Wednesday 15 April 2015

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Update to Opera mini version 8.0 allows you to track the amount of data you save
4/15/2015 2:08:00 PM

An update to one of the most popular third party browsers, Opera mini, is now available taking it to version 8.0. The update is available for free from the Google Play Store and brings a new skin, new look and new feel to the browser. With the latest version of Opera mini, swiping allows you to close tabs and delete bookmarks.

Speaking of swiping, swiping up will allow you to search for content as will a long-press. While you are typing URL addresses, suggestions will pop up on the bar. Because Opera mini uses Opera's servers to render sites first, using the browser can save you on data ...

 

This is LG's first Windows Phone handset in years
4/15/2015 2:06:00 PM

Five years ago, LG stopped making Windows Phone handsets, choosing to focus on Android (with quite good results, we must add). Now, it looks like the South Korean company is finally ready to launch Windows-based smartphones again.

What we're seeing on the left (click on the image to zoom in) is, reportedly, an LG Windows Phone handset that could be available from Verizon Wireless this year. The device seems to be running Windows Phone 8.1, but, since Microsoft is planning to update most WP 8.1 handsets to Windows 10, we're thinking that this will also get the new version of the OS.

There's ...

 

Best Buy will give you at least $200 toward the Surface Pro 3 with a tablet trade-in
4/15/2015 1:11:00 PM

If you're looking for a great deal on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, Best Buy has a promotion that will allow you to save $200 or more on a purchase of the slate. The deal is available through Saturday. Come into your local Best Buy big box location, trade-in your working tablet and you will receive a $50 Best Buy gift card, and a coupon for $150 off the price of the Surface Pro 3.

Keep in mind that Best Buy reps know the difference between an e-reader and a tablet, so you are not going to be able to pull the wool over their eyes. Also, tablets with water damage and cracked screens will not ...

 

AT&T updates the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active and Samsung Galaxy Alpha to Android 5.0
4/15/2015 12:19:00 PM

AT&T customers sporting the durable Samsung Galaxy S5 Active, and the metal-clad Samsung Galaxy Alpha, should start receiving the update to Android 5.0.2 as soon as today. The updates for both handsets are huge with a 1.4MB file slated for the Galaxy S5 Active and a 1MB file heading to the Galaxy Alpha. Because of the size of the updates, AT&T will not allow you to download and install it unless you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. You should also make sure that your battery is at least 50% charged.

The update carries with it the new Material Design, Lock Screen notifications and ...

 

Huawei's P8 and P8 Max promo videos try to ignite your imagination
4/15/2015 12:00:00 PM

Huawei today announced three new Android Lollipop smartphones: the P8, P8 Max, and P8 Lite. While the P8 Lite is a mid-range device, the P8 and P8 Max are high-end offerings, that's why Huawei made promo videos for both of them.

There are two promo videos that showcase the Huawei P8. The first one presents the handset's main features, including its front and rear cameras, the 5.2-inch 1080p display, the 6.4mm-thin metallic body, and the 64-bit octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 930 processor. The second video shows how the 13 MP rear camera of the P8 (which features Optical Image Stabilization and ...

 

OnePlus aims to sell between 3 and 5 million smartphones in 2015, 10 million in 2016
4/15/2015 11:42:00 AM

For a company that was founded back in December 2013, OnePlus is certainly doing very well in the crowded smartphone market. The company's single smartphone to date, the OnePlus One, was sold in one million units during 2014. Looking into the future, OnePlus executives expect to sell somewhere between three and five million handsets this year.


A few weeks ago, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei announced that that his company will launch a OnePlus One successor somewhere in the third quarter of 2015. Furthermore, the CEO also announced that his company is also working on a second smartphone, ...

 

Apple's rumored acquisition of LinX could allow future iPhones to offer SLR quality images
4/15/2015 11:36:00 AM

Earlier today, we told you that based on data from Flickr, the cameras that reside on the rear of the Apple iPhone 5, Apple iPhone 5s and Apple iPhone 6 are the most popular cameras in the world. But Apple is apparently not satisfied with that and yesterday the tech titan reportedly purchased Israeli smart camera company LinX Computational Imaging Ltd. While the price of the acquisition was undisclosed, the word on the street is that Apple paid $20 million for the company.

LinX builds smartphone and tablet cameras with sensors that provide depths of field in one image. When combined, the ...

 

"Much bigger than bigger" Huawei P8 Max announced with 6.8-inch display and thin build
4/15/2015 10:37:00 AM

Huawei just announced the Huawei P8 Max, which is an amply oversized version of its Huawei P8 flagship that sports a 6.8-inch display and is, therefore, a tablet as much as it is a smartphone. "Much bigger than bigger!", as Huawei puts it.

The Huawei P8 Max has a vivid 6.8-inch screen that's supposed to be much more vivid compared to the iPhone 6 Plus - Huawei's target benchmark, apparently. Although it is a legitimately humongous smartphone, the P8 Max is truly a maximized version of the P8 flagship, meaning that it retains the slim premium build. It features a thickness of 6.8mm, despite ...

 

Huawei P8 Lite announced: sleek new mid-ranger
4/15/2015 10:30:00 AM


Along with the flagship Huawei P8, the company unveiled a more affordable model: the Huawei P8 Lite.

With a slightly smaller, 5-inch display, and a more toned down design (there's no full-metal unibody here), the P8 Lite features Huawei's own Kirin 620 octa-core system chip, 4G LTE connectivity and a 13-megapixel main camera.

Here is a quick run-down of the Huawei P8 Lite specs:
Platform: Android 5.0 Lollipop mit EMUI 3.1
Display: 5-inch 720 x 1280-pixel HD screen
Dimensions: 143 x 70.6 x 7.7mm, weight of ...

 

Google releases Android 5.1 Lollipop factory images for the 2013 Nexus 7
4/15/2015 10:16:00 AM

Although not as early as some would have hoped, it looks like the Android 5.1 Lollipop update is slowly but surely spreading out to Google's Nexus family of smartphones and tablets. Yesterday, we told you that the latest Android version is rolling out to the LG-made Google Nexus 4 through an OTA update, and now we're hearing reports claiming that the LTE version of the Google Nexus 7 2013 has started receiving the same treatment. 


Although we have yet to hear of the OTA update being pushed to the Wi-Fi only version of the 2013 Nexus 7, Google has posted Android 5.1 ...

 

Production issues with the ZTE Nubia Z9 Max delay the phone's sale by one month
4/15/2015 10:14:00 AM

ZTE posted the sad news on its Weibo page today that production issues with the ZTE Nubia Z9 Max are forcing it to delay the sale of the phone by one month. The handset was introduced in the waning days of last month, along with the ZTE Nubia Z9 mini, and was supposed to go on sale tomorrow.  ZTE put the blame for the delay on the complex production and manufacturing process required to build the Nubia Z9 Max.

The Nubia Z9 Max is equipped with a 5.5-inch glass carrying a 1080 x 1920 resolution. The 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 CPU powers the handset which features 3GB of DDR4 RAM, ...

 

Antitrust probe into Android and Google Shopping launched by EU Commission
4/15/2015 9:49:00 AM


As was expected after an internal Google memo was leaked yesterday, outlining an imminent antitrust probe into the company's Android and Google Shopping products, earlier today the EU Commission came out with an official Statement of Objections (SO), accusing the search giant of antitrust practices.

As the aforementioned Google memo points out, an SO is not a final finding, and does not prejudge the outcome of any investigation. In other words, Google can now respond to the accusations and those can be dropped by the EU Commission entirely, or a ...

 

7 cool smartphone features that are not mainstream, but should be
4/15/2015 9:48:00 AM


In the past few years, smartphone manufacturers have added various unique features to their product lines in an attempt to stand out, offer something that appeals to a certain niche, and ultimately raise the desirability of the handsets. So, while some of these innovations end up being not-as-successful, others tend to stick and become the defining features of the smartphone they belong to.

Now, surprisingly, even though they end up being generally loved by most users, these ingredients would rarely pick up with other manufacturers, with only a few "borrowing" the ...

 

Huawei P8 unveiled: 5.2-inch super slim flagship with full metal unibody and innovative RGBW camera sensor
4/15/2015 9:40:00 AM


Huawei just unveiled its brand new flagship Android phone for 2015: the Huawei P8.

It's a start to the new Huawei P series (Huawei is dropping the Ascend name for this new family of devices): and the P8 kicks it off with super slim, 6.4mm design and a full-metal unibody. The phone comes in two versions: a 16GB regular one, and a 64GB, 'premium' one.

The Huawei P8 is a 5.2-inch phone that comes in four colors: mystic champagne, prestige gold, titanium gray, carbon black. While the phone is not water-proof, it does have nano-coating that makes it ...

 

Nokia pays $16.6 billion for Alcatel-Lucent
4/15/2015 9:23:00 AM

The deal that Nokia said yesterday that it was hard at work on is now official. After two years of discussions, Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent have shaken hands on a $16.6 billion transaction that will combine two of the smallest network equipment firms in Europe. As we noted yesterday, the new company will now be better equipped (no pun intended) to take on industry leader Ericsson and other leading firms like Huawei.

Nokia will give each Alcatel-Lucent stockholder .55 of a Nokia share. That works out to a value of $4.32 for each Alcatel-Lucent share. When the deal closes in the first half of ...

 

The best value Chinese Android phones you can buy in the US right now (April)
4/15/2015 8:49:00 AM

Chinese smartphones are increasingly becoming the best value-for-money efforts in the mobile industry, offering great specs and at times even good design for their price tag. Consider that a Xiaomi, Huawei or Lenovo flagships run 20-30% less than a similar offer from Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC and other more popular names, while in the midrange scenario they might start you at half off compared to the competing brand juggernauts, and it's not hard to grasp why the Chinese brands are grabbing more and more market share from Samsung and the rest.

Xiaomi, for instance, used to be lumped in the ...

 

Watch Huawei P8 announcement live stream here
4/15/2015 8:47:00 AM


The Huawei P8 is about to take over as the new flagship of Huawei, one of the largest phone makers with a global footprint and Chinese origins.

The company will livestream the Huawei P8 announcement (it has dropped the Ascend name from the title and it's just P8 this time around), so you can tune in and watch the event as it unfolds.

The big launch will be under the 'Revamp the possibilities of light' motto, a hint towards a better display and/or camera on the new phone.

The Huawei P8 is expected ...

 

HTC One M9 for Windows? HTC reportedly working closely with Microsoft on Windows 10
4/15/2015 8:36:00 AM

Remember the HTC One M8 for Windows? Yep, it's name says it all – it's a One M8 with Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 platform, not Google's Android, loaded on it. As it turns out, we may very well see HTC repeat that move with the One M9 and Windows 10, though there's no guarantee the company won't go for a lower-end device this time around.


According to a report from Windows Central, HTC CFO and President of Global Sales, Chialing Chan, spoke to the crowd at the company's One M9+ launch event in India, claiming that HTC is working closely with Microsoft and is keeping ...

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs HTC One M9: which phone is faster? (real-life speed comparison)
4/15/2015 8:00:00 AM


Have you ever wondered what makes a smartphone fast and why some smartphones perform better than others? To answer these questions, several key factors have to be taken into account. Firstly, there's the hardware – the capabilities of a phone's CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage have a crucial impact on its overall performance. So does the software in charge of all that silicon, including the operating system and the apps running on it. If you want a phone to be fast, its hardware and software have to work in perfect unison.

With this comparison, ...

 

Spotlight: Challenger Comics Viewer packs generous functionality for a free, non-ad supported Android app
4/15/2015 6:58:00 AM

.gamespecs {border: 1px solid #ddd; background: #fefefe; color: #333; width: 100%;} .gamespecs tr:first-child td {border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; background: #f5f5f5;} .gamespecs tr td + td {border-left: 1px solid #ddd;} .gamespecs tr td {padding: 5px;}Looking for a cool free Android comics viewer? Consider the Challenger Comics Viewer - it's a free (no ads!) comics, manga, books and PDF viewer that packs support for JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP (Android 4.0+), BMP, PDF, CBZ/ZIP, CBR/RAR, and ePUB formats - basically everything short of actual paper comic books. 


Challenger also ...

 

Samsung allegedly working on updating the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge to Android 5.1 Lollipop
4/15/2015 6:49:00 AM

According to a new report, Samsung is currently working on updating the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge to Android 5.1 Lollipop. As many probably already know, the two Galaxy S6 models currently run Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, overlaid with Samsung's own TouchWiz UX.


At the moment, there is no information regarding the improvements that Android 5.1 Lollipop will bring to the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge. The latest version of Android is mostly focused on fixing various bugs that got introduced with 5.0 Lollipop, while the notable additions are limited to the ability ...

 

Best new icon packs for Android (April 2015) #2
4/15/2015 6:32:00 AM


Looking for a quick way to change the looks of your Android device? Apart from changing the launcher, you can also bring a whole new look to your UI by simply changing the default icons with some more compelling ones. There are a lot of quite awesome and intriguing icon packs for Android - normally, a handful of noteworthy ones appear on Google Play each and every day. However, keeping tabs on all of these is quite a cumbersome task, even for those who are into such things. 

This is why we regularly show you the icon packs that have recently ...

 

Samsung creates special team to design displays for Apple devices
4/15/2015 6:16:00 AM

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Samsung has created a team of 200 employees that will exclusively deal with Apple's display needs. The new Samsung team, allegedly formed on April 1st, is said to be prohibited from discussing Apple business details with any external sources, including Samsung's other teams.

Although Samsung and Apple are direct competitors in multiple markets (smartphones, tablets, and now even smartwatches), and the companies have been engaged in a fierce legal battle over the past couple of years, the two tech giants have a long history of collaboration. ...

 

Galaxy S6 edge bill of materials shows Samsung pursues wide profit margins like Apple
4/15/2015 6:10:00 AM

According to a substantial report by the Wall Street Journal, the Galaxy S6 & S6 edge are more than just technological achievements for Samsung. By releasing its flagships completely sealed and devoid of microSD card slots, Sam charges more for memory pushes its profit margins to unprecedented heights that approach those of Apple's.

As you may be well aware, the Galaxy S6 & S6 edge are sold in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, each costing $100 more than the one before it. Meanwhile, it costs Samsung about $13 more per unit to manufacture a 64GB Galaxy S6 / edge, and less than $26 ...

 

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