Posts

Showing posts from May, 2016

Intel announces the 10-core i7-6950X Extreme Edition CPU

Image
Intel announced today at Computex its first 10-core CPU. The Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition runs at 3GHz, but can boost up to 3.5GHz and has 25MB of cache. The boost is controlled by the company's new Turbo Boost 3.0 technology. To put it in perspective, Intel says the new CPU is 35% faster than the last-gen Core i7-5960X and twice as fast in 3D rendering than the quad-core i7 6700K. Naturally all of this goodness will cost you an arm and a leg. The fastest CPU that Intel has ever made in the company's own words carries a price tag of $1,723. Source

Samsung Gear Fit 2 specs confirmed, expected this June

Image
It seems like such a long time ago now, but back in 2014, when Samsung unveiled the original Gear Fit smart wearable, its 1.84-inch was kind of a mind-blowing experience with its smooth and slick curve. The device did decently in the market and ever since, fans have been looking forward to another fitness-oriented Samsung tracker to follow in its steps. The Gear Fit 2 definitely fits the bill and it has been popping up in various leaks and renders lately. Now, a fresh batch of info on the wearable finally reveals its hardware specs and even offers a new glimpse at its design and packaging. The Samsung Gear Fit 2 is said to come with a 1.55-inch Super AMOLED display, with a resolution of 216 x 432 pixels - quite detailed for the size. Underneath the hood is a Samsung 1GHz dual-core processor, backed up by 512MB of RAM and 2GB of onboard storage, all powered by a 200 mAh battery. This sounds quite underwhelming, but is actually impressive by wearable standards...

Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon Wear 1100 chipset with rich connectivity

Image
Yesterday Qualcomm painted a picture of what chipsets mid-range phones will use in the future, now here's what smartwatches will use. The Snapdragon Wear 1100 will be used in smart wearables that don't need the full power of the Wear 2100 that was unveiled in February. The new chipset has every connectivity option a smart watch or band may possibly need. There's LTE and 3G with global band support (Cat. 1), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the iZat location engine for multi-system global positioning, cell-ID positioning with geo-fencing. The Snapdragon Wear 1100 chipset supports Power Save Mode and an application processor for "Linux-based applications." Qualcomm doesn't list the exact processor and by the sound of it, this doesn't target Android Wear. Instead, the press release features quotes from makers of kids' smartwatches. Indeed, Qualcomm's reference platform is aimed at kids and the elderly. Source

Samsung quits Australian camera market

After Germany and the UK, Samsung has now pulled out of the camera market in Australia. "Due to changing market conditions, Samsung will reduce its focus on sales and marketing for its range of digital imaging products in this country," the tech giant said. Most Australian retailers have already stopped stocking Samsung cameras, and are - quite understandably - focusing on clearing the existing inventory. An important point worth mentioning here is that Samsung's exit from Australian camera market will not impact the launch of its Gear 360 camera there. This comes just a few weeks after Samsung Australia’s digital imaging manager Craig Gillespie left the company. Via

YouTube app for Android will get more filter options in search results

Although you can't argue that YouTube's Android app is bad or lacking essential functionality, there oddly still are quite a few glaring omissions in it when compared to the service's website. Not huge things, mind you, rather small features here and there that have the potential of improving the experience for users. Thankfully it looks like at least one of these will be rectified in the near future, which is great considering that over half of all YouTube views now come from mobile devices. The enterprising folks over at XDA went digging through the APK for the latest version of the app (11.20.54) and found a few strings that reference additional filters coming to aid in your searches. This isn't implemented yet, but should be soon, now that those strings are in there. So you will at some point in the future be able to filter your searches by rating, relevance, or view count, or order the search results you get by one of those three metrics. One ...

Samsung will start showing ads on its smart TVs in Europe this year

According to a new report quoting "people familiar with the matter", Samsung is going to make a pretty unpopular move in Europe in the next few months. The Korean company will begin showing ads on its smart TVs in Europe, following a similar rollout that happened in the US in June of last year. The tile ads will just suddenly appear in the main menu bar of the company's newest smart TVs. Samsung will use software updates to activate the tile ads on older smart TVs. As for when this will happen, unfortunately there's no more precise timeline to speak of at the moment than "in the coming months". Samsung is reportedly working with agencies and its own ad sales team in New York to "expand its pool of advertising clients". If you're wondering why it's making this move, well, it all has to do with money naturally. Samsung dominates the TV market with 20% market share globally, and it sells around 50 million units each year. ...

Google offers free Chromecast to some YouTube Red subscribers

Google is feeling very generous these days, it seems. As you may know, if you already have a Chromecast, you can get three months of YouTube Red for just $1. But what if you don't own the bestselling streaming dongle? Not to worry, for Google's apparently got you covered even then. If you subscribe to YouTube Red you might actually receive a Chromecast for free, courtesy of Google. The company has started sending out an email to some YouTube Red subscribers letting them know that they can claim a free Chromecast, by way of a special link to the Google store. This link is part of the email you receive, so clicking it will take you to the store, where you choose your desired color for the Chromecast and that's it. Note that this may not go out to all YouTube Red subscribers, since Google hasn't officially announced the promotion. That said, several people have already received the aforementioned email, so it clearly isn't a one-off thing either. Cons...

Samsung releases updates for Game Tools and Game Launcher

The Game Tools and Game Launcher apps was introduced with the TouchWiz version inside the Galaxy S7 series. Samsung Game Launcher is a new app/service, which groups all of your games at one place. It has a few powerful tricks, some of them a must have for avid games. It offers power-saving modes, DND mode, and option to turn on/off the Game Tools transparent key. The Game Tools can lock your capacitive keys, capture videos with in-game audio or external sound, among others. Today Samsung released updates for both apps and we bet all of their fans will find the updates very welcome. The Game Launcher and Game Tools now come with a dedicated Help section. The Game Launcher has an enhanced DND mode for better control over the notifications, while the Game Tools now caps the video recording at 4GB (instead of 40 min). And the Game Tools' floating key is now invisible when you record your videos, which is great. If you have those apps on your Galaxy, you should ...

Galaxy S7 gets the Putinphone do-over, costs up to $27,000

Image
The Russian phone customization experts at Caviar are at it again, revealing the newest Putinphone. This one's based on Samsung's Galaxy S7, and like all other Putinphones before it comes with President Putin's face engraved on the back. And, to give your handset that extra shot of bling it so desperately needed, one version of the S7-based Putinphone features 190 actual rubies around Putin's face (as seen in the image below). Everything else on the back is gold, and only three of these "Caviar Samsung Supremo Putin Rubino" models will be made. You can be the lucky owner of one for the measly sum of RUB 1,790,000, or $27,213. If you want Putin's face on your phone but simply can't afford the Rubino Galaxy S7 described above, perhaps you do have enough dough to buy the Mixed Metals iteration, which is only RUB 169,000 ($2,570). This one has yellow and white gold on it, no rubies though. Finally, the peasant's Galaxy S7 Putinp...

LG X Power with 4,100mAh battery and X Style quietly unveiled

Image
It's been a busy day today with multiple phone launches, which now include two additions to LG's X family. The LG X Power and LG X Style were quietly unveiled in Ukraine. LG X Power This phone gets its name from the sizeable battery - with 4,100mAh in the tank, you can go a long time between charges. The LG X Power features a 5.3" IPS screen with 720p resolution (277ppi). It has a modest processing power, though, a MediaTek MT6735 chipset (quad Cortex-A53 at 1.14GHz, Mali-T720) with 2GB of RAM. There's 16GB of built-in storage, expandable via microSD cards. LG X Power The phone is geared towards selfies with an 8MP front shooter. On its back is a 13MP camera. The LG X Power will cost UAH 5,000 ($200/€180) when it launches in Ukraine . LG X Style Not to be confused with a certain Moto, the LG X Style puts form ahead of function. It has a 5" screen with 720p resolution (294ppi) and is powered by a Snapdragon 410 chipset (similar to t...

Sony Xperia X Performance comes to the US on July 17 at $700, other X's too

Image
Sony has detailed the availability and pricing of its new X lineup for the US. Breaking up with the carrier model, the smartphones will be sold by major retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H, instead.     Sony Xperia X Performance The Xperia X will be the one to pave the way, with a release date set for June 26, and a price tag of $550. If you want to go on either side of the X in terms of price and features, you'd need to wait until July 17, when the Xperia XA and Xperia X Performance will become available, at $280 and $700, respectively. And then a whole month after the pioneer, the Xperia XA Ultra phablet will arrive, on July 24 to be precise. The 6-incher will set you back $370.

Marshmallow update starts hitting Verizon Galaxy S5

Image
Verizon has started rolling out the Marshmallow update to Samsung Galaxy S5 units on its network. The update brings Android version 6.0 and bumps the software version to MMB29M.G900VVRU2DPD1. Aside from the usual Marshmallow goodies - including Doze, Google Now on Tap, and redesigned app permissions - the update also brings along Wi-Fi calling, update to app icons, Ultra High Quality Audio and Android for Work. The carrier has published a list of pre-loaded apps with their version numbers - head to the Source link below to take a look. Other major carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint have already released the update to Galaxy S5 units on their networks. Source | Via

Sony Xperia E5 goes official with 5" 720p display

Image
After undergoing the thorough leak treatment, the Sony Xperia E5 was just made official today, without too much fuss. The handset can now be found on the company's website, along with a confirmation of its previously rumored specs. Just as expected, the Sony Xperia E5 is equipped with a 5-inch 720p display and powered by Mediatek's MTK6735 with four 1.3GHz Cortex-A53 cores. There's 1.5GB of RAM, plus 16GB of expandable storage to finish the picture of an entry-level device. On the physical side of things, the Xperia E5 measures 144 x 69 x 8.2 mm and weighs in at 147g, which includes the 2,700 mAh battery pack. It should offer quite enough capacity for the Mediatek chip in question, with Sony promising "up to 2 days battery life". The phone's camera setup consists of a 13MP main shooter with a single LED flash and a 5MP one on the front, also equipped with its own flash for better low-light selfies. Other features on the smartphone i...

W6.0 Pro 2 is a Windows 10-powered phone with SD617 SoC, 6-inch display, and Continuum support

Image
Remember Funker? The Spanish company that launched Win10-powered W5.5 Pro back in February this year. Well, the firm is reportedly all set to launch another Windows 10 phone - dubbed W6.0 Pro 2 . The W6.0 Pro 2 is powered by Snapdragon 617 chipset, and sports a 6-inch full HD display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory, and packs in a large 3,900mAh battery. The camera department offers a 13MP/5MP combo. Measuring 160 x 82.3 x 7.9mm and weighing in at 176g, the handset comes with Continuum as well as 4G LTE support. There's currently no information on pricing and availability. Via

BlackBerry Priv starts getting June security update

Image
BlackBerry's debut Android smartphone Priv has started receiving the Android security update for the month of June. Carrying AAF153 build number, the update is currently rolling out to units purchased from ShopBlackBerry and Amazon. Aside from the latest security patches, the update - which weighs in at around 1805 MB - also includes fixes for various bugs, including those related to SIM, Bluetooth connection, and bug reporter. It also aims to solve overheating problems. A full public roll-out of the update is expected in the first week of June. Via

Pink Gold Galaxy S7 and S7 edge land in Finland as well

Shortly after it was revealed that the new Pink Gold color variant of Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones will be available in the Netherlands, the South Korean company has introduced the devices in Finland as well. Samsung Finland now has the new color listed on its official website, and it's available to order from third-party retailers such as Sonera, which is selling it for €849, the same price at which other color variants are being sold. In case you don't already know, Pink Gold Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are already available for purchase in Samsung's home country of South Korea, where they were launched last month. The devices will only be available in "select markets," the company had said at launch. Via