition of the chart. Samsung's sexier S7, the S7 edge, enters the chart in 5th spot, with the LG G5 slightly ahead. Long-time champion Galaxy J7 has lost the crown, again, but still manages to hold on to the third. Xiaomi's brand new flagship Mi 5 storms straight into second, not surprising for a device arriving a long year and half after the one it replaces, with top-end specs too. It is, however, the vanilla Galaxy S7 that snatches the gold. Promising brand new camera, generous battery capacity, premium build, waterproofing, and storage expansion - pretty much all of the important boxes have been checked. Samsung's Galaxy S6 stood on top for weeks on end last year, and we're seeing no reason for the S7 not to. .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",iÂ€Â‹Arial,iÂ€Â‹sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 100; } .n-right .rank-info .current-rank { font-size: 23px; } .circle { background: none repeat scroll 0 0 #8fb28f; border-radius: 50%; height: 23px; width: 23px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px; } .arrow { width: 0; height: 0; border-style: solid; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px; } .arrow-up { border-width: 0 15px 25px 15px; border-color: transparent transparent #0cada7 transparent; } .arrow-down { border-width: 25px 15px 0 15px; border-color: #ff7e47 transparent transparent transparent; } Samsung Galaxy S7 RANK: 1NEW IN specs review Xiaomi Mi 5 RANK: 2NEW IN specs review Samsung Galaxy J7 RANK: 3WAS: 1 specs review LG G5 RANK: 4NEW IN specs review Samsung Galaxy S7 edge RANK: 5NEW IN specs review Lenovo Vibe K4 Note RANK: 6WAS: 3 specs gallery Samsung Galaxy J5 RANK: 7WAS: 2 specs...

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Poll results: Galaxy S7 edge defeats the LG G5 in the battle of Korean flagships

One of the most action-packed editions of MWC of recent years saw the introduction of two (okay, technically three) of the most important smartphones of the year - the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge. We figured the S7 edge is the more attractive part of Samsung's pair (meanwhile so did consumers, apparently), and chose that one to pit against the G5. And the S7 edge did splendidly, beating the G5 3:2. In other words, Samsung's dual-edge glass-and-metal top model gathered 58% of the upvotes, while the modular G5 had to settle for 42%. Fandom aside, the two devices have a bunch of conceptual differences, which can sway users either way. AMOLED vs. LCD, removable battery vs. a larger sealed one, big pixels and near-instant focus vs. dual cameras with extra wide coverage - choices must be made and it's just that the S7 edge has ticked the right boxes for the majority of our...

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Week 9 in review: 6GB of RAM in a smartphone, iPhone 5se unboxed

The mobile world is slowly getting settled back to normal after MWC and our news section over the past week reflects that. With the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5 out of the way the 4-inch iPhone 5se has returned to the top of our hot topics, now unboxed for the camera. Various Xiaomi-related events happened during the week, and you were pretty interested in reading about those. Most notably, the Redmi Note 3 was launched on the Indian market, but also the Mi 5 reportedly gathered 14 million registrations for its first sale. In a world's first, the Vivo Xplay 5 Elite broke the 4-gig RAM barrier, and will be offered with 6GB of operating memory, putting some budget laptops to shame. HTC's next flagship was supposedly going to be called M10, then it wasn't, a teaser was released, and a camera sample leaked. The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro was spotted on AnTuTu, revealing specs, and the Huawei P9 also showed up on a couple of occasions. Android N screenshots revealed some of the upcoming changes in Google's next OS version, while the current Marshmallow, coupled with TouchWiz, uses 8 gigs of your 32GB Galaxy S7 storage - made a much bigger deal in the comments, than it actually is. Aaand we're back to the Galaxy S7/S7 edge, which broke pre-order records, started shipping earlier than promised, got torn down, and went through some torture tests. Oh, and also feature QuickCharge 2.0, unlike the LG G5 which gets Qualcomm's 3.0 version of the charging tech. To read the details on these and more, follow the links below. .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; } Apple iPhone 5se unboxed in front of a camera The iPhone 5se is rumored to be announced later this month and go on sale shortly after. Xiaomi launches Redmi Note 3 in India Comes with a brand new Snapdragon 650 processor and a massive 4050mAh battery. vivo Xplay 5 Elite goes official with 6GB RAM, Vivo Xplay 5 announced too All metal Vivo Xplay 5 and Vivo Xplay 5 Elite go official, both feature dual-curved displays. Xiaomi Mi 5 scores over 14 million registrations for its first sale The sale begins tomorrow - 10AM China time. Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge pre-orders break records The Galaxy S7 edge is better liked with 64% of customers opting for one. LG G5 supports QuickCharge 3.0, Galaxy S7 is only 2.0, what's that about? Qualcomm's website states that Samsung's flagship is stuck on the older-gen charging tech. HTC One M10 name confirmed, camera sample shown EXIF data of the lone image reads HTC_M10h, 9MP in 16:9 ratio suggests a 12MP 4:3 sensor. Lucky customer gets Galaxy S7 edge early, screenshots galore An early Galaxy S7 edge owner posts screen shots of the largely-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S7 edge's UI and software features. Android and TouchWiz take 8GB of your Samsung Galaxy S7 storage At least, 8GB of Galaxy S7's storage are occupied by the OS and the launcher. Watch Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 India launch event here Company's first Redmi phone with metal body and fingerprint sensor. Early mockups speculate Android N UI changes New mockups describe early Android N screenshots which bring along new UI elements, animations, transitions and redesigned notifications and toggles. HTC outs first teaser video for the One M10 In it, the Taiwanese company boasts that it's hard at work finding ways to make smartphones even better. Samsung Galaxy A9...

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**GSMArena** · 07-03-16, 15:30

Samsung has launched the new Notebook 9 series of ultraportable laptops. The series consists of four models, one of which has a rotating display. The base model has a 13.3-inch 1080p display with 6th gen Intel Core i5. It has a battery life of 10 hours and is priced at $999. The second model has a larger 15-inch 1080p display, Core i7, and 12 hours of battery life for $1199. The third model called Notebook 9 Spin has a 13.3-inch 3200x1800 rotating display that can be turned around and folded flat. It's powered by a Core i7 and has a battery life of 7.3 hours. It is priced at $1199. The last model is the Notebook 9 Pro, which has a 15.6-inch 3840x2160 display, Core i7, and 6.5 hours of battery life. It is priced at $1399. All models have 256GB flash storage, 8GB RAM, and run Windows 10. Source Â•...

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Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge to allegedly launch in India next week

According to a report by BGR India, Samsung could be launching the next generation flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones in India as early as next week. The exact date is unknown, the Economic Times believes it will be around March 8 and that the phone will go on sale in the third week of March with prices matching the iPhone 6s in India. ET also believes Samsung will be spending about $15 million worth on marketing the phone in India, an unprecedented amount for the company, to compete against the iPhone that has a massive reputation in the Indian market. You can check out our hands-on of the S7 and S7 edge here. Source 1 Â• Source...

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Telus delays Marshmallow updates for Galaxy Note5, S6 edge, S6 edge+

The carrier Telus has some problems with the Marshmallow updates for the Samsung Galaxy Note5, Galaxy S6 edge, and Galaxy S6 edge+. Previously the Note5 and S6 edge+ were supposed to get the Marshmallow firmware on March 9 while the S6 edge update was scheduled for March 16. As it turns out, Telus had some minor setbacks, and those updates will be postponed for a few days. The Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ updates will arrive on March 13 while the S6 edge firmware will be ready for distribution on March 30. The regular Galaxy S6 Marshmallow update for the Telus model is still coming on April 13, no changes...

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Google files patent for popup books with AR elements

The first time I've ever seen anything with Augmented Reality was when using the AR cards that came with the Nintendo 3DS. This blew my mind back in 2011: You set a card on a coffee table or a desk and looked through the handheld console's telescopic 3D screen to find some characters pop up right out of the card. Moving the handheld around the card shifts the view of the 3D character on the screen. Google filed a couple of patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office which outlined a story telling experience enhanced with AR elements that could be interacted with. The first patent was filed for an "interactive book" using pressure and motion sensors that are built into the pages. Next, a small lens would project images onto the pages depending on what the user presses or does to the pages. There would also be speakers embedded in the device to add to the experience. The other patent was for a kind of tablet that is embedded into the book, then, every page in the book has a secondary Â‘vertical page' of sorts which would display content that compliments the physical page. As always, patents don't usually mean something will become real products, not even experimental hardware may ever be a reality. Even at this point In time, I'm surprised that we haven't really seen a sort of children's book with AR or VR elements used to enhance it. Source |...

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Samsung to shut down Milk Music, reports say

I remember when I was working as a Samsung rep inside Best Buy last year, I was instructed to install Milk Music and Milk Video to every Samsung Phone that we handled. Many customers loved the idea of free radio stations with no ads for a year, and I am sure most of them didn't like the idea of continuing to pay for premium service after the year was up. Samsung seems to have given up on Milk Music and reports say Samsung is going to shut it down for good. The idea of having a music service that is exclusive to Galaxy phones was a great idea, however, the problem was that Samsung didn't leverage it as well as it should have, it didn't give customers a compelling music service that wasn't already a lot like Pandora. Even so, Samsung has left Milk Music out of its new lineup of TVs when there was no mention of being able to use the music service. Also, Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 edge announcement in MWC last month didn't make any mention of Milk Music either. Let's not forget that Samsung pulled the plug on Milk Video after just one year of launching the service in 2014. What did you all think of Samsung's Milk Music? Did you find it compelling at all? Did you ever use it on any occasion? Source |...

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HTC 10 reportedly won't have a version running Windows 10 Mobile

It looks like you're not likely to see a Windows logo on an HTC smartphone ever again. Or not anytime soon, anyway. Back in 2014, the One (M8) for Windows was basically the Windows Phone running version of the Android One (M8). Hence, some people may have hoped for HTC to pull the same stunt with this year's upcoming flagship device, which will be called 10. The hopes were there despite the fact that 2015's One M9 did not get a Windows variant. According to Evan Blass (of @evleaks fame), neither will the HTC 10. He firmly stated today that there won't be an iteration of the HTC 10 running Windows 10 Mobile. So it turns out that HTC has chosen to stick with Android alone for its smartphones, at least for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, if you're looking for a high-end Windows-powered handset, HP has surprisingly announced one at MWC - and obviously there's also Microsoft's very own Lumia 950 and 950 XL...

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**GSMArena** · 08-03-16, 15:31

ZTE seems to be on an announcement streak. Only hours ago, the Chinese manufacturer unveiled the ZTE Blade D2 in Thailand and Vietnam and today it has a new mid-ranger to add to its lineup. It is called the Blade V580 and was made official on the company's Japanese website today. It is equipped with a 5.5-inch FullHD display and a 64bit MediaTek MT6753 SoC with a total of eight cores, clocked at 1.3 GHz. Memory is set at 2GB and 16GB of onboard storage. There is also a microSD card slot for up to 32GB more. Other features on the handset include 4G LTE support and Dual SIM connectivity. There is also a fairly large 3,000 mAh battery on board, although it is not nearly as impressive as the 4,000 mAh one inside the Blade D2. The ZTE Blade V580 has a rather modest camera setup, consisting of a 13MP main shooter and a 5MP selfie one. However, there is a fingerprint reader thrown in the mix, which is always a pleasant sight in a budget-friendly device. Other features include Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS with A-GPS, the usual. Pre-orders for the ZTE Blade V580 are going live in various online stores in Japan today and the handset will set you back JPY 27,800 ($246). Source |...

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Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge pre-orders now shipping in the US, UK and Europe

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge were supposed to ship to their new owners in the US, the UK and Europe this Friday, but you should expect delivery as soon as today. This is if you have already pre-ordered, most UK retailers and carriers still show March 11 as the delivery date. Only the O2 lists "free next day delivery" if you order by 10pm. By the way, some of you will be getting a Samsung Gear VR headset (if you ordered from Samsung, Carphone Warehouse or...

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Truecaller gets dialer, availability status, and new UI

Popular Truecaller app is getting a handful of new features. Top on the list is an integrated dialer, which means you can now dial a number from the Truecaller app itself. The second addition is an availability check, which tells you if the person you are about to call is on another call (only works if they have the Truecaller app installed). Lastly, the app also gets a fresh new look, with the search bar being moved to where Discover used to be. Since the app now includes a dialer, Truecaller will be phasing out the Truedialer app eventually. The new features will start rolling to Android users today. Source Â•...

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Aiwear VR headset works without computer or phone attached

VR headsets were hot items at the MWC, there we saw the HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR. The Vive is just a head-mounted display - a tower PC does all the work (and there are cables tying you down). The Gear VR is tether-free, but requires the use of your smartphone (select few flagship Galaxy phones). Aiwear (a company that mostly builds imitation smartwatches) has found a middle ground - its VR headset doesn't have cables that get in the way and doesn't need a phone either. It brings its own display - 5.5" 1080p - and its own processing power. That is where things get iffy. The Aiwear VR headset has a quad-core processor, a single gigabyte of RAM and runs an outdated Android 4.4 KitKat. The Aiwear VR headset brings its own screen and processing power, no phone required It does bring its own 9-axis motion sensor though and assuming that is more accurate than the one in your phone, you may see some benefit over just buying a Google Cardboard or a Mattel ViewMaster. At least those let you use a phone with a beefier...

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Xiaomi's European rollout of the Mi 5 and Mi 4s will begin with Poland

The Xiaomi Mi 5 has been getting a lot of attention ever since its launch at MWC 2016 and quite justifiably so. The device is a true flagship offer with a slew of advanced features and little to no notable compromises all with a starting prices as low as $300. Sadly, availability has outside eastern markets has always been a major problem for the Chinese OEM. However, this might change soon enough, as VP Hugo Barra seems to be making good on his long-standing promise to expand market reach of the brand to Europe. The first step in this expansion was hinted during the unveiling of the Mi 5 and Mi 4s and now news has surfaced on the Polish version of the Xiaomi website, providing proof that the company is working on international availability. The web page informs that the Xiaomi Mi 5 and Mi 4s will be coming to the Polish market soon. The memo also comes with a promise for additional info on timing and pricing shortly, as well as a list of the exact models that will be on offer. It appears all three variants of the flagship Mi 5 will be outed in Poland. All three have a 5.15-inch FullHD display and a Snapdragon 820 SoC, but the entry-level one with a clock speed of 1.8 GHz, 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM. The 64GB has the same amount of memory and a processor speed of 2.15GHz. The Pro simply adds another gig of RAM and a 3D ceramic back cover. All the other impressive features of the Mi 5 are shared across the range, including the innovative 16MP camera with 4-axis OIS, 600 Mbps 4G+ connectivity, Full-featured NFC and many other goodies. We will keep a close eye on the Polish website for any further details on pricing and availability. It is, however, clear that entering into new markets will bring the retail price of any handset up. Hopefully, it won't be too much of a premium. Thanks for the tip Mateusz. Source (in...

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Opera Mini v15 now optimizes videos too, supports microSD cards

Even though data plans keep growing bigger and bigger, Opera Mini's data saving modes still have a place. The latest update, version 15, can help you watch videos even on spotty connections with less buffering (and, of course, less data used). The Video Boost mode is available on High savings mode and it works on both mobile data and Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi support in High is new and is intended for use at the fringes of connectivity (e.g. if your hotel room is too far from the router). In the settings you'll also see a counter of how many videos have been optimized. Note in case you missed it: High mode is Opera Turbo, the old-school Mini compression is now called Extreme mode. Other changes in this version include microSD support (requires Android 4.4.4+). You can save files to the external storage and also upload files from there too. Opera Mini takes this opportunity to offer additional savings - you can shrink photos before uploading them (three different sizes). Fast scrolling is now available too and the mini-browser changes the status bar color "to match the environment." The app can be downloaded or updated from Google Play store. Source |...

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Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro to have removable battery, FCC filing confirms

In one of the more unexpected turns of events, the yet-to-be-announced Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro will have a removable battery. This intriguing bit has been revealed by the US Federal Communications Commission, in one specific document, which details the certification label placement. Often imprinted on the back itself, or an entry in the settings menu of the device (digital label), in the case of the Galaxy A9 Pro it's very much a physical paper label glued on the inside of the battery compartment. This gives a hint as to the reason the Pro version is 10g heavier than the plain A9 (2016), needing some additional reinforcement otherwise provided by the rear panel itself. The TENAA certification, which gave us a glimpse at the phone's looks, also said that it would be 0.5mm thicker so it all makes sense now. What doesn't quite add up is the fact that the Chinese authority's photos do show a glass-looking back panel, and it will be interesting to see how Samsung has pulled that off. Or it could be glossy plastic, but then that wouldn't quite be up to the A-series standards. Of course, there's the usual technical data in the papers, which you can sift through by following the Source link below. Source |...

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Samsung announces the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in India

Samsung just announced the flagship Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge in India, at an event in New Delhi. The phones are being launched in 32GB dual SIM variant with the Exynos 8890 chipset. The Galaxy S7 is priced at INR 48,900 ($725) and the Galaxy S7 edge at INR 56,900 ($844). Pre-bookings for both start today until March 17. Those who pre-book will get a free Gear VR with their purchase. You can read our hands-on of both the devices...

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Deal: 128GB Samsung microSD card on Amazon for $40

Just in time for that Galaxy S7 you've been waiting for: Amazon is selling the 128GB microSD card for just $40. Considering this card is originally upwards of $100, this is quite the deal. As of recently, Amazon raised its minimum purchase price for non-Prime members who want free shipping. So the normal amount of $35 was replaced with $49. Or, if you have Amazon Prime already, you can also get the legendary, free, two-day shipping. Samsung's smaller microSD cards are also quite cheap at $18 for the 64GB size or if you're really cheap, you can get the 32GB card for just $10. Source |...

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T-Mobile document leaks buy-one-get-one deal for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are just days away from launch at this point. Those who pre-ordered their devices will be receiving them soon, well, if they haven't already. Lately, T-Mobile has been known for pulling crazy stunts or being really Â‘out there' but this one might take the cake for deals on new phones. TmoNews was tipped, most likely by a T-Mobile employee, with a screen capture of a document regarding a deal for the Galaxy S 7 and S7 edge, two phones that aren't even officially released yet. The deal says that customers who purchase two Galaxy S7/S7edge devices can get their second device for free. Before you flip out, there are a couple of things you need to do in order to actually qualify for this deal: Both devices must be purchased on Equipment Installment Plans (aka. NOT a leased device) and the deal requires you to add at least one new line of service. It is not certain if the entire cost of the device will be refunded to you on a pre-paid visa card, but we can assume that you get the value of the phone upfront on the card, but you are required to pay for the free device on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, this promotion wouldn't be available to T-Mobile employees, but to be quite honest, I'm sure they have better deals than BOGO on the latest smartphone. The highly-anticipated Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are to be officially released this Friday, we'll have to wait to see what how T-Mobile announces this deal to customers. Source |...

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Live Photos and Split View support added to Google Photos on iOS

Anyone who has used Google Photos on both Android and iOS separately can tell you it iOS users are slower to get new features. This time, these features don't even apply to Android users. The Google Photos app for iOS has been updated to support Live Photos for the newest iPhones. The new app update also brings native resolution support for the iPad Pro, as well as Split View for viewing photos while doing something else? I guess? The update also brings navigation improvements "so you can spend less time flipping hamburger menus" as well as performance tweaks and a new memory management feature which reduces the amount of cache used on devise with low available storage. Source |...

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Google Fi no longer requires an invitation to sign up

Project Fi is Google's first venture into the mobile service space. It teamed up with Sprint and T-Mobile in the US to form an MVNO network exclusive to the Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, and Nexus 5X. The only way you could sign up for a Project Fi account was by either buying a Nexus device through Project Fi's website, or signing up for an invitation with your Gmail account and waiting a couple of months for your invitation to roll in. Today, Android's blog announced its official goodbye to invites for the Fi Network. The post briefly outlines what the venture has taught Google about customers who use Project Fi such as traveling abroad, using SIM cards in other devices, and the success of relying on Public Wi-Fi. Project Fi is a US cellular network that piggy-backs its service from both Sprint and T-Mobile networks depending on which provides a more reliable connection. The network also takes advantage of public Wi-Fi networks to fill any dead coverage with a Wi-Fi only connection. Plans start at $20 per month as a base, then add $10 for every 1GB used in your cycle, if you use 2 GB in the month, you will be charged $20 for the base fee and $20 more for the data you used. If you only use 1GB and a quarter, you'll only be charged $12.50 for your data for that month. Source |...

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Facebook Messenger for Android finally receives Material Design makeover

Later today, a new version of Facebook Messenger for Android will start rolling out through the Play Store. This will finally adhere to Google's Material Design guidelines, now almost two years old. Still, the Messenger app is ahead of the actual Facebook app in this regard, belive it or not. Various Material Design elements have been in testing by the Messenger team over the past few months, and have been spotted in a number of beta versions of the app. The company has also enabled them for some users, but not for others, in what's known as A/B testing. But now the new design is going out to everyone. The rollout itself might take a few days to complete, as is always the case with such things. You can get an idea of what Facebook Messenger will look like after the update by glancing at the screenshots above. Facebook says the redesign has been a painstakingly hard process, especially since the app is such an essential part of the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the...

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Upcoming Samsung SM-T585 tablet gets benchmarked, has specs revealed

A new Samsung tablet is in the works, folks. This has been revealed because the Samsung SM-T585 has been benchmarked using GFXBench by someone in possession of a prototype. This has thankfully revealed the device's most important specs. Thus, the SM-T585 comes with a 10-inch 1,920x1,200 touchscreen, Samsung's Exynos 7870 chipset (boasting a 1.7 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU and Mali-T830 GPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 2 MP selfie snapper, and pretty much all the usual connectivity options (sans NFC though). The Exynos 7870 SoC was made official recently, and so far we've only seen it powering one variation of the upcoming Galaxy J7 (2016). Because its model number ends in "5", and given Samsung's past naming conventions, the SM-T585 should be the LTE-capable iteration of the Wi-Fi-only SM-T580. If so, then expect to see support for LTE Cat.6, since that's built into the chipset. It's still very much unclear what branding Samsung will choose for this tablet. We might be looking at the 10-inch Galaxy Tab 5, or a new Galaxy Tab E or Galaxy Tab A model. Either way, it will run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow from day one. Source | Via 1 (in German) Â• Via...

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OnePlus unveils its own installment plan for the US market

Following in the footsteps of Samsung, itself emulating Apple's strategy, OnePlus has today launched its own installment system for purchasing its products. That said, it's quite different from the others, since you can't switch devices after a set period of time. It's only available in the US right now, and you'll obviously have to use the OnePlus online store to buy what you want to pay for in monthly installments. The system can be chosen for any order that's over $99, but it's just an option - if you prefer to shell out the entire amount upon checkout, you can still do that too. To go the installment route, you need to select PayPal Credit as the payment option when completing your order. There's a calculator function that will then show up, telling you exactly how much you'll pay every month. For the OnePlus 2, going with the 18-month plan means you'll have to pay $22.60 every 30 days, while for the OnePlus X that's going to be $16.12 every month for one and a half years. Do note however that this isn't an interest-free installment arrangement. If you choose to pay monthly, by the end of those 18 months the OnePlus 2 will have cost you $406.80, which is $57.80 more than its $349 price. In the case of the OnePlus X, you'll end up paying $41.16...

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AnTuTu benchmark releases latest chipset rankings, Snapdragon 820 tops competition

As it does from time to time, the AnTuTu benchmark has released the latest chipset rankings based on results that have been obtained running it. In this case we have two Top 10 lists to speak of. First off, there's the chart relating "smartphone chip performance" as of early March 2016, which you can see below. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 manages to beat Apple's A9 here, with 136,383 points to 132,657. So the A9 isn't the runaway leader in this category anymore (as it used to be not that long ago). The third place goes to Samsung's Exynos 8890, while Huawei's Kirin 950 drops to fourth (from second place just a couple of months ago). Then we have a couple of 2015 flagship chipsets, the Exynos 7420 and Snapdragon 810, followed by the new upper-midrange Snapdragon 652. This one is understandably close to the 810 in performance since it is in some ways the real successor to that, at least on the CPU side, still using only ARM-designed cores, but replacing the Cortex-A57s with the newer Cortex-A72s. The Apple A8 is in eighth place, followed by the Snapdragon 650 and the Snapdragon 808. Now if the 652 is the moral successor to the 810, then the 650 is the same thing for the 808, only in this case the newer model has already managed to outperform its predecessor, and by quite a margin no less. Next up we have the GPU listings, where once again the Snapdragon 820 is king, with its Adreno 530. Again the Apple A9 is second, but this time the difference between them is much bigger. The Mali-T880MP12 in the Exynos 8890 comes very close to the PowerVR GT7600 in Apple's chip, but it's all downhill from there onwards. The Adreno 430 inside the Snapdragon 810 can't keep up with the top three GPUs, nor can the Mali-T760MP8 inside the Exynos 7420. The Adreno 420 from the Snapdragon 805 oddly makes a showing here even though the chipset itself is no longer in AnTuTu's Top 10. Huawei's Kirin 950 comes with a Mali-T880MP4 GPU, and the difference in the number of cores compared to the T880MP12 in the Exynos 8890 is obvious from its measly performance. Its results are actually comparable to those of the Adreno 418 in the Snapdragon 808 and the Adreno 510 in the Snapdragon 652 - both of which are mid-range chipsets and not aiming for the high-end like the Kirin 950. All of the results in these charts are averages, and not the highest ones ever achieved by each chip. Source |...

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Sony partners with 5 directors, who produce awesome videos on the Xperia Z5

Sony has decided to promote the Xperia Z5's video prowess by partnering with five directors, each creating a movie about an European city by only using the phone's camera. All videos are shot in 4K and are quite tastefully made. Each tells the story of the corresponding town in a quirky and interesting way. As a reminder, the Sony Xperia Z5 features a 23MP camera with a 1/2.3" sensor. Check out the videos...

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**GSMArena** · 08-03-16, 15:31

The official unveiling date for the upcoming Oppo R9 and R9 Plus is March 17, something that has been confirmed earlier today after initially being reported on last week. Most of the hardware details of the two devices are already known thanks to the fact that they've passed through TENAA, the Chinese regulatory authority that approves mobile phones for sale in that country (and outs most of their specs in the process). One thing that's so far remained a mystery, however, is how much they will cost. Not anymore, though, for a newly discovered leak out of China is here to clear that up too. The image you can see above is said to depict a promotional poster for the R9 and R9 Plus, and if it is the real deal it reveals the pricing for the two models, at least for the Chinese market. The smaller Oppo R9 will go for CNY 2,498, which at the current exchange rates means about $383 or Â€347. On the other hand, the R9 Plus will start at CNY 2,998 ($460 or Â€417) if you buy it with 64GB of storage, and will go up to CNY 3,298 ($505, Â€459) if you need 128GB. Both phones will come with 4GB of RAM, and it looks like the R9 will only be sold with 64GB of storage space. They will have VOOC fast charging, and the much-rumored 4,120 mAh battery capacity for the R9 Plus is confirmed yet again. Source (in Chinese) |...

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Apple to pay $450 million after failed ebook price-fixing appeal

Today, the US Supreme Court wrote the final page in the long legal fight against Apple on charges of participating in a major conspiracy to inflate e-book prices. The original suite dates back from 2012 when the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled that the Cupertino giant had conspired with publishers to inflate ebook prices as a means of undermining Amazon. This original accusation states that back in early 2010, around the time the iPad was launching, Apple colluded with five book publishers and managed to raise some book prices by as much as 50% (from $9.99 all the way to $14.99) in an attempt to disturb Amazon's leading position as a cheap e-book retailer. After the initial ruling found the US giant guilty, it decided to start a long process of court appeals that inevitably led all the way up to the US Supreme Court. The latter, however, has decided not to hear the case, which leaves in place a June 2015 ruling by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, that found Apple guilty of violating federal antitrust laws. Seeing how Cupertino has reached the end of the legal ladder on this case, it will be forced to pay $450 million as part of a settlement. Bill Baer, head of the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division commented on the development saying: Apple's liability for knowingly conspiring with book publishers to raise the prices of e-books is settled once and for all Source |...

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ZTE Blade D2 is a new 4000 mAh budget offer for Thailand and Vietnam

ZTE enriched its device lineup today with a new budget-friendly offer - the ZTE Blade D2. The handset's definitive feature is the spacious 4,000 mAh battery pack, which should provide ample autonomy for the otherwise not so power-hungry hardware. It is housed withing a relatively compact plastic body, measuring 144 x 69.5 x 8mm and weighing in at 155 grams. The Blade-T620, as it is officially called, has a 5-inch HD IPS LCD display and is powered by a quad-core Mediatek MT6735P SoC, clocked at 1.0 GHz. Memory is set at 1GB and built-in storage is 8GB. There is also a microSD card slot for up to 64GB expansion. The Blade D2's camera setup is also nothing special, but perfectly adequate for an entry-level device. It consists of an 8MP shooter on the back with a single LED flash and a 2MP front-facing camera. There is no shortage of connectivity options - 4G LTE support, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS with A-GPS and a micro USB port. ZTE Blade D2 was launched today in Thailand and is already listed on the ZTE Vietnam website with a price tag of 26,90,000 VND (around $121). This seems to cover the current market availability, but the budget-friendly handset might hit more locations in the future as well. Source |...

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**GSMArena** · 09-03-16, 15:40

US carriers are doubling down on the Samsung Galaxy S7 - literally! AT&T is offering a "buy one, get one free" deal for new and existing users, even business users are welcome. You can get the Galaxy S7 edge instead, but the second phone will still be an S7. That's if you want it for free, you can instead use the credit to purchase an S7 edge if you splurge some extra. Note that the first phone can be a new line or an upgrade, but the second must be a new line on AT&T Next 24. In fact, both phones need to be on a Next plan. You can get unlimited data if you have DirectTV or U-Verse, otherwise you get a 10GB plan (you have the option to keep your old one). If you already bought an S7 earlier (starting February 26), don't shake your fist at the sky - your account will be credited for the second phone. At sale you just pay the taxes on both phones, then after three months you will start receiving up to $695 in credit spread over 30 months. It's a complicated deal, so ask around your local AT& shop. By the way, T-Mobile will allegedly launch a similar "2-for-1"...

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Samsung launches its phone upgrade program in Korea

After launching an upgrade program in the UK a few days ago, Samsung has it to its home turf as well. The deal sound quite attractive to those who always want to have the latest and greatest from the Galaxy lineup. As per the official announcement, you can purchase a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge in South Korea and sign up for the 24 month plan, at 7,700 won ($6.35) on top of the cost of the unit. This will apparently allow you to get the latest Galaxy device 12 month later, once it becomes available. That amounts to just roughly $76 for an upgrade. Factor in the hassle-free upgrade experience and you have a no-brainer. However, we are not entirely sure what happens with the payments during the remaining 12 months of the upgrade plan. Our best guess is that you end up paying them as well, which could mean that you can upgrade only once every two years, or have double payments after the first 12 months. However, even if this is the case, it still sounds like a pretty good deal. Plus, there was also mention of a Galaxy Note in the source, which could possibly mean that Samsung's productivity phablet series is also eligible for the plan, or perhaps even better, it might suggest a cross-matching scenario, in which you can pick between a few eligible models each year. Source |...

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Nexus 5X update rolling out today, expect performance improvements

Nexus 5X users have been experiencing a some issues and a few of them are getting squashed today. The big ticket item is "general slow/sluggish performance." It's not clear if the camera sluggishness is included in that. Additional changes include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi improvements (users report choppy playback after long uptime). The issue of the next DND alarm disappearing has been fixed too. Additionally, there are carrier-specific fixes. The new update (MHC19J for most Nexus 5X devices out there) is rolling out today, so be on the lookout for the notification. The security updates for March have been included in this...

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Samsung announces own dual-pixel 12MP sensor

One of the greatest new bits about the Galaxy S7/S7 edge is their 12MP camera, with 12 million phase detection agents, as Samsung puts it. That's the essence of the dual-pixel term that we've heard every time the latest top-shelf Galaxies have been mentioned. The sensor used in the smartphones was so far known to be Sony's IMX260, but apparently Samsung has its own imager in production with the same capabilities. Announced today, the Samsung-made sensor sounds very much the same as the Japanese one - 12MP, dual-pixels for PDAF, 1.4 micron pixel size, the lot. Plus the added ISOCELL tech, that is, which stands for isolated individual pixels to help reduce color cross talk. Now, there's no word in the press release if the sensor is going to be fitted in the S7, but with it already rolling off the production line, that seems to be a likely scenario. Samsung has been known to source sensors from Sony while also using its own in parallel fashion, and the Galaxy S6 was one such example, so it's no precedent. Forum threads praising one and dissing the other are the natural outcome, we'll just need to wait for a critical mass of devices to...

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IDC claims tablet shipments will fall 5.9% in 2016, give way to 2-in-1 devices

IDC posted a forecast for the development of the tablet market in 2016 and it expects a few major changes. According to it, traditional tablet shipments will decrease by 5.9% in 2016, as the form factor is pushed aside by 2-in-1 devices. While the latter concept is definitely nothing new, it is seeing a major revival in recent months with new offers coming in from traditional players on the tablet market, as well as new ones, like Huawei and Alcatel bridging the gap. The form factor makeс sense, as you are not really sacrificing any of the tablet functionality, but you do get the possibility of more productivity, especially now with x86 mobile chips and the full power of Windows 10 and its software ecosystem. Ryan Reith, Program Director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers, commented on the trends: This momentous shift in form factor will bring along the first significant impact of Windows-based devices that the tablet market has seen," _"Windows 10 seems to be making headway in both the PC and tablet markets, mainly driven by devices with larger screen sizes. Despite the free licensing on products under 9 inches the growth for Windows-based tablets will be primarily on devices with displays between 9 and 13 inches. Until we see a day where touch is introduced for Mac OS X and inroads are paved to bring Android and Chrome more closely aligned, we believe Windows remains the logical choice for detachable products. The numbers seem to show that in 2016, the detachable tablet market will show a whopping 73% year over year growth. Even more optimistically, hybrid device shipments are expected to raise from 16.6 million in 2015 to 63.8 million in 2020. The trends also show that more and more users will be opting for Windows 10 devices, mostly at the expense of iOS. Android is expected to maintain the same popularity on tablets to 2020. Last, but not least, it is worth noting that the push towards increased productivity will also bring about an elevated interest towards larger devices - screen sizes 9-inches and up. These will surely thin out the numbers of the smaller 7-inch or less devices, but it might still take some time, considering the lack of Widows licensing charges on the...

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Samsung and Phillips bail out of 3D TV business

While 3D is fairly common for movies in the cinema, 3D at home is dead. Samsung and a bit earlier Phillips have officially confirmed that their 20616 TV lineup will not feature 3D screens. Samsung cites lack of consumer interest and lack of content as some of the main reasons. And if you thought 3D content was rare now, keep in mind that the new Ultra HD Blu-Ray format, the one that will be used for 4K video, has no support for 3D. Instead, Samsung will focus on image quality with its SUHD TVs, a technology focused on delivering more colors and dynamic range. Rival LG will still put out 3D TVs, but unofficial reports state that it will halve the number of new models that support the extra dimension compared to last year. Sony will only have 3D on a couple of flagship 55" and 75" models. If you still believe in the 3D dream, Panasonic seems to be the only remaining major player that remains committed to three-dimensional...

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Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge lack Samsung Pay support

Samsung Pay is gaining support in various markets, and the USA has always been one of the biggest opportunities for that kind of mobile payments. All major carriers officially support Samsung Pay, though Verizon was the last one to offer it. Samsung Galaxy S6 series was the first one to introduce Samsung Pay, and the service is working well for the Verizon's users. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones for Verizon lack this support. There is no official reason either from Verizon or from Samsung, why the app is missing on the new flagship duo. If you try to install it from the Play Store it still won't work as apparently the S7 lineup for Verizon isn't supported. Hopefully this gets resolved soon with an update, or at least, Verizon gives a reason for the removal. Source Â•...

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Ultra low-end Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini announced

Like many of its major rivals, Samsung is doing its best to capture emerging markets and offer tailored budget-friendly handsets for them. The latest addition to this budget class of devices is the Galaxy J1 Mini. It was announced today for the Philippines and from the looks of things is more or less identical to the Galaxy J1 Nxt, which the Korean giant recently made available for just $88 in Bangladesh The new name might have actually been necessary to avoid confusion, as the J1 Mini comes with a bump down in RAM from 1GB to just 768MB. We can't really imagine this will net that much of a decrease in cost, but perhaps there are other factors involved that we don't know of. Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini Other than that, the specs sheets of the two devices is identical. It has a rather modest 4.0-inch TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. Inside is a quad-core CPU, clocked at 1.2GHz, which is used to boot Android 5.1 Lollipop OS. The camera setup is nothing special and includes a 5MP rear CMOS sensor camera and a VGA 0.3MP one on the front. The J1 Mini comes with a 1500 mAh battery, which promises up to 8 hours of 3G talk time, 7 hours of browsing and 29 hours of audio playback. Sadly, there is no 4G compatibility, but the compact device (121.6 x 63.1 x 10.8 mm) still offers Dual SIM support. Other features include USB 2.0, GPS, Glonass, 3.5mm Stereo Earjack, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth 4.0. Information on pricing and availability is still unknown. Source |...

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Pebble gets new 3.10 firmware and apps

Pebble has released a new firmware for the Pebble smartwatch, and also updated the iOS and Android apps, bringing everything to version 3.10. The 3.10 firmware for the watch brings larger emoji for the most popular emoji. Whenever you get a single emoji from among these, the watch will show a jumbo sized version now. Other additions include refined Pebble Health activity notifications, Chinese character support, bug fixes and performance improvements. The 3.10 update for the iOS app brings a new UI and three tabs at the bottom for watch faces, apps, and notifications. Watch faces shows all your downloaded watch faces, apps shows all your installed apps, notifications show you which apps are allowed to send notifications to the watch, and you can also set individual apps to only alert you on weekdays or weekends other than simply always and never. The Android app sees an improved Send Text app, new language support, and bug fixes and performance improvements. All of these are now available to...

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Google Docs adds new option to export text files as ePub

Yesterday, Google added functionality to Google Docs to export long text documents as ePub files, largely compatible with almost every electronic reader and book reading app imaginable (except on Amazon Kindles as they have their own book format .mobi). Reading long PDFs or word files on tablets or smartphones brings me back to my college days, it was the most annoying thing to do on a screen which the text was not formatted for, constantly having to pan, zoom, pan, zoom, pan, zoom, just to read small text that spans three times the size of the screen. This feature should make the consumption of some of these types of files much more enjoyable to readers of such content. Perhaps it will facilitate the actual conversion of ePub files from copied text. The update is rolling out now and should be complete in a couple of days. To export as an ePub file, you can go to File > Download As > EPUB Publication (.epub). Source |...

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Samsung phones are harder to repair than ever before, iFixIt tears down the Galaxy S7

Ever since Samsung's days of removable batteries and hyper-glaze plastic, Samsung's Galaxy phones have gotten more and more difficult to repair. This time around, the Galaxy S7 scored a low 3/10 for user repairability. Compared to Galaxies past, the Galaxy S6 had a score of 4/10, the S5 scored 5/10, and the hyper-glazed Galaxy S4 scored 8/10 as pretty easily repairable. These phones are becoming more and more complex and harder to repair now. The good news is components are separated better and not stuck together to the midframe as was the case with the Galaxy S6. The bad news is, well, good luck getting into the device. The only way to gain access to the S7's internals is by removing the rear glass panel, which is a feat all by itself. Heat is needed to remove the adhesive that keeps the glass on the back. At this point, you're five hundred times better off buying an insurance plan for your device in case the screen shatters or the components fail (looking at you, Galaxy S4). Just make sure you all get cases for your new Galaxy phones! Source |...

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New York City to upgrade 2000+ high tech busses with Wi-Fi and charger ports

As a fairly new resident of New York, I have never seen such a vast and efficient public transportation system before. There are definitely better systems, but it's a drastic change from Miami where the public transportation system is actually useable by a very small population of Dade County (unless you live in Downtown or South Beach). The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) plans to bring 2024 brand new busses into the city, equipped with Wi-Fi on board, USB-chargers throughout, information screens displaying weather info and a digital stop ticker to show route information and the next stop information. Currently, all stop information and route changes on busses are announced by the driver over an intercom. Depending on how the MTA driver feels, he or she will either pronounce the stops audibly and clearly, or they might just murmur into the mic, literally, pick up the mic and go "hur hur hur". In these cases you'd have to look outside or use your smartphone's GPS to gage what stop you need to get off at. These stations are so antiquated, that if you walked into Penn Station, you would think you travelled back in time to the year 2004. The MTA infrastructure will finally get the modern update it desperately needs. Many underground subway stations already have Wi-Fi and some stretches of track also have cellular signal in Midtown. Governor Cuomo said (which I can attest to) that some of the MTA stations and facilities are in such "decay" that in some cases is "embarrassing" for a city often called the Â‘capital of the world'. The MTA shuffles more than 9 million customers around the city every SINGLE day. What the MTA is aiming for is to modernize and improve the expectations and technology of its facilities as fast as it can by the year 2020. To meet the expectations of more and more millennials, Thomas Prendergast, Chairman of the MTA, says that this generation expects more and more at their disposal and that the MTA should provide it because it is needed. Source |...

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LG launches contest to win an LG G5 in the Philippines

LG quietly launched a contest being held in the Philippines. Using the hashtag #BestLGG5Friend, you can enter to win one of three LG G5 smartphones. All you need to do is post the image below on either Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook and finish the following sentence: "My #BestLGG5Friend is_______". You must choose from one of the accessories shown in the image and explain why it you think it's the best "friend" to the LG G5. These accessories include: LG Rolling Bot LG 360 CAM LG 360 VR LG CAM Plus LG Action CAM LG Hi-Fi Plus B&O Play LG Tone Platinum You are allowed to post multiple entries with different "friends" as long as they aren't the same as another of your entries. It doesn't really matter what you say since winners will be chosen at random. Entries are being accepted since March 4 all the way through March 30 until 4:59PM to qualify for the promotion. Entries that are missing either the image, the hashtag, or lacking 3 tagged friends will be automatically disqualified from the contest. The official winner will be announced via LG's official Philippines Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter...

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Buy two Chromecast Audio units, save $15

Google is currently running a neat promotion for its Chromecast Audio dongle in its online store for hardware in the US. The Chromecast Audio is normally priced at $35, but now you can get it cheaper. The only thing you need to do is buy two. Yes, Google will sell you a two-pack of Chromecast Audio devices for just $55. So you save $15. That's obviously not much, but then again the Chromecast Audio isn't an expensive gadget in the first place. The discount is applied automatically as soon as you add two Chromecast Audio units to your cart, so you don't need to copy a promo code or anything like that. It's unclear how long this deal will last, though, so if you're interested you'd better act fast. The Chromecast Audio exists in order to connect the non-smart speakers you already have lying around the house. It basically has the same capabilities as the 'video' Chromecast, but it's for speakers only. Hi-res playback and multi-room support are a go too, ever since an update hit it in December. Source |...

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LG G5 lands in Canada on April 8

The LG G5 is going to become available for purchase in Canada in exactly one month from today, namely on April 8. This information has apparently been made official by the Korean company itself, so it's straight from the horse's mouth as they say. The G5 will be offered by all the major Canadian carriers (Bell, Telus, and Rogers), but also smaller companies such as Eastlink, MTS, SaskTel, Videotron, and Wind Mobile. Rogers' Fido brand will get in on the action too. So you'll pretty much be able to grab a G5 regardless of what your carrier of choice happens to be. As for third-party retailers, expect to see the G5 in stock at Best Buy, The Source, Costco, and Wireless Wave. If you pre-order a G5 from Rogers or Fido, you'll receive the Cam Plus camera grip accessory for free (while supplies last). Unfortunately pricing information hasn't yet been announced by any of the aforementioned carriers and retailers, but surely that's coming soon. The LG G5 should be released globally in "early April", with April 8 and Canada being the first confirmed launch date and country. It might just be that April 8 will be the big G5 day in other places too, but we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, make sure you check out our detailed hands-on preview of the...

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Sony outs video detailing what's new in its Android 6.0 Marshmallow update

Today Sony has uploaded a new video to its official YouTube channel, and this one's all about Marshmallow. More specifically, it's describing in some detail what the most important features are in the company's update to Android 6.0. As you may already know, this has finally started rolling out to some Sony devices yesterday, so the timing of the video couldn't have been better. Have a look: In this presentation, Sony has mixed in new features from Google (such as the revamped permissions system or the redesigned sharing mechanism) with its very own improvements - most of which have to do with the camera app. This video should thus have given you a quick taste of what's to come when you receive the much-anticipated Marshmallow update on your Xperia phone or...

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**GSMArena** · 09-03-16, 15:40

Last month Android 6.0 Marshmallow finally broke past the 1% mark in Google's market share report. It doubled its spread since December, but now its growth is finally picking up. In fact, at the beginning of March Android 6.0 was on 2.3% of devices out there, so it's grown by more than 100% in one month or so. Hopefully this means it will get its market share into the double digits soon. Lollipop has finally become the most used version of the OS, taking KitKat's place with 36.1% of the market compared to 34.3%. While Lollipop has grown 2% from the previous report, KitKat has lost 1.2% of the pie. And it's bound to go down even more. Jelly bean now has 22.3% market share, Ice Cream Sandwich is down to 2.3%, while Gingerbread is at 2.6% and Froyo's still holding on to 0.1% of the market. In the coming months more and more devices should be graced with updates to Marshmallow, so that version will obviously keep on growing. So too should Lollipop, while every other Android release is basically on the way out now - if incredibly slowly. Source |...

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New data shows how quickly Android apps can lose users and how the best retain the crowd

Ever wonder how the top Android apps manage to gain and retain superiority? Of course, there is no simple answer and the recipe for success is often extensive and convoluted. We won't argue that brand awareness plays a major role, or that a nice feature set can give you an edge over the competition, but a new analysis on data collected from 125 million Android phones and Google Play reveals a rather interesting pattern and hints that the first few days in an app's life cycle are far more important than a lot of you may think. Andrew Chen, along with Ankit Jain - CEO of a mobile intelligence startup called "Quettra" are responsible for the analysis and their findings seem to show that it's quite likely for an Android app to lose about as much as 80% of all its users within a month of the initial app install. The fact is that most Android users tend to shop around quite a bit for their apps, which usually means installing a bunch of alternatives, giving them a quick try and then possibly moving on to the next. This is why, as evident by the graph, as much as 75% of users typically leave the app on the same day they install it and at the end of the first week, that number is usually over 80%. Now, one could argue that this is just because the average metric is distorted by the sea of objectively bad apps out there in the Android realm, but, interestingly enough, when they moved on to analize just the very top performing applications, Andrew Chen, and Ankit Jain stumbled upon a quite similar user retention pattern. The general timing seems to be the same and large drops tend to coincide, the only real difference being that the most popular apps have managed to lower the percent of losses significantly. This all leads to one logical conclusion - apps need to capture users as quick as possible and impress them at first sight, or else the typical usage patterns are simply working against them and active user counts will plummet. As Ankit Jain puts it: Users try out a lot of apps but decide which ones they want to Â‘stop using' within the first 3-7 days. For Â‘decent' apps, the majority of users retained for 7 days stick around much longer. The key to success is to get the users hooked during that critical first 3-7 day period. What this translates to is developing experiences that are engaging at first sight. Some examples might include, giving the user a big bonus at the beginning of a game and a daily incentive to come back for more rewards, or perhaps in a more social or communications app - get them invested in the platform straight away, by guiding them through a profile creation wizard and linking them with current users and friends. These tactics may vary, but if you were wondering why your mobile app isn't doing all that well, despite your endless efforts to add in new features, it might be time to invest more in a catchy description, some Google play multimedia content and a good retention scheme for first time...

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LeEco Le 2 gets a round of leaked images, has specs outed too

You may have heard of LeEco (formerly LeTV) when it became the first company to sell a smartphone powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset. In the meantime, many more handsets have chosen to employ that particular chip, but LeEco is apparently hard at work on its next device. This is allegedly going to be called Le 2, which might mean it's been created as the successor to the Le 1s. The pictures you can see below (click the thumbnails to look at the full-size versions) are said to be of the Le 2, covering a decent amount of angles. LeEco Le 2 The LeEco Le 2 will reportedly sport either the Snapdragon 820 or the MediaTek Helio X20 chipset (there will be two variants), along with 4GB of RAM and a 21 MP main camera. The fingerprint sensor on the back is of the ultrasonic variety, and a USB Type-C port is on board for connectivity purposes and charging. Those are unfortunately all the spec details we have for now. Speaker grill holes can be seen on both sides of that port, which may mean the phone will have two speakers. Then again, many smartphones use similar designs but only actually ship with one speaker, with the holes on the other side being purely cosmetic. Anyway, the frame of the handset seems to be metal. Its back cover could be metal too, or maybe not - it's not easy to tell just from these shots. If this is the real deal and it's being worked on by the Chinese smartphone maker, we expect to hear much more about the Le 2 in the coming weeks. Source (in Chinese) |...

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Verizon and T-Mobile HTC One (M8) units are now receiving Android Marshmallow

As originally promised, HTC will bring Android Marshmallow to all of its flagship handsets, going back to and including the One (M8). Today the OTA has started seeding for both the Verizon and T-Mobile carrier versions of the phone. The former is receiving a software version 6.21.605.3 package, while the latter has the build 6.20.531.5. Both, however are based on Android 6.0 and bring about all the Marshmallow goodies Google's OS has to offer, like run time permissions, app Dozing, Google Now on Tap and many others. The software should also come with new volume controls for notifications, audio and alarms and simplified screen capture. In other news, T-Mobile is also spreading some Marshmallow love to its more price-conscious clients, owners of the LG G Stylo. It has also started receiving an Android 6.0 OTA, already spotted in the wild with a version number of "H63120b" and weighing in at 767MB. Bear in mind that both carriers are conducting a staged rollout of all the updates, so it might be a few days before your handset receives the payload. T-Mobile has even cited a rather lengthy update window, ranging from March 7 to March 21, so a bit more patience might still be required. Source 1 | Source 2 |...

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**GSMArena** · 10-03-16, 15:50

Google just released the Android N developer preview for the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, and Pixel C. The LG Nexus 5 is missing from the list, as it's quite dated now. However, as TheBleg points out, Nexus 5 owners could be in for a surprise, as Google is testing Android N for the device.As evident from the Google Git repository for the Android N preview, the Nexus 5 (hammerhead) is tagged in its code dating from yesterday.The company hasn't made official statement regarding the phone just yet, but this is definitely proof that the Nexus 5 could be in the basket of devices to receive the latest Android flavor.Source |...

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Redmi 3 with fingerprint scanner spotted on TENAA

The Xiaomi Redmi 3 doesn't feature a fingerprint scanner, but it looks like we'll soon see a variant that comes loaded with one. A phone with specs identical to the Redmi 3 was spotted listed on TENAA's website - what's worth noting is that it apparently comes with a rear finger print scanner.Other key specifications that the listing reveals include a 1.5 GHz octa-core CPU, 5-inch display with 720p resolution, and 2GB/16GB memory configuration. The phone, which weighs the same as the Redmi 3, has a 3,000mAh battery, compared to the 4,100mAh battery the latter packs in.As for the price, rumors say the handset will carry a tag of RMB 799, which translates into around $122 at current exchange rates. The Redmi 3, for comparison, was launched at a price of RMB 699 (around $105).Via 1 2 | TENAA...

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AT&T Galaxy Note5 getting February security update

Just a couple of weeks after Samsung announced that it has begun pushing out the latest Android security update to its "major flagship models," the AT&T Galaxy Note 5 has started receiving the update.While the carrier's support page only says that the update includes some security and performance-related enhancements, screenshot shared by a Note5 user clearly shows the device's security patch level to be February 1 after the update is installed - it weighs in at around 50MB.The update has just begun rolling out, so it may take some time before its hits your device. However, if you are feeling impatient, you can also manually check for the update by heading to your handset's Settings menu.Source |...

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HTC One A9 now available for £269 in the UK

The HTC One A9 is an attractive phone, but costly. A seller in the UK is offering new units with manufacturer warranty for £270.That's a sweet deal, considering the same handset costs £400 from HTC's official site. We found a slightly better deal at Amazon, £360, but that's still £100 off. Some retailers and carriers actually have the nerve to ask for over £400 for the SIM-free unit.P.S. The HTC 10 - the One M9 successor - is coming soon (April 19) and will sport a design heavily inspired by the A9 but with much better...

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Lumia 650's US availability details to be announced soon

Announced by Microsoft last month, the Lumia 650 went on pre-order across Europe the day it was made official - it's now available for purchase in most European countries. Sadly, there has been no official information on when it will go on sale in the US.That was, however, until now as the Redmond, Washington-based company has said that it'll be revealing the device's US availability info soon - "later this week" to be precise.@myke115 Please stay tuned ... we'll be posting some official updates on social media later this week! #TeamLumia #Lumia650Â— Lumia US (@LumiaUS) March 9, 2016Previous rumors had suggested that the Windows 10-powered mid-range handset, which carries a $200 price tag, will be launched in the United States sometime in April this year. Among carriers, Cricket is currently confirmed to be carrying...

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Nexus 6P gets performance boosting update

After updating the Nexus 5X, Google has now released an update for the flagship Nexus 6P.Like the Nexus 5X update, the 6P update focuses primarily on improving the performance for background and foreground tasks. Google also fixed the 'until next alarm' bug, and there are some carrier-specific updates as well.Overall, nothing major, but if you ever experienced some performance hiccups on your Nexus 6P or any other minor bugs you can expect to see some improvements.Source Â•...

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Microsoft Surface 3 gets new price cut in US

If you recall, Microsoft was last month selling the Surface 3 at discounted rates, allowing you to save up to $150 depending on the model. In case you missed that deal, you'll be glad to know that the tablet has again received a price cut in the country.This time, however, the discount is available on Amazon, where the 64GB Wi-Fi model is listed at as low as $385, while the 128GB Wi-Fi variant is listed at $475. A quick look at the Microsoft Store reveals that the models are officially available for $499 and $599, respectively.Keep in mind that the price cuts mentioned above are for the Windows 10-powered versions of the tablet. Discounts are also available on the Windows 8.1 variants - head to the Source link below to learn more about the...

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Samsung already rolling out an 'urgent' update to Galaxy S7 edge

Samsung's newest flagships - the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge - are yet to officially go on sale, but that hasn't stopped the South Korean company from issuing updates to them. Specifically, the edge variant is currently getting an update which has been categorized as 'urgent' by Samsung.There are not much details available about what exactly the update in question includes, except that it is for the Edge screen and is aimed at preventing errors from occurring.It's a small update, weighing in at 3.32MB, but given that it's marked 'urgent,' you should install it as soon as you get the notification. In case the update hasn't hit your device, you can manually check for it by heading to your handset's Settings...

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Samsung Galaxy S7 landing on Cricket next week

AT&T's prepaid subsidiary Cricket has announced that it will start carrying the Samsung Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone next week. Carrying a $649.99 price tag, the device will be available both in-stores and online beginning March 18.Those purchasing a Galaxy S7 unit from Cricket between March 18 and April 1 will also get a free Samsung Gear VR headset as well as a 6-game bundle - worth $150. The carrier says the promo will only be available till supplies last.In case you aren't already aware, the Big Four US carriers have already started shipping Galaxy S7/S7 edge pre-orders. Officially however, the flagships are set to go on sale in 60 countries starting...

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Samsung says Galaxy S7/S7 edge pre-orders stronger-than-expected

In line with reports earlier this month, Samsung has revealed that pre-orders for its newest flagship smartphones - the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge - have been stronger than what the company was expecting. The revelation was made by the South Korean firm's mobile chief Koh Dong-jin.Sadly, there was no word on exactly how many Galaxy S7/S7 edge pre-orders Samsung has received, as well as what was the South Korean company's initial sales target for the devices. Dong-jin, however, did say that they are expecting the new flagships will help reverse Samsung's fortunes in China.Both the S7 and S7 edge are set to officially go on sale starting tomorrow (March 11) - they will be available in 60 countries in the first wave of their global...

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Turns out, Verizon WILL support Samsung Pay on the Galaxy S7 and S7edge

Well, we don't know where it started from, but someone with a review device or an early shipment of the Galaxy S7 has reported that the Verizon's Galaxy S7 is not compatible with Samsung Pay on the Play Store. It simply wasn't allowing them to download it.After reaching out to Verizon, Android Central was able to receive confirmation that Samsung Pay is, in fact, coming to the Verizon S7. The app was simply not available because it was still undergoing testing before flicking the switch and releasing the app. The Samsung Pay app is up on the Play Store now and downloadable by the Verizon S7.Verizon executive, Jeffery Nelson, tweeted regarding this issue to clear the air once and for all..@SamsungSupport confirms Samsung Pay isundergoing testing & will be avail on schedule for our 3/11 launch ofGalaxy S7 & Galaxy S7 edgeÂ— Jeffrey Nelson (@JNels) March 9, 2016The Samsung Pay app will be ready for users when they get their new Galaxy S7's on Verizon when the ACTUAL launch of the phone comes around on March 11.Source 1 | Source...

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Deal: white, black, or gold Galaxy S6 edge with 128GB storage for $480

If you aren't trying to get the very latest and greatest Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you can check out the deal below for a Galaxy S6 edge well-equipped with 128GB of storage. You can purchase an S6 edge for $480 with free shipping from eBay.The S6 edge originally retailed at $699 for the Verizon base 32GB model and every increment of memory was another $100 slapped onto the price tag. This brought the 128GB model up to $899. The deal today brings the phone down to just over half off the original retail price.These are indeed Verizon units, but thanks to an FCC agreement, all of Verizon's phones are GSM unlocked from the factory. So you should be able to use this phone overseas or locally with another GSM network like T-Mobile or AT&T.eBay is also running a promotion good through tonight which can get you 10% back in eBay Bucks reward cash instead of the normal...

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Amazon UK accepting pre-orders for LG G5, release date: April 8 for £529

The LG G5 has shown up on a major online retailer, Amazon UK has the LG G5 listed for pre-order in either Rose Gold or Titan Grey. Both units are 32GB variants and sold unlocked or SIM-free and can be pre-ordered for £529 (roughly $750).This morning, there were early reports that the LG G5 is set to be launched on April 8 in Canada, the same day as Amazon UK lists as the G5's release date upon preorder. It could be that LG is planning for a worldwide release of the G5 on the same day.There is still a long time to go before the launch of the device, but if you become too impatient you can check out our hands-on of the LG G5 at MWC.Thanks for the tip, Aaron!Source |...

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Google launches Android Beta program, no more flashing for preview releases

Traditionally, any person who would like to try out a new developer release of the next version of Android would have to download the factory image from Google, unlock your bootloader, set up fastboot, and type some commands in a CMD prompt.However, Google has come up with a solution that will allow enthusiasts and developers alike to enroll in the Android Beta program without having to mess with fastboot, unlocking bootloaders, and entering white text into black boxes.Google has taken a similar approach to how Apple handles it's iOS Beta releases. Minus installing the file needed to download the OTA. Users can sign up with their Gmail accounts; all you need to do is sign into Gmail and your eligible devices will automatically populate the page for you to choose from. From here, you should receive the OTA notification on your phone within 24 hours.Google notes that "if you manually flashed Android N on your device by downloading the image from developer.android.com, you won't receive OTA updates automatically." So you must be on the latest public release of Android in order to take the first dev preview OTA.We don't suggest using your daily driver to run the first Android N build, but if you do it anyway, you will be allowed to opt out of the Beta by unenrolling the device online. Then you will receive an OTA with the last official public release which WILL wipe your data and revert you back to stock. So make sure you back up your device before accepting any dev OTAs.The following devices are eligible to enroll in the Android Beta program:Nexus 6Nexus 5XNexus 6PNexus 9 (LTE)Pixel CNexus PlayerCheck out the source link if you'd like to enroll today. You might be asked to log into your Gmail account to verify your Nexus device.Source |...

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Google offers developers 25% off the Pixel C tablet

To complement the release of the first developer preview for Android N, which happened mere hours ago, Google has revealed a promotional offer for those who'd like to pick up one of its Pixel C tablets.The search giant says this deal is only meant for developers to take advantage of, but we can't see why you couldn't try to even if you're just a consumer. What you get is 25% off the price of the tablet.That means the 32GB model will be yours for just $375, which is $125 less than its normal price. On the other hand, the price reduction for the 64GB tablet is even bigger - $150, in fact (you can grab it for $450, compared to the usual asking price of $600). The deal sadly does not apply to the Pixel C's keyboard, which you still have to purchase separately for $150.If you want in on this, head on over to this page and enter your email address. You should then receive a promo code via email, which you can enter into the Google Store upon checkout, after you've added the desired Pixel C to your cart. The limit is one tablet per person, and the offer is only valid in the...

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LG V10 is getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow in Turkey and South Korea

We already knew that the LG V10 would eventually be graced by an update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and today it's finally started rolling out. The big caveat here is that the update is so far only out in two countries - Turkey and South Korea.So it could be a while before the Marshmallow goodies make their way to V10 units sold elsewhere, especially if LG is using these two markets to test that everything is going fine with the release. However, the good news for V10 owners across the world is that the software is finalized, and now only regional and carrier variations need to be added. So conceivably this will roll out internationally in a few weeks at most.In Turkey, the software iteration that's making its way to devices over-the-air is V20b, with the download coming in at 846MB. Perhaps rather oddly, this is Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and not 6.0.1.As you'd expect, the new release comes with everything that Google packed into Marshmallow, including the revamped permissions system, Doze Mode for better standby battery life, Direct Share, as well as improvements to Do Not Disturb mode (including that new name). LG's done a bit of tweaking of its own on top of that, making the brightness slider visible while you adjust it, introducing new Knock Code settings, and renaming LG Bridge to LG AirDrive.Source 1 (in Turkish) Â• Source 2 (in Korean) | Via 1 Â• Via...

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Android N Developer Preview is out with multi-window mode built-in

Today Google has released the first Developer Preview of the upcoming Android N release. And yes, this is just called "N" for now, expect the official desert name to be outed alongside its final build many months from now.It's a surprise, this, because Google has so far introduced developer previews of its new Android versions at the annual I/O conference, which generally takes place in May. This time, however, the search giant is giving developers a taste of a build that's even earlier in the development cycle than usual, which means it should have more time to incorporate feedback into the final thing. It will also let Google "hand off the final N release to device makers this summer, so they can get their hands on the latest version of Android earlier than ever".What's newThe big new headline feature in Android N, at least so far, is the addition of a multi-window mode. Or call it split-screen multitasking if you want, it's the same thing. This will be incorporated by developers into their apps by using a new manifest attribute. Once engaged, multi-window mode will look like you can see in the screenshots below. Notice that it's not limited to tablets, but will also work on phones, and even TVs - where you'll even get a picture-in-picture mode.Next up, in Android N you are able to reply to incoming stuff directly from the notification. This uses the same API as Android Wear, so any app that works with Wear will work with it without the need for any code changes at all.While we're on the subject of notifications, the new release also lets developers group notifications from the same app together. The bundled notification can be expanded into individual ones by tapping a newly-introduced expansion button or by using a two-finger gesture.Doze Mode was put into Marshmallow in order to enhance standby battery life. But while that only works when your device has been stationary for a while, the new revamped Doze Mode in Android N also sometimes kicks in when the screen is off and the device isn't stationary. Project Svelte has also been worked on some more - it's an effort to reduce the operating system's memory use so it can be more usable on low-end hardware.And in a bit of news that will surely only concern actual developers, Java 8 language features have now come to Android, and you can use them through the Jack compiler.DownloadGoogle has already posted factory images for the Android N Developer Preview on its dedicated website. These are available for the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, and Pixel C. The company stresses that this initial release is only intended for developers to fiddle with, and not for daily use or consumers.It is however making it easier than ever before to test it. Later today a special page will allow you to sign up for the new Android Beta Program. And once you've done that you'll get this Developer Preview build, along with all the others that are coming in the future as over-the-air updates. So you won't have to flash those factory images to take a peek at Android N.Google says that it will invite consumers in to have a look the new Android version once it gets closer to a final...

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Goldgenie already has a 24-karat gold-plated Samsung Galaxy S7 on offer

Nothing speaks status more than a golden phone right? If you share this opinion then you have surely heard of Goldgenie - the company enjoying the plentiful financial support of millionaire James Caan. Now, as Samsung is preparing for the first wave of mass shipments of its latest flagship duo, Goldgenie has already gotten its hands on the devices and is offering them with a golden exterior.Currently, there is only one modification of the S7 family on offer, complete with a sparkly golden dust effect on its curved back. The 24-karat gold also extends to the frame and buttons, even the camera and flash frames, leaving only the front it its original black color and Gorilla Glass finish for protection. The design is quite reminiscent of the Galaxy S6 edge Stardust model, also currently on offer at Goldgenie, but we hardly think it's wise to splurge for a full gold treatment and not get the latest tech at hand.Goldgenie is offering the service with the purchase of a new Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, or your own unit, if you have somehow managed to already get one. The former options come with 64GB of storage and will set you back GBP 2,097.00 for the S7 and GBP 2,297.00 for its edgy sibling.Source 1 | Source...

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**GSMArena** · 10-03-16, 15:50

The Buy One, Get One free (BOGO) deal that was leaked two days ago has now become official at T-Mobile for both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge. The offer will become available online tomorrow, and will stay so "for a limited time", according to the carrier.Here's how it works. You grab an S7 or S7 edge with an installment plan, and you get a second one for free after a rebate card. You do have to add a line for the free phone, however. You also receive the Samsung Gear VR headset for free as well as a full year of free Netflix if you purchase before March 18.The 32GB Galaxy S7 will cost $669.99 upfront, or $0 down followed by 24 monthly installments of $28. It will be out in Black Onyx and Gold Platinum. The 32GB Galaxy S7 edge will be priced at $779.99 upfront, or $59.99 down and then 24 monthly payments of $30. For this model you'll be able to choose between Black Onyx, Silver Titanium, and Gold...

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HTC to make Nexus devices for the next three years

It is no secret that HTC is struggling big time on the Android market. But, while other major players like Samsung and LG are focusing on increasingly more impressive handset offers to wow fans, HTC might have decided to adopt a more business approach in the face of an alleged long-term partnership with Google.Some yet unconfirmed information was spotted on Chinese social network Weibo, claiming that HTC has struck a partnership with Google to manufacture Nexus devices for the next three years. This comes along with a hint that two new Nexus handsets are already planned for this year, one with a 5-inch display and the other a 5.5-inch one.If this story holds water then HTC might have just secured its future on the mobile market for quite some time. Nexus fans can also be fairly sure of the well-being of their beloved brand, as HTC does have a history of doing it justice. The Nexus One was quite impressive when in came out and the same goes for the Nexus 9 tablet, which offered superb performance, an early taste of Android 5.0 and also stunning looks with aluminum edging....

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**GSMArena** · 11-03-16, 15:51

No more pre-orders - the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are now on sale. This also means some of you missed your chance to score a free Gear VR.Not US buyers, though, there you get a free Gear VR and a 6-game bundle (an estimated value of $150).Vodafone Germany will also throw in a Gear VR if you buy a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge. O2 Germany is giving you a free 32GB card instead.In the UK, O2 offers a half deal - the Gear VR is half price when you buy an S7 (before April 21). EE is throwing in a 32GB microSD, a Juice Wireless charger and a screen...

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Nexus 5X discounted on the Google Store till March 27 in India

While India gets ready to celebrate Holi, Google decided to join the festivities with a sizable discount on the Nexus 5X.If you buy the Nexus 5X from the Google Store, you can get an INR 4,000 ($60) discount on the MRP. Currently, the phone is priced at INR 27,900 ($415) for the 16GB model and INR 31,900 ($475) for the 32GB model without the discount.Of course, some of the other retailers like Amazon and Flipkart have been offering the Nexus 5X at even lower prices for a while now but this discount does close the gap a bit.The discount is valid until March 27. Unfortunately, it is limited to the Nexus 5X and not available on the Nexus...

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Huawei P9 leaks in more live photos

The Huawei P9 hasn't exactly been keeping a low profile despite the fact that it is yet to be announced. The smartphone has been featured extensively in various leaks over the past few months, which is generally a good thing, but once overdone is now causing more confusion than anything else.We've seen a couple of different renders of the P9 with rather contrasting design features, but a newly leaked set of live photos seems to coincide quite closely with the most recent batch of renders, finally providing some proof of the alleged final design.The Huawei P9 will have a thin metal body, with a plastic insert on the back, quite reminiscent of the Huawei P8 or the P8lite. The dual rear camera setup also seems to be confirmed, although we are yet to learn any definite specifics about the shooters. There have been rumors stating that in light of the recent partnership with Leica, the P9 could be the first mobile device to feature camera tech and possibly even software by the photography legend.As for the rest of the specs on the Huawei P9, the rumors are abundant but also somewhat confusing. There might be as many as four variants of the handset, but we have come to expect something along the lines of a 5.2-inch display, the company's latest Kirin 950 SoC and 4GB of RAM, perhaps even a whopping 6GB in the top-tier model.Huawei recently announced an unveiling event for April 6 this year where the P9 will be the star attraction.Source (in Chinese) |...

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Plants vs. Zombies Heroes gets a soft launch in select countries

EA has launched the next game in the Plants vs. Zombies series. Called Heroes, the ew game is a bit of a departure from the previous two mobile games in the series.While the first two games were essentially tower defense, the new game combines a bit of that with a whole lot of card play. The game has a whole bunch of new characters, which are introduced in the game through cards, similar to games like Hearthstone. You can choose from the new primary characters and then form a team of secondary characters that will be be deployed during the battle.Like the new Clash Royale, Heroes also includes online multiplayer. You can play as either the plants or the zombies.The game is now available on iOS and Android in select regions.Android •...

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Microsoft Surface Pro 3 gets 20% price cut in India

Launched in India just a couple of months ago, the Surface Pro 3 has received a solid price cut in the country. The 2-in-1 detachable is now listed on Amazon India for INR 58,990 (around $880), down from its launch price of INR 73,990 (around $1,100).For those who aren't aware, the Surface Pro 3 landed in India in January this year, although only in a single variant that comes with Core i3, 4GB RAM, and 128GB storage. The 12-inch device runs Windows 10 Pro out-of-the-box.A quick look at the Microsoft US store reveals that the same variant is currently available there for $599, down from its usual price of $899.Source (Amazon India) | Microsoft Store...

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Oppo's upcoming R9 to feature a fingerprint scanner that unlocks in 0.2 seconds

Given that Oppo's upcoming R9 smartphone is scheduled to be made official on March 17 (next week), the company has been running a teaser campaign for the device over the last couple of weeks.Continuing the campaign, a couple of new teasers have been released by the company revealing that the R9 will feature a front-facing fingerprint sensor capable of unlocking the phone in just 0.2 seconds.In addition, the Chinese company also reportedly dropped hints about the handset being ideal for making mobile payments - if you recall, there have already been reports that several smartphone manufacturers in China are planning to release their own payments service, although Oppo wasn't named explicitly.Coming back to the R9, the device (along with the R9 Plus) has already been spotted on TENAA, revealing a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED touchscreen and a 1.95 GHz octa-core processor. Other specs include 4GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, 2,850 mAh battery, and two 16 MP cameras.As for the price, the handset is expected to carry a tag of RMB 2,498, which translates into around $385 at current exchange...

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New Waze for Android update brings smart reminders, reduces battery consumption

The Android client of the Google-owned navigation app Waze has received a new update that bumps the version to 4.0 and brings along some new features like smart reminders, as well as various improvements.The updated app now gives you traffic- as well as drive times-based (in short: smart) reminders to leave on time for your Calendar events. The update also includes new ETA panel which is aimed at organizing everything you need in one place. "View reports, check alternate routes, add a stop on the way, or instantly send ETA to friends and family," the change-log says.In addition, the app now requires fewer taps for things like starting a drive as well as sending locations and directions. And finally, Google claims that the update reduces the app's battery consumption significantly.Source (Google...

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MIUI 7.2 starts hitting second batch of Xiaomi devices

Last week, Xiaomi announced the roll-out of version 7.2 of its MIUI ROM, revealing that the update will hit devices in batches. The first batch that got the update included the Mi 5, Mi 4S, Mi Note Pro, Mi 4c, Mi Pad 1, Redmi Note 4G (Single SIM), and Redmi 1S.The good news is that the update has started hitting the second batch of devices, too. These should include the Mi Note, Mi 3, Mi 4, Mi 4i, Mi 2/2S, Mi Pad 2, Redmi 3, Redmi Note 3, Redmi Note 2, Redmi Note 4G (Dual SIM), Redmi Note 3G, Redmi 2A, and Redmi 2.If your device falls in the second batch, you'll soon received an OTA notification, if not already. Alternatively, those feeling impatient can also download the update package from official MIUI website (head to the MIUI link below).Via |...

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Q Motion is Fossil's first wearable that tracks sleep

Watch and accessories company Fossil has updated its Q series of wearables with a new device. Dubbed Q Motion, the wearable is basically a cylindrical shaped tracker that not only tracks user's activity, but sleep, too - making it the first wearable fitness device from Fossil to do so.Being an activity tracker, the Q Motion obviously tracks your movements. In addition, it also vibrates whenever user receives smartphone notifications - the device is capable of filtering notifications through its companion app installed on the user's phone.The wearable also includes a "smart tap" feature that, as the name suggests, lets you tap on the device a set number of times to initiate actions like playing music on your phone, finding your phone, and taking a selfie.The Q Motion will be on display at SXSW next week. It will go on sale sometime this summer carrying a $95 price...

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Samsung Z1 successor reportedly in the works

Samsung has outed a couple of Tizen-powered phones until now: the modestly-specced Z1 and a comparatively more powerful (although still entry-level) Z3. While the former was launched back in January last year, the latter arrived in October. Now, there are reports that a successor to the Z1 is in the works.Samsung Z1The Z1(2016) is said to carry a model number of SM-Z150, and feature an AMOLED display like the Z3. Aside from this, nothing else is currently known about the handset, including when it's going to be available and what price tag it will carry.The report comes just a few weeks after an SM-Z510 - which is alleged to be the Samsung Z5 - was spotted listed on Zauba. Assuming that the Z1(2016) and the alleged Z5 are different phones, the latter could well be the successor to the Samsung...

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Samsung announces global launch of its Galaxy S7/S7 edge flagship smartphones

While it was already confirmed that Samsung's newest flagship smartphones - the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge - will officially go on sale starting March 11, the company has now made a formal announcement in this regard."Samsung Electronics today announced the commercial launch of its new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge around the globe including US, Europe, Singapore, Australia and Korea, starting from today," the South Korean tech giant said in a post on its website today.In case you missed, Samsung's mobile chief Koh Dong-jin has already confirmed that the handsets will be available in 60 countries in the first wave of their global launch. Just yesterday, he revealed that pre-orders for the devices have been stronger than what the company was...

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A couple more photos of the HTC One 10 leak ahead of phone's launch

HTC, is taking its sweet time preparing for the launch of the HTC One 10 also codenamed ‘HTC Perfume' in even earlier leaks. Perhaps it's waiting for all the Samsung Galaxy S7 hype to be over before releasing its newest flagship.After seeing the rear of the phone in leaks, renders and teasers, I finally understand why HTC decided to go with such a large chamfered edge. It's more for ergonomics than aesthetics. The oversized chamfer gives the edges of the rear of the device a tapered edge, such that will make holding the device a more pleasurable experience.#HTC #HTC10 @angt29 via @tanalibera https://t.co/rASj57rJ3D pic.twitter.com/QawIhPxcDI— Steve Hemmerstoffer (@stagueve) March 10, 2016The front of the device gives us a look at the homescreen of the device and judging by that weather widget, we could assume this leak originates from Beijing. We can also see a fingerprint scanner right below the screen now joined by two capacitive buttons on either side. A departure from the on screen buttons of the HTC One M9.The company hasn't been doing so hot in the past couple of years so let's hope this phone will be HTC's game changer for the year. If it doesn't, at least HTC could pray that its alleged future partnership with Google could help get it out of deeper...

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Reminder: 3G-enabled Samsung Gear S2 Classic goes on sale tomorrow

Everyone seems to have forgotten about Samsung's 3G-connected smartwatch which is also set to go on sale at the same time as the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.March 11, the same day as the official release of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Among all the madness of news surrounding the impending launch of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, Samsung's Gear S2 Classic will be going on sale at AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.The only carrier who didn't bother to put a pre-order link on its website was T-Mobile. AT&T shows the pricing at $250 with 2-year service agreement. Which is still crazy for such a device but I guess when you consider the monthly service fee for maintaining a connected watch, it KINDA justifies it?Verizon lists the price as 350 with a 2 year contract or 400 outright. You're better off paying the device off and you'll make the 50 dollars back in 10 months seeing as it costs only $5 per month to maintain a connected device.The Gear S2 Classic is a smartwatch which features a more traditional watch design on the rotary-style dial and metal bodies with interchangeable bands.Source | AT&T pre-order link | Verizon pre-order...

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LINE introduces new group calls for up to 200 people

LINE brings you a new way to talk to people, a way that you might never have to use, but if you want to, you can! LINE is bringing group voice calls to chat groups of up to 200 people."Calls can be initiated from within group chats or multiple person chats, and a notification message will be sent to all of the users participating in the chat. The number of people currently participating in the call can also be confirmed from within the chat. An icon is displayed above the user icon of the person currently speaking at the time, enabling users to easily communicate with each other."The feature is first rolling out to all countries outside of Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and Indonesia. These countries will follow soon after. These countries hold a huge chunk of LINE's users and an update like this needs to be rolled out in stages.The feature is expected to come to LINE for Mac shortly after.Source |...

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T-Mobile demoing Gear VR in Times Square

T-Mobile is usually the one to go all out with trash talking the other carriers, wireless promotions, and T-Mobile has also been aggressively advertising for a while now. Today is no different when T-Mobile set up its own transparent booths with hand-rails for passers-by of New York City to stop, try the Gear VR, take pictures, and talk about it to their friends. "Have you seen that VR thing? Oh, MAN, you gotta try it!"Surely enough, the reps that are aiding with setting up the demos for every person must be telling them about T-Mobile's buy-one-get-one-free deal for the New Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, which is to be officially released tomorrow.Feast your ðŸ‘€! Rock the #GalaxyS7 and the #GearVR at our #RealityCheck event in Times Square right NOW! ðŸ”¥ pic.twitter.com/yJEez4TO9m— T-Mobile (@TMobile) March 10, 2016Samsung is also clever to give these Gear VRs away for every customer who pre-orders the new smartphone. It is difficult to get people to buy something they don't know if they need, but by throwing it in for free, Samsung should be able to leverage more Gear VR units off the shelves by word of mouth.T-Mobile's official twitter account has been tweeting photos of the all the fun. Today was a beautiful day in New York and T-Mobile is taking advantage of the thousands of people who have come out to enjoy the incoming spring...

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LG G5 arrives in the US in early April with free second battery and charging cradle

LG has announced that its recently unveiled G5 flagship smartphone is going to land in the US sometime in early April. Oddly enough the company hasn't revealed the actual release date for the handset, but that could very well be April 8 - because the G5 is launching on that day in both Canada and the UK.You'll find the G5 in stock at such carriers and retailers as AT&T, Best Buy, B&H, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon. Prices are still not known though.Emulating a promotion that we've seen run many times for last year's G4 and V10, LG will give people who buy a G5 in the US a free second battery and charging cradle. This offer will be available for a limited time, but the company hasn't said exactly how long you'll have to take advantage of it.At the same time as the phone, LG will also release the G5 Friends in the US. These are the modular accessories that were presented at MWC last month. Some of these help 'transform' the G5 into things like a "DSLR style camera" or a mobile virtual reality viewer.Source 1 • Source...

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Introducing time-saver reviews

Today we're introducing a new take on our detailed, long-form articles. These are the time-saver editions of some of our most popular reviews. The goal with those is to bring you the gist of our full-length reviews without getting into too many technical details. But they are more than merely abridged versions of our full-fledged review.

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LeEco Le 2 Pro has even more specs leaked

Only two days ago we got a glimpse at the upcoming LeEco Le 2 Pro smartphone, through some leaked images showing it. Back then we found out a couple of its most important specs, and today thanks to a new leak we get a more complete list.LeEco is the Chinese company formerly known as LeTV, which grabbed the international spotlight when it was the first to release a device powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820. And it looks like it really likes that chipset, since it's going to use it again in the Le 2 Pro.The image you can see above purportedly shows the back label from the box of the Le 2 Pro, which helpfully lists the handset's specs. The Le 2 Pro should thus come with a 5.7-inch QHD touchscreen, a 21 MP rear camera with LED flash, an 8 MP selfie snapper, the aforementioned Snapdragon 820 SoC on board, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, LTE support, a USB Type-C port, Dolby Audio, and a 3,100 mAh battery.It will obviously run Android, but which exact version isn't clear yet. Nor is how much it will cost, or when it's getting official. Or, for that matter, whether it will ever be sold outside of China. Anyway, its specs certainly make it worthy of the flagship moniker.Source (in Chinese) |...

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Microsoft Lumia 950XL review: Time-saver edition

The Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL is the face of the new Windows series and a reboot of the company's smartphone business. Microsoft may have been slow in adopting new tendencies and features, but it made sure everything is done right with the Windows 10 Mobile premiere.

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Huawei Mate 8 review: Time-saver edition

The Huawei Mate 8 is the latest phablet by the Chinese phone manufacturer. It's a premium device all around and it surely doesn't come cheap. But for the price you pay for it, you are certainly treated to an excellent user experience and some of the best specs in the industry.

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**GSMArena** · 12-03-16, 16:00

Samsung pioneered in the field of curved edge displays with the Galaxy Note Edge, and has since toned down the implementation to gentler curves but on both sides with the Galaxy S6 edge, S6 edge+ and now the latest S7 edge. Other manufacturers are starting to join in on the fun, for example Vivo with the recently announced Xplay5. Reports are coming in that Samsung will be (or in fact already is) selling curved displays to other Chinese makers, including Xiaomi. The rumor has it, Xiaomi's Mi Note 2 will be the next in line to have an extra bit of flair on the sides. The current Mi Note, already a couple of months past the usual one-year life cycle, is due to be replaced some time soon and the successor will allegedly feature such a display. The other manufacturer that's been mentioned is Huawei, and with costly curved edge displays destined to come in flagships only at this point, it's likely we're talking about a potential future Mate, possibly the successor to the Mate S. On the other hand, the Huawei P9 is coming in less than a month, and while leaks of its dual-camera setup on the back have been abundant, the front was only featured in a single render and never photographed in the wild. To be fair, we are clutching at straws here, it may end up being all smoke and no fire. Source (in Chinese) |...

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Here's how to roll back from Android N to Marshmallow on your Nexus

If the title peaked your interest, then we probably don't need to fill you in on the fact that Google released an early Android N build a couple of days ago, along with a Beta program to easily receive updates over the air. If you are anything like us, then you probably ignored the bugs and stability warnings and might currently be in a situation where your phone isn't exactly 100% usable and that fact eventually managed to outweigh the Android N bragging rights. Naturally, you can always manually flash a Marshmallow build back to your handset, or any custom ROM for that matter, but if you are after a more streamlined solution, Google has you covered. The Beta program seems to work with the same ease both ways. To roll back to the latest Android Marshmallow build, you simply have to go back to same page, where you opted to participate in the Beta and click the UNENROLL DEVICE button. This will result in an OTA being send to your unit within minutes, which is also stated in the confirmation prompt. But unless you clicked it out of curiosity, you probably weren't in the know about the reverse OTA. However, be advised that any path you chose to swap Android N back to an earlier OS build will result in a restart and a data wipe. So, be sure to back everything up if you haven't...

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Oppo's upcoming R9 and R9 Plus have their full specs leaked

Scheduled to be unveiled next week, both Oppo R9 and R9 Plus have already passed through TENAA, giving us a good idea about their specs. Now, leakster Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka @OnLeaks) has leaked the complete specifications for both devices. The specs leaked by @OnLeaks are more or less inline with what TENAA revealed (except for internal storage). Also, the rumor that the Plus variant has the Snapdragon 652 inside is corroborated by the new leak. The Oppo R9 will sport a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED touchscreen and pack in an octa-core processor. Other specs of the device will include 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, 2,850 mAh battery, and 16MP/13MP camera combo. The R9 Plus will come with a 6-inch 1080p display and be powered by the Snapdragon 652 chipset. It will also have 4GB of RAM, but offer 64GB and 128GB internal memory options. Both rear and front cameras will come complete with 16MP sensors while a 4,120mAh battery will provide the juice. Oppo has been running a teaser campaign for the R9, revealing features like VOOC fast charging and fingerprint sensor. Both R9 and R9 Plus will be announced on March 17, and are expected to carry price tags of RMB 2,498 (around $385) and RMB 2,998 (around...

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LG Lancet gets large price cut, now available for just $75

The Windows Phone 8.1-powered LG Lancet smartphone has received a large price cut. The device, which was launched last year, is now listed on Microsoft's US Store website for $74.99. That's a discount of over $100 if you're considering purchasing it from the Redmond, Washington-based company's online store, where it usually sells for $179.00. However, keep in mind that the handset costs around $120 if you directly buy it from Verizon. Specs-wise, the phone packs in a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset and sports a 4.5-inch display. It comes with 8GB of expandable internal memory and features an 8MP rear camera...

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LG G5 to cost CAD300 on-contract in Canada, CAD800 sans agreement

While we already know that LG's newest flagship - the G5 - will go on sale in Canada on April 8, there has been no word on its price all this while. That, however, was until now as a couple of Canadian carriers have revealed the device's pricing information. Fido will be offering the handset for as low as $300 on a 2-year contract (depending on the plan, the cost may go up to $550), and $800 without any agreement. Similarly, Rogers will also be charging as low as $299.99 on contract and $799.99 if you purchase it outright. Other carriers like Wind Mobile still haven't put any price tag on the device, but we assume there won't be much of a difference. Aside from the three carriers mentioned here, the G5 will also be offered by Bell, Telus, Eastlink, MTS, SaskTel, and Videotron. Source (Fido) |...

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Samsung Galaxy S7 edge available for $700 in US

If you are in the United States, and are planning to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, you'll be glad to know that you can currently get it at the price of Galaxy S7. eBay seller 232tech is currently selling the new Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (32GB) for $700, which is down $100 when compared to carrier locked variants at the moment and $200 cheaper if you purchase the phone outright. The unit on offer is unlocked and carries a model number of SM-G935F, which means that it's an international model. What's worth reminding here is that unlike US models (which pack in SD820 chipset), international Galaxy S7/S7 edge models are powered by the latest Exynos SoC. Available in gold color option, the phone is only compatible with GSM carriers. Source (eBay) |...

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Nintendo's first mobile game Miitomo launching next week

Back in January, Nintendo confirmed that its first mobile game - dubbed Miitomo - will launch in March. And now, the Japanese company has revealed the launch date: March 17, which is Thursday next week. The revelation was made in a Tweet. ã‚¹ãƒžãƒ›ã‚¢ãƒ—ãƒªã€ŽMiitomoã€ã®é…ä¿¡é–‹å§‹æ— ¥ãŒã€2016å¹´3æœˆ17æ—¥(æœ¨)ã«æ±ºå®šã—ã¾ã—ãŸã€?? ?ãªãŠã€äº‹å‰ç™»éŒ²ã«ã¤ã„ã¦ã¯3æœˆ16æ—¥ã® æ˜¼12æ™‚ã«å—ä»˜çµ‚äº†ã—ã¾ã™ã®ã§ã€ãŠæ—? ?ã‚ã«ã”ç™»éŒ²ãã_ã•ã„ã€‚ https://t.co/YbsKcr8qM7 pic.twitter.com/bTATmK1qHi— ä»»å¤©å_‚æ_ªå¼ä¼šç¤¾ (@Nintendo) March 11, 2016 The game was initially set to arrive at the end of the last year, but was delayed to March citing promotional reasons. Pre-registrations for the app began last month, and they'll be closed on March 16, a day before the launch. As we've already told you before, Miitomo doesn't appear to be a game in true sense - it's more of a chat app that allows users to create and customize their Miis, through which they interact with other users in real...

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Pre-orders suggest Galaxy S7/S7 edge more popular than previous Galaxy flagships in Europe

Samsung has revealed that the total number of pre-orders it received for its newest flagships - the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge - in Europe was over 2.5 times more than what it received for previous Galaxy phones in the region. People standing in line for new Samsung flagships The revelation, which was made by the Netherlands subsidiary of the South Korean company on its website, came just days after Samsung's mobile chief Koh Dong-jin said that Galaxy S7/S7edge pre-orders have been stronger than what the company was expecting. Samsung Netherlands also revealed that of the two flagships, the edge variant is more popular, accounting for a total of 61% pre-orders placed in Europe. In case you missed, the flagships officially went on sale worldwide yesterday. Source...

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Galaxy S7 could help you use Chromecast on hotel Wi-Fi with web-based login

You know this has happened to you before: You are going on a trip which involves staying overnight in a hotel so when you pack you are thinking to yourself: "I should pack my Chromecast too!" So you roll the USB cable up with your Chromecast and stuff it into a suitcase while you think about what a genius you are. Next, you get to your hotel room, hopefully it has a TV with HDMI ports. Then you plug your Chromecast in and power it up, only to realize that you cannot use it because in order to use your hotel's Wi-Fi, you need to use a web-based login page to gain access to the internet. You are like "Daaaamnnnn, I can't use my Chromecast. UGH! Maybe I can tether to my phone." But if you don't have unlimited data, you might hate yourself. But as it turns out, with the Galaxy S7, (In theory, as I haven't tried this myself) you'd be able to log into the web-based hotel Wi-Fiwith your phone, accept the terms and blah blah blah (now here's where it gets interesting). There's a feature on the Galaxy S7 (and edge) called Wi-Fi sharing. It allows your phone to act as a Wi-Fi repeater to retransmit the signal of another Wi-Fi network. All you have to do is the following: Log into hotel Wi-Fi using phone Turn on Wi-Fi tethering Factory reset your Chromecast with the app Set up Chromecast with phone's hotspot Mooch off hotel Wi-Fi To turn the Wi-Fi sharing feature off, you can go to Settings >> Mobile hotspot and tethering >> and tap on the MORE tab. Now, I don't have an S7 unit myself, so I cannot confirm if a secondary device is needed to control the Chromecast or if you can use the S7 to control the Chromecast directly. If you have an S7 and would like to try this out, let us know in the comments if you are able to tether your Chromecast to your S7 AND control the Chromecast WITH your S7. Via |...

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New Galaxy S7 edge ad featuring Lil' Wayne pouring a bottle of champagne on his phone

One of the main reasons Samsung has been so successful alongside Apple in the past several years was by matching Apple's advertising campaigns and promoting the crap out of these phones. Samsung has already been promoting the Galaxy S7 a lot even before it launched today. Samsung started by throwing in a Gear VR with a pre-order of the new phone. Then, Samsung USA released three new ads a couple of weeks ago, next, a man with a jetpack flew alongside the Dublin River in a stunt coordinated with Samsung Ireland to promote the Galaxy S7. And finally today, Samsung released three new ads all featuring Lil' Wayne, the most notable of which shows Lil Wayne pouring a bottle of champagne all over a Galaxy S7 and then dunking it into a fishtank. Samsung really wants to make sure viewers KNOW this phone is fully submersible in water. Check out the ads released today featuring Lil' Wayne: And in case you missed them, check out the other bunch of ads that came out a couple of weeks ago. My favorite ads of the bunch are "Water" and "The Dark". I have to say after seeing the previous bunch of ads, they are all really good. The ads do a great job of building up a point and then slapping you in the face with the reality of why you need to get the Galaxy...

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UPDATE: Samsung phones are harder to repair than ever before, iFixIt tears down the Galaxy S7 (S7 edge too!)

UPDATE: iFixIt has posted the Galaxy S7 edge teardown as well. The S7 edge gets the same lousy repairability score as the Galaxy S7 did. Check out both phones in the source links below! Ever since Samsung's days of removable batteries and hyper-glaze plastic, Samsung's Galaxy phones have gotten more and more difficult to repair. This time around, the Galaxy S7 scored a low 3/10 for user repairability. Compared to Galaxies past, the Galaxy S6 had a score of 4/10, the S5 scored 5/10, and the hyper-glazed Galaxy S4 scored 8/10 as pretty easily repairable. These phones are becoming more and more complex and harder to repair now. The good news is components are separated better and not stuck together to the midframe as was the case with the Galaxy S6. The bad news is, well, good luck getting into the device. The only way to gain access to the S7's internals is by removing the rear glass panel, which is a feat all by itself. Heat is needed to remove the adhesive that keeps the glass on the back. At this point, you're five hundred times better off buying an insurance plan for your device in case the screen shatters or the components fail (looking at you, Galaxy S4). Just make sure you all get cases for your new Galaxy phones! Galaxy S7 teardown | S7 edge teardown |...

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Deal: Moto X Pure Edition just $300 at Amazon, Best Buy and Motorola.com

(Also known as the Moto X Style outside the US) If you've been looking for a deal on the Moto X Pure Edition, look no further. Motorola's last phablet is slimming down its price across multiple retailers both online and brick and mortar. Best Buy has the phone available either shipped from virtual shelves or you can walk into a store and pick up the black model. Though, it'd be a good idea to check your local store's inventory before making the trip. If you don't feel like going anywhere and would rather let Amazon ship the phone to you with two-day Prime shipping, you can choose between a white and black model. And if you don't want either black or white, you can even design your own Moto X Pure Edition directly on Moto Maker! Even Motorola's official website has slashed the price of the Moto X. So you can customize your Moto X to exactly how you want it to look and still pay the same $300 discount price. That's a great deal for a great phone. The Moto X is compatible with all GSM and CDMA networks in the US including Sprint and Verizon. The Moto X features a Snapdragon 808 chipset paired with 3GB of RAM and Adreno 418 graphics. There's a large 5.7 inch LCD display big enough to enjoy photos taken with the 21MP rear facing camera. There is also a microSD card slot to store up to 128GB of your media library. Best Buy | Amazon | Moto Maker |...

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Samsung Galaxy S7 review: A refinement act

Close your eyes and picture the Samsung Galaxy S6, but the way you wanted it to be, not the way it came out. Now open them and look at the Galaxy S7. Better? Let's see.

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Use Samsung Pay on your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, get a free $30 gift card

Samsung has launched yet another promotional offer hoping to help the adoption of its mobile payments service. This one is aimed at fresh owners of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge duo, handsets which only became available today (though pre-orders have been shipped three days ago). It's simple, really. Set up Samsung Pay on your S7 or S7 edge, make an in-store payment using the service, and you'll receive a free $30 gift card. If you use Bank of America debit cards or private label cards to complete that first transaction though, you won't be eligible for the gift card. As for the gift cards themselves, you can choose one from the following merchants: Best Buy, eBay, Whole Foods, Nike, or Regal Cinema. After you've made the aforementioned qualifying transaction using Samsung Pay, you'll see a pop-up informing you about the gift card offer, which is when you choose one of these merchants. The pretty obvious caveat is that the promo is US-only. Also, it's only going to be valid until March...

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Samsung's 18.4-inch Galaxy View tablet is now available at Verizon

If you've wanted to pick up one of Samsung's huge, 18.4-inch Galaxy View tablets but for some reason decided to make your purchase from a carrier, then this is for you. The tablet which was initially announced back in October of last year is now up for grabs from Verizon. You can get it using a device payment plan, in which case you'll shell out $24.99 per month for two years. Or if you want to just pay the whole sum upfront, that will be $599.99. On the other hand, if you sign one of those old-fashioned two-year service agreements, the tablet will be yours for $499.99. You can add the Galaxy View to an existing Verizon plan for an amount that starts at $10 per month. The tablet comes with 4G LTE support, of course, as well as an 18.4-inch 1080p touchscreen, the Exynos 7580 chipset (with a 1.6 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU), 2GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, a 2.1 MP front-facing camera, and a 5,700 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1.1...

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Microsoft Lumia 650 is now up for pre-order in the US and Canada, ships by April 1

Well, that didn't take long. Just yesterday Microsoft said availability details for the Lumia 650 in the US would be coming later this week, and here we are one day later and the phone is already up for pre-order. That's right, if you live in the US (or Canada) and insist on being among the first people in North America to sport a Lumia 650, you can pre-order one now for $199 (or CAD 199) straight from Microsoft's online store. The "ships by" date is the same for both countries - April 1 (and hopefully not a joke). That price obviously nets you an unlocked device, and one that even comes with dual-SIM functionality (which isn't something usually seen in North America). The Lumia 650 has a 5-inch 720p touchscreen, an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 5 MP selfie cam, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 chipset at the helm (featuring a 1.3 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU), 1GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, LTE, and a 2,000 mAh battery. It runs Windows 10 Mobile. Source 1 • Source 2 |...

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Apple software SVP says closing recent apps does not improve battery life

It is a question that seems to bother most smartphone users at one point or another - what happens to an app once its closed and is it eating away at that all-important battery life. It is a pretty valid concern and you can easily hear pretty convincing arguments on both sides, so it is quite understandable that one iPhone user decided to take it up with Tim Cook himself. We are far from the idea that this is the first such question to arrive on Apple's email servers, but it is one of those rare occasions when the person actually got a response. It wasn't from Tim Cook, but rather from Apple iOS chief?Craig Federighi, who is arguably even more qualified to provide an answer. The response itself was short and straight to the point, leaving no room for hesitation - a resounding NO. This is probably the firmest somewhat official stance Apple has ever taken on the issue and the reply does fit nicely with previous examples of such email responses, like the ones Steve Jobs used to send out quite frequently. Plus, the email headers have already been verified for authenticity and everything checks out. The only thing missing from the response, however, is any form of clarification. We won't dig too deep into the matter, but we do feel it is necessary to mention that background tasks and services are very much a thing on iOS. That being said, a closed app is pretty much suspended and not using any notable resources on your device, but any app that has background syncing of any sorts, still uses up resources, battery and data, just take Facebook for instance. Thankfully, iOS has the Background App Refresh menu to help you with managing such activities, so you can generally mend any such drainage yourself, assuming the lack of app bugs that is. And as for forcefully closing Apps, Apple suggests you only reserve that as a drastic measure when something hands or misbehaves in any...

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**GSMArena** · 12-03-16, 16:00

Samsung unveiled its own camera with Dual Pixel autofocus, a 12MP unit just like the Sony IMX260. And both of those are used in the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. But which one did you get? Does it even matter? You can use AIDA64 to check, under Devices you'll find a Camera ID field that says either SONY_IMX260 or SLSI_S5K2L1 (this is the Samsung one). Taskumuro procured phones with both camera sensors and went on a shooting expedition. The results show that there are indeed some differences, but there's no clear winner. The Sony sensor has the edge in some shots, the Samsung comes out ahead in others. So, there's no win or lose here. Samsung Galaxy S7 camera sample: Samsung sensor • Sony Sensor Thanks for the excellent work, Juha! Source (in...

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Sony is seeding an early Marshmallow build to Z3, Z3 Compact and Z2 Xperia Beta participants

Sony is working hard to bring Android Marshmallow to its users. Naturally, the process started with the Xperia Z5 and more recently, the Z5 Compact, with the Z5 Premium is expected to join in any time now. However, the Japanese giant has also made a commitment to bring Android 6 to a slew of other devices across its lineup, going as far back as the Z3, Z3 Compact and even the Z2. Today, these three models are seeing their first taste of Marshmallow, but there are a few clarifications to be made. Sony is indeed seeding an Android 6.0.1 build for the Z3, Z3 Compact and Z2, but it is an early Beta release and only available for devices participating in the Xperia Beta program. For those who aren't in the know, the test was launched a few months back and limited to the following European countries: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany. The build in question bears the number 23.5.A.0.486 and although it is a higher version than the 6.0 ROM currently seeding to the Z5 and Z5 Compact, they actually contain security patches up until December 2015, instead of the current February 2016 ones. This is because, as we already mentioned, the builds are very early and intended as a beta test for future OTAs on these older Xperia models. It is also worth noting that we are talking about a release candidate software of sorts, that should eventually make its way to a full release, as opposed to the conceptual builds from last October, which were more or less and idea playground. We are happy to report that users will not only be getting the Google-provided new features, like Dozing and runtime app permissions, but also new Xperia software, like the much-needed camera app overhaul, as well as the new Xperia...

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Samsung quietly outs the Galaxy Tab A (2016)

We have been having a pair of Samsung tablets on the radar for quite some time now - the Galaxy Tab A and Galaxy Tab E. Now we learn that the former was quietly announced and is now listed on the company website. The listing in question can be found across a multitude of Samsung regional websites, but the German one seems to have the most details. In terms of specs, the Galaxy Tab A 7.0 (2016) is rather modest and features a 7-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. Underneath the hood is a quad-core processor, clocked at 1.3 GHz and 1.5GB of RAM. On-board storage is just 8GB, but thankfully there is a microSD card slot as well. The camera setup consists of a 5MP main shooter and a 2MP selfie one. The Galaxy Tab A boots Android 5.1 Lollipop, possibly with an all new Kinds Mode by Samsung and is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery. Available color options seem to include the basic black and white and we didn't manage to spot a network-enabled version to add on to the natural Wi-Fi connectivity, but maybe it will be made available as well. As for pricing, some early retailer listings suggest €169,00. Source 1 | Source 2 |...

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**GSMArena** · 13-03-16, 16:11

We've been though it a lot - the Samsung Galaxy S5, as all Galaxy S's before it, had a user-replaceable battery, and the S6 didn't, which sucks. Not only that, it actually had a smaller battery than the model it replaced. The first part of that story doesn't seem likely to change, as design constraints have been forcing manufacturers to seal batteries inside devices, not just smartphones. Well, good thing then, that Samsung actually fitted a higher capacity power pack inside the Galaxy S7 than it did in the S6. It is, in fact, the most juice a vanilla Galaxy S-series model has had - specialty editions like the S6 active and S6 edge+ don't count. The Galaxy S7 has a 3,000mAh battery, which is the most that 5-inch (or thereabout) smartphones have these days, matched by the latest Xiaomi Mi 5. The current, and likely last of its kind, Sony Xperia Z5 packs 2,900mAh of juice, mated to a marginally larger 5.2-inch display. The LG G5 has a 2,800mAh cell for an even larger 5.3" screen, while the outgoing G4 relies on the same 3,000mAh capacity to power a 5.5-inch display. Yes, both LG smartphones are bigger, but who's to blame if the company doesn't have a flagship offering close to the 5" mark? In their favor though, both models feature a removable battery. Now, LG does make the Nexus 5X, and that's a flagship of sorts with a 5.2-inch display and a 2,700mAh cell. The iPhone 6s, on the other hand, has a lowly 1,715mAh battery to feed a 4.7-inch display. It's what the Galaxy S7 does with its 3,000 milliamp hours that actually matters, though, as we've seen plenty of impressive specsheets that couldn't transfer into reasonable battery life. So as usual we carried out our array of battery tests, and while the summary can be found in the review, we'll get into a little bit more detail in these few paragraphs here. The Galaxy S7 does very well, to put it simply. Starting with voice calls over a 3G network, the S7 can outlast all of the above (well, we can't be sure about the Mi 5 and G5 just yet). And even then, it's the Galaxy S6 that comes closest, not one of the competing brands. The Xperia Z5 follows, at a distance of almost 5 hours behind the S7. The iPhone 6s fares rather miserably in this respect with less than 10 hours of talk time on a charge. JRGRAPH_EXPANDABLE_VERSION = true;.jrGraphContainer { background: none !important; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee !important;}.jrGraph { padding-left: 0 !important; left: 96px !important;} Talk time Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 LTE 46:44h Gionee Marathon M5 38:07h Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro 33:20h Huawei Ascend Mate2 4G 33:19h Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) 32:54h Xiaomi Redmi 3 32:53h Oppo R7 Plus 30:46h OnePlus 2 30:29h Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ 30:29h Motorola DROID Turbo 30:09h Microsoft Lumia 640 XL 29:46h Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE 29:46h Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE Dual SIM 29:46h Microsoft Lumia 640 XL Dual SIM 29:46h Huawei Honor 5X 29:40h Samsung Galaxy Note5 28:34h HTC One (M8) for Windows 28:34h Nokia Lumia 1520 28:34h Samsung Galaxy Note 4 28:31h Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet LTE 28:25h Sony Xperia Z5 Compact 28:23h Huawei G8 27:44h Samsung Galaxy S5 27:37h Sony Xperia Z1 26:53h Huawei Mate 8 26:45h Samsung Galaxy S6 active 26:29h Motorola Moto X Play 26:28h Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) 26:01h Samsung P6800 Galaxy Tab 7.7 25:45h LG G3 25:38h LG G Pro 2 25:37h LG G Flex 25:19h Sony Xperia T2 Ultra 25:16h LG G2 25:15h Samsung Galaxy A7 25:12h BlackBerry Passport 25:12h Huawei Ascend Mate 25:12h Samsung Galaxy A7 Duos 25:12h Motorola Nexus 6 25:03h Samsung Galaxy A8 25:02h Samsung Galaxy A8 Duos 25:02h Alcatel Hero 25:02h ...

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Week 10 in review: HTC 10 leaks, Android N features

MWC 2015 brought plenty of high-profile announcements, but many Android fans are still waiting on HTC to announce its next move. It is no secret that the manufacturer has been struggling lately, but hopefully the 10 will have what it takes to put HTC back in the race. HTC fans also learned that the Taiwanese company secured a Nexus manufacturing deal with Google for three years. Speaking of flagships, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and its edged sibling are once more making headlines. Now that the first batch of units is starting to reach eager fans, everybody seems to be busy either testing Samsung's current crown jewel or wondering when theirs will arrive. Another big announcement from the previous week is the developer preview of Android N, which came out of the blue. An early build of Google's next mobile OS can already be tested out on various Nexus devices and there are quite a few additions to enjoy, like multi-windows support. In other news, Samsung is constantly outing new devices, like the budget Galaxy J1 Mini, Galaxy TabPro S, a new Netbook 9 series of notebooks and soon, the Galaxy A9 Pro, allegedly with a removable battery. To read the details on these and more, follow the links below. .news-item .n-left { float: left; width: 28%; text-align: center; } .news-item .n-right { float: left; width: 70%; } .news-item a { padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; } .news-item .n-right h2, .reviews-item .n-right h2 { clear: both; padding: 0 0 3px 0px !important; font: 400 19px Google-Oswald, Arial; margin-top: -4px; } .n-right p { line-height: 155%; } .news-item { padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; border-top: 1px solid #ccc; } .news-item p { margin-left: 0; } .n-right h2 a { text-decoration: none; color: #000; } Samsung phones are harder to repair than ever before, iFixIt tears down the Galaxy S7 The guys over at iFixIt give a first-hand look at the Galaxy S7's internals. HTC 10 images show additional color options, including white front The 3D render that leaked earlier showed a Silver back paired with a Black glass front. HTC 10 leaks in brand new press renders and live images The handset previously known as One M10 has been given the full leak treatment. AnTuTu benchmark releases latest chipset rankings, Snapdragon 820 tops competition The report features the top 10 performers in its database. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Dual Pixel autofocus tested against that of Canon 70D Canon has been using Dual Pixel AF on its DSLRs for a while now, so who will win? T-Mobile document leaks buy-one-get-one-free deal for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge Leaked information points to an unbelievable deal from T-Mobile for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Samsung launches Notebook 9 series of Ultrabooks Samsung has launched the new Notebook 9 series of ultraportable laptops. The series consists of four models, one of which has a rotating display. Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge to allegedly launch in India next week Should go on sale by the third week of March. Samsung announces the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in India Pre-bookings come with a free Gear VR. Android N features overview Improved notifications, new doze and project svelte, settings app. Samsung Galaxy TabPro S now available for purchase You can get the Windows 10 slates through various retailers around Europe. LeEco Le 2 gets a round of leaked images, has specs outed too The Chinese smartphone maker best known for announcing the first SD820 device is working on its next big thing. Samsung announces own dual-pixel 12MP sensor The sensor used in the Galaxy S7 was so far known to be Sony's IMX260, but apparently Samsung has its own imager in production with the same capabilities. Sony outs video detailing what's new in its Android 6.0 Marshmallow update Today Sony has uploaded a new video to its official...

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Weekly poll: Samsung Galaxy S7, hot or not?

Considering the Samsung Galaxy S7 is the top phone by interest in our database, we think we already know the answer, but we'll ask regardless - what do you think of the S7? That is just the S7, we'll be looking at the S7 edge very soon. Speaking of edges, the S7 has a 5.1" QHD screen, flat just like the S6. This year there won't be a 5" curved screen option. We like the 2.5D Gorilla Glass, though, and the Always On feature is a nice perk. The Dual Pixel autofocus of the camera is out of this world, even most DSLRs appear sluggish in comparison. The bright f/1.7 aperture combined with the larger pixels makes for excellent low-light shooting. Samsung also corrected some omissions from last year - the microSD slot is back (yay, affordable storage!) and the phone is water resistant, Galaxy S5 users that held out are probably pondering an upgrade. Okay, you still can't replace the battery, but at least this time the capacity is better. What else? Samsung is still pretending USB Type-C doesn't exist, perhaps USB experimentation is one thing from the S5 that Samsung does not want to bring back. The IR blaster seems to be gone for...

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Top 10 trending phones of week 10

The Samsung Galaxy S7 continues to reign in our Top 10 weekly chart. Samsung's latest flagship drew the most attention from the new batch that launched at the MWC - the LG G5 is currently 13th, the Xperia X series barely made a blip. The Galaxy S7 edge tumbled out of the Top 10, apparently the larger, curvier screen did not bring enough appeal. We already published our S7 review and the S7 edge review will be out soon! The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3s are enjoying a burst of popularity, the both of them (MediaTek and Qualcomm versions). Combined, they will easily top the Galaxy S7 in popularity. Below that are the Samsung Galaxy J7 and J5, which used to rule the land and, in fact, are still quite hot amongst our readers. The Xiaomi Mi 5, a credible competitor to the S7 that is yet to ship to consumers, takes 6th place. It used to be 2nd, but the more affordable Redmi Notes elbowed it out of position. Then there's another duo from Samsung's alphabet lineup, the Galaxy A5 and A7, the 2016 editions of the premium mid-rangers. These two are higher up the price ladder than the Js with metal frames and higher resolution screens (Super AMOLEDs across the board). Rounding off the Top 10 is the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note - an affordably priced mid-ranger with a metal frame, 5.5" 1080p screen, fingerprint reader and a 13MP camera with phase detection AF. We will have a review of the K4 soon. .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",a€‹Arial,a€‹sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 100; } .n-right .rank-info .current-rank { font-size: 23px; } .circle { background: none repeat scroll 0 0 #8fb28f; border-radius: 50%; height: 23px; width: 23px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px; } .arrow { width: 0; height: 0; border-style: solid; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px; } .arrow-up { border-width: 0 15px 25px 15px; border-color: transparent transparent #0cada7 transparent; } .arrow-down { border-width: 25px 15px 0 15px; border-color: #ff7e47 transparent transparent transparent; } Samsung Galaxy S7 RANK: 1WAS: 1 specs review Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek) RANK: 2NEW IN specs review Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 RANK: 3NEW IN specs review Samsung Galaxy J7 RANK: 4NEW IN specs review Samsung Galaxy J5 RANK: 5WAS: 7 specs review Xiaomi Mi 5 RANK: 6WAS: 2 specs review Samsung Galaxy S7 edge RANK: 7WAS:...

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New Microsoft OneNote importer aims to draw the crowd away from Evernote

Microsoft's Office suite hardly needs an introduction at this point. As one of the oldest and richest platforms around, it is more or less the standard when in comes to word editing and spreadsheets. However, the suite is actually quite a lot bigger than that and has more interesting software to offer, like OneNote - the free-form note taking app that, unlike Word and Excel, seems to be struggling for mass popularity. It appears Microsoft has decided to put some extra effort in its OneNote product campaign with a new importer tool, aimed squarely at attracting existing Evernote users, by giving them a way to import all their work. The tool currently supports Windows 7 and later on PC, but once you sync everything, it will appear across all your devices, mobile too. An OS X version is also said to come shortly. It is a pretty feasible strategy and could have even passed as a nice little time-saving gesture to prospective migrating users, were it not for the accompanying marketing campaign that openly takes a stab at Evernote's services. For one, Microsoft has really made sure to point out the fact that OneNote is free on any platform and in the entirety of its feature set, whereas Evernote has an optional "Plus" tier, which gives you access to things like offline access to notes on mobile and a 1GB/month data upload cap for $50 per year. While this is technically true, the points of choice within Microsoft's comparison table is oddly favorable towards the US giant. Truth be told, both platforms have their weaknesses and strong point. You might like OneNote's free-form canvas approach, that allows you to write anywhere and pull and mix all sorts of content freely, but on the other hand, Evernote is arguably a lot better at saving, pulling and clipping web content and it has really been trying hard to branch out into the collaborative working area of the business market. Source |...

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LG G5 up for pre-order at BestBuy starting March 18

Pre-orders of the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge have already shipped, and the smartphones are also available for immediate purchase now, but the LG G5 is still nowhere to be found. A step in the right direction will be made on March 18, in the US at least, when BestBuy will start accepting pre-orders. In all fairness, the date and retailer have been known since day 1, but now a landing page has cropped up on BestBuy's website confirming the initial announcement. That said, there's still no official word on actual availability, but April 8 has been sort of confirmed for the UK and Canada, so the US should be getting it around that time, though rumors of an April 1 launch have been heard. One thing's for sure, however, the G5 will ship with an extra battery and a charging cradle, to better make use of that modular design. The rest of the G5's friends you'll have to buy separately, though. Source |...

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The Google Store is turning one, so the Nexus 5X and 6P come with $50 off

If are currently on the market for a shiny new Nexus device then now's definitely the time to strike. The Google Store is celebrating its first anniversary and is offering $50 off both the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P. This means that you can get the former for as little as $299 and the latter starts at $449. The deal is also not limited to the US alone, as the Canadian store has the offer as well. The search giant is pretty generous in terms of time constraints, as the deal will be live all the way to March 27. It is also worth noting that the slashed price does not affect other current promotions for the devices. This means that purchasing a Nexus 6P will still get you $50 of credit towards a Huawei Watch. And as an additional deal reminder, signing up to Project Fi can get you up to $150 off the Nexus 5X and over in India, the device also comes with a special price - about $60 down and now retailing for INR 27,900 ($415) for the 16GB model . Source |...

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Samsung Galaxy S7 keeps region lock, but that shouldn't concern you

Its officially happening, the first wave of Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge units have reached eager customers across Europe and a small storm seems to be brewing online. It concerns a rather inconspicuous black sticker, found on the box of unlocked units, reading - "EUROPEAN SIM CARD ONLY". Why would the Unlocked phone, you payed top dollar for be locked after all? Is it a mistake? It must be serious since it is all caps. Well, it is all natural and nothing to get alarmed over. Your phone has a regional lock in place, bounding it to only European SIM cards, but it is very temporary. To be exact, it only takes five minutes worth of call time on a compatible network and then all restrictions are off. This is actually something Samsung has been doing for a few years now and it was only natural that the SM-G930F and SM-G935F would have the protection in place as well. It is a protection mechanism aimed at gray market re-sellers, who might try to offer Unlocked EU units in places they weren't meant to go. The bottom line is, if you are from Europe and currently have a Samsung Galaxy S7 box in front of you with the infamous sticker, you should simply relax and enjoy your shiny new phone. You've probably removed the lock by the time you finished bragging to all your friends about...

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Third-party app brings Always On Display to the Samsung Z3

Always on displays are definitely not a novice concept(remember how elegantly old STN displays used to handle the task?), but rather one of those ideas that is making a comeback as the tech world is rediscovering its appeal. This year it seems many of the new flagship offers, like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5 are rekindling the functionality, the latter even going to great lengths to do it with an LCD screen, so, Always on is back in style. Naturally, this has resulted in a spike withing the developer realm to bring new implementations of the feature, which OEMs seems to be currently launching only on new flagship models. Older models can quickly be mended through the use of a tird-party solution, like AcDisplay from the Google Play Store. Now app developer Amit Kushwaha has given Tizen users the opportunity to experience always-on as well. The app in question is specifically designed for the Samsung Z3, which, unlike its other smaller Tizen-powered Samsung sibling, the Z1, does have an AMOLED screen and is more than happy to light up a few pixels for an extended period of time, without killing the battery. In its current state, the software can only display an analog clock and a date. It can also use the phone's proximity sensor to turn itself off when inside a pocket. As per the description and the developer's own report, a digital clock option is also on the way, but, sadly, users shouldn't expect notification display any time soon, as the required API is not accessible on the still developing Tizen OS. Source |...

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Here's how to roll back from Android N to Marshmallow on your Nexus

If the title peaked your interest, then we probably don't need to fill you in on the fact that Google released an early Android N build a couple of days ago, along with a Beta program to easily receive updates over the air. If you are anything like us, then you probably ignored the bugs and stability warnings and might currently be in a situation where your phone isn't exactly 100% usable and that fact eventually managed to outweigh the Android N bragging rights. Naturally, you can always manually flash a Marshmallow build back to your handset, or any custom ROM for that matter, but if you are after a more streamlined solution, Google has you covered. The Beta program seems to work with the same ease both ways. To roll back to the latest Android Marshmallow build, you simply have to go back to same page, where you opted to participate in the Beta and click the UNENROLL DEVICE button. This will result in an OTA being send to your unit within minutes, which is also stated in the confirmation prompt. But unless you clicked it out of curiosity, you probably weren't in the know about the reverse OTA. However, be advised that any path you chose to swap Android N back to an earlier OS build will result in a restart and a data wipe. So, be sure to back everything up if you haven't...

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**GSMArena** · 13-03-16, 16:11