Google has posted a new Android advertisement on its YouTube channel. Its moto is "be together, not the same" and animated rock, paper, and scissors help deliver the message.Here is the commercial itself.Two months ago Google had a similar ad under the same moto. It's called Android Fingerprints and here it is, if you need a...


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Samsung rises to fourth in the chip race, Qualcomm still leads
Samsung has increased its smartphone SoC share, and it's now in the Top 5 application processors designers in the world. Thanks to its Exynos expansion to the mid and low tier smartphones, the Exynos chips shipped in 2015 were about 500 million units or about 15% of the total shipped Samsung smartphones.Qualcomm keeps the leading spot, followed by Apple's solutions while the third spot is occupied by the MT silicones offered by MediaTek. Samsung's Exynos platform has now ensured the maker the fourth spot, pushing down Spredtrum at the fifth place.With the new Samsung Galaxy S7 series and other upcoming Samsung smartphones in 2016, there is a good chance Samsung solidifies and even improves its standing.Source •...


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Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro stops by AnTuTu, confirms specs
The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro is apparently nearing official status if benchmark listings are any indication. After it was spotted on GFXBench earlier this month, the upgraded variant of Samsung's 6-incher has now made its way to AnTuTu, confirming the key upgrades over the vanilla A9 (2016).For one, the 13MP primary camera gets a bump to 16MP, so the A9 Pro won't have the same sensor as the rest of the A (2016) lineup. You'd also be getting higher-res selfies than on the regular A9 - 8MP vs. 5MP. Befitting the Pro moniker, RAM is also a gig more, at 4GB.Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro on AntutuThe rest is all the same as the Galaxy A9, meaning a Snapdragon 652 chipset and 32GB of storage. The older GFXBench listing put screen size at 5.5 inches, but we all know how benchmarks can get that particular bit wrong. We'd say that 6 inches is the safe bet here, even if AnTuTu stays mum on the matter.Source |...


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HTC announces international pricing for the Vive VR headset
HTC already announced what the Vive VR headset is going to cost you in the US at launch (which is $799, in case you missed it). Now the company has also revealed what the device will set you back in other regions of the world.The company has listed all the regions that will be getting the device, most of which are European countries. In those regions, including countries like Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden, the Vive will be sold at €899.In Australia, the Vive is priced at US $899. In Canada it is CAD 1149, in UK it is £689, in China it is CNY 6,888, and in Japan it is JPY 111,999.You can get the full list in the link...


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Xiaomi Mi 5 scores over 14 million registrations for its first sale
Xiaomi announced its newest flagship - the Mi 5 - at MWC last week. The device is all set to go on sale in China starting March 1 - tomorrow. In case you're wondering how many people have registered for tomorrow's sale, the figure stands at over 14 million. This was revealed by the Chinese company itself.That's quite impressive, and is even said to be a new record for the company as the milestone was achieved in less than a week after the $300 handset was unveiled.As for the sale, it begins 10AM China time, and will see the company offering only the white color variants of the 3GB/32GB and 3GB/64GB models. There's currently no word on when other versions, including the higher-end ceramic back variant will be available for...


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Teaser confirms camera-centric Oppo R9
Oppo has released a new teaser that confirms the existence of the rumored R9 smartphone. It seems to be a camera-centric device given that the Chinese text in the teaser translates as "This time, it is worth and other '9' point. #OPPO New camera phone R9 #."Sadly nothing else was revealed, but given that the Chinese company has finally confirmed the handset, we expect to see more teasers and leaks in the coming days. A leak last year suggested that the device looks almost identical to the iPhone 6s Plus.Specs-wise, from what all has been rumored until now, the Oppo R9 will be powered by a Snapdragon 820 SoC and sport a 6-inch (1440 x 2560 pixel resolution) display. It will come with 3GB or 4GB RAM and 64GB of expandable internal memory.In terms of camera, the handset will feature 21MP rear unit and a 13MP front shooter. Packing in a 3,700 mAh battery, the R9 will run Android 6.0 Marshmallow...


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Microsoft Band 2 receives an official price cut, now available for $175
If you recall, Microsoft was offering a $50 discount on its Band 2 fitness wearable until February 20. However, if for some reason you failed to take advantage of that promo, here's a new deal: the device is now officially available for $174.99.Yes, the new deal is an even better one, as the total discount in this case comes out to be $75 - Microsoft usually sells the wearable for $249.99. The promo runs through March 26 9pm PST, and is available for purchases made through online as well as retail Microsoft stores in the US.Aside from Microsoft, third party retailer Best Buy also has the device listed for $174.99.Source (Microsoft US) | Best...


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T-Mobile Galaxy S7/S7 edge pre-orders shipping already
While Samsung's newest flagships - the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge - are officially scheduled to go on sale starting March 11, looks like a few lucky people in the US will have their pre-orders delivered before that date.One of the country's "big four" carriers, T-Mobile, has already started shipping the pre-orders - many of those who pre-ordered the device(s) are getting their shipment notifications. Last year too, a few lucky ones got their T-Mobile Galaxy S6 pre-orders delivered before time.In case you missed, the South Korean company's mobile chief Koh Dong-jin recently revealed that the Galaxy S7 flagship will be available in 60 countries in the first wave of its global launch.Via...


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Microsoft Lumia 640 now available for less than $30 in US
The Microsoft Lumia 640 has received yet another price cut in the United States, where retailers including Best Buy and Walmart are now selling the device for $29.99. The model on offer (color option: black) is available via AT&T's GoPhone prepaid service.A quick look at the Microsoft's US Store website reveals that the Redmond, Washington-based company is offering the black-colored AT&T variant for $29, but sadly the handset is currently out of stock. If you recall, an official price cut earlier this month saw the device coming down to $49.For those who aren't already aware, the phone is in the list of Lumia devices that are set to receive the Windows 10 Mobile update - in fact, T-Mobile Poland already started rolling out the update to Lumia 640 units on its network last month.Source (Best Buy) | Walmart | Windows US...


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Best Apps and Games of the Week
These are some of the best apps and games of this week.SparkSpark is a beautiful and powerful email app for the iPhone, which is now available on the iPad. The app makes good use of the iPad's big display, with multiple panes, including an additional bar on the left with shortcuts for your calendars, attachments, inboxes, etc. There is also a Watch app now, and a sync feature that syncs mail between your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.iOSPhotofyPhotofy is an image editing app for iOS that is now also available on Android. Although there are many photo editing apps out there, Photofy is tastefully designed. The main feature, among the usual editing options, is the ton of template texts in beautiful fonts that you can place on your images. Or if you want, you can type out your own. The app is free but with an in-app purchase you can access all the templates and filters.iOS • AndroidPeachPeach is a new social network similar to Twitter. You update your status and and can see what your friends are up to. There is no traditional timeline as on Twitter or Facebook. You see your list of friends with their last status below their name and you click on their name to see a reverse chronological view of their timeline. It has some cool features, such as typing GIF and the title to search for the GIF and then directly post it. The app was previously iOS-only but is now available on Android.iOS • AndroidBackdropsBackdrops is a wallpaper app for Android. The app is well designed and features some beautiful images in high resolution.AndroidThe Walking Dead: MichonneThe Walking Dead: Michonne is a three part mini-series in The Walking Dead series, based on a comic book series of the same name. It explores what happens to Michonne's character after she disappears between issues #126 and #139. The first episode is out now and the remaining will be released every month from now.iOS • AndroidAssassin's Creed IdentityIdentity is a new Assassin's Creed game made specifically for the mobile platform. Although it is claimed to be an RPG game, it is mostly action-adventure. The good thing about Identity is that it feels, for the most parts, like a full-fledged Assassin's Creed game and not like a watered down mobile version. There are plenty of missions to play, lots of things to do, and the it looks great, too.iOSLove You To BitsLove You To Bits is a point and click adventure game. The game involves solving simple environmental puzzles to progress onto the next level. It's quite fun and really well animated. Worth a look, especially if you have...


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Jaybird X2 review
IntroductionThe Jaybird X2 is a pair of wireless Bluetooth earphones designed for fitness enthusiasts. The headset is the successor to the company's Jaybird BlueBuds X. In reality, the two models aren't all that different, but that's not such a bad thing as the BlueBuds X is one of highest rated Bluetooth earphones around.The premise is simple; the X2 is a headset designed primarily to be worn while working out and as such has a very minimal footprint and try to get out of your way as much as possible. In that pursuit, they have all the electronics built within the speaker enclosures themselves, while also being sweat-resistant and designed not to pop out while you're running. Oh, and you can take calls on them easily.But you could have gotten all that from their website. Let's see what the headset is like in real life.DesignThe design of the X2 is nearly identical to that of the original BlueBuds X. It's a roughly two feet long thin flat cable with speakers on either end. Not the first product to use this design but before I get into anything else, let's just stop for a second and appreciate how the engineers managed to fit so much into such a small form factor.When you first try to put them on, you realize there is no marking for left and right speakers. It is because the earphones are designed to be worn both in an under-the-ear and an over-the-ear style and because the drivers are angled inwards, you have to switch them around when you move from one to the other position.Unfortunately, this results in an immediate problem, and that is the channels don't switch when you wear them upside down. It's only when you wear them in an under-ear style do you get the correct channel for each ear. It is not so much of a problem if you are listening to music, but using them for watching videos with stereo sound is downright confusing at times.The fancy retail carrying box fits all the bits and pieceOnce you figure out the left speaker from the right (the right one is the one with the controls near it), you then have to consider choosing between six different ear tips. Three of these are silicone, and the other three are Comply foam ear tips. For those not familiar with foam ear tips, you first have to squeeze them before inserting in your ears and once inside, the foam expands and takes the shape of your inner ear, which gives a tighter seal and is more comfortable on your ears. The foam ear tips also lack the annoying suction pump feeling of traditional silicone ear tips when you insert or remove them and are more comfortable. The problem is the foam can be damaged easily and isn't exactly sweat resistant, so for working out, it would be preferable to use the silicone ear tips.The other thing you have to consider putting on are the ear fins, which fit inside your outer ear and keep the earphones securely in place. In my testing, I found the Jaybird X2 to sit quite firmly in my ears, and I didn't have to worry about them popping out every few minutes.The last thing you would have to consider is the cord management clips. You get three with the earphones, of which one is spare. Even though the cable between the speakers is not long, you can still make it shorter by running it through the clips. It's important not to make it too short because, as I found out, it can severely restrict your sideways head movement and also makes it harder to use the controls. I found I could skip using these, and it was still fine.Coming to the earphones, they are made entirely out of plastic and come in a variety of colors. They are slightly longer than most earphones, as you can imagine, but not so long that they stick out too much from the side of your head (although you do feel them if you place your head sideways on a pillow while wearing them).The right speaker has a flap on the back with the microUSB port for charging, and also an LED status indicator.The charging port and the remote controlBelow the right speaker is the remote control. It has three buttons that can do various functions. The middle button is for power and also play/pause, and the other two are for volume or for skipping tracks. How the controls work isn't immediately apparent, and there is no user guide in the box either, which means you have to head over to the website for the details.Once you...


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Weekend poll: LG G5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
If you think about it, Samsung and LG are to "blame" for the current dominance of huge-screen handsets. Samsung got the ball rolling with the Note, LG killed off the phone/phablet distinction with the G3.This year, however, both companies pulled back and their new flagships are smaller than their predecessors: from 5.7" S6 edge+ to 5.5" S7 edge, from 5.5" G4 to 5.3" LG G5. Their screens have another thing in common too, Always On mode.The two diverge when it comes to the camera. The G5 has a secondary wide-angle camera while Samsung focused on low-light shooting and ultra-fast focus locks.The Galaxy S7 edge is not nearly as locked down as the S6 before it. No, you still can't change the battery, but you get your microSD slot back and water resistance too (IP68).The LG G5 went all metal and LG used a unique process to hide the unsightly antenna lines. The killer feature, however, is modularity - currently, a camera battery grip (with extra hardware controls) and a hi-fi DAC from Bang & Olufsen give you the option to upgrade your G5 even after purchasing it.Well, you've probably read our thoughts on the LG G5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, now we want to hear what you think. Vote away!You have until next weekend to...


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Chart Topper: The Gionee Marathon M5 battery life test is in
Gionee Marathon M5 is one truly fascinating device. This chubby fella is heavy at 211g for a reason - the 5.5" smartphone is powered by a massive Li-Po 6,020 mAh. The mid-range chipset in charge of the Marathon M5 isn't popular as a power efficient silicone, but considering the battery size and the modest quad-core processor, it shouldn't matter that much.The M5 utilizes a 5.5" AMOLED screen, which may affect the power performance, too, as the AMOLEDs turned out not that great performance on previous Gionee smartphones.Enough with the introductions, let's get down to business, shall we?Gionee has rated the M5 capable of making 68 hours of 2G calls and 28 hours when hooked on to a 3G network. In our testing the M5 lasted 38 hours worth of calltime on a 3G network.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 Dual SIM 29:46h Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE Dual SIM 29:46h Microsoft Lumia 640 XL 29:46h Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE 29:46h Huawei Honor 5X 29:40h HTC One (M8) for Windows 28:34h Samsung Galaxy Note5 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 Duos 25:12h Huawei Ascend Mate 25:12h BlackBerry Passport 25:12h Samsung Galaxy A7 25:12h Motorola Nexus 6 25:03h Alcatel Hero 25:02h Samsung Galaxy A8 Duos 25:02h Samsung Galaxy A8 25:02h Oppo N1 25:01h Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo 24:52h Sony Xperia Z Ultra 24:23h Oppo R7s 24:03h Apple iPhone 6 Plus 23:49h LG AKA 23:20h Sony Xperia Z3 23:13h Meizu PRO 5 23:10h Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE Dual SIM 23:09h Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE 23:09h Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM 23:09h Oppo R7 22:58h Samsung P6200 Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus 22:42h Motorola Moto E (2nd gen) 22:36h Motorola Moto X Style 22:23h ZTE Nubia Z9 22:20h Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue 22:16h HTC One Max 22:13h Sony Xperia Z2 22:13h Nokia Lumia 1020 22:13h Nokia Lumia 1320 22:13h Samsung Galaxy Core LTE 22:13h Lenovo ZUK Z1 22:13h Sony Xperia C3 Dual 22:11h Meizu MX4 Pro 22:09h Yota YotaPhone 2 22:09h Samsung ATIV SE 22:05h Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek) 22:02h Xiaomi Redmi Note 21:41h Samsung Galaxy Note Edge 21:39h Motorola RAZR MAXX 21:18h Xiaomi Mi 4i 21:02h Meizu m2 note 20:55h Huawei Nexus 6P 20:50h LG Optimus G Pro E985 ...


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Weekly poll: Xiaomi Mi 5 vs. Sony Xperia X Performance
Xiaomi traditionally serves the Asian market, but there's talk that the new Xiaomi Mi 5 will be its first phone to officially launch internationally. Sony, meanwhile, said the Xperia X Performance will definitely launch in Asia while its European availability is still being sussed out.Both phones stick to the 5" 1080p format (the Mi 5 is 5.15", but close enough). They bring powerful Snapdragon 820 chipsets and a heavy focus on camera - 16MP OIS for the Xiaomi, 23MP for the Sony.The Xperia X Performance is waterproof (only one in the current X lineup) and features Sony's traditional front-facing stereo speakers. This model has an option for a beautiful brushed metal back.The Xiaomi Mi 5 comes with a glass/metal build as standard, but the premium Pro model will use ceramics and have a roomy 128GB storage option (there's no microSD slot here).Both companies stepped up their design game, but spotty availability may hamper their growth. Still, if it was available in your region which one would you pick - the Xiaomi Mi 5 or the Sony Xperia X Performance?Think about it and cast your vote, you have a week to...


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Experience MWC in Barcelona in a 4K time lapse video
MWC is a truly amazing event not only for the sea of tech announcements that take place at the venue but also for the amazing experiences the Barcelona gatherings provide every year. We really feel blessed to be able to see the show floor for ourselves, and while we take pride in reporting on the news and informing you on all the novelties in the tech world, our work doesn't really convey the true experience at MWC. We could have tried to convey our personal impressions, but we thought it would be more fitting to the GSMArena spirit to show you around the event floor and Barcelona itself in a short 4K timelapse video. We hope you like our quick timelapse and be sure to leave us you comments and suggestions about our MWC coverage this...


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