KB-Technologies

If you have been following the various rumors and developments regarding Apple's next iPhone lineup even loosely, then you surely know about the still ongoing 3.5mm jack debate. As sources pile up over time, we have to say that things are definitely gravitating towards a new iPhone without probably the most standard of standard jacks out there (seriously, go show your grandparents one, alongside a fancy USB Type-C connector, see which one they recognize). EarPods with a Lightning connector Of course what this logically leads up to is the necessity for a whole new wave of lightning-based audio peripherals or at least a buildup of the already existing base, as probably even Apple wouldn't be daring enough to leave us with wireless audio alone. Continuing the same logical chain, Apple does still need to provide a standard way for users to consume audio from the sole digital output left available. That can be done in one of two ways - an active adapter from li...

If you are in the US and in the market for a gaming console, here's a deal for you: Best Buy is offering a $299.99 package that includes the Xbox One Rise of the Tomb Raider Bundle, a Special Edition Covert Forces Wireless Controller, Insignia Battery Charging Station, free games, as well as a $50 gift card. The package usually costs $534.95, meaning if you avail the deal, you'll save somewhere around $235. The retailer is offering both shipping and store pickup options. There's, however, no word on when the deal ends, so you may have to act fast. Source | Via

Microsoft has started rolling out a new update to OneDrive for iOS that bumps the app to version 7.7 and brings along a couple of fixes, including that for a screen flashing bug. The screen flashing problem in question occurs when opening a photo from the Photos tab, the change-log for the update says. Aside from this issue, the update also fixes a scenario where-in sharing doesn't not work when a file is open. The updated app can be downloaded from the App Store - head to the Source link below. Source

Smart keyboard and prediction tech company SwiftKey has said that it's working quickly to resolve an issue that causes "unfamiliar terms" as well as other users' email addresses to show up as text predictions. "While this did not pose a security issue for our customers, we have turned off the cloud sync service and are updating our applications to remove email address predictions. During this time, it will not be possible to back up your SwiftKey language model," the company said in a blog post. According to Swiftkey, most users aren't affected by the issue, and those seeing unfamiliar predictions can contact the company through email - for email address, head to the Source link below. Source | Via | Image

This has got to be some kind of a record. Sure, price cuts soon after launch are nothing new for Sony's X family smartphones in the US - after all, it only took around two weeks for us to see a $50 discount for the Xperia X, while the X Performance took four days to go from $700 to $579.99. Yet the Xperia XA Ultra became available in the US two days ago. And now it's already being sold by Amazon for $57 less than before. The phone's recommended retail price is $369.99, but the mega retailer is selling the black version for $312.22. That's almost 16% off. In two days. It goes without saying then that this is great for people who like the XA Ultra but didn't find its initial price in the States very enticing. Unfortunately there's no telling if Amazon's new price is a limited time offer or not, so if you feel this is a fair amount to pay for the Xperia XA Ultra, then perhaps you should buy one as soon as possible. Via

Today AT&T has unveiled the successor for its first own-brand Trek HD tablet from last year. The new device is called AT&T Trek 2 HD, and like its predecessor it's an affordable tablet that runs Android. The Trek 2 HD comes with an 8-inch "HD" touchscreen (resolution is probably 1,280x800), a 1.5 GHz octa-core Qualcomm processor, 16GB of expandable storage, a pair of 5 MP cameras (one on the front, one on the back), dual front-facing Dolby Audio speakers, a USB Type-C port, and a 4,600 mAh battery with quick charging support. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and weighs 12.8 ounces. The tablet will become available online and in AT&T stores on August 5 for $0.99 with a two-year contract. Alternatively, you can pick one up using the carrier's installment plan, in which case you pay $7.50 per month for 20 months - adding up to a full retail price of $150. Source | Via

A mysterious Meizu device surfaced online in what appear to be a few quite believable stills. The unit in question even seems to be in working order and by the looks of things bears either the M1E moniker or A680M model name. Actually, both might be true, since the former is being reported from the OS, while the latter looks like a full model number and is written on the back. Upon first inspection the phone does look quite familiar and could easily be mistaken for the recently-released Meizu m3s. But while it is a fact that the unit in question bears the all too familiar Meizu design language, a closer inspection definitely proves it is a newcomer to the scene. Meizu M1E As already mentioned, the back appears very familiar and with a round camera and round flash underneath reminds of the MX6, as well as the Pro 6. However, those use a curvier antenna design. Other models like the m3 note and the Pro 5 do appear to have the right antenna lines, but both use an ...

If you have been keeping track of Google's work on the next major Android update, then you have surely noticed that the search giant is definitely pushing thing along a lot faster this time around. Instead of waiting for Google I/O 2016, the first developer preview builds of the OS came out on March 9, two moths or so earlier than expected. It was only after a quite popular crows-sourced naming campaign that Android 7.0 received its official Nougat desert title and that was held off quite a bit until July 1. So it would appear Google is definitely on a new schedule this time around and the main goal seems to be to get the OS into developer's hands as soon as possible all the while perfecting and adding features on the go and dealing with PR. Now that the fifth and final Preview build is out everybody is anxiously anticipating the official release. It only makes sense to keep to momentum going and a new report by Evan Blass (@evleaks) claims Google will do...

The SM-G5700, which was spotted on Zauba late last month and is alleged to be the 2016 iteration of Samsung's Galaxy On5 (SM-G550) smartphone from last year, has been certified by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), suggesting that it could be launched sooner than later. For those who aren't aware, the device has already been spotted on benchmarking website Geekbench, revealing some of its key specs, including Exynos 7570 chipset with quad-core 1.4GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The Zuaba listing for the device revealed a 5-inch display. Via

A video has surfaced which shows the upcoming Tizen-powered Samsung Z2 smartphone alongside the two Tizen phones already available in the market, the Z1 and Z3. Specifically, the video shows a Unity app being run on all three devices. Sadly, only the front of the handset is shown off in the video, which itself isn't very clear. The leak also doesn't reveal any of the device's specifications. The Z2 has already received WiFi and Bluetooth certifications, and is expected to launch sometime in October this year. Aside from Asia, the phone will also be available in select African markets, a first for Tizen-powered devices. As for specs, rumors so far have revealed a quad-core CPU, 4.5-inch display, 1GB RAM, Tizen 3.0 OS, and 2,000mAh battery. Via

Although Microsoft hasn't revealed how many Lumia smartphones it sold in the second quarter of this year through its regular quarterly financial results, the company has an SEC filing out today that clears that up. In the document, Microsoft mentions that in its fiscal year 2016 (which started on July 1, 2015, and ended on June 30 this year), it sold 13.8 million Lumias in total. The number for the April to June quarter of 2016 (Microsoft's fiscal Q4) is easy to calculate because we have official numbers for all the other three quarters - sales were 5.8 million in Q1, 4.5 million in Q2, and 2.3 million in Q3. That means the company managed to nearly halve its Lumia sales from the January to March quarter to the April to June quarter. In this year's Q2 (its fiscal Q4) Microsoft only sold 1.2 million units. That's abysmal performance but really isn't surprising considering how Microsoft has been moving away from focusing on building smartphones la...

Samsung's Galaxy Note7 is almost here. Almost official, as its dedicated special launch event is taking place next Tuesday, on August 2. We pretty much know everything about it already, save for one thing - when exactly will you be able to buy one? Well, that actually might depend on where you live. A report from earlier this month said the Note7 would go on sale on the day of its announcement, however that may only be valid for South Korea. In Europe, on the other hand, the release date could be August 16. At least it will be in the Netherlands, according to a new rumor out of that country. If this pans out, then it's pretty likely that many other EU countries will get the phone on the same day. Apparently only the silver and black colors will be available from day one, with gold and blue to follow later. The Note7 will probably cost €849 in the Eurozone. It's going to have a 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED touchscreen with curved edges, a 12 MP Dual Pixel rea...

We already know that Oppo is making the F1s official next week, on August 3 to be precise. This will be the Chinese company's next smartphone focused on selfies, and it's going to sport a 16 MP front-facing camera. It's also got a fingerprint scanner embedded in a physical Home button underneath the screen. And now some leaked press renders are doing the rounds online, showing the Oppo F1s in all its glory. The design is different compared to the F1, but it's still got a metal construction. Anticipating the launch taking place in a few days, Oppo's arms in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam have all published promo videos for the F1s on their official YouTube channels. The Malaysian video can be seen below. The phone will reportedly come with a 16 MP camera on the rear too, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, dual-SIM functionality, and a 3,075 mAh battery. Other specs aren't out at this point, but like its predecessor we expect the F...

Yesterday we caught the upcoming Lenovo Vibe P2 in a benchmark database, which means the Chinese company's employees are already testing its performance. That leak revealed a few of the phone's most important specs, but there were no images of it to look at. Well, now there are. What you see below is said to be the Vibe P2, proudly showcased by its maker at a trade show that took place in Guangzhou, China earlier this month. Along with the pictures we get another spec: the Lenovo Vibe P2 will have a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED touchscreen. The size and resolution are identical to those of its two predecessors, the Vibe P1 and Vibe P1 Turbo, but the screen tech used is different, as those devices both had LCD panels. Perhaps Lenovo is now also sourcing AMOLEDs from Chinese companies like Xiaomi. The Vibe P2 will be made out of metal, and its front will feature 2.5D curved glass on top of the display. It has a physical Home button (which could double as a finge...

Also known as BlackBerry Neon Network Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE 2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - USA   HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - EMEA 4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 12(700), 17(700), 20(800), 29(700), 30(2300) - USA   LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 28(700), 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2500) - EMEA Speed HSPA, LTE GPRS Yes EDGE Yes Launch Announced 2016, July Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2016, August 8 Body Dimensions 147 x 72.5 x 7.4 mm (5.79 x 2.85 x 0.29 in) Weight 135 g (4.76 oz) SIM Yes Display Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 5.2 inches (~69.9% screen-to-body ratio) Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels (~424 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes Protection Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating Platform OS An...

After launching the $200 Radeon RX 480, AMD is continuing its assault at the lower-end of the consumer graphics card market. The company announced two new budget graphics cards based on the new Polaris GPU, the Radeon RX 470 and the RX 460. While the 480 is meant for budget VR gaming, the 470 is for 1080p 60fps ultra setting gaming while the 460 is primarily for 1080p 90fps gaming at High settings in e-sports titles. The RX 470 uses a Polaris 10 GPU based on the GCN 4.0 architecture. It has 32 compute units with 2048 stream processors, down from 36 CU and 2304 SP on the RX 480. It has a base clock speed of 926 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1206 MHz. AMD pegs the floating point performance up to 4.9 TFLOPS, down from 5.8 on the 480. The 470 also has 4GB 6.6Gbps GDDR5 memory with 256-bit memory interface and 211 GB/s memory bandwidth. TDP is rated at 120W over a 6-pin connector. The card has 3x DisplayPort 1.3 (1.4 ready) and 1x HDMI 2.0, with FreeSync support. ...

After massive job cuts last year, Microsoft has announced another round of layoffs. While the earlier number stood at over 7,000, the Redmond, Washington-based company is cutting approximately 2,850 roles this time. "In addition to the elimination of 1,850 positions that were announced in May 2016, approximately 2,850 roles globally will be reduced during the year as an extension of the earlier plan, and these actions are expected to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2017," Microsoft said in its latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. While last year's lay offs largely affected those associated with the company's phone business, there's no such information this time around. Reports say around 900 of those being let go are from the software giant's sales group. Via 1 2

Google has announced add-ons for its Docs and Sheets apps on Android. The Mountain View, California-based company says these add-ons will help users get more work done on the go. "Whether it’s readying a contract you have for e-signature from your phone, or pulling in CRM data on your tablet for some quick analysis while waiting for your morning coffee, Android add-ons can help you accomplish more," Google says in a blog post. Some of these add-ons include DocuSign, which lets you create signature envelopes right from the Docs app; ProsperWorks, which allows you to import CRM data into Sheets; Scanbot, which lets you scan business documents using built-in OCR, and insert their contents into the Docs app as editable text; and more. DocuSign The search giant has partnered with a total of eight app developers to create the Android add-ons - the list also includes PandaDoc, ZohoCRM, Teacher Aide, and EasyBib. You can download these add-ons from Go...

Most rumors talking about the iPhone 7 have mentioned that this year Apple is ditching the 3.5 mm headset jack for good. So at this point, after hearing this information from dozens of different sources, we're pretty much convinced it will happen. But, you may wonder, what will Apple do to keep its fans' anger in check? Well, apparently it all comes down to shipping a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter in the box. When you buy one of the new iPhones, you also get the adapter. So if you have a pair of headphones that connect through that 3.5mm jack, you'll be able to continue using them. Such adapter cables have been seen before (at the end of May at Computex), but what you can see in the Vietnamese video below is purportedly the original thing - aka the Apple adapter itself. Apple supplier Foxconn reportedly has a factory in Vietnam that makes cables and adapters, and as such it's already started working on the Lightning-to-3.5mm contraption for the next ...

Samsung's Gear S2 smartwatch is almost one year old at this point, so you might be wondering whether a successor will be announced soon. Well, if the latest rumor on the matter is right, then indeed it should. The new Samsung Gear S3 is apparently due to be officially presented at IFA in Berlin at the beginning of September. The new smartwatch will reportedly keep the round shape of its predecessor. Not only that, but it too will feature a rotary bezel just like the Gear S2. The bezel can be used on the existing device to navigate through menus, greatly enhancing usability since relying on such a tiny touchscreen exclusively can be cumbersome. No other details are known for now, but we have recently heard that the Galaxy Tab S3 family will be unveiled on September 1 - so maybe that's also the date when the Gear S3 becomes official. It would definitely make sense for Samsung to hold just one event for both its new tablets and its new smartwatch. Source ...

If for some reason you've missed one of those blurry image leaks lately, well, here you go. What you can see below if you're adept at reading between the pixels is supposedly the upcoming New Gear VR by Samsung. This headset will probably be launched alongside the Galaxy Note7 at the company's event next week, because its main selling point should in fact be the compatibility with Samsung's newest phablet. Since the Note7 will have a USB Type-C port, the old Gear VR isn't going to work with it - hence the need for this new model. On the outside it certainly looks similar enough to its predecessor (in shape at least), so it might be that the only change is that USB Type-C support. The new Gear VR will also reportedly work with Samsung's older phones, namely the S6 and S7 series, the Note 4 and Note5. In Europe its initial price will be €90, which means in the US it may get priced at $90. If true, then the new Gear VR will be 10% cheaper than t...

A square retail box carrying Meizu branding has surfaced on Chinese microblogging platforms suggesting the company is preparing to ship a smartwatch soon. On top of that, a number of purported photos of the Meizu smartwatch itself have surfaced. The photos reveal a classy looking smartwatch with a leather band and metal casing. We can't confirm if this will be the actual product, but it does look stylish. Judging by the photos, there's no flat tyre, like the Moto 360. The alleged photos of the Meizu Smartwatch According to the report from XiaomiToday , the Meizu Smartwatch will be powered by an Intel’s Rockchip RK6321 which has a dual-core Cortex A5 processor. The size of the casing is also not clear yet. Meizu has sent out invites for a press event on August 10 and it's expected to announce the new wearable gadget there. Count us excited. Via

The Galaxy Note 7 is now practically hours away from its unveiling, as Samsung's Unpacked event is set for August 2nd. Among other things, that means a much-needed break from the endless stream of rumors and leaks. However, in what looks like a final burst @OnLeaks has shared a motherload of high-quality renders of the phablet. Judging from past experience, these are almost certainly Samsung's official press renders, a theory we can only confirm once the Korean giant uploads them come Tuesday. They don't offer any extra information that we don't already know by now, but you can't really beat the level of high-resolution detail we have here. Not only do we get an all-round view, but also the black, silver and blue colors are all accounted for. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Also making an appearance is a render of the new Gear VR headset. If you missed it, the refreshed virtual reality accessory is to accommodate the Note 7, since it is already ...

The SM-A810, which is alleged to be the Galaxy A8 (2016), has been spotted on GFXBench. The benchmark listing reveals the device is powered by an octa-core 2.1GHz processor (Exynos 7420 chipset) and sports a 5.1-inch full HD display. RAM is 3GB, while internal memory is 32GB. In terms of camera, the handset features a 16MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. It runs Android version 6.0.1 out of the box. The SM-A810 was also recently spotted on Zauba, revealing a price tag of around $205. Source 1 2 | Via

A couple of weeks ago, it was revealed that Samsung has filed a trademark for something called "Samsung Cloud Together" in Europe, with details confirming that it's actually a cloud storage service for phones and tablets. Now, according to a new report, the service will carry the 'Samsung Cloud' moniker and will debut on the South Korean company's upcoming Galaxy Note7 smartphone. Needless to say, the service will allow users to backup their data to the cloud. This will not only help save storage space on their device, but will also let them access backed-up data from any of the supported devices. Galaxy Note7 users will get 5GB cloud storage for free, the report notes. As for Galaxy Note7, the report says the device will feature the latest Gorilla Glass 5 protection, and a USB-C to microUSB adapter will be included in the box. Via

LG has confirmed that a new V series smartphone will be launched sometime this quarter. While the South Korean company didn't reveal the device's name, it's reasonable to expect that the handset in question is the successor to last year's V10. LG V10 The time frame revealed by LG is inline with a recent report that said the phone - alleged to be called V20 - will be made official in the month of September, which is less than a year after the V10 was launched. The confirmation on the V20's arrival time-frame came as part of LG's Q2 2016 earnings announcement. While the company recorded an overall operating profit of $503.1 million, the mobile unit was still at loss - the figure stood at 132.10 million this time. For more numbers, head to the  Source  link below. Source

Samsung is planning to bring its Tizen-powered phones to Africa. According to a new report, the upcoming Samsung Z2 will be launched in African countries like South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, in addition to some Asian markets including, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh. The launch is expected to happen sometime in October this year. Z2 will be the first Tizen phone to support 4G LTE as well as remote assistance feature. The report notes that Kenya is upgrading its existing 2G network with an aim to make it 4G capable, while Nigeria is also establishing 4G infrastructure, so it would be relatively easy for the South Korean company to capture the market there. Finally, the report also says that Samsung also intends to use these African markets as test-beds for its Tizen-based IoT infrastructure. Via

After being spotted on Zauba and FCC, the SM-G1600 - which is alleged to be the Samsung Galaxy Folder 2 flip phone - has now received certification from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), indicating an imminent launch. While the latest certification doesn't reveal anything about the device, from what we've heard so far, the device is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor and sports a 3.8-inch touchscreen display. RAM is 2GB, while internal memory is 8GB, although expandable. In terms of camera, the device is said to feature an 8MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. It is expected to run Android 6.0.1 out of the box. The FCC listing had revealed a 2,000mAh battery for the device. Source  |  Via

Xiaomi announced the Redmi Pro at a special event yesterday, and this is the Chinese company's most high-end Redmi-branded device ever. One thing that stands out in its spec list is the fact that it uses an OLED display. That's not something you'd expect to see in a phone that starts at $225 - because OLED panels are notoriously more expensive than LCDs. Yet if you do get a phone with an OLED screen, then that panel is probably made by Samsung, since the Korean company apparently holds a market share of almost 95% in the space. Well, that expectation isn't being met in the Xiaomi Redmi Pro. This device does not use Samsung-made OLEDs, instead opting to source them from two Chinese companies: EverDisplay and BOE. According to a new report out of the country, EverDisplay is the first supplier, and in case it can't handle Xiaomi's orders, then BOE will be used. We assume that the decision to go with Chinese suppliers for the OLED screen is one factor tha...