Looking for a phone upgrade? Not satisfied with the mobile releases of 2016? Well, that's not a problem as 2017 will be promising in terms of new mobile releases! Only a few more days or months to wait, until the mobile beasts of 2017 are revealed. Let's see what 2017 has in reserve for us.

Once you go apple, you never go back! Apple will be back with the IPhone 8 in 2017, to celebrate its 10th anniversary impressively. Planned to be on the market in September 2017, IPhone 8 and IPhone 8 Plus, could be the most fundamental up to date phones. Apple will be making changes to the phones' designs and the software. In terms of design, the IPhone 8 is planned to be a single sheet of glass with an edge-to-edge OLED screen. Also, it would seem that at least one release of Apple's IPhones for 2017, will have a glass body. The Touch ID will be hidden within the glass, and the Home Button will be non-existent.

HTC lovers will not be disappointed as well! HTC is planning to release the HTC 11 in March/April 2017. An early leak confirmed that the mobile might have a Snapdragon 835 processor, RAM of 8 GB, a storage capacity of 256 GB and a 5.5in Quad- HD Screen. That is indeed lots of expectation... Let's hope that rumours have it right!

As for LG, it is rumoured that the G6 will be released in late 2017, and it could adopt a glass rear and front. The most interesting features it can have is an iris scanner that uses a similar sensor as the phone's front camera, which will be awesome.

Samsung will be back stronger in 2017, to mend its reputation after the Galaxy Note 7 crisis. The Samsung Galaxy s8 has been scheduled to be shown to the world in February 2017 during the MCW tradeshow. Rumours has it that the design will be changed, and the home button might be gone. It could as well be the fastest phone with a top of the range processor.

It looks like technology lovers will have a hard choice to make in 2017 while buying a mobile phone, with the possible new releases. However, you don't really need a top-notch phone to have some fun online. All you need is a phone with internet connection... and you can enjoy at magicalvegas.com anytime and anywhere! At Magical Vegas, you can sign up or log in anytime or any day you want, using either a tablet, a mobile phone or a PC.

That's not all. Given that the site is responsive, you can play your games using any type of devices. Despite being on a mobile phone, you will still enjoy the great graphics and beautiful designs of the game, and of the site. Golden Jungle, Cluedo Spinning Detectives, Troll Hunters and Lucky Tree are some of the newest games you can try now at Magical Vegas!

Several voices both inside and outside the smartphone industry have been quoted saying that handsets have reached the pinnacle of their evolution in their current form. Today, smartphones are more powerful than the average desktop PC was a few years ago, millions of times faster than the computers used to send a man to the moon. At the same time, statistics have shown that the majority of smartphone owners don't even use a fraction of their handsets' processing power. The majority of smartphone owners use them to play games, known to be the most demanding type of smartphone apps, but most of the time these games are simple, casual titles, mobile pokie games, word games, and their likes, hardly a challenge for even a two-year-old handset.

Considering the lack of exciting news on the smartphone market, and the release of a great variety of high-performance and affordable smartphone models, it seems safe to say that we should reconsider our future smartphone purchases and focus on accessibility rather than hype.

Samsung Galaxy S7, the best example

Samsung's Galaxy S7 was surrounded by a lot of excitement before its release in February 2017. When it hit the shelves, though, users couldn't hide their disappointment with the handset. Compared to the previous year's flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S6, the S7 failed to produce any significantly new and exciting features. It had the same size screen with the same resolution and pixel density, it had a slightly faster system-on-a-chip, a newer GPU, it had 1GB of extra RAM and a slightly improved performance. In short, nothing that would've justified switching from the Galaxy S6 to the Galaxy S7.

Now let's take a look at another Samsung model released in 2016, the J7. Compared to the same Galaxy S6, it brought forth several improvements, including a newer chipset, a larger screen, a dedicated MicroSD slot (the S6 didn't have one), FM radio (something many of us still appreciate today), a larger battery with longer battery life, and a price tag that made it much more affordable at the time than the previous year's flagship model. In short, a phone with enough performance to be a perfect choice for everyday use, without the need to sell an arm and a leg to buy it.

The performance gap

The performance gap between "affordable" and "flagship" handsets becomes narrower every year. One of this year's more affordable smartphone models, the Galaxy A7 (2017), has a price tag almost $300 lower than any of last year's Samsung flagships, coupled with a performance that's not too different compared to these models. An average user will surely not notice the difference in performance between the two but welcome the price difference nonetheless.

Considering all of the above, I think it's safe to say that we shouldn't focus on flagship models anymore. They might be the ones surrounded by the biggest hype in the press but this doesn't make them the right ones for us - and they shouldn't be the models we desire the most.

It is now official; Qualcomm's next flagship-grade SoC is coming to the Consumer Electronics Show next week. The debut was disclosed by Qualcomm itself on Twitter, when the company twitted, "We're powering up for #CES2017 with #Snapdragon 835."

As we reported earlier, the SD 835 chip is going to be based on Samsung's 10nm process and will be manufactured by Samsung as well. The Adreno 540 GPU within the chip is going to be 30% more powerful and 40% more power-efficient than the current-gen Qualcomm flagship GPU, the Adreno 530. The default clock speed of the CPU will be set at 2.2GHz, although, overclocking by some of the manufacturers is expected.

All devices powered by the SD 835 will support Quick Charge 4.0 for 5 hours of battery life in just 5 minutes. Plug it in for 15 minutes and your device should reach 50% from 0%, according to the claims put forward by the company. It would be interesting to see how much of this turns out to be true in real life though, as batteries do vary in size.

Although I am sure that most manufacturers will be opting for the Snapdragon 835 SoC as their preferred choice in 2017, as of now, only the Samsung Galaxy S8, the LG G6 and the Xiaomi Mi6 are guaranteed to host the chip.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Vivo has apparently done what Samsung could not and Apple was only planning to. The famous in-screen fingerprint scanner which has so far eluded all devices till date, has been brought forth and showcased on a Vivo smartphone.

The Qualcomm fingerprint scanner which was put into effect at the show on a Vivo Xplay 6 prototype was announced earlier at the same show. It detects ultrasonic fingerprint signals through OLED displays up to 1200um and is more secure than any other fingerprint scanners that are available on smartphones at the moment. Check out the GIF image which we can now look at, thanks to Engadget.

The fingerprint scanner works underwater and doesn't care much even when your phone or your fingers are dirty. There are two points to be noted though. Engadget reports that the actual fingerprint recognition is much slower than what we are used to and also that the display was only able to detect the fingerprint from one particular place on the display. In theory however, the whole display should be able to detect your fingerprints flawlessly. Then again, this is just a prototype that we are looking at and things will definitely improve once the ultrasonic technology and the smartphone is ready for commercial release.

Via: Engadget

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The return of Nokia into the international market is probably the biggest or at least the most popular theme in the upcoming MWC 2017. Everyone knows that HMD has already launched the Nokia D6 with overwhelming success in China, but we are now more interested about the devices that the company is going to unveil for the international market in a few days.

Rumor has it that the D6 could have an international launch at the MWC, but the spotlight is more focused on the upcoming Nokia P1 and the Nokia 8. There's also the possibility of seeing the iconic Nokia N and E series smartphones making a comeback. However, when it comes to return of an icon, nothing can really match the hype that has been built up ever since it became known that the Nokia 3310 is coming back! Additionally, China may also get a Nokia 3 and a Nokia 5 to compete in the low-end section of the Chinese market. All of the handsets will be running on Android Nougat 7.0 or higher straight out of the box.

Check out the YouTube video by ConceptCreator above to see what the Nokia P1 may look like on release.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The last month of the year is getting closer as we approach the end of 2016 and just like last year, we are expecting brand new versions of Samsung's Galaxy A-series to be unveiled in December. That Expectation was pleasantly revitalized when the A7 (2017) showed up two days ago on AnTuTu. Here is a summary of what we gathered about the A7 (2017) in terms of specifications from the AnTuTu appearance and leaks.

Display: 5.5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED panel
SoC: Exynos 7870 with Mali-T830 GPU
RAM: 3GB
Internal storage: 64GB
Camera: 16-mp sensors both in front and at the back of the device

It seems that the A7 2017 edition is about to enter certification stage with the FCC and CCC, as it's clearly near the end of its testing phase. At this rate, the smartphone should become available by January 2017. It would be interesting to see if Samsung decides to make its new A-series smartphones available before January, in order to make use of the holiday season.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Source

The fact that Samsung is working on a smartphone that will sport a foldable display is old news now, but we got to know just recently that two such phones are in development instead of one. Bloomberg reports that the first device will fold in half from the middle, much in the same way as a "cosmetic compact." The second device will initially appear to be a smartphone with a 5-inch display, but can be unfolded to add 3 more inches to the display real estate, making the screen a tablet-sized 8-inch one.

We have been hearing about the "Project Valley" for a long time now and rumors had previously suggested a 2017 release date. The latest report affirms those rumors as it indicates that we might be able to see the foldable phone at the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona. We are excited to find out what Samsung comes up with, when it's released. It sounds amazing to be able to carry around an 8-inch display in your pocket, but we will have to wait and see, if the manufacturer manages to deliver a device that actually works as well in real life scenarios as it seems would do, on paper. What do you think about the foldable smartphone?

Author: Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Recently, the Wall Street Journal (Chinese Edition) has published a piece about a new business contract between Apple and Samsung. According to their source in South Korea, the 3-year contract requires Samsung to supply OLED smartphone panels to Apple for upcoming iPhones in 2017 and beyond. Although the rumor regarding this contract has been around for a while now, this adds new credibility to it. Arguably, Apple is still talking with JDI, LG, Sharp and AUO before the deal becomes final.

The article adds previously unknown details by stating that this order involves production and supply of about 100 million 5.5-inch AMOLED displays that are possibly meant to be used in the iPhone 7s. Judging by Apple's current trend of reserving the larger 5.5-inch panels for their "Plus" models, chances are that these will be used to make the iPhone 7s Plus rather than the regular 7s. Whether they will still be calling it "7s Plus" or not, remains to be seen.

Previously, famous Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had stated that Apple will not be releasing any OLED phones before 2018, but he has changed his opinion in light of the new situation. Now, Kuo is of the opinion that Apple will release at least one version of its future iPhones in 2017 with an OLED display. Rumors and predictions also suggest that Apple could be going back to the glass-metal design of the iPhone 6 and it is perhaps for the best.

Source

Foldable displays were showcased by Samsung earlier but smartphones based on that technology never really hit the market in 2016 as many expected them to. The famous Samsung Project Valley is supposedly a development that involves the task of building a foldable smartphone. Rumors surrounding it suggested in 2015 that Samsung will launch their first foldable smartphone in January, 2016. As that did not happen, the rumors had come down a few notches since.

New life was breathed into the rumors when a fresh report from South Korea came in a while ago. It suggested that Samsung will start the production of foldable displays on an industrial scale by the end of 2016 itself. It also adds that these displays are for a device that will be powered by either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 620 or 820, along with 3GB of RAM. Apparently, the 7-inch tablet-sized display of the device will turn into a more manageable 5-inch one when necessary and vice-versa.

There are quite a few leaked pictures from Project Valley that gives us a an impression of what this device might look like when it comes out, but the originality of those snaps are not beyond doubt. Nonetheless, we will hopefully know what exactly is going on in a few months time.

Source

We are pretty much used to seeing Qualcomm manufacturing the flagship grade 8xx series of Snapdragon processors every year for a while now, but rumors are indicating that this scenario could change in 2017. Samsung might just be exclusively manufacturing the upcoming SD 830 SoC for Qualcomm next year. The same rumor also reported that this new chip would be based on a 10nm FoFLP process, which is a new cooperative venture by Samsung and Qualcomm. This new Fan-out Panel Level Package (FoFLP) process will make printed circuit boards unnecessary for the package substrate. The advantages will include better battery life and thinner frames along with making I/O ports much easier to put in.

Allegedly, Samsung will continue to produce its own brand of Exynos processors as well and the upcoming Galaxy S8 will be launched in the same way as it had been done this year. This means that the international version of the S8 will sport the Exynos 8895 SoC, while the US versions will come with SD 830. However, the performance and battery life of the two variants should not differ by much next year, if both chips are made by Samsung on a 10nm process.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The Galaxy A7-series is a popular mid-ranger from Samsung and its 2017 edition is on the verge of being launched. The latest news regarding the dual SIM handset is that it just got certified for Bluetooth v4.2 and while this isn't in itself a very revealing news, it does indicate that Samsung may launch it as early as December. In fact, rumor has it that Samsung could launch the A3 (2017) and the A5 (2017) in December as well.

Just like most upcoming smartphones these days, there isn't much left to "unveil" officially as we already have a pretty good idea about the internals of the A7 (2017), thanks to the multiple leaks and rumors. Here's a list of what we have heard so far and the chances are that they are mostly accurate.

Display: 5.5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED panel
SoC: Exynos 7780
RAM: 3GB
Camera: 16-mp front and rear camera
Internal storage: 32GB
External storage: Yes
Battery: 3,300mAh with Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging
OS version: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but will receive an upgrade to Nougat 7.0 later (Most probably)
IP68 rated water resistance

Source

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Even though earlier leaks had suggested that both the Galaxy C7 Pro and the C5 Pro would be released this December in China, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. According to a leak on Weibo, the two handsets will instead be released next month. No reasoning was specified on the report, as to why the launch has been delayed by a month.

It was only in October that the two smartphones were spotted while being imported to India for R&D purposes. They have since been seen on benchmarks as well and here's what we know (based on rumors) about the two upcoming devices so far.

Galaxy C5 Pro (SM-C5010)

5.2-inch 1080p Super AMOLED panel
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953) SoC
4GB RAM
64GB/128GB internal storage with expandable micro-SD card/SIM card hybrid slot (up to 256GB)
16mp/8mp rear and front cameras
3,300mAh battery
Fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C

Galaxy C7 Pro (SM-C7010)

5.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED panel
Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 SoC
4GB/6GB RAM
64GB/128GB internal storage with expandable micro-SD card/SIM card hybrid slot (up to 256GB)
16mp/16mp rear and front cameras
3,500mAh battery
Fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C

Keep in mind that most of these specs are speculated and may not match the final product accurately.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 and Galaxy A5 2017 will hit stores next month. Unlike its predecessors, the Galaxy A-series have been reportedly delayed by a few weeks and essentially into the next year. According to Roland Quandt, the A3 (2017) and A5 (2017) will hit the Western European Union in the 2nd-3rd week of January, 2017. Here's a quick look at the specs of the two phones that the rumor mill has come up with so far.

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)

4.7-inch 720p display
1.5GHz octa-core CPU and Mali-T830MP2 GPU
3GB RAM
8GB/16GB internal storage with micro-SD card slot
Rear/front camera sensor: 12-mp/8-mp
Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 out of the box
Colors: Gold, Pink, White Black
Price: €349 (roughly $365)

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

5.2-inch 1080p display
Exynos 7880 chipset
3GB RAM
16GB/32GB internal storage with micro-SD card slot
13-mp rear camera and 8-mp front camera
3,000mAh battery
Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 out of the box
Price: €449 (roughly $470)

Take note that these are mostly speculated internals of the two smartphones, backed by a few leaks and plenty of rumors. Therefore, the final product that comes out from Samsung's arsenal may vary quite a bit from what you see here in terms of specifications.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

We knew that the Galaxy J7 (2017) was coming and now we have pre-release renders and even a video to look at. This leak comes to you via the courtesy of @OnLeaks and 91Mobiles. They say that a picture speaks a thousand words, so take a look and see what you think.

We can spot that the 3.5mm jack has been retained, along with the dated micro-USB port. What seems to be the speaker grill can also be seen at the side, right on top of the Power button. The back has an interesting strip of what looks to be metal, which encompasses both the LED flash and the camera module completely within it. Other details are pretty standard with the traditional Samsung Home button, volume rockers on the side, and a primary microphone at the bottom.

Here's a list of what you cannot see in the video or the rendered images, but rumors and leaks are suggesting about the Galaxy J7 (2017).

Model number: SM-J727V
51.34 x 76.20 x 8 mm
5.5-inch full HD Super AMOLED display
Octa-core SoC from Qualcomm/Exynos
3GB of RAM
16GB of internal storage with a micro-SD card slot
Rear and front camera: 13MP & 5MP
3,000mAh battery
Android Nougat 7.0 OS

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Samsung's Galaxy A-series is one of its most popular line-ups in the mid-range section and the latest iterations of the series are now officially confirmed by Samsung Malaysia to make their debut at the CES 2017 on January 5. Today we have official press renders for you to look at and get an idea of what's coming.

Both the Galaxy A devices seems to have a more rounded design this time around with slimmer bezels and a metal frame. The renders we see here are clearly showing three color variants for both the Galaxy A3 (2017) and the Galaxy A5 (2017), although the rumored pink/pink gold variant is missing, from these renders at least.

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)

4.7-inch 720p Super AMOLED display
Samsung Exynos 7870 chipset
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
8-megapixel front and 13-megapixel rear camera
NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, etc.
Expected price: 379 euro/396 USD

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

5.2-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display
Samsung Exynos 7880 chipset
3GB RAM
32GB internal storage
16-mp cameras at both the back and the front
NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, etc.
Expected price: 479 euro/500 USD

Source

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

After a barrage of leaks, speculations and rumors, the entire Galaxy A (2017) series is now officially confirmed and detailed by Samsung. They will be released in Russia in a few days and from thereon, the line-up will be made available to other countries as well. Here's a look at everything Samsung has revealed so far.

Galaxy A3 (2017)

Network: LTE Cat.6
Display: 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED
Processor: 1.6 GHz, octa-core
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Camera: 13 MP (F1.9) rear, 8 MP (F1.9) front
Additional features: MST Technology (Samsung Pay) Option, Samsung KNOX, S-Voice, Dual SIM support, IP68 certification, 3D glass rear
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth® v 4.2, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC (UICC)
Sensor: Accelerometer, Proximity, Geomagnetic, RGB Light, Hall, Fingerprint Scanner, Barometer
Memory: 2 GB RAM + 16 GB Storage, MicroSD slot (up to 256 GB)
Dimensions: 135.4 x 66.2 x 7.9 mm
Battery: 2,350 mAh
Color Options: Black Sky, Gold Sand, Blue Mist and Peach Cloud

Galaxy A5 (2017)

Network: LTE Cat.6
Display: 5.2-inch FHD Super AMOLED
Processor: 1.9 GHz, octa-core
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Camera: 16 MP rear, 16 MP front
Additional features: MST technology (Samsung Pay), Samsung KNOX, S-Voice, Dual SIM support, IP68 certification, 3D glass rear
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v 4.2, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC (UICC, eSE)
Sensor: Accelerometer, Proximity, Geomagnetic, RGB Light, Hall, Fingerprint scanner, Barometer
Memory: 3 GB RAM + 32 GB Storage, MicroSD slot (up to 256 GB)
Dimensions: 146.1 x 71.4 x 7.9 mm
Battery: 3,000 mAh, fast charging
Color Options: Black Sky, Gold Sand, Blue Mist and Peach Cloud
Price: $378 (approximately)

Galaxy A7 (2017)

Network: LTE Cat.6
Display: 5.7-inch FHD Super AMOLED
Processor: 1.9 GHz, octa-core
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Camera: 16 MP (F1.9) rear, 16 MP (F1.9) front
Additional features: MST technology (Samsung Pay), Samsung KNOX, S-Voice, Dual SIM support, IP68 certification, 3D glass rear
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v 4.2, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC (UICC, eSE)
Sensor: Accelerometer, Proximity, Geomagnetic, RGB Light, Hall, Fingerprint scanner, Barometer
Memory: 3 GB RAM + 32 GB Storage, MicroSD slot (up to 256 GB)
Dimensions: 156.8 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm
Battery: fast-charging 3,600 mAh
Color Options: Black Sky, Gold Sand, Blue Mist and Peach Cloud
Price: $424 (approximately)

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

via

Now that multiple sources have confirmed that Samsung is going to push back the unveiling of the Galaxy S8 to an exclusive event in April at New York City, we weren't really expecting to hear anything about the S8 at the Mobile World Congress next month. If a recent report by The Investor is to be believed, then Samsung might actually be unveiling the S8 at the upcoming MWC 2017 in Barcelona. The same report also mentions that the delayed release date remains unchanged, in spite of the early showcase. In case you are not aware, it is highly likely that the Galaxy S8 will be released for sale in and around mid-April (18th as reported by some of the sources).

While we are not sure what to believe at this point as both the contrasting reports come from credible sources, we would not really mind taking a look at the much anticipated Galaxy S8 next month. The general consensus is that Samsung will display the S8 with a handful of units which the company will bring out especially for this event. By the time it's April though, there will reportedly be ten million S8 smartphones ready to be shipped out to markets around the world.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

After years of speculations and planning, it looks like Samsung is ready to finally release smartphones with foldable displays into the market. According to a report by The Korea Herald, there will be some major reshuffling in Samsung's mobile communications unit and IT department by March, following which, the final decision in the matter will be taken. Most reports are suggesting that Samsung will be manufacturing and shipping out as many as 100,000 units of the 7-inch foldable smartphone by Q3 of this very year.

Not to be outdone, LG reportedly has plans of its own to ship out 100,000 units of a foldable smartphone model that they have been developing for the last few years. It should happen by the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the rumors. Additionally, LG may also start selling the foldable displays to other smartphone manufacturers, namely the likes of Huawei and even Apple. It will be interesting to see which of the two Korean tech-giants come out with a better foldable smartphone, given that these rumors hold true of course. Also, we will have to wait and find out if Samsung releases the model with displays on both the rear and the back or the one with just a single flexible display. They may eventually release both versions, but it is likely that we will see just one of them in 2017.

 Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) just went through Geekbench, revealing most specifications to us in the process. The good news is that it will be running on Android Nougat v7.0, straight out of the box. The device in question has the model number SM-J727P and is possibly a prototype of the upcoming J7 (2017). As you can see from the screenshot, it managed to score 889 and 4200 on the single-score and multi-core tests respectively. While this isn't groundbreaking, it's not bad either for a mid-range device.

As per as the specs are concerned, check the list below to find what was revealed.

Model number: SM-J727P
5.5-inch 1080p display
Unknown Qualcomm processor clocked at 2.21GHz with Adreno GPU
2GB of RAM
13-mp rear camera and 5-mp front camera
3,000mAh battery
16GB of internal storage with expandable micro-SD card slot
Android version: Nougat v7.0
Carrier: Verizon (rumored)

We are a bit disappointed to see that it will feature only 2GB of RAM, especially when 3GB has become pretty much the standard. Also, a 32GB internal storage would have been much appreciated.

 Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

We knew that the Galaxy Tab S3 was going to be the unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and as expected, we were right. Samsung's email invitation to the media houses for the MWC confirmed that piece of info by containing a teaser preview of the upcoming tablet's bottom bezel. Since Samsung has now confirmed that the Galaxy S8 won't be making an appearance at this event, the Tab S3 will in all likelihood be the company's main attraction in Barcelona.

Samsung will hold its unveiling event at 7PM CET, on the 26th of February where it may or may not showcase a few other smartphones as well. Just in case you are wondering what kind of hardware the Tab S3 will be packing, we have you covered.

9.6-inch 2,048 x 1,535 pixels display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC
4GB of RAM
32GB of internal storage
13-megapixel/5-megapixel rear and front cameras

Although the specs mentioned above are gathered from a recent rumor that originated in Korea, the chances of them being right are pretty high.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Although we do not generally associate Samsung smartphones with MediaTek processors, according to GFXBench, that's about to change. A Samsung smartphone with the model number SM-G615F was earlier spotted on the benchmarking site and as far as we can tell, this could very well be the next iteration of the Galaxy On7. If you are wondering why we think that the unnamed phone could be the On7 (2017), consider the fact that the On7 (2016) had the model number SM-G610 and things should start to make more sense.

However, what was surprising to see is the fact that the smartphone will be sporting a MediaTek CPU, something that we have not yet seen on a Samsung device. I guess all those rumors about Samsung planning to buy chips from MediaTek weren't hogwash after all! Take a look below to see the specs of the upcoming anonymous smartphone from Samsung.

5.7-inch 1080p display
MediaTek Helio P20 octa-core chip, clocked at 2.3GHz and Mali-T880 MP2 GPU
3GB of RAM
32GB of internal storage
12-megapixel rear and front cameras with autofocus, touch focus, face detection, flash and HDR

Check out the screenshot below for more details.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The Mobile World Congress is the biggest event of the year when it comes to smartphones, tablets and just about any other mobile consumer products. It's almost upon us as February 27 draws near, but do you know what to expect from the smartphone manufacturers this year at Barcelona? We have a pretty good idea, so here are the most anticipated devices that we could be getting a glimpse of in a few days.

HTC Ocean

If rumors are true, the HTC Ocean will be operated entirely via voice commands, gestures and of course, touch.

LG G6

Although the G6 will probably not be sporting the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 flagship chipset, it is expected to sport the world's first 18:9 ratio borderless display with a resolution of 1440 x 2880 pixels.

Blackberry Mercury

TCL Communications are making the handsets for Blackberry nowadays and this is going to be their third handset after the collaboration. The Mercury will sport the trademark Blackberry keyboard and a fingerprint scanner.

Moto G5 and G5 Plus

The cameras on the Moto G4 Plus were simply the best in the mid-range segment and the G5 and G5 Plus are rumoured to sport even better sensors. We will have to wait and see what other improvements Lenovo brings in with the two new handsets.

There are also the Sony Xperia X, the Nokia P1 and the Huawei P10 that's incoming in a few days and we are pretty excited about them too. Which ones are you looking forward to the most? In case you were looking for the Galaxy S8 on this list, we are sorry to inform you that Samsung has confirmed that the S8 will be withheld from the Mobile World Congress this year.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

If you go and search for it in the Play Store or in the App Store, you will find an app named Galaxy Unpacked 2017. It is available for everyone to download and this is what the description says:

Find out everything you need to know about Samsung Unpack with the Samsung UNPACKED 2017 app.

If you're an invited guest, you can also use the app to gain quick access with your e-ticket.

• Get the latest event information direct to your phone, 24/7

• Quickly confirm your attendance

• Enjoy fast entry and avoid registration queues on the door

Download the Samsung UNPACKED 2017 app now!

However, once you open the app and try to sign up, an error message will pop up, informing you that the registrations will open on Wednesday March 22; which is exactly a week from now. As you have probably guessed by now, the event mentioned is the March 29 Unpacking event which will reveal the Galaxy S8 officially to the world. In the meanwhile, if you want to know all that has been leaked about the S8 and S8+ so far, click here and here.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The Project Valley or the Galaxy X is no secret now, especially since rumors have been predicting a release every year for the last few years. Whether or not this is another one of those rumors that doesn't really mean much is something that we will have to wait and find out.

The prototype will not see more than two to three thousand units being manufactured before being released during the first half of the year, according to the report. While that is a remarkably low number for a smartphone to reach public hands, it is quite a high number for a prototype as well. It will possibly be released only to test groups in order to see how the public reacts to the smartphone, before going into mass production with dual-screen devices. The reports of the test or survey will probably determine whether or not most of us will ever see a dual-display touting phone from the Korean giant.

The prototype allegedly has two OLED (Super AMOLED probably) panels that connect with the help of a hinge in-between them. The 180-degree rotation will allow the phone to be carried like a portable smartphone and used like a medium sized tablet. We have heard these things before, so let's just hope it's true this time around.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

They already have had the necessary FCC certifications and rumors are predicting that both the smartphones will be made official by Samsung anytime now. While the Galaxy J5 (2017) and Galaxy J7 (2017) will not be phones which will ever enter the US or European markets, they are a huge hit in the emerging markets of India, Pakistan and South Africa. On that note, let's take a look at what Samsung has in store for the fans of the series this year.

The design visually reminds us about the Galaxy A (2017) series. Of course, it will have more modest hardware specifications as compared to the mid-range A-series. If you are wondering what those specifications are, your guess is as good as mine. Nevertheless, let's hope that the 1080p display won't be exclusive to China this year around. Don't expect any AMOLED displays though as those are reserved for Samsung's higher end phones only.

Via: SamMobile

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Awards and Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphones are not really fresh news in 2017, but just to add one more fat feather to the two smartphone's arsenal, they now also own the title of being the "Best Smartphones" of 2017. The award was given to the S8 and S8+ after judging it on multiple criterions which includes but are not limited to user experience, innovation, performance, value for money and design. The judges who decide on the award are formed of renowned tech-journalists, market influencers, and analysts.

As the Galaxy S8 managed to stay true to all the criterions mentioned here and excelled more than any other in some, it was awarded the most prestigious smartphone award in Asia at the event after the judges reached a unanimous decision. Although it is without a doubt, one of the best smartphones to hit 2017 yet, do you agree with the decision or do you think the award should have gone to some other smartphone? Let us know in the comments.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

It was confirmed during the Mobile World Congress earlier, when Rick Osterloh, SVP of Goggle hardware said "There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it," This more or less can be paraphrased into, 'yes, we are going to release a newer and better version of the Pixel this year, just like all the other major OEMs.'

Just like you, we were also wondering if he would give us a date or at least a rough timeline regarding the next Pixel's launch. However, it was not to be so, as he had this to say; "You can count on a successor this year, even if you don't hear a date from me now."

While the Pixel did already come with the latest processor, Google Assistant, the latest Nougat OS, a Quad HD AMOLED display (XL) and a fantastic set of cameras, what we would have really appreciated was a bigger battery. Hopefully, the Pixel 2 series of smartphones will offer better battery life, along with all the other upgraded bells and whistles. In spite of it being too early to predict anything, what we can say for sure is that the Google phones will sport the latest version of the Android OS (Android v8.0 possibly), as well as the minimum of a Snapdragon 835 SoC.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

When you are a sports fan, the fun of the game is to watch it live, but when you go deeper you like to know the form of your favourite team, racer, or horse. If you are looking for the best mobile free bets, or even wanting to have more in-depth knowledge of the sport, then you have to dive into the statistics and latest news.

This can be done by looking at newspapers and reading all the information included, of course, but in the era of the Internet we also have an unlimited source of statistics and news at hand. To get some control on this deluge of information, we have apps that can get us all the information we want, without drowning us in unneeded clutter. With that in mind, here are 5 must have sports apps in 2017:

BBC Sport

The BBC has always been a useful source of information for news on our favourite teams, as well as the latest scores and highlights from games and races. With the BBC Sports app, not only can you find all the stats you want, but you can also listen to Radio 5Live and Five Sports Extra while browsing.

BBC iPlayer Radio

When on the move and not at a game, sports fans still want to know the results. BBC iPlayer Radio allows sports fans to listen the live commentary without being trapped at home.

TalkSPORT and TalkSPORT 2

Sometimes the BBC may not be running commentary for the games you want, so TalkSPORT and TalkSPORT 2 can help here. They are the official broadcaster for the likes of the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and also the English International games so this can be an essential app for sports fans.

Oddschecker

Oddschecker is one of the most popular odds comparison website in the UK. The odds are gathered from the most reputable bookmakers which include William Hill and Ladbrokes. Punters are able to tailor the app to see more of their favourite sports, whether it's football or horse racing, users can keep track all of their bets with different bookies in one app!

Official F1

The Official F1 app is an essential tool for fans, even when they are sat watching the games on television. Not only does it provide all the latest news, but it lets you track the racers on the track during the race, and includes all the details such as top speeds, tyre information, and best laps.

The Internet is an excellent resource for sports fans, but it can also be a curse sometimes because of the sheer amounts of information that is out there. Having apps like the ones above mean we can get the information we need, and have it on hand at any moment, keeping us informed on all the vital information we need.

If you want to make 2017 the year you start engaging with the financial markets to try and get more from your capital, then your Android phone or tablet can become one of the most helpful tools in your trading arsenal. By taking advantage of good trading related apps, you can set your phone up as a hub for all your trading activity, allowing you to access your portfolio, ETF activity, share index information and everything else you need on the go.

Here are three great apps to help you become an effective mobile trader:

IG Trading

The first thing you need is a trading environment where you can hold your account and actually do your trading. IG's offering is a feature rich app that gives you speedy access to pricing, account information, and most importantly, trading. The app can also help you see various forms of data analysis that can help you plan your moves. The app is free if you have an account with IG, and you can either set this up through the app itself or on their website.

Bloomberg+

An effective trader needs a good source of financial news that is laser targeted to the parts of the market that are most important to them. As you start trading you'll begin to see just how much you value having fast access to business and economic news, as well as expert opinions and analysis. The Bloomberg+ app gives you fast access to the latest global finance news, and means you can avoid having to work through your phone's browser when you need the latest information and breaking price news fast.

Stocktwits

Social media can be a great source of insights, but rather than create a whole new Twitter profile just to collect the stock information you want, or have it fill up your usual news feed, you can install Stocktwits - which is effectively 'Twitter for traders'. You can see insights, ideas, tips and strategies from other traders in real time tweet style format, and also share your own thoughts and ask questions.

Arming yourself with the right sources of insights and news, along with the tools to actually get your trading done, means you can work effectively and efficiently from your phone, whether you are actively making trades or researching a potential trade from both mainstream news sources and social media. With these three apps, you are ready to trade intelligently wherever you are!

Toy Story is coming back for another installment "Toy Story 4", and original film director John Lasseter is on board to direct. The film will be released on June 16th, 2017. This is exciting, if trepidatious news for fans of Pixar and the series: Pixar has increasingly relied on sequels for big hits, while creating great new properties has been put on the back burner.

It's likely that Pixar's move toward sequels is in part a result of being owned by Disney, which would rather see Pixar continue to mine its most successful properties of which Toy Story is perhaps the most loved.

Lasseter tells the LA Times that Toy Story 4 will be a love story that picks up where the previous film left off with Andy giving his toys to a young girl named Bonnie. The story is being created by Lasseter alongside Lee Unkrich, the director of Toy Story 3, Pete Docter, the director of Up, and Andrew Stanton, the director of Finding Nemo so this is truly coming from a team of Pixar all stars. They have also all worked on prior Toy Story films.

Source

You can never trust the digital storage devices that you own. In other words, the data stored within them can get lost at any time. That's why all the people who use digital storage devices to store important files and documents are encouraged to take regular backups. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is free data recovery software that is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers. The application is provided with a user friendly interface and you will be able to gain access to available function and use them with minimum hassle.

Installing EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

Before you start using EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, you will need to install it. For that, you should download the setup file from the internet. The installation procedure is self-explanatory and you will not have to go through any hassle. If you have installed a program on your computer before, you know how to install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. In other words, the typical software installation procedure can be found in this recycle bin recovery software and you can use it soon after the installation.

Scanning for deleted files

As soon as you install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, you can think about scanning your computer for deleted files. It is important to keep in mind that this software can be used for recycle bin recovery as well. Therefore, you will not have to keep any doubts in your mind about the effectiveness.

In this free data recovery software, you are provided with two different options to scan the files. They include Quick Scan and Deep Scan. If you want to get hold of a file that was deleted recently, you can think about using the Quick Scan option. On the other hand, for the process of recovering files that were deleted a long time back, including recycling bin recovery, you can use the Deep Scan option.

CPU Usage

Most of the people who use free data recovery software complain that computer resources are overused during the scanning process. When you use recovery software, it would never become an issue. The app has been fine-tuned in order to use minimum resources during the data recovery process. Therefore, you can even run it in the background and do something else, until the scanning process is completed. On the other hand, it is possible for you to use this application on a computer where there is low processing power and memory as well.

Data recovery process

The data recovery process offered to you by EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is quick and efficient. When you are using it, you would never feel like you are using free data recovery software. The recoverable files would be shown to you in the interface. You can simply select the files that you want to recover out of them and initiate the recovery process. The recovery process would not overuse your computer resources as well and you will be provided with a smooth experience.

Let's face it technology is pretty amazing. With modern advances in technology the world has been opened up to infinite possibility within various disciplines. From doing everything like playing the online Blackjack Canada has to offer, to enjoying VR experiences from your sofa, tech changes the way we live our lives for the better.

From the medical realm to the educational front the latest tech is making headway around the planet, moulding our very way of life, all whilst challenging human existence in the presence of new age tech. 

Technological gadgets aren't just a talking point or a party starter; they are indispensable to daily life and help us make each and every day more exciting and our goals more attainable. 

This years Consumer Electronic Show has opened up the gateway to some astonishing technology. The following pieces of tech are the coolest gadgets to come out of CES 2017. 

Build Digitally With The HP Sprout 

The HP Sprout G2 3D Scanning PC is perfect for product designers, CGI creators and visual creative professionals who could find use for built in 3D and 2D scanners. 

It's a nifty piece of tech that will map just about anything in a three dimensional workflow for inspiring projects. The stylus-enabled touch mat also acts as a second screen and really brings the HP to life in testing workflow situations. 

Explore The Depths With An Underwater Drone 

Drones have taken off around the planet and the skies have never been the same. Buzzing about and capturing life from the air in Full HD, drones have become useful gadgets with various purposes. 

Now you can explore the depths with a drone, the new underwater drone from PowerVision PowerRay, which has the ability to submerge in water up to a depth of thirty meters and capture video in stellar 4K is one piece of advanced tech. 

The underwater drone can also detect fish and lure them in with a blinking blue light. PowerVision have even taken it a step further and will be incorporating Virtual Reality technology that will be responsive by the November of your head. This means that users can go diving without a wetsuit, it's impressive tech that is sure to get heads rolling.

Patrol Your Home With Kuri 

Kuri is essentially a robot coupled with a camera. Dubbed the robot nanny, you can use Kuri to monitor what's going on in your home when you're not around. 

It's one of the coolest gadgets, well because it looks like a robot and has smart capability. If you need to monitor your pets or kids then pre-order Kuri now for that ultimate peace of mind. 

Bring Your LEGO Creations To Life

LEGO is one of those toys that never say die, it doesn't matter how you slice it; LEGO is and always will be cool. Now the Danish toy maker is taking it to the next level with the help of futuristic technology. The all-new LEGO Boost Motors and Smart Bricks series will interact with new and existing LEGO bricks to stimulate robotic movement, which will literally see your creations come to life. 

Even more impressive is the inclusion of an app, which can record voice and sound effects to make your building experience more immersive and interactive than ever before. Bring your inner child out and start building a new world with this tech infused toy. 

It has become official news that the latest flagship ARM chips by Qualcomm will be powering a new range of Windows 10 PCs by the end of this year. However, Microsoft themselves may not be the ones to introduce them to the market, as was previously believed.

A new report suggests that Lenovo is also trying to bring forth its own range of SD 835-powered Windows 10 PCs and it may just beat Microsoft to it. However, there is no guarantee either that Microsoft won't be the one to reach the market first with their new series of Surface laptops. From the point of view of the customer though, it's always good to have more options, so we are not exactly complaining!

If you are interested in these upcoming laptops, know that they will be quite affordable as expected. However, the ARM-powered PCs will actually run on a cloud based Windows 10 OS, instead of a local installation like computers powered by Intel or AMD chips.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The decent into the depths of winder calls for some plans for entertaining friends indoors. You have the drinks at the ready and the music on in the background. But what better to add than a party game that's not Monopoly. Here are a few of the top android games to keep your guests happy whether at a housewarming, birthday party or just an impromptu get together.

Bounden

This is a dancing game that works by using your smartphone's motion sensors. Great for multiplayer use with more than one phone, it's designed so that each device is used with a partner. Holding one side each, guide an onscreen sphere through a path of rings by tilting the screen. Programmed with classical music designed with dance in mind, and coming with seven dances devised by the Dutch National Ballet, you'll find yourself undulating your arms, winding your form, till you're dancing!

Heads Up!

A charades - style game with a themed deck of charades cards. If you're the one guessing, hold your phone up to your forehead and the word shown will have to be acted out by your friends for you to guess. Extra in-app purchases mean you can customise your cards decks.

Who Can't Draw?

A fun challenging game where each player is tasked with a word that they must then attempt to draw. The phone or android device has to be passed from player to player, and each must attempt to copy the drawing they were just passed. You get fifteen seconds. At the last player, you guess the original word. Kind of reminds us of a sketch version of Chinese whispers.

Ticket To Ride

Suitable for play with up to five people, everybody can either have the app on their own phones to participate, or use one device to opt for the pass and play feature. This is a great design of the train based board game where card dealing and piece-handling is done digitally making for easy setup. In-app purchases allow you to unlock other game boards too.

Lucky Nugget Casino

A casino mobile app that allows you to host a casino themed party in your own home and either bring the glamour of a real venue to your house party, or let you try out some slots and classic card games for the chance of real wins, before you hit a casino in the real world.

The year started off with Nokia bringing back Snake with the revamped version of the 3310 which was great news for retro gaming enthusiasts. Although many of 2017's best mobile games are yet to come since the much awaited next gen mobile chips have not been released as of now, we have nonetheless seen quite a few awesome games already in 2017. Here's a list of the top 5 mobile games released in the year so far, according to us.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (iOS)

January saw The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth make its way onto iOS, a game that iPhone users have been waiting with baited breath since 2016. The twin-stick shooter is outright ridiculous, dark, humorous, vulgar and immensely enjoyable at the same time. There's something about playing as a child whose evil mother is trying to kill him and he is trying to survive everything with the help of his tears that both shocks you and enthrals you at the same time. If you haven't played it already, do so now!

Edo Superstar (iOS)

You step in the shoes of Masaru the ninja monkey in this side-scrolling brawler that's entirely controlled via gestures, swipes and taps. Granted that things may get repetitive after a while, it still is extremely fun as long as it lasts. The many challenges of the game keeps you entertained for a good while, although the controls may not always be as reactive as you would want them to be. All in all, it's a game that's definitely worth trying out.

Super Mario Run (iOS and Android)

2017 seems to be the year of the retro games for the mobile platform because after Snake, Mario makes a comeback with Super Mario Run for the iOS and Android (soon to come). The game can be controlled with just one hand as on screen buttons and joysticks have been replaced with tapping and gesture control. The theme is the same as it had been back in Super Mario classic on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES); collect coins, jump on enemies, eat mushrooms and save the princess.

Warhammer 40,000: Regicide (iOS and Android)

Warhammer 40,000: Regicide is an unique take on chess. Apart from adding vivid animations and brutality to each kill on the chess board during Classic gameplay, there's also an additional mode called Regicide. In Regicide mode, the game transcends the traditional rules of chess in favour of advanced special powers and abilities of the units you control on the battlefield. Playing chess online with other players has never been more interesting.

This War of Mine (iOS and Android)

This War of Mine will make you think about each one of your in-game decisions, both before and after you take them. Surviving with your group during a war in a besieged city feels as brutal as it should. You are not a killing machine in this game, but an actual person trying to survive in a war that he did not start, but is paying for in every possible way. Playing the game and surviving will take a toll at your conscience and you will love it!

Honourable mentions include Sky Dancer, Potion Explosion, Dandy Dungeon: Legend of Brave Yamada and MUL.MASH.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL. If you love gaming and wouldn't mind making a bit of money from your favourite hobby, we suggest you try out some of the excellent mobile casino games like Jungle Jim: El Dorado, Sam on the Beach and Planet of the Apes as well. As mentioned before, there's still a lot more to come towards the mobile gamers this year, but these should keep you occupied till then.