Posts

Showing posts from June, 2016

Samsung Galaxy S7 Active review

Image
Introduction We're already used to seeing Samsung release an 'Active' version of its current Galaxy S flagship. The Samsung Galaxy S7 active is the latest in the series and it has been released exclusively to AT&T as it's also become customary. If history should serve as any reference, the model would likely not see availability outside the stable of this particular US carrier. The S7 active has a much larger 4,000mAh battery inside. (by contrast, the Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 3,000mAh battery) Compared to the vanilla S7, there's also the extra physical key on the phone's side which takes you directly to an "Activity Zone" app, which is exclusive to the Active model. Samsung Galaxy S7 active Key Features Built to comply to the MIL-STD-810G standard with increased salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport, and thermal shock resistance IP68 certified - dust proof and water resistant up to 30 minu

Sony offers final pre-order of PS VR today, supplies limited

Image
Last call to pre-order a PlayStation VR - today, June 30, starting at 7 am Pacific time both the VR Launch Bundle and VR core will be available. Supplies are limited and there will be no more pre-orders until the October launch. You can place your pre-order on GameStop.com. The PlayStation VR core costs $400 and includes the VR headset, stereo headphones and a VR demo disc. The PlayStation VR Launch bundle costs $500 and adds necessary hardware you may not have - a PS Camera, two PS Move controllers and a PS VR Worlds disc. If you bought the PS Move back in the day then you already have the camera and controllers so you can go for the cheaper bundle. Sony previously did a quick pre-order in late March. Sony is targeting 6 million headsets sold for this year, an ambitious goal (especially considering that the launch is late in the year). Source | Via

New Microsoft Arrow Launcher update brings Office 365 integration

Image
Microsoft has updated its Arrow Launcher for Android, bumping it to version 2.0 and bringing Office 365 integration as well as some new features and improvements. The updated app lets you access your Office 365 documents without any Office app installed - all you need to do is to sign in to your Office 365 account. In addition, you can also search and upload your on-device documents to Office 365. Aside from this, the update also brings along some new wallpapers. And finally, the app's network activity has also been reduced by 50% to help you save some cellular data usage. Head to the Source link below to get the updated Arrow Launcher app. Source

Google Keep now categorizes your notes based on automatically created topics

If you are a Google Keep user, you'll be glad to know that the note-taking app has been updated with a new feature that makes it even smarter. The feature in question lets the app automatically create topics based on which it categorizes your notes. #GoogleKeep organized. Search automagically created topics like books, food and quotes for @Android , iPhones and web pic.twitter.com/wccSbThYpQ — Google Docs (@googledocs) June 29, 2016 Some of the example topics include books, food, places, travel, and quotes. The feature will make it easy for users to search for notes. For example, to search for a recipe that you noted the other day, all you have to do is to tap the topic 'Food' in the 'Things' section. The update is available for Keep's Android and iOS app, as well as for the Web client. Source #GoogleKeep organized. Search automagically created topics like books, food and quotes for @Android , iPhones and web pic.twitter.com/wccSbThYpQ — G

Facebook's News Feed will soon show you stuff from your friends and family first

Facebook has announced that it's tweaking its News Feed yet again, following user feedback. Soon, after the change is implemented, you're supposedly going to see what your friends and family post first. Stuff from "friends you care about" will be higher up in your News Feed than before, all in a move meant to ensure you don't miss any important things shared by the people you actually know in real life. The social network has also revealed how it prioritizes stuff in the News Feed. Aside from always showing you things from your closest friends (and family members), it has found that people would like the News Feed to inform and entertain, so its algorithms are constantly tweaking what you see based on what they consider you might find informative or entertaining. These could be posts about current events, stories about your favorite celebs, some local news, recipes, Live videos, or funny photos. What you end up seeing depends a lot on what con

Google Maps now takes you from point A to point B to point C with support for multiple destinations

Image
File this one under "wait, this is seriously something that hasn't existed yet?!". File it there and then rejoice, as you should, for Google Maps is finally adding support for multiple destinations in its mobile apps, starting with the Android one. No, this isn't about stopping somewhere on the way to your one destination - that's a feature that has been available for a while. No, from this point on (or whenever the new functionality reaches you), you are able to add multiple destinations in Google Maps while you plan a trip. And then when you start navigating, after you've reached the first destination Maps will guide you to the next one, and so on. So it's no longer a matter of getting you from point A to point B. Google Maps now takes you from point A to point B to point C to point D, and further if you want to. This should be incredibly useful if you have to visit multiple places in one go and rely on Google Maps for navigation.

Windows 10 is on 350 million devices already, Anniversary Update officially drops on August 2

Yesterday Microsoft published, then pulled a blog post title saying the Windows 10 Anniversary Update would be released on August 2. Today the company has thankfully decided to publish it again, and this time has not pulled it immediately afterwards. What's more, the blog post even has content now. And from that we find out that Windows 10 is already installed on some 350 million devices worldwide, which is very respectable for a desktop operating system. Microsoft is also boasting that customer satisfaction higher with Windows 10 than for any previous version. The Windows 10 Anniversary Update was announced in March, and when it lands it will be free for everyone running Windows 10. It will bring with it support for Windows Hello biometric authentication in more apps and in the Edge browser, improvements to Windows Defender, an enhanced Cortana, and Windows Ink which will make handwriting using a stylus a primary mode of interaction with the OS. You also get

Sony finally releases PlayStation Vue app for Android

Today Sony has finally launched its PlayStation Vue app for Android. This was originally announced last week when Vue made its way to Roku boxes. And it's way overdue, seeing as how the iOS Vue app has been out for ages. So it's late, but it's here. PlayStation Vue is a service that lets you watch live TV, movies, and sports without a cable or satellite subscription. You do have to pay for Vue itself, though, after an initial seven-day free trial period. That said, if you haven't used it before do note that you can't create a new account in the Android app - you'll have to use the website for that, or your PlayStation if you have one. After the trial expires, Vue starts at $29.99 per month and goes up to $54.99 depending on where you are located and what plan you pick. Source | Via

Nvidia Shield Android TV console gets big update with HDR Netflix, 60fps 4K video on YouTube

The big update for its Shield Android TV console that Nvidia announced last month is finally live. The Shield Experience upgrade 3.2 is now rolling out to what is probably the best Android TV device in existence at the moment. This will bring with it support for HDR streams in Netflix (though the app itself then has to receive an update to support this), 60fps 4K videos in YouTube, 4K for Vudu, along with Dolby Atmos surround sound passthrough in Vudu, MX Player, SPMC, and the preinstalled Photos & Videos app. You can also use your Shield TV as a Plex media server (not just a player), so if you're inclined to store your media on your console, you're now able to stream it to your other devices. Additionally, it's possible to add a NAS to the Shield, automatically turn your TV off when the Shield sleeps, and access the files and folders on the Shield from your computer. Full details for all of the new functions can be found at the Source link below.

SanDisk unveils 256GB microSD cards in Ultra and Extreme forms

Image
SanDisk used to be the first to open up new microSD storage capacities, but clearing the 256GB barrier took them a while. Now the 256GB microSDXC UHS-I cards are reality and coming soon. The SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I, Premium edition is the longest way I've heard yet of saying "the base model." To clear up the confusion, I'll call this one the SanDisk Ultra and the high-end model SanDisk Extreme. So, the SanDisk Ultra 256GB microSD is coming out in August for $150 and offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s (this typically refers to read speeds, writes are slower). SanDisk Ultra microSD 256GB • SanDisk Extreme microSD 256GB The high-end SanDisk Extreme card will be available sometime in the final three months of the year for $200. This one is UHS-I Class 3 and gets 90MB/s write speeds, which is what you want when shooting in RAW or recording high-bandwidth 4K video. Speaking of which, DJI exec Eli Harris chimed in: “At DJI we focus o

LG Innotek unveils a flexible pressure sensor

Image
LG Innotek has developed a flexible textile pressure sensor. The sensor has many applications - from sports equipment to healthcare. The new sensor is highly durable. It can work from -40° to 80°, and can withstand 100,000 cycles of people sitting on it. Unlike previous flexible pressure sensitive solutions, this one makes more uniform measurements and does not irritate the skin like the old PET-based sensors (which weren't all that bendy either). The sports wearables market is exploding and there are several companies offering smart shirts. This could also be fashioned into gloves, so it tracks your golf swing grip. Healthcare uses include anything from a simple carpet, which allows the sensor to measure your posture, to smart clothing that can be stream data to a hospital 24/7. There are potential automotive uses as well, a smart seat can feel your posture and adjust itself automatically. The press release didn't mention mobile uses, but it's n

Samsung officially releases unlocked Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in the US

Image
Samsung is now officially selling unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge units in the US. Several retailers have been tapped, you can also check Samsung.com. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge can also be found on Amazon, Best Buy, Sam's Club and Target. The phones will work on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular. The RRP is $670 for the S7 and $770 for the S7 edge, but you can get a better deal if you shop around. The eBay deal is probably the best yet, the S7s are priced $500 and $590 respectively, but you can try other sites too. Source

ZTE nubia Z11 scores a million registrations in less than a day

Image
ZTE unveiled the nubia Z11 a couple of days ago, and registrations for the device were opened shortly after that. Now, the Chinese company has revealed that over a million people have already registered for the phone's first sale - in fact, the one million milestone was reached in less than 24 hours. While that's no doubt impressive, keep in mind that the figure only represents those who have registered for the sale, and not actually pre-ordered the handset, meaning no money has changed hands yet. Registrations are open until July 5, and the sale is scheduled for July 6. You'll be able to purchase the nubia Z11 from the company's official web-store as well some third party retailers, including Tmall, JD, and Suning. It's worth mentioning that the device is also up for international pre-orders. Via

OnePlus officially denies red color option for the 3

Image
A thin, slick, all metal body is definitely among the top draws of the OnePlus 3 . What could possibly make the elegant exterior even more exciting? Well, more colors, of course. Currently, the device can only be picked up in Graphite - a solid, very traditional and elegant choice. But, if you are after something a bit more flashy, OnePlus has also promised a Soft Gold option will be coming soon. Yesterday, there was also word of an even more extravagant color version in the works - a red one. Renders looked convincing enough and a brief listing on the OnePlus website also provided some extra credibility to the rumor. However, a company representative reached out to us today and officially confirmed that the listing in question was an error and that the handset will only be available in two colors - Graphite and Soft Gold. Bummer! Still, even without the flamboyant extra dye option, the OnePlus 3 is an excellent device, especially considering its competitive pri

ASUS ZenPad 3S 10 with 9.7-inch display coming in July

Image
Asus is all set to unveil a new tablet next month. Dubbed ZenPad 3S 10 , the device, which is claimed to feature the "world's narrowest border", will be made official at an event in Taiwan on July 12. The only specification that Asus has confirmed about the device is that it sports a 9.7-inch screen. However, rumors say that the tablet has a display resolution of either 2560 x 1536 or 2160 x 1440 pixels, and is powered by a hexa-core processor. It is said to pack in 4GB RAM and 5,900 mAh battery, support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, and feature a 5.32mm-thin bezel. There's currently no information on the price though. Source | Via

ZTE nubia Z11 now up for international pre-orders

Image
The ZTE nubia Z11, which was made official just a couple of days ago and is only available in China, is now up for international pre-orders. Online retailer OppoMart has started accepting pre-orders for the device. Both 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB variants are in stock. While the former is available in silver, gold, and gray color options, the latter is only available in gold color. As for price, the 4GB RAM variants carry a price tag of $499, while the 6GB model sets you back $699. In case you aren't aware, that's up from the $375 and $525 price tags the variants carry in China. Source | Via

Xiaomi announces MIUI 8 globally

Image
Having announced MIUI 8 in China back in May, the company has now announced the global version alongside the Mi Max at an event in India. The global version has all the features of the Chinese version that we saw before, but Xiaomi also announced some new features at the event today. First off, we have seen the visual changes that are coming in this version. The notification drawer sees the biggest change, with a consolidated list and a weather panel at the top that changes color and animation according to the weather. Xiaomi has also incorporated the color changing status bar and animations in other apps across the UI. The OS is also smarter now. The scrolling screenshot feature lets you take a screenshot of an entire page by scrolling and combining multiple images into one long screenshot that you can then crop to your liking. The Quick Ball feature puts a circle on the side of the display that houses quick shortcuts to various functions such as back, app

Samsung Z3 Corporate Edition launched with SD410 SoC

Image
After launching the Z3 back in October last year, Samsung has now launched a new variant of the Tizen-powered device. Dubbed Z3 Corporate Edition, the handset - as the name suggests - is aimed at enterprise customers, and is available for purchase in Russia. It's worth mentioning that the variant launched in Russia is different from the original Z3 (that was launched in India) in that it is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon MSM8916 (SD410) chipset, supports 4G LTE, and is SAFE certified for business use in Russia. The original Z3, in comparison, is powered by a Spreadtrum chipset and is only 3G-compatible. The Linux Center store - which is an official Samsung partner - is currently selling the Z3 Corporate Edition in Russia. The phone carries a price tag of RUB 16,618 (around $260), although those who purchase it before June 30 will get a 15% discount. Via | The Linux Center

Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro international variant launched

Image
After receiving WiFi, Bluetooth, and FCC certifications, the international variant of Samsung's Galaxy A9 Pro smartphone has been launched. The device is currently available for purchase in Malaysia for RM 1,999 or around $500. Consumer electronics retailer Senheng is currently selling the device in the country, although only through its physical stores. A quick look at Samsung's official Malaysia website reveals that the Galaxy A9 Pro isn't currently listed there, which could possibly mean that the phone isn't been officially sold yet. As for specs, the marketing material (image shown above) suggests that it's the same A9 Pro that was launched in China back in March this year. Thanks for the tip Amein !! Source

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 820 and all future 600 and 800 series SoCs will be Tango-capable

Image
Google's project Tango is among the company's most ambitious tech endeavors of late. And with the first Tango end user device, the Lenovo Phab2 Pro, already a reality, Google and its hardware partner - Qualcomm are naturally planning for the future. As you might recall, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 is the chip that powers the Lenovo smartphone and is thus the company's first Tango-capable chipset on the market. But, as you can imagine, the mobile hardware giant won't stop there. Today, it announced that all future Snapdragon 600 and 800 series chips will also have Tango support. That definitely makes sense, since both lineups currently share the same basic hardware and design platform, fully capable of processing the data streams from all of the Tango sensors, including gyroscope, accelerometer and a total of three cameras - a conventional one, a fisheye one for motion tracking and a depth sensing one. Both lineups also include a highly accurate in

LG VPInput app lets you control an LG G4, G5 or V10 from a PC

Image
Technologies like Microsoft's Continuum, Canonical's Convergence or even the recently announced Xbox Play Anywhere might not be enjoying overwhelming popularity in their current states, but they all represent a very active push towards a simpler device and platform-agnostic future tech sphere. LG has apparently caught the innovation spirit too, as evident by the new VPInput app, which it just announced. The software allows users to control an LG G4, G5 of V10 phone from a PC, via Bluetooth. This includes forwarding input from a mouse and keyboard, including keyboard custom shortcut mapping, sharing a clipboard and capturing screenshots from the handset. Naturally, the process requires a software from the PC side as well and the provided one is compatible with both Windows and OSX. Now, before you hit up the comments section, we are well aware that this is not a new concept, nor is it the best solution to the use case in question, currently out there. St

Google working on internet speed test built into Search

It seems Google is working on a speed test service that will be built within Google Search and can be used simply by searching for "check internet speed" or something similar. The feature is being developed partnership with Measurement Lab (or M-Lab), who will be doing the actual testing. The test will check your download and upload speed and latency. Looks like Google is testing their own internet speed test (query = "check internet speed") - not seeing it live -- pic.twitter.com/wjsPIlEbFv — Dr. Pete Meyers (@dr_pete) June 27, 2016 The service is not yet active so we don't really know what it looks like. For what it's worth, Bing has had a speed test built into its search results for a while now (accessed by searching for "speed test") and even Netflix recently released, although simplistic, speed test service at fast.com. And then of course there is the most popular option from Ookla. There is no known timeline for when

Making a Samsung Pay purchase from your new Samsung phone will net you '$20 off' voucher

Image
Samsung is currently running a promotion where-in it is offering a $20 eCertificate to owners of new, Samsung Pay compatible smartphones who make a purchase using the company's mobile payments service. The offer, however, is only available in the United States, and valid for purchases made until August 1. The eCertificate can be redeemed on the South Korean company's official website. In addition, the first 777 users will also get a $10 gift card that they can use at GameStop, American Eagle Outfitters, Nike, Best Buy, Regal Entertainment Group, Domino’s, and P.F. Changs. These gift cards will be available each Friday between 12 pm and 7 pm ET, with the offer running through July 8. Via

Facebook revamps the Like button, launches Chrome extensions for sharing and saving links

Image
Facebook is introducing a few new things today. Let's start with the ubiquitous Like button which you can see plastered atop all websites across the internet. This is receiving a redesign, and it will drop the Facebook logo, believe it or not. The old Like button had that, and the new one doesn't. Instead, it's getting a thumbs up icon, as portrayed by the comparative image below. The social network is also making its Like and Share buttons more mobile-friendly, by giving web developers more button sizes to pick from. Moving on, the company is releasing a couple of Chrome extensions for the first time in its history. Their names are pretty much self-explanatory - one is called Share to Facebook , while the other is Save to Facebook . As you'd expect, by installing the former you'll get an easy way to share interesting links you find online with your Facebook friends, or to a Facebook group, or to a conversation in Facebook Messenger. Th

Microsoft announces Windows 10 Anniversary Update release for August 2, then pulls the info

You may not remember, but Microsoft officially announced the Windows 10 Anniversary Update back in March. This new release of the OS, previously known by its codename Redstone, was then said to be landing at some point during this summer. Nothing less vague was shared at that moment when it comes to its release time frame. Fast forward to today, then, when the company published a blog post with the following headline: "Microsoft announces Windows 10 anniversary update available Aug. 2". So that makes everything pretty clear, doesn't it? Well, not so fast. See, that blog post had no content, in effect consisting of just the aforementioned headline. Oh, and Microsoft promptly pulled it less than an hour after publishing it. Now this might just mean that someone hit the Publish button too soon (before there was any actual content in the body of the post). Or perhaps the date itself was wrong. Anyway, let's just consider that there's a small chanc

The Turing phone is apparently still alive

Image
It really seems like everybody and their aunt is "kickstarting" various ideas this day of age, regardless of experience or even viability of said concepts. Thus, it is unsurprising that so many project fail even before they get off the ground. But while it is hard to feel sorry for the latest smart toaster/cooler combo with Android, there are some other really ambitious projects, especially in the mobile realm, that many users generally want to see become a reality. The Turing Phone definitely falls under the latter category. It started off as an ambitious effort towards creating a very tough device, both physically, with a hard exterior shell and waterproofing, as well as on a software level, by offering a unique set of high security features. The device even goes so far as to remove things like the USB port, 3.5mm jack and home button, as potential weak links in the build. The latter point actually fits in nicely with the company's follow-up

Samsung Galaxy C5 and Galaxy C7 now available in China

Image
The Galaxy C5 and Galaxy C7 are now official in China. The all-metal phones boast a slim build (6.7mm and 6.8mm respectively) and Samsung Pay, which works with the local AliPay service. They also work with UHQA audio using the Samsung Level On Wireless Pro headset. The Samsung Galaxy C5 is available from Samsung's online store. It's CNY 2,200 for the 32GB version and CNY 2,400 for the 64GB model. You can pay Gold, Rose Gold, Silver and Grey color options are available. There's a very short promo - until June 30 (tomorrow) you get a free 64GB microSD card and a transparent protective case. The Samsung Galaxy C7 is not on the online store yet, instead you get the option to shop around your local retailers. The Galaxy C series features metal unibodies and 1080p screens - 5.2" and 5.7" respectively - along with octa-core processors (Snapdragon chipset) with 4GB of RAM and 16MP/1080p cameras plus 8MP selfie cams. Source: Samsung Galaxy C5

Asus ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Deluxe, and ZenFone 3 Ultra to go on sale next month

Image
Asus has revealed the release date of its ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Deluxe, and ZenFone 3 Ultra smartphones. The devices, which were unveiled by the company at Computex 2016, will go on sale in the Asian country starting July 12. When the devices were made official last month, Asus revealed their US price - $249 for the ZenFone 3, $499 for the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, and $479 for the ZenFone 3 Ultra - but didn't disclose when they will be launched stateside. Sadly, there's still no word on the US launch timeframe. Via

MIUI 8.0 set for August launch, version 7.5 (China stable ROM) starts rolling today

Image
Xiaomi has confirmed that its latest MIUI ROM (version 8.0) will be launched in August, although an exact date is yet to be revealed. The ROM was unveiled last month, and a beta version was made available for download earlier this month. We already briefed you about the changes included in MIUI 8, and just recently it was revealed that the ROM will also bring along the split-screen multitasking feature, also known as multi-window mode. But before MIUI 8.0 arrives, the company will release version 7.5 of the ROM that contains some of the new features included in version 8.0. In fact, the roll-out for China stable ROM is set for today (should have already begun) - head to the source link below for more details. Source | Via

Huawei Mate 9 won't be unveiled at company's September event

Image
While we were expecting to see the Mate 8 successor at Huawei's September 1 event, looks like that won't be the case. According to Bruce Lee, a mobile product line manager at the Chinese company, the Mate 9 won't be made official so early - that's in context with the fact that the Mate 8 arrived towards the end of last year. In case you missed, the Mate 9 has already been subject of some rumors, with a recent one suggesting that it will be powered by the homegrown, and yet-to-be-announced Kirin 960 chipset with octa-core CPU, and sport a 20MP dual rear camera setup. So, assuming that Lee is correct (we don't have any reason not to believe him), what to expect from Huawei's September event? Well, remember that new Huawei phone - said to be Mate 8 variant with Force Touch display - that was recently spotted on TENAA? Who knows, it may be the star of the event. Via

New teaser confirms July 11 launch for Honor 8

Image
Huawei's upcoming Honor 8 smartphone will be unveiled less than a couple of weeks from now - July 11 to be precise. This was confirmed in a new teaser that was shared by Zhao George, president of the Chinese company's Honor business. If you observe closely, the teaser image also confirms dual-rear camera setup for the Honor 8, something which we've already seen in the device's images on TENAA. As for specs, the TENAA listing revealed Kirin 950 SoC, 5.2-inch full HD display, and 3GB/4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB/128GB internal memory options. The device will feature a 12MP/8MP camera combo, pack in a 2,900 mAh battery, and run Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box. Via

T-Mobile Galaxy S6 and S6 edge getting June security update

Image
T-Mobile has started rolling out a new update to Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge units on its network. Weighing in at around 250MB, the update brings along Android security patch for the month of June. In addition, the update - which bumps the devices' software version to G920TUVU4EPF1 and G925TUVU3EPD1, respectively - also includes improvements to anti-theft functionality as well as some regular bug fixes. Given that the OTA update has just started rolling out, it might take sometime before it hits your device. Meanwhile, if you feel impatient, you can manually check for it by heading to your handset's Settings menu. Source 1 2 | Via

ZTE Axon 7 global rollout begins, Europe gets it first

Image
The Axon 7 from ZTE has arrived in Europe, making it the first region outside of China where the handset is now available. The device, which was unveiled back in May this year, is now available for preorders on Amazon for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. "ZTE is excited to celebrate the debut of AXON 7 in Europe, and today marks the global roll-out of our latest flagship smartphone," said Jacky Zhang, CEO of EMEA and APAC, ZTE Mobile Devices. "With AXON 7’s unbeatable combination of an eye catching design, top-of-the-line specs and an affordable price, we’re positive about demand for AXON 7 in Europe." As for price, the Axon 7 carries a tag of £359 in the UK and €449.99 in the rest of Europe. Availability is set for July 30 (Amazon France says July 25). The phone will also be available online on GrosBill and offline at Media Markt and Phone House in coming months, ZTE said. Source ( Amazon UK • Spain • Germany • Fran

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to be allegedly announced on August 2, also said to have 3600mAh battery

Image
Notorious Russian leakster, Eldar Murtazin has been responsible for a few credible leaks in the past. Even so, he has also been responsible for some controversial reports as well. Any who, Murtazin reports that the Galaxy Note 7 will be officially announced at Samsung’s unpacked event. Murtazin also reports that the Galaxy Note 7 will be capable of pushing 20 hours of video at maximum brightness on a single charge, and that the battery size will be 3,600mAH, the same size battery found in the Galaxy S7 edge. Whether or not this will be achieved with a battery of that size isn’t known. The Note5 scored 13:51h of video playback in our battery tests last year, and the alleged 3,600mAh battery size is only a 20% increase from the Note5’s 3,000mAh power pack. If Murtazin is right about the 20-hour video playback, the 4,000mAh would be more likely to reach that. Unless Samsung optimizes the crap out of its software, uses a power efficient display, and uses new ultra-

Red OnePlus 3 might be in development

Image
The OnePlus 3 can currently be ordered in the "graphite" color that's known to most people as silver. A gold trim should be coming in July too, as it was part of the phone's official announcement. In fact, only these two hues were mentioned when the OnePlus 3 became official. As it turns out, though, you might soon see the OnePlus 3 in an additional color: red. The image you can see below depicts the device in that hue, and it's taken from the company's Chinese website. Over there the red OnePlus 3 was listed for a short while before being pulled. Now it's obviously unclear if the listing was made in error, or if the red OnePlus is indeed ready to launch very soon. One more word of caution - this could end up being a China-only color version, so even if it does ever launch it might be confined to that country. Let's hope not, though, for all-metal smartphones are getting pretty boring in terms of color choices, with mostly the

Moto E3 Power gets Wi-Fi certified, launch is getting closer

Image
Earlier this month, the Moto E3 got Bluetooth certified, and now one iteration of this new phone has been Wi-Fi certified as well (as evidenced in the image below). This new certification helpfully reveals both the branding and the model number of one E3 variant. This will be called Moto E3 Power and will have the model number XT1706. Because we know that, we also know most of its specs, since a handset with that exact model number got benchmarked back in March. It will thus have a 5-inch 720p touchscreen, an 8 MP rear camera, a 5 MP selfie cam, the MediaTek MT6735P chipset at the helm (with a 1 GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on board. We've recently heard that Lenovo might launch the Moto E3 in some markets as the Vibe C2 - probably in Asia where the Lenovo brand is better known than Motorola. According to that leak, the Vibe C2 definitely seems to have the same innards as the Moto E3, so th

A new upcoming LG K-series device gets benchmarked

Image
Back in April we told you that LG is working on expanding its mid-range K-series of smartphones at some point in the future. At that point, two upcoming K-series handsets turned up in a benchmark results database, which gave us information about a few of their specs. We haven't heard anything more about the LG K530 and K535 from then on, but today another unannounced K-series model has surfaced through Geekbench results. This is the LG K557 as you can see from the screengrab above. It will come with 2GB of RAM and a Qualcomm chipset boasting an octa-core CPU, although the exact SoC used isn't clear unfortunately. The phone runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow at the moment, so it's safe to assume it will launch with that version of the OS on board too. This is all the information we have on the K557 at the moment, and it's not much. But if LG is going to launch it and the other two K-series phones anytime soon, then we expect to see some leaks and rumo

Moto G4 and G4 Plus now up for pre-order in the US, out on July 12

Image
In mid-May, Lenovo announced the Moto G4 and G4 Plus, and now it's time for them to officially make it to the US market. Both handsets are up for pre-order from Motorola's online store, and they will become available on July 12. You'll be able to pick either one up, in unlocked form of course, from Amazon, Best Buy, BrandsMart, B&H, Car Toys, Fry’s, MicroCenter, Sam’s Club, and Walmart - aside from Motorola itself, naturally. Oh, and both phones will be sold by Republic Wireless too, but starting on July 28. The Moto G4 will start at $199.99, while the G4 Plus starts at $249.99. They are "universally unlocked", Motorola says, which means they should work on both GSM and CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon and Sprint. The Moto G4 has a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, a 5 MP selfie shooter, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 617 SoC at the helm, 2GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of expandable storage, and a 3,000 mAh b