The Samsung Galaxy S8 will be able to double as a Desktop - Reports

Samsung truly want to take 2017 by storm, with the noise coming about the Galaxy S8 which is to launch in late March before becoming available for purchase in April.

What's interesting is that a report from the Guardian claims that users will be able to turn the S8 into an Android-running desktop computer by hooking it up to a dock, monitor and keyboard, with a new feature called desktop extension (DeX).

Expected to work in a similar manner to Microsoft’s Continuum, Samsung will likely use DeX to push the S8 as a bona fide business device.

READ: WHAT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 SCREEN COULD LOOK LIKE


Reports that have been swirling for a while also state that the Galaxy S8 will come in two different size options from 5-6-inches, and feature a larger screen than its predecessors.


The display will reportedly cover a huge chunk of the smartphone’s front face, what this means is that there's likely to be no room for a home button or even Samsung’s logo. The solution? they moved the fingerprint scanner to the phone’s rear side.

The two phone variants are said to feature dual-edge curved displays, like the Galaxy S7 Edge also contrary to earlier reports, it seems Samsung is keeping the 3.5mm headphone jack around.

The iris-scanning biometric technology used by the Note 7 will be included too, allowing users to unlock the S8 and authenticate purchases with their eyes.

This new ability to act as a desktop while not exactly new, would certainly be another reason why the Galaxy S8 might just be the go-to phone for 2017.

Despite Failure of Galaxy Note 7, Samsung say Galaxy Note 8 is coming

After a disastrous outing and two very expensive recalls, the Galaxy Note 7 can't be seen as anything more than a failure.

But does that mean Samsung are giving up on the series?

NO

While the battery issues of the Note 7 were bad for business, the Korean company has plans to release a much safer, less fiery Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

READ: SAMSUNG REVEAL WHAT CAUSED THE NOTE 7 EXPLOSIONS

According to Samsung mobile head DJ Koh “I will bring back a better, safer, and very innovative Note 8.”

So there you have it, Samsung are not out of it and just as well. The numbers show that despite taking a huge hit with the Note 7, many people are still loyal to Samsung as the amount of people who initially refused to give up their Note 7 shows.

The Galaxy Note series has produced some of the coolest and handiest smartphones in recent years, and so it’s not surprising to learn that Samsung is prepping a Note 8. 

We have little or no information as to when the Note 8 is coming, but with its announcement you can be sure that there'll be a whole lot of talk about it in the coming months.

Xiaomi loses Hugo Barra to Silicon Valley

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi have suffered a bit of a blow after it was announced that one of their bigwigs and their primary English spokesperson, Hugo Barra.

The Brazilian-born computer scientist joined Xiaomi 3.5 years ago from Google in what was at the time a major coup and now his departure has raised more than a few eyebrows.

This year, for the first time, Xiaomi declined to provide annual sales figures and admitted it grew too quick, raising doubts about whether it can continue the impressive growth that gave it a $45 billion valuation two years ago.

Barra in announcing his departure on Facebook stated that homesickness was a major factor in his decision. He also said he plans to head back to California.


READ: THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE XIAOMI MIX NANO

He said, What I’ve realized is that the last few years of living in such a singular environment have taken a huge toll on my life and started affecting my health. My friends, what I consider to be my home, and my life are back in Silicon Valley, which is also much closer to my family. Seeing how much I’ve left behind these past few years, it is clear to me that the time has come to return.
He added that the company’s global footprint, which was his primary responsibility, is “in a very good place.”

Barra changed a lot for Xiaomi, when he first arrived, Xiaomi was limited to Greater China. What he achieved was to help them expand across Asia and beyond to reach more than 20 countries making them one of the biggest players in the Asian market.

All the success hasn't come without a few slip ups as Xiaomi lost its crown as China’s top smartphone maker losing to Huawei.



Xiaomi co-founder Bin Lin, also a former Google executive, said senior vice president Xiang Wang would lead Xiaomi’s international business going forward. Wang, a former head of Qualcomm China, joined Xiaomi in 2015 and previously led its supply chain and intellectual property teams.

Lin lauded the departing Barra saying, "When Hugo joined us 3.5 years ago, we started an amazing adventure to turn Xiaomi into a global player. We have come a long way since, and I couldn’t thank him enough for contributing so much to Xiaomi’s journey. As much as we would love to have Hugo stay with us in Beijing for a much longer time, we understand his personal challenges and wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Barra has said he has plans to get some rest before embarking on an exciting adventure back to Silicon valley.

Google Pixel is King of the Android phones and here are the stats to back it up

When Google introduced the Pixel phones there was a lot of curiousity as to what the company would do with it and fast forward months later and we know-- and we love it!

The phones have been an overwhelming success selling off the shelves wherever they are. This is not to say it's a perfect phone as there have been complaints of sound distortion and so on, but it's still without a doubt the top Android phone of the moment.

According to a new report, Pixel “demand is exceeding supply” at Verizon.


Big Red is still the only US carrier selling Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL smartphone, and the investment has been paying off for the company. Verizon committed a $25 million marketing budget for the phone after its launch and continues to promote the phone, although spending has cooled.



According to Fierce Wireless, Wave7 Research shows that the Pixel is the most demanded Android phone even beyond the holidays

The report stated, “Along with Apple, Samsung, and Droid, the Pixel/XL continues to be heavily advertised—on an equal footing with top OEMs—at a price point of $10 (Pixel) or $15 (XL) per month with trade-in of a high-end smartphone,” the firm noted. “It is clear that demand is exceeding supply.”

Fierce conducted a survey of 50 carrier stores in the past week and their findings were that the Pixel accounted for 9.5% of smartphone sales at Verizon last month. 

What makes it even more amazing is that Verizon subscribers aren't the only buyers, the Pixel and Pixel XL can be used with other US carriers, and T-Mobile specifically targeted the handsets with a promotion not too long ago.

The report continued, “AT AT&T/T-Mobile/Sprint stores, 39% of reps (13 of 33) are aware of an average of ~2 Pixel activations each at these 13 stores,

 

“Most Pixel XL SKUs are shipping in March and most Pixel SKUs are out of stock as well.”

So perhaps you're looking to get an Android phone, perhaps you could go for the Pixel-- if you can actually find it.

Welcome back Nokia, Welcome back to the Smartphone Game

Nokia is back...not with a bang, but they're back. After being acquired by Finnish technology company HMD Global (HMD) Sunday, they unveiled the Nokia 6, a mid-range Android smartphone for the Chinese market. 

The Nokia 6, which runs the newest version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android Nougat, sports a 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080 pixels) display. With metal on the sides and a rounded rectangular fingerprint scanner housed on the front, the Nokia 6 seems reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S7 (without the blowing up bit)

As for what's under the hood, the new Nokia smartphone is powered by a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor putting it in range with the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy A series models.

Other features of the Nokia 6 include a 4GB of RAM, and 64GB internal storage. The Nokia 6, which also houses dual amplifiers capable of delivering louder sound, features a 16-megapixel phase detection auto focus camera on the back and an 8-megapixel selfie camera on the front.

"China is the largest and most competitive smartphone market in the world," the company said in a press note, justifying why its long-anticipated smartphone is limited to the Chinese market. "Our ambition is to deliver a premium product, which meets consumer needs at every price point, in every market."

The Nokia 6 was believed to debut  at the Mobile World Congress in February but that has changed and an earlier launch could help the company capitalize on the Chinese New Year which could be a big plus.

While many would have wanted a high end flagship phone from Nokia, the guys at HMD are playing the long game, releasing a mid-range phone that would be easier on the pocket of the average man in a region like China before making the jump.


 We wish Nokia all the best in their latest foray into the Smartphone market.

If the Galaxy S8 Looks like this, it just might be the iPhone 8

The battle between Samsung and Apple is heating up with rumours flying about the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy S8-- the flagship phones expected next year by both companies.

The two devices, according to rumours, will share many common features, including a brand-new all-screen design that might incorporate a fingerprint sensor. Images of the phones are not available at this time, but some designers out there already came up with convincing renders trying to imagine what these phones might look like. The following concept shows what the Galaxy S8 may look like, but to be honest, it could well be the iPhone 8.

The images were initially posted by Weibo user @KingwayLee and as you will see, the renders look pretty good and give the impression that the Galaxy S8 will be able to stand toe to toe with the iPhone 8.

Earlier rumors have claimed that Samsung will do away with the home button and place the fingerprint sensor under the screen instead. 

With the rumours of the iPhone 8 speculating that it could feature an all-screen front-side with limited bezels. The iconic home button is said to be gone with its functionality supposed to be transferred to the OLED screen. 

Y Galaxy S8 concept that @KingwayLee imagined.

Now even with all the similarities, it's obvious that the phones won't be the same but they do look quite similar. These are all just speculations of course with a lot able to change in the coming months, but it sure means we can look forward to some nifty phone designs come next year.

Why The Sony Xperia XZ is the biggest phone for the second half of 2016

The results are in! and they indicate that the Sony Xperia XZ is the biggest hit of the second half of 2016.

This is according to App metrics company Apteligent who put out a “2016 Mobile Year in Review” on what it has tracked with its performance-tracking APIs. Those APIs are integrated into apps big, small, mobile and PC.

From the data culled, it shows that of all the Android phones launched in the second half of this year, the Sony Xperia XZ has come out on top as the most used in the global market right now.

And Sony have Samsung to thank for their current dominance. With the fall of the Galaxy Note 7 (Yeah, that one that kept blowing up in people's faces remember?) Sony took the lead in the market with nearly 0.15 percent in share.

Before disaster struck, the Note 7 enjoyed a healthy 0.35 percent of the market. After things went Boom, the XZ passed by the Note in mid-November. The Note 7 currently stands at below 0.05 percent and handily beats the LG V20, HTC 10 evo (or HTC Bolt) and even the OnePlus 3T — though all three phones only got started with sales within the last couple of months.

The Moto Z strikes just above Note 7 territory while the Google Pixel and the Pixel XL follow on respectively at around 0.06 percent.

So in case you don't have a Sony Xperia XZ, maybe this will convince you to spring for one.

Google Pixel's Big Audio Problem

The Google Pixel was launched earlier this year to a lot of excitement, i mean, it's a Google phone.

But it seems' there's a bit of a problem with the phone-- the audio. It seems that setting your audio to the max selection might be a bit of a hassle.

According to a post on Reddit, it claims that the Pixel smartphones can’t rise to the highest three levels of volume without the sound distorting. Sound distortion isn’t new and if you’ve maxed out speaker volume levels before, you know what we’re talking about. However for this problem to manifest itself at the three highest levels does seem a bit odd, and this is apparently a problem that quite a number of Pixel owners are complaining about.

Beyond that, there's also a video lamenting about this problem. The video was uploaded by uploaded by Mark Buckman. In describing the video he said, “This video demonstrates the static/popping/crackling noise that is an issue across both the Google Pixel and Pixel XL. This is an issue that I have personally seen on 5 devices and I am not the only one,” .

It seems Google is trying to resolve the issue and there are users who have even gone in for an exchange. We can only hope the problem is resolved soon.

How the iPhone 8 is going to revolutionize the future of smartphones

Apple will launch the much talked about and vaunted iPhone 8 next year and it is said to feature a curved display. While they aren't the first to do this, it is set to be a huge driving force for mobile devices with flexible displays.

Apple’s iPhone 8 will be the first iPhone ever to feature a curved screen. However, analysts from IHS quoted by Digitimes say that Apple’s flexible AMOLED display adoption would “dramatically drive up expected demand for flexible AMOLED panels.”

Samsung will be a huge beneficiary of this as they are supplying AMOLED screens to Apple and with Apple will be many other companies that will make the switch to curved OLED screens. 

Vivo and Xiaomi have already launched handsets with flexible screens in 2016, and many other manufacturers have plans to develop curved or foldable smartphones in the near future. Apple is seen as a big catalyst in this department following the release of the iPhone 8.

“During 2016, many smartphone manufacturers have pressured display panel makers to supply them with more flexible AMOLEDs for their new smartphone designs, however, due to limited production capacity only a few players had their orders met in quantity,” IHS analyst Jerry Kang said. “With new form factors entering the marketplace next year to entice consumers, smartphone manufacturers will find themselves locked in a fierce battle with one another as they jostle to win market share for their new smartphone models featuring dual-edge curved and foldable AMOLED displays.”

“Consumer device manufacturers will eventually move from conventionally designed flat and rectangular form factors to the latest curved, foldable or rollable screens, but only once their product roadmap for newer, innovative devices becomes more mature,” Kang noted.

What the curved iPhone 8 may very well do is make curved smartphones a thing again because as we all know, whatever Apple does, others kind of follow suit. So we may very well be on the cusp of a new era of curved smartphones with Apple leading the way with the iPhone 8

iPhone v Galaxy; Samsung's future Processor can hardly top Apple's current iPhone Processor in benchmark tests

The battle of the phones rages on with Apple and Samsung constantly trying to one up each other.

At the moment though it seems Apple is leading the way in terms of processors with Qualcomm and Samsung unable to outperform Apple’s A-series mobile chips. The iPhone 7 is the undisputed king when it comes to mobile performance, both in benchmark tests and real-life use. Even the 2015 iPhone 6s is still able to beat 2016 flagships in real-life CPU performance.

In 2017, a new generation of phones and processors will flood the market and the battle will kick off anew and from the looks of things, Apple still has the edge.

An An Tu Tu benchmark test for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor found by Phone Arena shows a score of more than 180,000 points. That’s impressive, considering that the Snapdragon 835 isn’t even out yet. The processor is expected to power most of next year’s Android-based flagship handsets, including the version of Samsung’s Galaxy S8 that will be sold in the US.

And while this is great and all, more noteworthy is the fact that this score only tops Apple’s iPhone 7 by less than 10,000 points. Now this isn't the finished product and those might be better, but, Apple’s A11 chip that will go into the iPhone 8 next year will undoubtedly top that score by a big margin.

Samsung’s next Exynos chip and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 CPU will both be made using 10nm process technology. That means we’re looking at significant performance and energy efficiency improvements. The Snapdragon 835 alone should be 27% faster than predecessors and 40% more efficient. However, Apple’s A11 is also going to be a 10nm processor. So we’d expect it to do better than rivals in both benchmark tests and in actual usage scenarios.

Galaxy or Apple, what is sure is that next year will be amazing on the smartphones front and we can only wait with bated breath as the new devices that will take over our lives are launched.

Gionee M2017 has live Images Leaked

Gionee M2017 had been certified in China by TENAA - the Chinese certification agency as was reported on various online sources and also was spotted on AnTuTu website. 

Beyond that though, it seems that a number of images (3) of the smartphone along with details about few specs were also leaked. Not just that but it has again been discovered that once more images of the smartphone have been leaked on Weibo, the popular Chinese Social Media platform, confirming the earlier leaks.

With that being said, we should check out just what the phone is supposed to be; The Gionee M2017 is said to feature a 5.7-inch QHD display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels and is powered by a 1.98GHz Octa-Core Snapdrgaon 653 processor, along with Adreno 510 GPU. 

What's amazing about it is the battery. The M2017 is going to be powered by a huge 7000mAh battery. It will also be powered by a MediaTek Helio P10 processor. 

Gionee will chuck a 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage into the phone and it will run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system. 

For the selfie enthusiasts, the camera will have a dual rear camera setup with dual lead flash, one of the camera has 13-megapixel resolution and the second one comes with the 12-megapixel resolution. On its front it has an 8-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies. Besides, the smartphone offers 4G LTE with VoLTE, Bluetooth, a MicroUSB port , WiFi and GPS.The handset measures 155.2×77.6×10.65 mm and weighs 230 grams. The smartphone listed in black colour on TENAA.

Moreover, as per reports smartphone is said to house a fingerprint scanner as well, which will be embedded in its home button.

So there you have it, that's what is expected to come with the Gionee M2017 expected next year. You can see the leaked images below.

Nokia's Making a Comeback Next Year! Here's what you need to know

Nokia used to be the go-to phone for everyone..till they were not. They were still hugely popular for a while but now it seems everyone has moved on.

But they are making a comeback!

Yes you heard us right, Nokia is coming back in early 2017 and will do so on the Android platform.

The company announced plans to return to tablets and phones back in May, and have now provided more details today as it formalizes a licensing agreement with HMD Global (HMD). Also based in Finland, HMD global is the new home of Nokia phones under a brand licensing deal that will last for at least 10 years.

Nokia has launched a new phones section on its site today, marking the return of Nokia-branded smartphones and tablets after Microsoft acquired its phone business and killed off the Nokia brand in favor of Lumia. The first Nokia smartphones powered by Android will be available in the first half of 2017, alongside Nokia-branded feature phones.

This is not Nokia's fist adventure into Android land as they diddled with Android just before being acquired by Microsoft with an iPad mini clone running Android. 

So while the return of Nokia is welcome, we do wonder if they will be truly able to compete with the giants like Apple and their iOS or even with other smartphones that use Android like Google, Samsung or Lenovo.

Guess we'll see.

OnePlus 3T has started being shipped to consumers

After the wild success of the OnePlus 3 which was launched earlier this year, OnePlus have pushed even further and have released another phone; The OnePlus 3T.

The OnePlus 3T is pretty much identical with the OnePlus 3 in terms of shape and design and only really shines due to its more powerful SoC, a larger battery and a larger front-facing camera along with one additional storage variant of the device.

Consumers in the USA have been able to purchase the OnePlus 3T from the 22nd of November while people in Europe will be able to order one of these phones starting on November 28th. 

It does seem like OnePlus have started shipping out OnePlus 3T orders. The source provided an e-mail from OnePlus which confirms that the OnePlus 3T has been shipped, we’re talking about a device that was ordered straight from the US. It seems like the phone is being shipped from Shenzen, China, directly. Once the phone becomes available in Europe, OnePlus will, of course, ship it from their European warehouse in order to avoid any customs fees, at least for a number of European countries. For those of you who don’t know, the OnePlus 3T costs $439 in the US, and it will be priced at €439 in Europe.

Spec wise, the OnePlus 3T features a 5.5-inch fullHD (1920 x 1080) AMOLED display, 6GB of RAM and 64GB / 128GB of non-expandable internal storage. The phone is fueled by the Snapdragon 821 64-bit quad-core processor, along with the Adreno 530 GPU for graphics. On the back of the device, you’ll get a 16-megapixel snapper, while a 16-megapixel camera is also placed on the front side of this smartphone, but we’re looking at two different sensors here. Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow comes pre-installed on the OnePlus 3T, and on top of it, you’ll get OnePlus’ very own UI, OxygenOS. The OnePlus 3T is made out of metal, and it comes with OnePlus’ super fast Dash Charge fast charging technology, while it packs in a 3,400mAh battery.

Here are a few common Android Nougat Problems and how You Can Fix them

photo crd; wirelessweek

The Android 7.0 Nougat has been all the rage in recent times and has been available for use since August. Thanks to Google's new Pixel smartphone the Nougat 7.1 has surfaced.

It's very likely that more and more devices are going to be joining the party soon and will begin running on Nougat. Examples are the 2016 Motorola and HTC. 

Android 7.0 brings more customization to the mobile operating system — the notification drawer is more functional, notifications are more useful than ever, and you can now do more work with split-screen mode.

You think that's nifty, well the 7.1 comes with such new features such as App Shortcuts, Seamless Updates, and support for Daydream VR. Naturally with every new operating system or update there are bugs that have not been fixed and affect certain devices.

Here are a few of the problems and ways around them. There may be a few more and if we find some we'll keep you posted. 

Ambient Display problems

photo crd: Verge

Google Pixel users will be the most familiar with this problem and that's when the Ambient Display does not show up when notifications come through. The Pixel and Pixel XL do not have a “wake” function that shows the Ambient Display notifications when you pick up your phone it only turns on when you get a notification. It's worse for some people as they don't see anything at all.

Here's what you can do; You can do a factory reset. To do so, Head to Settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset > Reset phone.

Another way is to try the Support team. For some people, they promptly got new phones. To get there, you just head to Settings and swipe left to the Support tab. You should be able to get a replacement unit.

If all you need is a way to have Ambient Display turn on when you pick up your phone then we'll recommend you download Ambi-Turner. It triggers the display whenever you take it out of your pocket or lift it up from a desk. Nexus devices with Android 7.1.1 Nougat have a “Lift to Wake” gesture in the Moves section in Settings. We imagine this feature will come to Pixel owners soon.


Bluetooth Issues

Photo crd: Android Authority

Another common problem some people have been facing is that they've been unable to connect  to their car’s Bluetooth especially Nexus users. For some people the problem is that their devices connect but then disconnect within minutes for others, they can connect and stream audio, but the device later disconnects and calls do not go through.

Here's what you can do; An over-the-air update was pushed alongside the November security update for Verizon Pixel and Pixel XL devices, and it mentioned improvements to Bluetooth connectivity. It’s unclear if this has fixed the issue, but a Pixel Community manager more recently said the team is still investigating the issue.

It’s unclear whether the issue has been resolved for Nexus devices, but if you haven’t yet, try a factory reset by heading to Settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset > Reset phone. This has done the trick for some people.
If a factory reset didn’t work, try going to Settings > More > Network settings reset > Reset settings. Try connecting to your vehicle’s Bluetooth after to see if the issue has been resolved.


Reboots and Bootloops

photo crd: Tech Radar

The biggest culprit is the Nexus 5X and according to Google it’s a hardware issue. 

What can you do? In this case nothing i'm afraid and the only way is to probably contact your phone's place of purchase and get a replacement.


Camera Issues (Purple/Pink Camera)

So far only Pixel and Pixel XL consumers have complained especially those domicilled in Europe. For them, when the camera launches, it often freezes with pink and purple vertical lines, rendering it impossible to snap a picture with. 

Here's what you can do;  Perhaps get a third-party camera app like Open Camera, which seems to work as an alternative. 

However there have been complaints that the issue comes back after some time with a third-party camera, so this is only a temporary solution.

It may be an issue with network connectivity. Try switching the phone to Airplane Mode by swiping down on the notification bar toggling the tile. You can also get the camera to work by turning off location — it’s another tile you can toggle in the notification bar.

Reboots also seem to temporarily fix the problem.

For some people, the solution was to turn off battery optimization for the Google Photos and Camera app. If you want to tow this line, go to Settings > Battery and click on the three dots on the top right. Hit Battery optimization, and click the drop-down to go to All apps. Scroll down and find the Google Photos and Camera apps to switch the setting to Don’t optimize.



Battery Issues

Photo Crd: Androidpit

For some Nexus users, they have complained about their battery draining faster than water in a basket. The issue seems to have appeared after the Android 7.0 Nougat update dropped.

Here's what to do; You can reset app preferences with battery optimization. To do this, head to Settings > Battery and tap on the three dots on the top right. Hit Battery optimization, and press the three dots again. You’ll get an option to Reset app preferences. You should start seeing improvements to your battery life afterwards.

These are some of the more common ones, if there are any more there should be further posts helping with information to potentially solve the issue.

After Xiaomi, Huawei could be the next company with a Bezel-less phone

With Xiaomi wowing everyone with their Bezel-less smartphone it seems their Chinese competitors Huawei could be releasing one of their own soon.

While other manufacturers like Samsung are also believed to be making smartphones with similar displays, it seems Huawei might be the next in line.The latest whispers out of China suggest that Huawei is going to launch its bezel-less smartphone on December 16th.

According to online sources, Huawei is going to source the display panel for this device from Samsung. The display panel on this device is rumored to be curved on all four sides and that’s how it’s also rumored to be for the Galaxy S8, but Samsung Display hasn’t made the panel public yet, and it’s unlikely that the company will let a competitor introduce it in the market before it.

With that in mind, it would be prudent to take the information with a pinch of salt. There has as yet been no announcement made on this possible development.

Huawei could do it though especially when you consider that they have ambitions to overthrow Apple in two years, to do this they are going to have to do some pretty amazing stuff and a Bezel-less phone might just be a good place to start.

Here's what you need to know about Apple's iOS 10.2 Beta 2

It was announced yesterday that Apple had released a new update to their tech. Enter the iOS 10.2 beta 2 and it comes with a couple of new features, bug fixes and improvements.

This is the second minor update after the big iOS 10 update. The first update, iOS 10.1, brought the Portrait mode feature to the iPhone 7. Apart from that, it included bug fixes and performance improvements. Apple also released a minor iOS 10.1.1 update to fix issues with the Health app.



Here are some of the new features on the Apple iOS 10.2 Beta


One of the biggest add-ons is the TV app, on the new update, the TV app will be available for users. This app will help users check what's new and discover shows to watch on the Apple TV. It will also support Single-Sign on and Siri Live commands. The new app will appear on the home screen with a TV icon.


A cool new SOS feature was chipped in too enable the feature by going through Settings>General. Once done, the user will be able to dial emergency services by simply pressing the Power button 5 times. This feature will work in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, U.K. and U.S.


The Music app in iOS 10.2 beta 2 was also given a bit of a makeover with some improvements and interface changes. The Shuffle/Repeat buttons are now more prominent when playing a song.

Those are the new features in the latest beta of iOS 10.2. So you now have an idea what to look forward to when you update your Apple OS.

Snapdragon 821 coming to the OnePlus phone

According to Qualcomm, the upcoming OnePlus' phone rumored to be the OnePlus 3T — will be powered by the Snapdragon 821 SoC.

They confirmed the news a little while ago and the phone is expected to make its debut on November 14.

The latest rumors suggest the upgraded processor will be the key change in terms of hardware, with the OnePlus 3T likely to retain a 5.5-inch Full HD panel, 6GB of RAM, 64GB storage, and a 3000mAh battery. 

The OnePlus 3T may also use a newer Sony IMX395 20MP imaging sensor with f/1.7 lens. On the software side of things, the phone will allegedly run Nougat out of the box.

The OnePlus 3T is barely a week away and excitement about it is at fever pitch. We can't wait to see the full package after all the teasing and hints. 

Are you excited? 

Samsung Down but not Out, Here's what they have planned for their Galaxy S8 Smartphone

Samsung may have suffered in the court of public opinion after the disaster that was the S7, but they already have big plans for their next phone in the Galaxy series.

According to PC mag, the South Korean company is developing a new digital assistant for its upcoming Galaxy smartphone.

Some of the phone's prototypes include a dedicated button to easily summon the AI-based helper.

This move is hardly surprising as Samsung acquired an artificial intelligence company Viv Labs and they are going to use the interface with future Galaxy smartphones.

According to PC mag a Samsung spokeswoman said, "Samsung is excited to begin integrating initial AI capabilities into its future products and we look forward to sharing further details at a later date,"

Apart from the possibility of a new AI system, precious little is known about the Galaxy S8. The most anticipated piece of information perhaps is just when it will arrive although Samsung have said nothing about this.

Samsung have had a rough time of it, but despite the fiasco of the S7, they are still the leading smartphone retailer and are yet to be knocked off that perch.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 to Launch today, Here's What we Think you can Expect

So fans of the Chinese smartphone, Xiaomi can be get excited as their new offering the Redmi 4 is set to launch today.

The Xiaomi Redmi 4 will feature a metal body design and come with a 2.5D curved glass display. The Redmi 4 is definitely a phone for the masses and will be relatively affordable for most people.

So with the release set for today, what can we expect the phone to feature?

The Redmi 4 should feature a 5-inch full HD display. Beneath the pretty surface lies a Snapdragon 625 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. 

According to some online reports, the Redmi 4 might be powered by a MediaTek Helio X20 deca-core chipset. If the Redmi 4 is launched in China and India simultaneously, we can expect that the Qualcomm processor will be housed for the Indian market while the MediaTek processor will run on smartphones in the home country.

Beyond that, what we have are leaks and based on those leaks the Redmi 4 will come with a 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF support and LED flash, and a 5-megapixel front camera. The smartphone will further feature a rear fingerprint scanner. It is expected to come powered by a 4,000mAh battery with some reports hinting at a slightly boosted 4,100mAh battery, just like the Redmi 3s and Redmi 3s Prime. The Redmi 4 is likely to be available in gray, silver, and gold color choices. 

It is believed that beyond the Redmi 4, another phone called the Redmi 4A is also set to be launch. The 4A is set to be the even more affordable variant of the Xiaomi Redmi. The 4A is expected to come powered with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory. The Redmi 4A will also have same camera specifications as the Redmi 4 with a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front camera. It will draw its juice from a 3,030mAh battery with connectivity options such as dual-SIM support, 4G LTE compatibility, Bluetooth, and GPS. On the software front, both the Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A will run the latest MIUI version on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Rumors are also rife that there will be a variant of the Redmi 4A, which will offer storage expansion capability. However, there is no concrete evidence about the same. 

So there you have it, are you excited about this? Would you like to get yourself a Xiaomi Redmi 4? Let us know what you think. 

Till Later.