KB-Technologies

Leica has announced another model in its M-series of digital rangefinder cameras. This one is a bit different though. The Leica M-D (Typ 262) does not feature an LCD on the back like most digital cameras, instead wanting the photographer to focus on the art of composition and framing without being distracted. This is not the first Leica camera to lack an LCD; we saw theM Edition 60 before this forego the display, but the M-D (Typ 262) is the first serial production camera while the M Edition 60 was a limited edition. The M-D only comes with dials to adjust shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. This leaves you with just the bare minimum to adjust your camera. The M-D also saves all images in DNG RAW format and there is obviously no video recording option. In order to make the camera more discreet, Leica has painted the entire body in black and also left out the traditional red Leica dot. The shutter is also quieter and tops off at 3fps in burst mode. The Leica M-D (Typ 262) is p...

As scheduled, Samsung has launched the Gear 360 camera. The device is now available for purchase in the company's home country of South Korea - it's currently listed online, but will be available in around 450 stores starting next month. Priced at KRW 399,300 (around $350), the camera - which was  announced  at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) - is currently compatible with  the Galaxy S7 ,  S7 edge ,  S6 ,  S6 edge ,  S6 edge+ , and  Note5 . Aside from South Korea, the device is also expected to made available in select other countries. However, those in the United States are currently out of luck as the tech giant has already confirmed that the US is not in the list of launch countries. Source

Samsung has revealed that users of its Gear VR headset have already consumed more than 2 million hours of virtual reality content thus far. The revelation was made by John Pleasants, the company's executive VP of Media Solutions, at SDC 2016. If you calculate, that translates into over 228 years of continuous watching. And given that Samsung is one of the many players in the market, it does give an idea about the kind of interest consumers are having in the VR space. This comes just a day after the South Korean company confirmed that it's working on a standalone virtual reality headset - one that doesn't rely on a smartphone, PC, or a gaming console to function. Via

Apple has updated its Apple Music app on Android, bumping it to version 0.9.8. The update brings support for music videos as well as family subscription option. "You can now enjoy thousands of music videos on Apple Music—view popular ones featured in New or search for the music videos from your favorite artists," the Cupertino-based company says in the change-log. As for the Family Membership, it costs around $15 a month and allows up to six members of a family to enjoy the streaming music service together. Source

The latest update of BBM for Android, which should already be out in the  Play Store , brings with it a much-requested feature: video chats. BBM has had support for video calls on BlackBerry OS 10, but this is now finally making its way to the two big mobile platforms - a release for iOS is apparently coming soon. Over in the Android app, the video chat functionality is still in beta, and marked as such. Hence, some hiccups may occur. Also, to make sure nothing will break with its backend infrastructure, BlackBerry is currently limiting the rollout of the new feature to the US and Canada. All the kinks should be ironed out before the global rollout commences. That, by the way, is going to happen in July. Until then, you can test video calling inside BBM (even cross-platform), but only in North America. It all works in a very simple manner - when you tap the icon to initiate a call with one of your contacts, the app will ask you if you want to make a voice call or a video call...

The Google Photos app for Android is in the process of receiving a new update today. Version 1.19 should already be available in the  Google Play Store , and it comes with a few new features. First off, there's now a dedicated search bar at the top of the app. This replaces the search floating action button that used to be found in the bottom right side of the app. The search bar lets you find things more easily, and if you tap on it and then scroll down you'll get a list of faces, places, and picture types from your library. From this point on, you can customize the movies that Google Photos automatically creates for you. You can add your own music, images, and videos, in order to fine tune the movies that the app pops up after your holidays or trips. Lastly, device folders you've created can be deleted or renamed. Managing photos on SD cards is also better, with support for adding folders, as well as copying and moving images. All of these features are coming s...

HP has unveiled a new Chromebook today. It's called HP Chromebook 13 and was apparently designed in partnership with Google. That kind of shows when you look at it, as its brushed aluminum construction and 12.9mm thinness pretty much scream "high-end". That said, the Chromebook 13 is more of a Chromebook Pixel for the masses, as it starts at just $499. At that price you do get the looks, but only a measly Pentium processor. If you can pay more, then you'll get a choice of Core m3, m5, or m7 CPU, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 3,200x1,800 resolution for the 13.3-inch non-touch display. HP quotes 11.5 hours of battery life, which is similar to what Apple's new MacBook achieves (and it too uses Intel's Core m). The HP Chromebook 13 sports two USB Type-C ports, one plain old USB 3.0, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. It weighs 1.29kg. It will become available at some point in May, with pre-orders opening today. Source

Earlier today we once again heard that HTC is the company in charge of building this year's two Nexus-branded smartphones for Google. And now it looks like one of them may have just been spotted in a benchmark's database. An intriguing entry for "google Nexus 6P" is available in Geekbench's online score browser. The name is pretty much identical to the Huawei-made device that's been announced last year, but this Nexus 6P has different hardware. Namely, it's powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset (not the 810 like the 2015 model), and it comes with 4GB of RAM (up from 3 on the existing Nexus 6P). The prototype that's been benchmarked was running Android N at the time, which makes perfect sense considering that Google has already released the first two developer previews for that version of its mobile OS. It seems entirely plausible that Google will stick with the Nexus 6P moniker for this year's Nexus phablet, just changing the ...

Although Google has already started testing Android N with developers, Android handset makers are still busy updating their wares to Marshmallow. Case in point: LG, and its G3. The flagship smartphone from 2014 is now receiving the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow both on AT&T and T-Mobile, according to multiple reports from owners. T-Mobile's model isn't currently enjoying an over-the-air rollout of the update, so to download and install it you'll need to use LG's desktop software. Even so, the new release may not yet show as being available for everyone. If you bought your G3 from AT&T, then you can check for the update by going to the phone's settings and hopefully grab it over-the-air. If you do succeed in updating, you'll then be on software version D85030k, as you can see from the screenshots above. The update also includes the March security patches, but unfortunately not this month's. Another interesting tidbit is that this is And...

It's been just a few months since Huawei launched its Mate 8 smartphone, and rumors about the device's successor have already started pouring in. According to a latest one out of China,Huawei Mate 9 will be powered by the homegrown, and yet-to-be-announced Kirin 960 chipset with octa-core CPU. Huawei Mate 8 In addition to the SoC, it was also revealed that the Mate 9 will sport a 20MP dual rear camera setup. This compares to the dual 12MP cameras that the Chinese company's newly-announced P9 and P9 Plus feature. There was, however, no word on whether - like the P9 duo - Leica will have any role to play in the Mate 9 as well. The device is expected to made official sometime later this year. Via

Lenovo has announced that half a million units of the K4 Note have been sold since the device was launched in India back in January this year. Aside from this, the Chinese company has also sold 100,000 units of the ANT VR headset. The VR headset was initially bundled with the smartphone, but was sold separately shortly thereafter. However, the company is bringing back the smartphone+headset bundle to celebrate the milestone. "To celebrate the milestone of 5 lakh happy customers, Lenovo is bringing back the VR bundle offer," a company spokesperson said. "Customers will be able to purchase the K4 Note and VR Headset together for a bundle price of Rs 12,499 on Amazon.in on April 29th, 2016." Interested in purchasing the bundle? Head to the  Amazon  link below. Via  |  Amazon

The Galaxy J5 (2016) and J7 (2016), which were first unveiled late last month in China, have been officially announced by Samsung in its home country of South Korea. Carrying a price tag of KRW 290,000 (around $255) and KRW 363,000 (around $320), respectively, the handsets will be available for purchase from local carrier KT, which will be selling them in the black and gold color options. An important thing worth mentioning here is that the South Korean Galaxy J7 comes with 720p display and 2GB RAM, compared to the full HD display and 3GB RAM that the Chinese version features. In addition, Samsung also revealed that the Galaxy J3 (2016) will also be landing in South Korea soon. If you're in Europe, it's worth knowing that the Galaxy J7 (2016) is already available for purchase there, although Samsung is yet to make a formal announcement about the European launch. The J5 (2016), however, is expected to arrive there soon. Sourc...

Back in March last year, there were reports out of China that Xiaomi is working on its own smartwatch, although no availability details were revealed at that time. Then, there were rumors that it will be unveiled at an event in November - that, we all know, didn't happen. Now, for the first time, Xiaomi has confirmed the existence of the wearable device. The confirmation came from the company's co-founder and VP Liu De, who also revealed that the smartwatch will be made official in the second half of this year. Sadly, he didn't reveal a specific launch date/month as well as any specs and pricing-related information. If you recall, previous rumors suggested a round dial and a brushed metal design. In addition, the watch is said to offer pulse wave velocity identification feature. Via

At its ongoing developer conference, Samsung confirmed that it's working on a standalone virtual reality headset - one that doesn't rely on a smartphone, PC, or a gaming console to function. Image credit: Shara Tibken/CNET The confirmation came from the South Korean company's head of R&D, Injong Rhee, who said that the device will feature positional tracking. He also noted that features like hand and gesture tracking for the headset are currently being explored, and could be supported in the future. The company's aim is to create a Star Trek-type holodeck. "You enter a holodeck, you're actually in a virtual world, interacting with all the virtual objects as if you're living there," Rhee said. "That's the kind of reality we're trying to create on these virtual-reality headsets." It's worth mentioning that there have already been reports that Google is also developing a standalone VR headset. Via 1 ...

By far the best feature of the Apple Watch is the range of bands available for it, and the beautifully simple mechanism for attaching and removing them. Most Android Wear watches have nothing of the sort, with some not even offering the option to change bands. Google wanted to do something about this, so the company has announced something called MODE bands. These are snap-and-swap watch bands that come in a variety of colors in leather and silicone. The main feature here is the attachment mechanism, which, like the Apple Watch, comes off with just the flick of a switch. Considering the range of Android Wear watches available, Google knows you can't just make one design and expect them to work with all. So it has created a vendor playbook with instructions, requirements and brand guidelines. Other companies will have to use this to make their own MODE bands. It honestly doesn't sound particularly viable, and brings this xkcd comic to mind. We will have ...

Samsung has confirmed that its Gear 360 camera - which was announced at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) as part of the Galaxy S7 lineup of accessories - will not be available for purchase in the US at launch, which will happen this Friday. The confirmation came following the revelation that the camera will be launched in "select countries" on April 29. There's, however, still no official announcement on the price tag the Gear 360 will carry, although the company's Netherlands website has it listed for €349.99. Interested in learning more about the camera? Head to our announcement coverage. Via

The HTC-made Nexus 9 tablet from the year 2014 is now no longer available for purchase from the Google Store. In fact, the device has completely disappeared from the online store, with its listing page now being redirected to the store's home page and no trace of it in search results as well. Currently, Google's own Pixel C is the only tablet available on the company's online store. However, if you were planning to purchase a Nexus 9, you aren't completely out of luck as third party retailers like Amazon still have it in stock. Plus, you can purchase it directly from HTC as well. Google Store | Amazon | HTC

The BlackBerry Priv has certainly seen its fair share of price cuts recently. First, the Canadian company itself permanently slashed $50 off the price of the contract-free device, bringing the recommended amount down to $649. Then, just a few days ago one deal had it for only $450, which is a great price, but not as good as the one we have for you today. Over at Newegg , the unlocked AT&T model of the Priv is currently being sold for $399.99. That's $250 less than usual, so this is clearly one deal you need to take advantage of fast if you're interested in BlackBerry's first Android-running smartphone. The Priv has a 5.4-inch QHD touchscreen, a full physical sliding QWERTY keyboard, an 18MP rear camera, a 2MP selfie cam, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset at the helm, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and a 3,410 mAh battery. It runs Android, and the Marshmallow update has just started rolling out for it. Via

Android Wear has been playing nice with iOS devices for a while, and now it's time for Google's other Android spinoff to do the same, sort of. The search giant has released an Android TV app for iOS, which is already available to download from the iTunes App Store . The app lets your iOS device act as your Android TV's remote. It has both a d-pad mode and a touchpad mode, while a microphone button lets you quickly start a voice search. There's also a built-in keyboard with which to input text on your Android TV. You can connect multiple remotes to your TV and use them for multiplayer gaming. The app works with all Android TV devices, and all you need to do to ensure it will pair well with yours is have both your iOS device and the TV on the same Wi-Fi network. Via

Last week LeEco unveiled three new Android-powered smartphones that have one interesting thing in common - neither of them features a 3.5mm headset jack. Instead, you're supposed to use the USB Type-C port for all your audio needs. Rumors from Apple's supply chain keep talking about the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus also skipping the 3.5mm slot, this time in favor of audio routed through the Lightning port of course. And now Intel has emerged as another company that wants to kill the 3.5mm headset jack for good - at least when it comes to mobile devices. This port has become ubiquitous in smartphones and tablets over the past few years, but there may be some legitimate reasons to bid it farewell in the future. First off, it's an analog connector otherwise surrounded by digital stuff, built into multi-purpose devices, but it's still a single-purpose affair. Space constraints are also in play, especially as phones get ever slimmer but people want them to com...

Network Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE Launch Announced 2016, April Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2016, April Body Dimensions 147.1 x 73.8 x 8.3 mm (5.79 x 2.91 x 0.33 in) Weight 156 g (5.50 oz) SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) Display Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 5.2 inches (~68.7% screen-to-body ratio) Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels (~424 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes - Emotion UI 4.1 Platform OS Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow) Chipset HiSilicon Kirin 650 CPU Quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 + quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 GPU Mali-T880MP2 Memory Card slot microSD, up to 128 GB (uses SIM 2 slot) Internal 16 GB, 2 GB RAM Camera Primary 13 MP, f/2.0, autofocus, LED flash Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR Video 1080p@30fps Secondary 8 MP, f/2.0 Sound Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ring...

Unofficial preliminary specifications. Product image for illustrative purposes. Also known as Huawei Ascend Mate9 Also known as Huawei Mate 9 Dual SIM with dual-SIM card slots Network Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE Launch Announced Not announced yet Status Rumored Body Dimensions - Weight - SIM Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) Display Type IPS-NEO LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 6.0 inches Resolution 1440 x 2560 pixels (~490 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 4 - Emotion UI 5.0 Platform OS Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow) Chipset HiSilicon Kirin 960 Memory Card slot microSD, up to 200 GB (uses SIM 2 slot) Internal 64 GB, 4 GB RAM or 128 GB, 6 GB RAM Camera Primary Dual 20 MP, OIS, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panoram...

Network Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE Launch Announced 2016, April Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2016, May Body Dimensions 144.6 x 69.7 x 10.1 mm (5.69 x 2.74 x 0.40 in) Weight 158 g (5.57 oz) SIM Nano-SIM Display Type Super LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 5.0 inches (~68.4% screen-to-body ratio) Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes Protection Corning Gorilla Glass (unspecified version) - HTC Sense Platform OS Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow) Chipset Mediatek MT6795 Helio X10 CPU Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 GPU PowerVR G6200 Memory Card slot microSD, up to 200 GB (dedicated slot) Internal 16 GB, 2 GB RAM Camera Primary 13 MP, f/2.0, 28mm, autofocus, OIS, dual-LED (dual tone) flash Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR Video 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps Secondary 4 MP, f/2.0, 27mm, 1/3...

With the 4" iPhone SE out of the gate, the rumor mill turns its attention back to the 5.8" iPhone Pro. A schematic (probably unofficial) shows the dimensions of the rumored Apple flagship. The schematic clearly shows the wider camera assembly - info so far points to a dual-camera setup. Will it be like the LG G5 (wide + narrow) or the Huawei P9 (color + monochrome)? That's unknown at the moment. Another interesting feature on the back is the Smart Connector. Apple debuted the three-pin connector with the iPad Pro and while it allows advanced functionality like connecting a keyboard, it can be used just for charging (like Logitech does). This could enable slightly more compact battery cases for the iPhone Pro. One key detail that the schematic doesn't show is the release date - if we had to guess, we'd see the iPhone Pro at Apple's September event. Until then, you can enjoy these 3D renders (based on rumors). Thanks, Adil! Source ...

The Honor 5C has just been made official in China. The latest from Huawei's sub-brand has a lot in common with the yet unannounced P9 lite, for a price it's unlikely to match. Huawei Honor 5C press images The specsheet starts with a 5.2-inch IPS LCD with FullHD resolution. An in-house Kirin 650 chipset does the number-crunching with an octa-core CPU (4xCortex-A53@2.0GHz + 4xCortex-A53@1.7GHz), paired with 2GB of RAM. Onboard storage is 16GB, expandable by up to 128GB. Imaging is taken care by a 13MP primary shooter with an f/2.0 lens, aided in the dark by a single LED flash. On the front you get an 8MP cam with an f/2.0 aperture lens. There's also the now-mandatory fingerprint sensor on the device's back. The Honor 5C has dual-SIM support and good all-round connectivity suite with multi-band 2G/3G and Cat.6 LTE (4G version only) for speeds up to 300Mbps down, and 50Mbps up. Bluetooth is v4.1, there's Wi-Fi b/g/n (no Wi-Fi ac), GPS, GL...

Well known Chinese smartphone manufacturers Lenovo and Xiaomi are out of the top five vendors list, and have been replaced by two other - and comparatively lesser known - Chinese firms Oppo and vivo. This was revealed by market research firm IDC in its recently released Q1 2016 numbers. "Along China's maturing smartphone adoption curve, the companies most aligned with growth are those with products serving increasingly sophisticated consumers," said IDC's said Melissa Chau. "Lenovo benefited with ASPs below US$150 in 2013, and Xiaomi picked up the mantle with ASPs below US$200 in 2014 and 2015. Now Huawei, OPPO, and vivo, which play mainly in the sub-US$250 range, are positioned for a strong 2016." There was, however, no change in the first three spots, which were still claimed by Samsung, Apple, and Huawei, respectively. While the Chinese company continued with its impressive performance, Apple saw saw its first-ever y-o-y decline in...

Samsung has announced its Q1 2016 financial results, revealing a 5.7% increase in overall revenue and 12% increase in operating profit. The figures stood at KRW 49.78 trillion ($43.46 billion) and KRW 6.68 trillion ($5.83 billion), respectively, ahead of the KRW 49 trillion ($43.3 billion) revenue and KRW 6.6 trillion ($5.7 billion) operating profit the company's earnings guidance had suggested. "The first quarter saw overall earnings growth led by the early launch and successful sales of the flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 edge," the South Korean company said, while also attributing the growth to "improved memory product mix, expanded 14nm supply of System LSI products and increased sales of OLED panels." Samsung's mobile division posted KRW 27.60 trillion ($24.12 billion) in consolidated revenue, up 6.6% year-on-year, and KRW 3.89 trillion ($3.4 billion) in operating profit, an year-on-year increase of 42%. This was the division's str...

Back in January this year, there were rumors that like 2015, there will be two Nexus phones in 2016 as well, and both will be manufactured by HTC. Now, another rumor has cropped up that not only adds weight to the previous one, but also reveals some new information. The latest rumor comes from the usually reliable leakster @evleaks, who also revealed that the two Android N-powered Nexus devices that HTC is manufacturing are internally being called as the M1 and S1. Sadly, nothing else was revealed, especially in terms of their specs. However, if you recall, previous rumors claimed that one of the devices will sport a 5-inch display, while the other will come with a 5.5-inch screen. Via

The Nextbit Robin smartphone comes with cloud storage integrated into its customized Android OS. And starting today it also comes running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow underneath Nextbit's additions. The update to the latest version of Google's mobile OS has started rolling out to Robin owners across the globe. It has all the goodies that you'd expect from Marshmallow, but it also comes with the most recent security patches. "Additional processor tuning" should give you better battery life and improved performance, and the all-new audio tuning at the driver level apparently makes the phone sound clearer (both when using its dual speakers as well as with headphones, even with the volume turned all the way up). Finally, the camera app has been completely overhauled, which results in much faster picture taking and better quality shots. The Nextbit Robin is now available to buy from Amazon too, for the same $399 price for an unlocked unit. It...

BlackBerry's next two Android-running smartphones have been portrayed by a few leaked images today. The handsets are apparently codenamed Hamburg and Rome, respectively, following the Canadian company's long-standing tradition of using cities for its devices' codenames. The Hamburg either doesn't have a physical keyboard at all, or it could be a slider like the already launched Priv. The two leaked images depicting it don't shine any light on that aspect, unfortunately. Still, we do get to see its entire front fascia, as well as two of its dimensions. It will be 146mm long and 78mm wide, as you can see. The second image (seen below) shows us the new BlackBerry logo in a close-up shot. The Hamburg seems to be made from metal, and it features a speaker grille underneath the screen. The power button is on the left side, while the other buttons are on the right. The Hamburg should reportedly become available in the second half of the year for a...