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The OnePlus 3 is an extremely well made smartphone, especially considering the price and it's about to get even better. Engadget has received confirmation from the head of OnePlus's software department, Brian Yoon, that a beta build for the OnePlus community will be ready by the end of November. What this also means is that the final build of Android 7.0 with the new Oxygen OS on top will be reaching OnePlus 3 smartphones all over the world via OTA by the end of 2016. Considering that 2016 only has one more month left in it, it would be safe to conclude that the final build will land on the OnePlus 3 next month.
OnePlus isn't a company that's known for providing speedy updates, but that seems to have changed thanks to a pretty big decision. They have merged the development teams responsible for maintaining and updating the HydrogenOS in China with their counterpart for the international OxygenOS to create one unified strong software department that will provide their customers with much faster updates. In fact, even the OnePlus 2 will receive the upgrade to Android Nougat, later in 2017.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
There have been lots of hype around OnePlus new affordable phone - OnePlus Nord. A phone that promises a lot with a relatively smaller price. The new OnePlus Nord was rumored to offer a similar Android experience as any premium phone probably would provide, but at a lower price. The OnePlus Nord hasn't skipped an essential ingredient of a successful phone - a bright AMOLED display, a bigger battery, and multiple cameras. With its other series elevated to the flagship-tier, consumers were asking for a budget-friendly phone for many years, and now, we finally have it.
The phone falls into the sub Rs. 30,000 category and needed something to compete with the same category phones like Vivo's X50 series and Realme's X3. OnePlus Nord is the start of more budget-oriented series, and the company had established this even from the design and feel of its new phone's box. Instead of its typical red long boxes, the phone comes in a relatively compact black box with a large branding name on top of it.
Inside the box, you will find a new silicone case, red Type-c cable, 30T charger, and a SIM eject pin. The OnePlus Nord is much lighter than it looks like, and this is something you might notice even when holding it for the first time. The phone has a glossy finish look with a marble blue color. The camera cutout in the display and the positioning of the rear camera to the left is similar to how Realme X50 5G has placed their camera system.
OnePlus Nord has an AMOLED display with a 6.44-inch display and a Full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. You also get an in-display fingerprint sensor, which works well. The OnePlus Nord features a Snapdragon 765G octa-core SoC. The phone is available in three variants - with 8GBRAM/128GB storage, the 12GBRAM/256GB storage, and an India exclusive variant with 6GBRAM/64GB storage.
The phone has a 4,115mAh battery which supports Warp charge 30T fast charging. Other features include NFC, dual-SIM support, and dual-band Wi-Fi. The rear camera is of 48-megapixel with optical image stabilization. The other cameras on the rear side are an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 5-megapixel depth camera lens.
Although, it's been only a few months since the iPhone 12 came on the market. Apple is already working to release its next flagship smartphone - the iPhone 13. It is expecting to include four different models - the iPhone 13, the iPhone 13 mini, the iPhone 13 Pro, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. But when can we expect Apple to release its next phone?
Apple hasn't said anything on the release date, but based on Apple's release history, we can predict when the company will launch the iPhone 13 series. While the pandemic has caused some uncertainty, tech companies adopt virtual events instead of keeping delaying the release. We can expect to get a first look at the iPhone 13 at an event somewhere in September. It is too early to suggest that whether this launch event will be conducted online or have some physical presence.
A few years ago, CNET came up with a compiled Labor Day hypothesis. Based on the 2021 calendar, the Labor day rule would put the September Apple event and the unveiling of the iPhone 13 on September 8 with a September 17 release date. We don't know if this true, until Apple announces an event, and shows off the phone.
iPhone 13 is rumored to have a 120Hz always-on display that could make it easier to check the time and notifications. The always-on feature is similar to existing Android phones. Users can see the clock, battery charge percentage, and notifications as they arrive. It is expected that the 120Hz refresh rate might be limited to the iPhone 13 Pro variants.
So far, there isn't anything on a design change for the upcoming iPhone 13. Another leak suggests that the phone will be using MagSafe magnets which attach the device to the charger and other accessories and have a stronger bond than usual. Apple hasn't confirmed any of these details, so we have to wait for more leaks and news on this matter.

HarmonyOS is the latest innovation by Huawei but this time the company invested heavily to develop an operating system rather than working on its mobile hardware. The operating system is meant to replace Android, the most popular OS for mobile phones right now. Now the brand is working on the rollout of its new software to about 300 million devices this year.
According to a CNTechPost report, the Chinese tech giant is currently working to get beyond the limitations enforced by the Trump administration in the name of national security. Indeed, this was a difficult challenge but instead of staying behind, the company decided to make its version of the operating system.
According to the vice chairman of Huawei, Huawei is seeking to introduce HarmonyOs to 100 million additional devices this year. Another executive had revealed that around 20 hardware vendors and 280 application software companies have already contacted them to use its new operating system.
Wang Chenglu, president of Huawei's consumer business software division, has announced that the company is targeting about 300 million devices to be powered by HarmonyOS. Out of these 300 million devices, almost 100 million devices will run HarmonyOS out of the box. Meaning the company is planning to launch new products that will ship with HarmonyOS.
For those unaware, HarmonyOS is a built-in software with cross platform integration in mind. In other words, the software isn't limited to just smartphones and TV and may be able to unify different devices. It's more like a universal OS. Huawei has already launched the beta version of the OS for certain smartphones models.

The Mi Mix was truly a revolutionary smartphone in terms of design and the Mi Mix 2 is all set to take that design element even further in roughly ten days' time from now. Although the original Mi Mix was very unique in its design element, we cannot help but notice that according to the rumors and leaks, the Mi Mix 2 is starting to look a lot like the Galaxy S8+. If you are wondering where the resemblance is, consider the fact that it will possibly sport a 2960 x 1440 pixels resolution at 18.5:9 ratio on a 6.2-inch panel, exactly like the S8+.
In other specs, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 will likely be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC and not the rumored SD 836. We are saying this because Qualcomm has not yet made any revelations regarding this rumored new chip and chances of them doing so in the span of the next 9 days are pretty slim!
Nevertheless, the Mi Mix 2 will be rocking a very impressive internal storage of 256GB and that much is all but certain. We expect at least 6GB of RAM and a dual rear camera setup as well, but we only know that there will be at least one 20-mp camera among those two. The rumored 4,400mAh battery also looks to be reliable info and that's probably the highest capacity battery ever used in a flagship smartphone from any company yet.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The Chinese brand Xiaomi launched a new smartphone Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro but this is a renamed version of the Redmi K20 Pro which was already launched back in May. It follows the Xiaomi Mi 9T which was itself a renamed version of the Redmi K20. The Redmi versions are available in China, while the Mi 9T models are manufactured for European countries. The rebranding will make sense to some people as Redmi brand isn't well known outside China.
The Mi 9T Pro has some more desirable features than Mi 9T. It has a rear panel with a nano-holographic finish which gives a stunning look. If you hold it in the hand, you can have at an eye-catching flame effect appeared to be deep below the surface. It looks fantastic, and comes in either red or black, but appears to be missing the blue color from the Mi 9T. the body is made of Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and rear. Xiaomi has chosen a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED screen for the Mi 9T, with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels.
With Mi 9T Pro the device goes notch-less as the selfie camera is a pop-up unit on top of the phone. The device is equipped with a 20-megapixel selfie camera, joined by a triple-lens camera on the back, made of a 48-mega pixel main lens, a 13-mega pixel wide-angle lens, and an 8-mega pixel telephoto lens. The phone comes with Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. The Mi 9T Pro has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip, compared to the Mi 9T's Snapdragon 730. It comes with 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage space. The battery has the same 4,000mAh capacity but gains faster charging. It is announced for release in Europe, the Mi 9T Pro costs 400 euros, or about $443, for the 64GB model, or 450 euros/$500 for the 128GB phone.

Mi 10 pro plus is rumored to be the fastest charging phone to be released this year, according to the tipster Digital Chat Station. This post went online just a day after a Xiaomi smartphone reportedly posted an impressive score on AnTuTu benchmarks. The phone with the model number M2007J1SC recorded a benchmarking score of 687,422. Earlier this week, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun also talked about the top-class specifications. Considering all these developments, it is safe to assume that the upcoming handset may be Xiamoi's premium flagship Mi 10 pro plus.
The report suggested that the upcoming phone may feature a combination of wired, wireless, and reverse wireless charging technology. Yesterday the same tipster also shared the benchmark scores of a Xiamoi device. Scoring 182,883 points in CPU, 292,704 points in GPU, 115,687 points in memory and 96,148 points in UX tests, the device had a total score of 687,422. In comparison, the high-end Lenovo Legion Phone Duel posted a score of 648,871. The rumour mill suggests that this device may be the upcoming Mi 10 Pro Plus.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun shared information on the device specs. The phone is expected to feature a high-refresh rate scree, a powerful camera with 30x and above zoom. For security, it uses an in-display fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers and inbuilt cooling technology to prevent the processor from overheating. Jun also mentioned that the device battery may have a capacity of 4,500mAh and above. It's camera features a front and rear optical sensors with sensitive automatic brightness control. In terms of connectivity and communication with other devices, it is expected to support near-field communication and an infrared remote control. The phone might be launched in the next month in China.

108MP camera seems to be a hot selling point for premium smartphones this year. We have seen a high-resolution camera up to 108MP in the past 12 months or so, including the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ultra. But all of these phones were expensive and not something everyone could afford. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ultra was nearly over $1,000 which is an insane price tag.
Now, we leak by a reputable leaker with username ‘digital chat station' on Weibo social network that is surprisingly pleasant. According to him, the first 108MP Redmi phone is in the last phases of the manufacturing process and we might have it soon. He further added that it's part of three new upcoming Redmi Note 9 series devices that are expected in mid-November rather than a Redmi Note 10 series.
According to him, the phone will feature a Samsung Isocell HM2 sensor. This is a new 108MP camera sensor from the company and features a 0.7-micron pixel with a 1/1.52 inch sensor size - slightly smaller in both categories than the company's earlier 108MP camera sensors. The HM2 still features new binding technology, combining data from nine adjacent pixels into one for a crisper and cleaner image.
This isn't the first time we have such a leak, as the earlier leaks suggest that a phone called J17 by Redmi might have a 108MP camera and a telephoto macro camera. The "J17" lines up with a Xiaomi device with model number M2007J17C/M2007J17G that was previously spotted on certification websites and could offer 33W charging. The Redmi Note 9 Pro max is currently one of the most popular high-end devices in India. So, if the new phone fall in the budget-category, we could be looking at the cheapest 108MP phone.

Huawei consumer business CEO Richard Yu was recently spotted using the Mate X in an airport. Three months after indefinitely delay the device, Samsung finally announced a revised September release date for the Galaxy Fold on Wednesday. Releasing a phone in September means getting a tough competition with iPhone but it also means getting in front of directly Huawei's Mate X. Huawei's take on the foldable smartphone also broke cover this week after being spotted in the hands of Huawei consumer business CEO Richard Yu at the Shenzhen International Airport, according to a Weibo post spotted by Gizchina.
Although we didn't get any details about when Huawei's competing foldable will launch. The last official statement suggested that the company will release it in September, the same month as Samsung. Huawei's device was due for release back in June but the company had to delay the release to be extra cautious. Huawei's delay was less publically visible. At the time company said that it was taking a cautious approach to release the Mate X. The company spent this time to conduct extensive testing to make sure it was ready for consumers.
As per Huawei it has made significant progress on the device since February but the company didn't reveal any details on what has changed. The hardware is basically the same as it was shown earlier this year. We may not have to long wait until the Mate X release. Samsung had to face PR embarrassment but Huawei's phone was never released for public use. Samsung may have to face the competition but Huawei's license is due to expire on August 19th and this has to clear that what will happen to its OS after that.

Last year, the Trump administration decided to put Huawei and its subsidiaries on the U.S Commerce department's entity list to prevent any security risk. This prevented Huawei to have any kind of trade including the licensing from Google for its new devices. For the first few months, Huawei rebranded its existing pre-certified devices to release in the international smartphone market. Even before the ban, Huawei was working on AppGallery which is the alternate app of Google Play store and Huawei mobile services are alternative to Google Play services.
The company is about to launch its next flagship series - Huawei P40 and customers still need to be convinced that they can survive without Google apps. One of the highlighted app as an alternate of Google app is the native Huawei search app, which is in the beta phase right now. Redditor /u/being null informed us that Huawei is recruiting users in the UAE to test the new Huawei Search application.
Google not only gives you access to the search engine but also has Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google podcasts, and many more. Currently, Huawei search is a basic search engine but we may see other features in the future as well. Huawei search allows you to input a basic query to search the internet for web pages, news, blogs, articles, or videos. There is also a weather widget that displays current 24-hour weather forecast data from the China meteorological administration.
In settings, you can have a peek into the search history or can turn it off, give feedback, change the search region or language, toggle safe search or change the app's search scope. The search service is provided by Aspigel limited. There is no information on which search engine Huawei is currently using as the search results from Huawei didn't match results from Google or Yahoo. This service may seem in its early phases but hopefully, it will evolve into something better and who knows might compete with Google in the near future.

Image: Pexels
Cybercriminals have become huge stumbling blocks for business owners. They've been stealing assets and customer identities from companies, interfering operations, and inflicting other forms of damage.
In 2020, we can only expect cybercriminals to continue being as relentless and consistent with their attacks.
If your IT network is defenseless, you can easily fall prey to their ploys and suffer major losses.
And so the question becomes, how on earth are we supposed to protect our business?
The answer... Cyber Essentials.
If you're not familiar with Cyber Essentials, it's a data security accreditation program the UK government set for businesses and websites.
The government launched the Cyber Essentials framework to encourage organizations from various industries to bolster their IT defenses and guard their data and networks.
To understand Cyber Essentials better, let's talk about some of the biggest breaches and threats, as well as the program's strategies to keep cyber crimes at bay in 2020.
Famous Breaches
Thousands of data breaches have occurred within the decade. Many of these cases remained discreet and unreported, and some caught worldwide public attention.
Yahoo, for one, suffered multiple hacking incidents for four years, including these among the largest and most famous breaches.
The hackers, though, behaved differently in the breaches that took place for specific years.
In 2012, two separate hijackers broke into Yahoo's online infrastructure but didn't take anything. Hackers then stole records from all accounts, summing to about three billion, in 2013.
The year after, cybercriminals targeted the user database which involved around 500 million holders.
Reports say they obtained account details like people's names, passwords, email addresses, birthdays, and phone numbers.
These multiple breaches resulted in Yahoo agreeing for a settlement of almost 118 million dollars in April 2019.
Because of a software glitch or API bug, Google+ also experienced breaches from 2015 to 2018, compromising data of around 52 million users.
Due to the repeated instances, Google declared closing down Google+ permanently in April 2019.
While cybercriminals have hijacked mostly email and social media accounts, they targeted something more advanced in 2019, proving their makings of bringing far greater danger.
They exposed passwords and biometrics of a million users of BioStar 2, a web-based, open, and integrated security platform with access control, time, and attendance functionalities.
The hijackers launched a cloud vulnerability attack to leak data containing users' fingerprints and photos, which researchers discovered were unencrypted.
This incident is riskier because while you can replace passwords and ID numbers, you can't change your biomarkers, which are permanent.
Once hackers acquire your DNA prints, who knows how they can exploit them for identity fraud, profit, and other motives.
Prominent and Emerging Threats Ensue
Hackers can unleash a wide array of cyber threats and attacks to carry out data breaches.
Many of these crimes have become prominent for repetitively affecting various victims, whether individuals or small and established companies.
Ransomware, a type of malware, for instance, has nastily hit thousands, even millions, of organizations. It locks your data, threatening to delete it until and unless you pay the hacker.
Cyber hijackers also frequently launch malware through many attacks, like phishing, one of the most prevalent social engineering methods deceiving you into exposing critical information.
Hackers usually do that through official-seeming emails that ask you to access malicious links or attached files, or provide personal data to receive a prize, see fake log-in alerts, etc.
They can even inject malware through malicious or fake advertising, often in the form of pop-ups with celebrity scandals, pornographic content, or too-good-to-be-true prizes.
If you access public WiFi often, you can be at risk of man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks where hackers can intercept your private emails and chats and send replies as if it's you or the other person.
Cyber crimes then have even advanced as hackers leverage cutting-edge technologies.
One modern onslaught, for example, is formjacking. This happens when hackers insert a piece of code onto your ecommerce site to steal private details of your customers filling in your forms.
Another is cryptojacking. Here, cybercriminals infect your site or online ads, or trick you into clicking malicious links with codes that let them mine cryptocurrencies from your device.
Now if you're a company executive, you can be a victim of whaling, a social engineering scheme asking you to authorize invoices and money transfer.
Chatbots can even become malicious when cybercriminals hack them and implant malware. They can also make one, release it, and mimic legitimate business chatbots.
Thus, with these and other prominent threats still ensuing, plus new ones emerging in 2020, Cyber Essentials can serve as your main defense mechanism.
Your Primary Defense
Cyber Essentials empowers you to bolster your IT security through rock-solid techniques you must actively and continually implement.
For one, it emphasizes that you install and periodically update your anti-virus and anti-malware software, as well as firewalls, which act as your first defense layers.
These programs can block malicious code, spam, viruses, and other suspicious activities from permeating your IT environment.
Updating these patches also enables them to detect new advanced forms of viruses, malware, and other risks.
This step is crucial because hackers can exploit vulnerabilities in your configurations in your web app firewalls and others.
Such was the case for the infamous Capital One breach, affecting 106 million users in the US and Canada and making it one of the most massive incidents ever.
Human error also accounts for a noteworthy percentage of breaches. Hence, it's crucial that you educate your staff on phishing, other deceptive tactics, and the proper responsive measures.
The Yahoo data breach, after all, happened because the phishing scheme worked.
Security configuration through tested and proven practices is also vital, like creating stronger passwords, encrypting your email domains and website, authenticating log-ins, etc.
If you have an ecommerce store and you use plugins, you should be careful, too, and install only the legitimate ones.
For example, if you're on Shopify, you can stick to browsing only among the best Shopify apps, those with high scores, excellent reviews, and other safety-verifying indicators.
Fake plugins can look official and secure but carry harmful components without your knowing.
Finally, you must establish access governance controls, authorizing only the personnel with directly related jobs to obtain specific types of company data.
If or when you experience data breaches, access control will help you more easily probe into and reinforce accountability for information management.
Making Cyber Essentials Your 2020 Priority
The Cyber Essentials program is a rock-solid defense mechanism your business would do well to invest in.
When implemented, the scheme can improve your chances of winning against cybercrimes or experiencing only little damage.
Besides your data, you also protect your sales, customers' trust, brand image, competitive edge, and more.
That said, this 2020, make Cyber Essentials your priority and successfully keep cybercrimes at bay.
Did you find this post useful? Share this with your colleagues then. Cheers!

In a world where the Nokia 9 PureView sports a penta-camera setup on its back, and even mid-rangers like the upcoming Redmi Note 7 Pro is supposed to carry a 48-mp Sony IMX586 sensor on release, it is just so hard to determine a clear winner these days.
Is it the Apple iPhone XS or the Galaxy S10+ which has the best night mode? Or does the Google Pixels still have the best single-camera you can get your tech-savvy paws on? Well the answer may not surprise anyone who is familiar with the recent releases and smartphone reviews, but to those that have firmly believed Apple, Samsung and Google to be the leaders in smartphone camera department, this will come as a bit of a shock for sure.
The Huawei P30 Pro has by far, the best rear camera setup on a smartphone you can possibly use to snap photos with, as of now. While the Google Pixel 3/Pixel 3 XL's single 12.2-mp rear camera is a runner-up and might even match the four lenses of the Huawei P30 Pro in some aspects, the 40MP + 20MP + 8MP + ToF (Time of Flight) lenses beat the Pixels in low-light performance to such a degree, that it isn't even comparable at this point.
Then there are the added advantages of having a very useful 20MP ultra-wide lens by your side, as well as the 10x optical zooming option, which can be coupled with digital zoom to reach an astounding 50X superzoom from a smartphone!
If you have any doubt regarding the actual picture quality, do check out multiple videos on YouTube that review the Huawei P30 Pro's imaging capabilities and compare it with that of other smartphone cameras. If only it had a better display and a better UI...
Saikat Kar

A few years ago the main trend was smartphones featuring lots of features, online mobile games and multiple cameras. As to be expected, the more cameras a phone had, the more effusive were the bragging rights. These days, most smartphones on the market have multiple cameras, with some being so festooned with cameras -especially on the back.
Now, it seems the age of multiple cameras has passed, or at least slowed down, with the next big thing being 5G smartphones. More and more of such smartphones are being launched, primarily by such phone makers like Samsung and Huawei. Not to be outdone, Chinese phone maker Realme has revealed that it plans to unleash its own 5G smartphones on the ever-dynamic Indian market soon.
Realme Gets Real
Just last month, Realme confirmed that it aims to launch 5G-enabled smartphones in India, but only when the network for it has been completed. The exact completion date for the Indian 5G network appears iffy, with the result that Realme has so far been unable to decisively state if it will roll out 5G smartphones in India within this year, or if Indian consumers will have to wait till next year for what folks in a few other countries have begun taking for granted..
The CEO of the company, Madhav Sheth recently disclosed on Twitter that his company plans to start offering 5G-enabled smartphones as of this year. While this is commendable, questions still remain.
For one, left unsaid is if Realme plans to roll out a new 5G smartphone specifically for the Indian market, or if it will offer Indian users the 5G variant of its very fabulous Realme X. According to reports, the 5G variant of this smartphone has the uber-powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip sitting pretty under the hood and is jam-packed with lots of class-leading features.
Quite Recently, Realme brought its new Realme X to the Chinese market, which is one of the biggest on the globe. This is its very first phone with a pop-up selfie cam that takes the most amazing pics while eliminating the dreaded notch.
Realme has as well revealed plans to launch the phone in India as soon as possible, with all three variants of the phone scheduled to be available. This launch will take place around the middle of this year, with prices ranging from Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 according to variant.
X Games With The Realme X
The Realme X is equipped with a 16 MP selfie snapper that has a Sony IMX471 sensor and an aperture of f/2.0. On the back is a double rear camera setup, with the main one being a 48MP shooter that has an f 1.7 aperture, plus LED flash. Complementing it is a 5MP secondary camera that works overtime making sure that its big brother takes the most amazing and fantastic pictures.

Smartphones have long become an indispensable device, especially for motorists. A modern device like Samsung Galaxy Note 7 can completely replace a standard navigation and even multimedia system in a car, while still providing communication with the outside world. Unfortunately, not every car has a special place to accommodate a smartphone, so its integration will require special accessories, for example, a car holder for a phone. Here you can compare the basic models, https://www.bestadvisor.com/car-phone-holder, and in the meantime we will tell you about additional possibilities for the integration of a smartphone and a car.
Listen to Music from Your Smartphone
Instead of constantly switching radio channels, trying to get rid of annoying songs or commercials, or constantly recording something new on a USB flash drive, it's much better to listen to music from your smartphone: here you can listen to songs from the Internet, and your favorite music that is available offline . But before you buy additional devices, try connecting your smartphone to the car radio with a standard USB cable.
New Features for Diagnostics
Innovative applications for smartphones allow every owner of the car, using a special Bluetooth adapter connected to the car's OBDII port, to read all errors from a car's computer. With these applications, you can diagnose your car on the go.
Use the Opportunity to Save on DVR
Do smartphones and tablets have a camera - so it can be used for the benefit of the motorist. This is an obvious thought: why spend extra money to buy a DVR, if it can easily be replaced by a smartphone?
And for this there are special programs that allow you to impose time, speed and coordinates on the video image. The only drawback is that the smartphone battery will be discharged faster, but it is possible to connect the charger in all cars. As a bonus, applications for video registration offer such pleasant (for a long time already used not only in the premium segment) functions, such as recognition of road signs of speed limits and prohibition of overtaking. The advantage of a mobile application is that there are more recognizable road signs. However, there is a hitch in how truthfully the camera of the smartphone recognizes them and in what light conditions. But in any case, you should try this option.
The Possibilities of Reverse Integration
Currently, many automakers have begun to equip their products with new smartphone integration systems with new software. Thanks to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, your favorite applications on your smartphone become available on the screen of the infotainment system of your car. In addition, all your contacts saved in the phone can also be viewed on the screen of this console.
Of course, the list of possibilities of the integration of a smartphone and a car is not limited to the mentioned above. Start enjoying them today and make your driving more convenient and innovative.

Realme is ready to launch its next flagship smartphone - Realme 6i on July 24, Friday at noon. Flipkart has already uploaded a dedicated web page to show off the phone and its specification detail. As per the specs listing on Flipkart, the device is powered by the Mediatek Helio G90T SoC. Only a day ago, Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth tweeted that the Realme 6 series will be updated with a powerful addition. The phone was already expected in the mid of this month. Several reports suggest that new Realme 6 device may be launched alongside the Realme C11. Flipkart also listed some details on the device but later on the website took off the page.
Yesterday, Sheth announce about the new addition to the Realme 6 series on Twitter. He said, "Expanding this series soon with another powerful addition!". While the tweet didn't mention any specific model of the upcoming phone, it set off some ripples that Realme may be teasing the imminent launch of the Realme 6i in India. The same phone has already launched in Myanmar in March, but the model expected in India is also rumored to be the rebranded version of the Realm 6s, which was launched in Europe in May.
The specs listed on Flipkart's explore Realme 6i features. As mentioned above the phone is powered by the powerful processor MediaTek Helio G90T Soc, specially tuned for gaming on phones. The images placed on the web page show more details on the design aspects. The phone is going to have a hole-punch design on the front side with a quad-camera setup on the rear side. The phone is expected to be the rebranded version of the Realme 6s. The phone features an Android 10-based Realme user interface, a 6.5-inch full HD+ display with 1080 x 2400 pixels, LCD hole-punch display with 90Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Helio processor, a 4GB RAM, 64GB built-in internal storage with a dedicated microSD card slot.
To keep your phone out of the hands of unwanted access, the phone uses a side-mounted fingerprint reader. The phone has a 4,300mAh battery with 30W flash charge support. Connectivity options on the Realme 6s include Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth v5, GPS, NFC, 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-C port, and more. The device has a quad-camera system aligned vertically with a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP secondary, and two 2MP cameras.

CES 2015 Event is due to this week, Samsung has been working on its upcoming 2015 flagship device Galaxy S6 codenamed "Project Zero" for a while now, the Korean giant promised a completely new design with full metal unibody.
Latest Reports from Las Vegas (the place where CES will be held) suggests that Samsung will showcase the Galaxy S6 during its private event in the CES 2015. However, unfortunately, the devices will only be showcased to select partners, the report notes, which means that consumers will not be able to take a look at them. So, we may or may not get a sneak peak or a leaked photo, Stay Tuned!
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is expected to feature a 5.5-inch QHD (1440×2560 pixels) display, an Exynos 7420 chipset with octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal memory. In addition, the smartphone is also said to have a 20-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front snapper.

When Samsung annouced the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge at the MWC 2015, Everyone expected "MAD" sales records for both devices. Analysts are expecting that Samsung will break all records with these two new flagships. Forecasts predicted this year's sales record at 38 million, but then a Citibank analysts pushed them up to 46 million.
Today, Yonhap News published report by DRAMeXchange Analysts, which is predicting a total of 55 million Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge to be sold during 2015.
The two flagships will go on sale in April and in that first quarter of availability they are expected to reach 22.2 million sales. Samsung has previously revealed that carriers had pre-ordered 20 million units. We hope Samsung break the record again this year.

Ted 2 is set for release on June,26th this year. Mark Wahlberg is returning alongside Seth MacFarlane as the voice of the foul-mouthed, spliff-smoking, hard-drinking title character, though their original co-star Mila Kunis doesn't appear second time out.
However, Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson and David Hasselhoff all have roles in the sequel, which MacFarlane directed from a script he co-wrote with his original Ted collaborators Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The film is believed to follow Ted's seemingly unlikely attempt to have a baby.
Released in 2012, the original Ted became a surprise smash at the box office, grossing over $500 million (£310 million) worldwide.

Samsung Mobile announced that it began the mass production of its latest 20nm 4GB LPDDR4 Mobile DRAM memory chips. Using the 20nm manufacturing process, these LPDDR4 chips will be reportedly 50% faster than the fastest LPDDR3 memory on the market, while also consuming 40% less power (1.1 volts).
The 4GB RAM chips will be ready to debut in Smartphones and Tablets by Late 2015. The chances of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5 rocking 4GB of RAM is quite high.
The I/O data rate is up to 3,200 megabits per second, a whopping two times faster than the DDR3 DRAM used in PCs. As a result, the the new LPDDR4 RAM can support UHD video recording and playback and continuous shooting of high-resolution images with over 20 megapixels.

Google has just started rolling-out Marshmallow 6.0 for its Nexus line-up.HTC VP Product Management, Mo Versi, announced that the HTC One M8 Google Play Edition (GPE) is getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. The original HTC One M8 users are still waiting for their Marshmallow update with Sense 7 UI.
@athreya7777 M8 GPE will include Marshmallow OS update. Our target is this month. Will advise once we are close to release.
— Mo Versi (@moversi) October 6, 2015
The M8 GPE should get the OTA package by the end of this month (October), packing all the the tasty features of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Stay tuned with us and we will let you know when this update is Rolling-out, don't forget to follow the Official HTC Updates page.

Few hours ago, Google officially announced Android M Developer Preview. Now, Jeff Gordon, Senior Global Online Communications Manager at HTC, has just announced via its Twitter account that Android M update will become officially Available to the HTC One M9 and HTC One M9+ and More devices.
Good news! The HTC One M9 and M9+ will be updated to Android M, with more devices to be announced soon.
— Jeff Gordon (@urbanstrata) May 28, 2015
More HTC devices to get M updates will be announced soon. We expect that all latest HTC High-end and Mid-range devices released last year get the Android M update. Currently only the developer preview is available, Google will release the final version of the Android M later this year, HTC will take 90 days starting from this release date to develop an update for its devices with Sense 7 UI.
Google says that Android M is its most powerful release ever, bringing hundreds of improvements, including improved battery life, simplified app permissions control, Android Pay, an enhanced UI, and more.

HTC was rumored to release it's first Android Wear Smartwatch, or its first Smart Wearable device. According to the latest reports apparently, the company has decided not to try to compete with LG, Samsung, Motorola and others, and has scrapped its Smartwatch project.
A report published on Friday, suggests that the rising costs of producing the watch was one of the reasons behind HTC's decision to cancel it. In addition, it is believed that the watch being devised by the company lacked any innovation or special design that would allow it to challenge the competition.
The smartwatch market is becoming more and more crowded, with Asus recently joining the group. Right now, there is a heavy air of anticipation as Apple's long awaited iWatch is expected to be unveiled on September 9th. As usual with Apple, the expectations are extremely high. While it is probable that Apple's timepiece will see the light of day this coming Tuesday, the product will probably not be made available to consumers until next year.

If you own an HTC One M8 or One M7 Google Play Edition, you'll get your Lollipop treat very soon. Google is already rolling-out Android 5.0 Lollipop updates to its Nexus line-up right now. HTC already got the source code of the Lollipop earlier this month, regular HTC One devices will get the update by Feb,2015 and GPE is during this month.
According to a new Tweet from an HTC's Rep, they ran into a small problem but they are still targeting to a Friday release. So, if you have an HTC One M8 GPE or M7 GPE you should get the update by the Eend of this week.

Since launching the flagship One M9 smartphone earlier this year, HTC has been rather quiet. But according to company chairperson and CEO Cher Wang, there's more to come from the Taiwan-based firm later on in 2015, with a slew of new smartphones heading to the consumer market.
There's no doubt that the HTC One M9 is a great smartphone. The M9 ticks most of the boxes one would expect of a flagship device at this point. But with Samsung, the market-leader in terms of top-tier Droids, having really thrown down the gauntlet with its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, the One M9 has drawn some flak for being perhaps too similar to last year's One M8.
Given past release cycles, it's seemingly unlikely that HTC will drop another handset this year to equal or best the One M9 or the almost-identical One M9+. But according to DigiTimes, the company's CEO spoke of a "new series" of smartphones in the pipeline during a meeting of shareholders, although whether this will entail as few scattered handsets or an entirely new product line remains to be seen.
Last week, the HTC 850C was leaked, with the accompanying report indicating that it will be of the Desire variety and aimed towards the Chinese market. Given the inclusion of dual SIM slots, it would seem less than likely that the 850C will reach the Western market, and the same could be said of the Desire-esque HTC WF5W, which also emerged a short while ago. With a super-svelte design, though, the WF5W looks promising in terms of a new direction that HTC could take regarding the design of its smartphones, and as such, it'll be interesting to learn of what the company has up its sleeve.

Recently a reputed English IT journal brought news into everyone's notice about HTC's upcoming move. The Taiwanese Electronics brand HTC has revealed its plan to release a next-generation model of its blockchain-centric smartphone somewhere by the end of 2019. According to HTC's chief decentralized officer Phil Chen, the development is still in the process and aims to boost smartphones sales. If realized, this will also help to expand the company's blockchain echo system.
In sprint 2018, HTC first unveiled its plans for its first native blockchain phone. HTC Exodus will support multiple block chains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum networks, PCMag reported May 15. HTC Vive creator Phil Chen seem pretty positive about the possible outcomes after this phone is being launched. Chen said the Company's mission is to support the entire blockchain ecosystem in order to "help underlying protocols expand their base of dedicated nodes". Chen also mentioned that the upcoming premium phone will support "multiple blockchain protocols" such as BTC, Ethereum, Lightning Network (LN), and Definity Network.
The Android smartphone will feature a universal digital currency wallet as well as a secure hardware enclave. Chen also insisted that HTC Exodus would be highly secure and follow high standards of security and data protection. He said: "I want to see a world where the end consumers can truly own their data - browsing history, identity, assets, wallets, email, messaging - without the need of central authorities. As there isn't much information about Exodus right now, we can't estimate the price tag it might carry but Chen said that company may consider cryptocurrency as a means of payment for the upcoming blockchain powered smartphone.
The second-generation of HTC Exodus will extend its supported blockchain apps to browsing, messaging and probably to the social media. These new communication apps will be based on peer-to-peer connections instead of being routed via clouds. Chen referred to the major success of centralized consumer apps like Uber and Airbnb as an emerging sector of blockchain and decentralized technologies.

It seems only yesterday that the Galaxy Note 7 was launched, but it's literally history now as the continuing hazardous nature of the smartphone resulted in its discontinuation and a complete recall by Samsung. Nevertheless, we have good news for Samsung fans as the Galaxy S8 is coming and it's coming fast. Work on firmware of the upcoming Galaxy S8 has already started, as reported by SamMobile.
If you were expecting to see the Galaxy S8 earlier due to the failure of the Note 7, it may not be the case. While there is no way to be sure about this, it is true that software development started at around the same time for the S7 in 2015 as well. If Samsung sticks to the expected release date in February at the Mobile World Congress next year, we think it would actually be a better move than releasing an incomplete device early, just to fill the gap that the Note 7 left in the market for Samsung. Besides, rumor has it that releasing the Note 7 in a hurry in order to compete with the iPhone 7 is what led to the following disaster in the first place.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Now that the Note 7 has been discontinued permanently, Samsung is sending a very special protective box for customers to return the smartphone in. The boxes themselves are thermally insulated and the kit actually contains a pair of safety gloves! You will first need to power off the Note 7 and put it into the shielding bag. Next, the shielding bag containing the phone is to be put inside the replacement box. The replacement box will then go into another inner box, following which, the whole package is to be placed inside the final box, which will be shipped back to the manufacturer. One can only ship the item via ground transportation as none of the devices will be allowed on an aircraft. If this doesn't give you an idea about how serious the issue is, nothing will.
We are sad to see such a well made device undone by such disastrous internal engineering flaws, but considering that this was a flagship device with premium pricing, one cannot help but feel astonished that something like this could ever happen to such a device, especially when it was made by the world's number one smartphone maker. If you have not already, return your Galaxy Note 7 NOW. Even if it has been marked as safe, that marking is invalid in light of the current situation.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Are you a diehard fan of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7? If you are, then it must have made you sad to see the beautiful but dangerous smartphone being cancelled forever. Although the Note 7 is now dead and Samsung is in serious trouble with an estimated loss of over 17 billion USD due to the mishap, the Galaxy S8 is coming nevertheless. The OEM just has to WOW its customers with the S8 to the point that they decide to overlook the embarrassing incident and go for it. TechDroider has shared with us a concept video of the Galaxy S8 that seems capable of doing just that.
The render shows us four color variants of the S8, a dual rear camera setup and a full screen/bezel less Quad HD display without a physical Home button or a visible fingerprint scanner. Both of these are now a part of the display itself. The render also mentions the Exynos 8895/Snapdragon 830 chip inside the device as expected. Even though it's just a concept which isn't probably based on anything concrete, it would be interesting to see if the real Galaxy S8 manages to match up to this. However, I personally don't really care for the colors shown here.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The latest rumor about the Galaxy Note 6 suggests that, well... there won't actually BE a Galaxy Note 6! Sam Mobile was informed by one of its trusted sources in South Korea itself that Samsung will skip a number and name their sixth Note smartphone as the Galaxy Note 7. If the source is correct then the Korean OEM thinks that most customers will consider the upcoming Note to be older than the S7-series of smartphones, if it carries the suffix "6" with it. The lower model number, according to a source in Samsung itself, "...can give out a feeling that it is an outdated phone,"
This would not be the first time that Samsung will be doing this though, because it had also ditched the "Z2" model number in favor of "Z3," when it had launched the follow-up to the Tizen-OS based smartphone, Z1. In other news, the next Note could also be called the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Edge because of the possibility that it might feature a curved display with dual edges.
Our advice would be to take this news with a pinch of salt (as you must do with most rumors) before more is revealed about the authenticity of the "Galaxy Note 7 Edge." We will get to know more soon enough, as we head towards the release date, set somewhere in August.
Author: Saikat Kar (Tech-journalist and enthusiast)

The first believable photos of the back of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 have surfaced. Along with the back image comes rumored specifications for the latest model in the flagship S range of smartphones.
At first glance, the image certainly looks accurate rather than a Photoshop mockup designed to fool interested observers. Just like rumors about the camera bump has previously suggested, there is no noticeable bump at the back where the camera lens is situated. This will please people who dislike this aspect of the S phone design.
The frame of the revealed phone is said to have a magnesium metal frame, unlike the aluminum frame of its predecessor.
The Samsung Exynos chipset included with the S7 is expected to be an upgraded version with a 15% improvement to CPU and GP performance. A Qualcomm Snapdragon variant is also expected to have similar specifications. DAC high-end audio, namely the ESS Sabre 9018, is thought to be included in both variants and matches the audio in the current LG V10 smartphone.
Battery life is expected to match the previous Samsung Note with a fast charging battery capable of going from zero to 80% in half an hour. Some degree of water resistance is a possibility too. The camera, without the bump, is thought to use a 12-megapixel Britecell sensor on the rear offering an f/1.8 aperture.
The expected release date is March 18, with both variants being previewed on March 3

Samsung Innovation Labs are working on some exciting new projects beyond the curved-edge displays. A Samsung official revealed that the company has started using its flexible / bendable display technology to start creating create a foldable Smartphone, that can be folded like a wallet allows combining between the two form factors of any phone (large screen and compact body).
The new flexible screen tech has four phases: curved, bent, foldable and rollable. The first two are already a reality, the third one is coming soon while the last one holds promise of displays that are stored like roller blinds.
Another report from a Korean new website, says that Samsung will unveil a Flexible and Foldable Tablet by the End of this year (2015). Although this report contradicts Samsung's revelation in an analyst conference in 2013 about foldable devices to be available by 2016-17, industry watchers now foresee the said devices to hit the market by 2015.

Earlier this year, We reported that Samsung is rumored to be working on a foldable Tablet and Smartphone, codenamed "Project V". It looks like that these rumors turns out to be true, as a newly published patent (No. 30-0757696) from the company has surfaced online, revealing a tablet display that could fold up to two times, effectively forming a single device.
In the Patent, it isn't clear enough how the device's display would work in its unfolded form but it looks like all three parts will be connected together as a screen to display wide-screen video.
It's worth mentioning that this is a design registration patent, meaning it shows the actual look of a hypothetical device, which may or may not turn into reality. Samsung filed it back in November 2013, and the Korean Intellectual Property Office published it yesterday.
We should see these foldable products in the markets by the end of this year. The price is expected to be high considering the technology used on manufacturing such devices.

A tool that all Samsung users has it installed on their computers, Samsung KIES, the Samsung's smartphone manager suite for PC and Mac, will get a major overhaul. According to confirmed reports, Samsung is planning on releasing a new version of its manager software - KIES 4 - with a completely new design to look similar to the company's TouchWiz Lollipop look with flat Material Design elements.
Samsung Kies 4 is expected to be available for download sometimes by the end of this year Q4,2015. So the Galaxy Note 5 will have a new computer buddy to play with very soon.
In terms of functionality, there's no information if Samsung will be adding new features to the software or just change it looks. Many users love Kies for its data backup skills and it's likely that the company plays it safe and just apply a refreshing coat of paint to the suite.

As you probably know already, in an unexpected turn of events, Samsung has shown us a smartphone which could very well be the upcoming Galaxy S8.The OEM has released two advertisements in South Korea to promote their new Super AMOLED panels and in both ads, we see a smartphone which looks quite similar to what previously leaked renders of the S8 had revealed to us. As the chances of this being a coincidence are too small to be honest, I am of the opinion that these ads are in a way, the first Galaxy S8 teasers, albeit unofficially. Take a look at the screenshots in this article to get your first look at the upcoming flagship from Samsung (hopefully).
There will be two versions of the Galaxy S8 this year and both versions will have curved displays with a very high screen-to-body ratio. The Galaxy S8 Plus will have a huge 6.4-inch display, while the size of the display on the regular S8 will range in between 5.7-inch to 6.2-inch. If you are interested about the dimensions of the two devices, we have a leak for you which states just that. In order to know more about the proposed specifications of the two upcoming flagship smartphones, click here.
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 were hoping for a flat screen version of the Galaxy S8 in 2017, this news is probably going to disappoint you. Even though rumors had been saying this for months, a recent leak by none other than Evan Blass has confirmed the fact that Samsung has no plans of releasing a separate Edge version for the Galaxy S8. Instead, the bigger variant will be known as the Galaxy S8+. You can check out the logo above, as leaked by @evleaks on Twitter.
In case you have not been following the rumors, this means that both the phones will be sporting dual curved, borderless, QHD displays. The flat panels were ditched by Samsung as the Galaxy S7 Edge outsold the regular S7, in spite of the former being more expensive. Rumors suggest that the Galaxy S8 will feature a huge 5.8-inch display, while the S8+ may sport a mammoth 6.2-inch one. Additionally, the S8 Plus could come with 128GB of internal storage, while the S8 may have to remain content with a modest 64GB of internal storage. Irrespective of the internal storage, both the models will almost certainly have expandable memory card slots.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

There have been leaked videos previously and they did give us our first look at the S8 and S8+ previously, but this one is arguably the best one yet. The video from 505nick (Instagram) can be found on Benjamin Geshkin's Twitter account here. Take a look at the short 5 second video to know what we are talking about first.
To my own personal delight, the S8 we are seeing here is most probably the Black Pearl variant, which debuted last year with the 128GB Galaxy S7 Edge in selected regions. Many users found this color to be the best of the lot and arguably even better than the Blue Coral variant. Take a look at how the curved display seamlessly integrates itself with the rest of the phone and you will know what I am talking about here. The color clearly adds new dimension to the borderless design of the S8 and S8+.
Other than the color and the display, we also get to see the single rear camera sensor, the rear mounted fingerprint scanner, the flash and a piece of paper with some details under a cautionary headline in bold and caps, announcing the fact that this is indeed, "CONFIDENTIAL."
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

If you want the real thing, you will have to wait till the end of April to get your hands on one, but China already has something cheaper for you. We are not exactly sure how much this would cost, but it should be under $100. That's the price you will have to pay if you want your friends to be jealous of you for having the world's most anticipated phone that isn't even out yet! Of course the jealousy will only be temporary as a closer look will reveal the handset to be the fake it is.
If all of that got you interested, here's an unboxing video of the S8 clone, courtesy of EverythingApplePro on YouTube. We also have multiple images for you from SamMobile. While they are definitely not the same device the actual internals might just be similar. Take a look and decide for yourself.
The best thing about this phone is that in spite of being a knock off, it actually looks pretty good with that curved dsiplay! We are sure that the Quad HD 5.2-inch display isn't really true, along with the rest of the features that you will find printed out on the back of the box. But even then, this doesn't look like a cheap clone at all. If this leak got you excited for the original S8, you will just have to wait for three weeks now, because that's when (March 29) Samsung will officially unveil the S8 and the S8+. In the meanwhile, take a look at this leaked video which almost certainly shows the real thing.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

If you are eager to see the Galaxy Note 7 being re-launched then we have good news for you. New images of the Galaxy Note 7 "refurbished edition" has been leaked online. However, the sad news is that in order to make it a safer and less explosive device, Samsung has not only changed the battery line-up, but the batteries themselves as well. While that should be good news, it really isn't because the refurbished Note 7 will now reportedly, sport a smaller 3,200mAh cell instead of the original's 3,500mAh cell.
As the pictures came in from a Vietnamese fan site, it seems that the rumors about the Note 7 being introduced in the country may not be just a rumor after all. Rumor also had it that India would also be getting the refurbished Note 7, but a Samsung employee has mentioned that it won't. Even if it is re-introduced in certain nations, it may not actually go on sale, but could only be available as a rental phone. We will have to wait to find out more. In the meanwhile, check out the images to see all that they reveal.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
Via: SamMobile

Although I always prefer my devices to be unlocked, there are those that benefit from the low EMI plans and bundled offers that carriers have in place for expensive smartphones, especially in the US. However, many do not like the way Verizon or AT&T logos are stamped on their phones as it takes away from the phone's initial design language. This would particularly be a travesty for the S8 and S8+, given how aesthetically and minimally they are designed by default. That won't be a problem with the two flagships from Samsung this year though. Samsung has made sure that no ugly carrier logos will be messing with their bezel-less smartphone's aesthetics. Just like the iPhone, physical branding won't be a part of any Galaxy S8 and S8+, irrespective of where you or whom you buy your phones from.
We were actually expecting something like this from the smartphone giant, given how much Samsung has sacrificed to achieve a clean, immersive look for the two phones this year. Apart from axing the iconic Physical Home button, they have not put their own logo in front of the device, which is a first for any and all Samsung smartphones and tablets. However, the Samsung logo does make its way to the back of both devices, unlike the carrier logos which are gone for good.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

We all know that Google is bringing the Play Store on some Chrome OS powered devices very soon, but it hasn't happened yet unfortunately. However, the company did earlier reveal which three devices were eligible initially to get the upgrades necessary for supporting the Play Store and now they have confirmed the whole list. According to the list, at least one Samsung Chromebook is sure to get the stable channel update and that's the Chromebook Plus.
The other five Chromebooks which are also assured to get support for the Play Store are the Acer Chromebook R11 (CB5-132T, C738T), the Asus Chromebook Flip C100PA, the Google Chromebook Pixel (2015). the AOpen Chromebase Mini and the AOpen Chromebox Mini. Although Google has stated that being on the beta channel doesn't guarantee stable Play Store support for these devices in the future, it is worth mentioning that the Acer Chromebook R13 (CB5-312T) and the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 are on the beta channel. If you want to see if your device has at least made it to Google's "planned" list, check below.
• Acer Chromebook 11 (C740)
• Acer Chromebook 11 (C730 / CB3-111 / C730E / CB3-131)
• Acer Chromebook 14 (CB3-431)
• Acer Chromebook 14 for Work (CB5-471)
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB5-571 / C910)
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB3-531)
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB3-532)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 11 (R751T)
• Acer Chromebox CXI2
• Acer Chromebase 24
• AOpen Chromebox CommercialAOpen Chromebase Commercial
• Asus Chromebit CS10
• Asus Chromebook C200
• Asus Chromebook C201PA
• Asus Chromebook C202SA
• Asus Chromebook C300
• Asus Chromebook C300SA / C301SA
• Asus Chromebook Flip C213
• Asus Chromebox CN62
• Bobicus Chromebook 11
• CTL J2 / J4 Chromebook
• CTL N6 Education Chromebook
• CTL J5 Convertible Chromebook
• CTL NL61 Chromebook
• Dell Chromebook 11 (3120)
• Dell Chromebook 11 (3180)
• Dell Chromebook 11 Convertible (3189)
• Dell Chromebook 13 (7310)
• Dell Chromebook 13 (3380)
• eduGear Chromebook R Series
• eduGear Chromebook K Series
• eduGear Chromebook M Series
• eduGear CMT Chromebook
• Edxis Chromebook
• Edxis Education Chromebook
• Haier Chromebook 11
• Haier Chromebook 11e
• Haier Chromebook 11 G2
• Haier Chromebook 11 C
• Hexa Chromebook Pi
• HiSense Chromebook 11
• Lava Xolo Chromebook
• HP Chromebook 11 G3
• HP Chromebook 11 G4 / G4 EE
• HP Chromebook 11 G5
• HP Chromebook 11 G5 EE
• HP Chromebook 14 G4
• HP Chromebook 13 G1
• HP Chromebook x360 11 G1 EE
• Lenovo 100S Chromebook
• Lenovo N20 / N20P Chromebook
• Lenovo N21 Chromebook
• Lenovo N22 Chromebook
• Lenovo N23 Chromebook
• Lenovo N23 Yoga Chromebook
• Lenovo N42 Chromebook
• Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Chromebook
• Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Yoga Chromebook
• Lenovo Thinkpad 11e Chromebook (Gen 3)
• Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Yoga Chromebook (Gen 3)
• Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Chromebook (Gen 4)
• Lenovo Thinkpad 11e Yoga Chromebook (Gen 4)
• Lenovo Thinkpad 13 Chromebook
• Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox
• Medion Chromebook Akoya S2013
• Medion Chromebook S2015
• M&A Chromebook
• NComputing Chromebook CX100
• Nexian Chromebook 11.6"
• PCMerge Chromebook PCM-116E
• PCMerge Chromebook PCM-116T-432B
• Poin2 Chromebook 11
• Samsung Chromebook Pro
• Samsung Chromebook 2 11" - XE500C12
• Samsung Chromebook 3
• Sector 5 E1 Rugged Chromebook
• Senkatel C1101 Chromebook
• Toshiba Chromebook 2
• Toshiba Chromebook 2 (2015)
• True IDC Chromebook 11
• Viglen Chromebook 11
• Viglen Chromebook 360

Samsung's first dual rear camera touting smartphone may not be the Galaxy Note 8 after all as more specs and renders regarding the upcoming Galaxy C10 shows us a dual camera module adorning the smartphone's back. In addition, even the pricing and certain specs of the C10 seems to have been released, courtesy of Asian websites, but brought to the English speaking audience via the courtesy of SamMobile.
The Galaxy C10 will reportedly sport a 6-inch Super AMOLED display, not unlike the Galaxy C9 Pro or the Galaxy A10. The resolution will be limited to Full HD as expected and there is no reason to believe that any design DNA from the S8 series' bezel-less display will be making their way onto the C10. Other specs include 6GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660/Exynos 7872 SoC, 64GB/128GB internal storage and a 4,000mAh battery. Rumor has it that the C10 will also have the Bixby button. Buying the 64GB version of the smartphone in China will probably set you back by CNY 3,499 or $515.
It would be interesting to see how Samsung's first dual camera setup performs with its telephoto and wide-angle lens combination.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

In all the confusion and excitement that comes with the Galaxy Note 8 leaks, what we almost forget at times is the very fact for which it's called a "Note." Yes, we are talking about the stylus here today and thanks to SlashLeaks, we are getting our first look at the S-Pen. Before reading anymore, take a good look at the pictures here and decide if you think that this is the real deal.
Do you think it is indeed the S-Pen from the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 or does it look way too much like the one that came with the Galaxy Note 7? Well to be honest I can't really tell, given that the pictures have deliberately been blurred. Yes I said deliberately because I refuse to believe that someone with access to a Galaxy Note 8's stylus did not have access to a camera that could click a decently focused photograph in what clearly is a well-lit environment! Even then, this live image would not have been so suspicious had it not been for the fact that the S-Pen is more likely to be redesigned this year to accommodate the significant changes on the Galaxy Note 8's physical structure.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The Galaxy A7 (2017) edition was released just a few months ago and it's usually way too early to be seeing any traces of the upcoming Galaxy A7 (2018). However, it looks like we are wrong in thinking so because the A7 (2018) has apparently made an appearance on GFXBench! Not only has it made an appearance, but the show has clearly revealed most of its key specifications as well. Do check the screenshot out to know more on what we are talking about here.
The key specs revealed by the leak include the following:
1080p display
2.1GHz octa core CPU
Mali-G71 GPU
4GB RAM
32GB in-built storage
16-mp rear camera
Android Nougat 7.1.1
I will admit that it's kind of strange to see the leak so early, but this seems to be authentic. The Mali-G71 GPU is good news though because it is the same one that's powering the Exynos 8895 within the Galaxy S8 at the moment. If true, the it will mean great gaming performance and 4K video recording capabilities, provided that Samsung doesn't cap the camera's capabilities or the A7 (2018) isn't limited by the sensor's imaging capabilities.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The Galaxy Note 8 is due to be launched in roughly two and a half weeks, but that does not mean that you would be able to buy it right away. What it does mean is that on August 23rd, we will all get our first official look at the Galaxy Note 8 at an exclusive Samsung event in New York. Also, Samsung will reveal information at the launch event, regarding when the much awaited smartphone will go on sale. However, according to leaked news by ETNews from South Korea, the release date is no longer a secret.
If the reports are right then the Note 8 will be available for purchase in South Korea from September 15. This sale will begin only via the local carriers initially. However, the online pre-orders will likely begin much before that; two weeks to be precise. This means that the LG V30 will directly compete with the Galaxy Note 8 next month in Korea. Although no other information was leaked concerning the Note 8's release date in the US, we are guessing it should be roughly around the same time.
Saikat Kar (the-enthusiast)

Samsung has a lot riding on the Galaxy Note 8 as it will be the company's first Note device to hit shelves across the globe after the Galaxy Note 7 disaster and everything that followed. It's true that the Note FE was previously released in small quantities in some very select regions, but that's just the rebranded Galaxy Note 7 with a smaller battery. As we are now less than two weeks from the Note 8's launch date on August 23, sources have revealed how Samsung will go about selling it.
The new Note will be unveiled on August 23rd at an exclusive Samsung event in New York. The pre-order windows will open a week after that on September 1st in South Korea and it will remain open till September 10. After that will come the day of the grand release, which is reportedly set on September 15th. However, it is unclear whether this date is exclusive to South Korea or some other regions as well. Whatever the case is, we are pretty sure that the Note 8 will be hitting the US in roughly the same time. After the overwhelming response which Samsung received after they opened up pre-orders for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, all carriers in Korea are hopeful that the Note 8 will even surpass that.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

We had heard that the Galaxy Note 8 was going to be launched in a brand new version of blue, but now we have had our first look at it, thanks to Evan Blass of @evleaks on Twitter. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't show us the back, which would have actually shown us more of the color than what we see here in the front facing render. Granted it isn't the best leak we have seen from @evleaks, but it still is something!
It looks like Samsung is sticking to its design choice from the Galaxy S8 and S8+, which shared the same black front bezels across all colors. This of course, contributes to us seeing even less of the Deep Sea Blue color in this picture. The S-Pen on the other hand is completely blue and quite visible.
The suspense is about to be over though, since Samsung will be unveiling the Note 8 next Wednesday, which is exactly a week from today. The August 23rd launch event will be a Samsung exclusive at New York City, but you probably knew that already by now.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Although we are still a few days away from the Note8's official unveiling, this leak is showing us pretty much everything that there is to see. Of course, this isn't the real thing, not even a prototype, but what you see here is exactly what you are going to see on August 23 in New York at the unveiling event. What does that mean you ask? It means that this is an official dummy unit; the likes of which are generally used to showcase new smartphones at retail displays. Apart from the fact that it won't turn on, it's identical to the Galaxy Note 8 in every other way.
The pictures were leaked online on Weibo in China, as is often the case these days. While it's the cleanest and most satisfying look at the device that we have had so far, it didn't surprise us because we have seen it all before, thanks to previous leaks. What do you think of Samsung's upcoming stylus-wielding, dual-camera beast after taking a look at these images? Let us know in the comments.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
