Google acquires Fossil Group’s smartwatch technology for $40 million

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Jan 18, 2019

American multinational investment bank and financial services company JP Morgan is predicting that the smartphone industry will come under severe strain this year and that the high-end smartphone segment will be most affected. This segment is dominated by Apple and Samsung and they will take the biggest hit if the market analysis pans out as predicted.

In a note sighted by AppleInsider, JP Morgan wrote; “We expect iPhone unit[s] to decline by double digits y/y [year-over-year] in 2019, due to prolonged replacement cycles and lacklustre demand in China.” Shipments for the last quarter of 2018 from China are estimated to be lower than that of the same period last year by 20%. In addition, the entire mobile phone industry is predicted to get a reduction of between 4.8 and 5.5% in shipments this year. This is a tad higher than the 2.9 to 3.3% loss YoY recorded in 2018. The phone industry isn’t expected to rebound until 2020 when 5G phones would have been in full swing thus prompting people to upgrade for faster internet speeds. Even at that, the industry’s growth rate is now forecast at 0.9% instead of 1.9%.

Samsung’s own shipment is expected to drop in the low single digits in 2019. The Korean firm has to its advantage, the flexibility to compete in both the high-end as well as in the low- and mid-range phone segments. The company will, however, have to sacrifice profit margins in the process. The rise of Chinese phone makers like OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi which offer smartphones with improved quality at way lesser prices than iPhones or Samsung models isn’t helping matters.

Vivo Apex 2019 bezel-less smartphone to be unveiled in China on 24th January

By

Jeet

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Jan 18, 2019

Vivo had showcased its Vivo Apex concept smartphone with a full-screen display at Mobile World Congress (MWC) last year, which had around 98 percent screen-to-body ratio. The company later launched its Vivo NEX and most recently Vivo NEX Dual experimental smartphones.

Now, the Chinese company is all set to launch yet another experimental smartphone — Vivo Apex 2019. The company teased the launch of a new smartphone on 24th January in China and now the poster shared by the company confirms that the device launching on January 24th is indeed the Vivo Apex 2019.

The caption on the image roughly translates to: “A year ago, Vivo APEX portrayed a new world of full screens. A year later, #vivo APEX 2019# evolved again, using technology to wake up to the future. See you on January 24.”

According to the reports, the smartphone is codenamed “The Waterdrop” and is revealed to come with a curved design without any kind of notches, bezels or physical buttons. The phone could come with pressure-sensitive and gesture-based navigation. As for the memory configuration, the phone could come with 8GB RAM but there’s a possibility that the company could also announce 10GB RAM or 12GB RAM variant as well.

Further, the smartphone is also expected to come with sixth-generation in-display fingerprint sensor with a larger area and improved sensor, similar to what Xiaomi and Oppo unveiled earlier this week. We are expecting the device to be powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor manufactured using 7nm process.

While the company has not yet confirmed this, we are expecting the Chinese company to showcase the Vivo Apex 2019 smartphone at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain which will kick-off on 25th February.

Read More: Vivo V11 Pro smartphone’s successor to reportedly launch in India next month

For Vivo Apex showcased last year, the company had adopted pop-up front-facing camera design for bezel-less display. To see what the company has adopted this time to offer higher screen-to-body ratio, we’ll have to wait until 24th January when Vivo officially announces the smartphone.

(Source)

ZTE with China Unicom Makes Its First 5G Phone Call in Shenzhen

By

Joel Joseph

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Jan 18, 2019

ZTE has announced that it has successfully completed its first 5G phone call in partnership with the Guangdong brand of China Unicom. The test was carried out in Shenzhen, which is one of the first 5G pilot cities of China Unicom.

The 5G phone call was made using prototype ZTE 5G smartphones. Apart from successfully making the call, other services like WeChat group video call, online video, and web browsing were completed.

“The test has verified several 5G key technologies such as Massive MIMO, 5G NR, NSA dual connectivity, FlexE transport technology and 5G Common Core. This achievement has made Shenzhen field of China Unicom become the world’s first commercial test field to make the first call in the NSA mode and it is in compliance with the 3GPP Rel-15. “ ZTE notes in its press release.

Last Sunday, China Mobile along with Huawei successfully conducted a 5G broadcast test in Shenzhen. The CCTV Spring Festival Gala, a special program that’s broadcasted during the Chinese New Year in the country will be streamed over a 5G network in 4K.

Both Huawei and ZTE are leading 5G technology companies, however, their plans for global rollout are currently being threatened. Countries like Australia, Japan, and the US have already banned or are considering banning the use of their equipment citing security concerns.

(Source)

Buy The 480GB Kingston A400 SSD For Only $79.99 On GeekBuying [Coupon Inside]

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Get 17% Off On Kingston A400 SSD 480GB Solid State Drive

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Jan 18, 2019

Solid-state drives (SSD) are primarily designed to boost the overall responsiveness of your system.
While top-branded computer accessories like an SSD usually carry steep price tags, you can avail up to a whopping 70 percent off a wide selection of Netac, Tronsmart, Kingston and COLORFUL-branded computers peripherals on GeekBuying. Dubbed as ‘New Brands Sale,’ this promo is split into ‘Brands’ and ‘New Arrivals’ categories.

Known as one of China’s best online stores for top-notch electronic items, GeekBuying is also offering the Kingston A400 480GB SSD at an unbeatable price. Aside from the aforesaid discount, there’s a way you can save more money during the checkout process, but we’ll talk about it in a bit.

The California-based SSD drives manufacturer has teamed up with GeekBuying to offer the 480GB capacity version of its A400 SSD for a heavily discounted price of just $99.99. This is a significant 17 percent drop in the device’s original asking price of $119.99.

On top of that, you can extend this discount by applying coupon code GIZ_QATEWKFW at the time of checking out. By applying the aforesaid coupon, you can get an extra $20 off.

In other words, you can bring the already lowered retail price of the Kingston A400 (480GB) further down to only $79.99. You can visit this link to grab the discount before the promo ends and use the coupon while it is still valid.

Unlike mechanical hard drives, the A400 enhances the boot and loading times of your system. This enables you to perform multiple activities with experiencing lag or any other sort of interruption. This SSD packs the latest gen controller, making it 10x faster than a regular hard drive.

It adopts a 7mm super slim design that makes it a great choice for a slew of systems including the light and then notebooks.

Check Out GeekBuying’s New Brands Sale

Production accident delays Redmi Note 7 deliveries, company apologizes

By

Jeet

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Jan 18, 2019

Redmi Note 7, the first smartphone from the Redmi brand after it split from the parent company Xiaomi to operate as an independent brand, seems to have been well received in China. In its first sale last week, the company revealed that all the units sold out within 8 minutes and 36 seconds.

The second flash sale of the Redmi Note 7 in China took place today and just like the previous sale, all the units in the second sale sold out within minutes. On JD.com alone, over 410,000 people registered to get their hands on the Redmi Note 7.

However, the company’s executives revealed through Weibo that the company faced the problem of delayed deliveries because of an accident in the production line. However, the company reaffirmed that the issue has been resolved and the deliveries will be made within the specified time of seven days.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with 2340 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The display carries support for 450-nits brightness, 1,500:1 contrast ratio, sun legibility, and eye protection mode.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core chipset with 3GB/4GB/6GB RAM and 32GB/64GB internal storage. It also comes with a dedicated microSD card slot allowing users to expand the storage capacity.

The company has focused on offering a premium photography experience with this budget smartphone. The device comes with an f/1.8 aperture 48-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary camera with artificial intelligence technology.

On the front side, there’s a 13-megapixel camera housed in the display notch. It is also equipped with features like AI Smart Beauty and AI face unlock. The Redmi Note 7 is equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack and features an infrared blaster which makes it possible to use it as a remote control. A fingerprint scanner resides of the backside of the smartphone.

As for the software, the smartphone is running Android 9 Pie-based MIUI 10 out-of-the-box. The phone is powered by a 4,000mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging technology. With an 18W fast charger, the phone can be fully charged in just 1 hour and 43 minutes.

Buy Chuwi Lapbook SE Laptop At A Dropped Price Of Just $269.49 On AliExpress

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Get 23% Off On Lapbook SE Laptop

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Jan 18, 2019

Chuwi made its long-awaited laptop dubbed, Lapbook SE available to the public last year in August.

It boasts an impressive array of features that we’d expect a top-branded laptop to carry. On the downside, the Lapbook SE doesn’t come cheap. In fact, the Chuwi-branded laptop will set you back a pretty penny on an online as well as offline store.

In order to enable cost-conscious buyers to get their hands on the Lapbook SE, the Shenzhen-based tech company is now offering the coveted laptop for a lowered price on AliExpress. The Chinese online retail service owned by Alibaba is having its winter liquidation, wherein it will be doling out a noteworthy 23 percent discount on the Chuwi Lapbook SE laptop.

As a result, those living on a tight budget will be able to buy the Lapbook SE for a dropped price of only $269.49 on AliExpress for a limited period of time. This discount will be valid for the variant offering 4GB of RAM with 64GB of onboard storage capacity.
Aside from taking advantage of the aforesaid discount, new users will qualify to get an extra $3. Meanwhile, others spending $199 on AliExpress will be able to use a $6 off coupon.

An absolute steal at this price, the Chuwi Lapbook SE sports a 13.3-inch display with a high resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:9. Under the hood, it packs a powerful Intel Gemini-Lake, N4100 14nm processor along with Intel UHD Graphics 600 Gen9 12EU, 700MHz GPU for an immersive experience.

Housed in a sturdy metal body, the dimensions of the Lapbook SE are 317 X 215 X 15.9 (H) mm and it weighs in at just 1.8kg, making it an extremely easy-to-carry laptop. Furthermore, it runs Microsoft Windows 10 OS and is backed by a robust 5000mAh battery.

You can head straight to this link in order to check out the rest of the specifications of the Lapbook SE laptop and grab the discount. It is worth noting that the laptop will go back to its original retail price as soon as the winter liquidation period wraps up.

Get Up To 50% Off On Computers & Office Items

Google Pixel 4 likely to feature bezel-less design and dual front speakers, reveals patent filings

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 18, 2019

Compared to Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones from 2017, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL offered larger screen space. The Pixel 3 came with an 18:9 display whereas the Pixel 3 XL sported a notched screen. Freshly approved patents by Google suggest that it could be working on a bezel-less design for the Pixel 4 smartphone that is likely to go official in Q4 this year.

According to 91mobiles, the new patent for a Google phone had appeared on the database of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) few days ago. The schematics of the Google phone that has surfaced through WIPO listing that its rear side will continue to sport a dual-tone design. The upper portion that could be made out of glass continues to feature a single camera like the predecessor Pixel phone models. The remaining portion of the rear shell could be metallic. A fingerprint scanner is also available on the backside of the phone.

The frontside of the phone is shown as blank which suggests that it could be featuring a bezel-less display. Hence, the placement of the selfie camera could not be confirmed through the images filed in the patent. The power key and volume rocker are the on the right side of the phone. A SIM card slot is available on the left side of the phone. There is a USB-C port on the bottom side of the device. It lacks support for 3.5mm audio jack.

Another Google patent that mainly concentrates on the smartphone’s display has also been spotted at WIPO. The images reveal that the Google Pixel phone will be featuring reduced bezels around the display. The upper and lower bezels are very slim, but they still manage to house the two front-firing speakers. The upper bezel is so slim that it could not be confirmed whether it will be housing a selfie camera.

Read More:Google Pixel 3 Lite review video leaks well ahead of Q2 launch

If Google make use of the above shown designs for the Pixel 4, its rear appearance will be almost same as the predecessor model. However, the major change in the design of the phone will be front as it may feature a bezel-less display

(via 1, 2)

Buy ZiYouJiGuang T18 Smart Electric Moped Bicycle For Just $469.99 On GeekBuying [Coupon Inside]

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Get 40% Off On FreeAurora T18 ZiYouJiGuang Portable Folding Smart Electric Moped Bicycle

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Jan 18, 2019

Looking for a cost-effect and more ecological means of transportation? GeekBuying’s got your back!
There’s no dearth of electric scooters in the market today, but regrettably, there aren’t too many options for those living on a tight budget. In a bid to make a high-end e-bike available to cost-conscious buyers, GeekBuying is now offering the ZiYouJiGuang T18 smart electric moped bicycle at a lowered price.

We’ll shed more light on the ZiYouJiGuang T18 and the aforesaid discount in a bit and show how you can save a considerable amount of extra money during the check out process. So without wasting any time, let’s delve straight into the details.

Just like most of the top-branded e-bikes available in the market today, the ZiYouJiGuang T18 doesn’t come cheap. In fact, it will set you back $799.99 on both online as well as offline stores.
Much to the delight of those who aren’t willing to shell out that kind of money on an e-bike, the ZiYouJiGuang T18 has now gone up for sale bearing a heavily discounted price tag of $479.99 on GeekBuying. This is a significant 40 percent drop in the e-bike’s original asking price.

But if that doesn’t impress you much, you can use coupon code GIZ_GKB031S to get an extra $30 off. In other words, you can bring the already lowered selling price of the ZiYouJiGuang T18 electric scooter further down to just $469.99 simply by applying the aforesaid coupon before placing your order.
An absolute bargain at this price, the ZiYouJiGuang T18 is an irresistible electric moped. It is powered by a 250W motor that delivers a max speed of 25Km/h. Moreover, it is backed by a robust 36V-6AH power lithium battery that lasts over 40-50km of electric moped mileage on a single charge.

You can know more about the ZiYouJiGuang T18 and grab the discount available on this feature-rich electric moped bicycle by following this link. Note that the discount will only be valid for six days.

Check Out GeekBuying’s CES 2019 Sale

Pre-Order Kospet Brave Smart Watch Phone For Just $129.99 On Banggood

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Get 35% Off On Kospet Brave Smart Watch Phone

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Jan 18, 2019

As people realize the importance of leading a healthier lifestyle, all sorts of fitness gadgets have made their way into the market.
Fitness enthusiasts who fancy keeping track of their health without breaking the bank usually end up compromising on quality while buying a fitness gadget. But much to their relief, the feature-laden Kospet Brave smartwatch that comes loaded with awe-inspiring features has gone up for pre-order carrying a considerably lowered price on Banggood.

Deemed as one of Kospet’s most-awaited smartwatches, the Kospet Brave sports an easily-readable 1.3-inch IPS display with a high resolution of 240x240pixels. The device runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS and is compatible with Android 5.1 (or above) and iOS 8.0 (or above).

Under the hood, the Kospet Brave packs a powerful MTK6737 quad-core processor. It ships with 2GB of RAM and offers a hearty 16GB of onboard storage capacity. Furthermore, the smartwatch draws its juices from a robust 620mAh battery that deliver about 5 days of standby time, and 1 day of using time.
On top of that, the Kospet Brave is an IP68 water-proof watch. In other words, you can wear it while taking a shower, swimming, climbing the mountain and even jump into the water without worrying about damaging the watch.

Brave comes with two types of 4G network systems — TDD LTE and FDD LTE. Aside from that, it supports 23 network frequency bands so that you can make important calls or simply check latest news by accessing the networks in most countries and regions.

The Kospet Brave features multiple motion modes including marathon full, mountain, run outdoor, walking, ride, run indoor, cross country and marathon half. It also has a heart rate monitor, sleep monitor, and pedometer.

Unlike a wide selection of steeply-priced smartwatches available in the market today, the Kospet Brave is easy on the pocketbook, carrying a reasonable $199.99 price tag. But if you are living on a tight budget, you can take advantage of the 35 percent discount that is currently available on the device’s retail price on Banggood.

Thanks to the aforesaid discount, you can pre-order the Kospet Brave smartwatch for an unbeatable price of just $129.99 on Banggood. With an expected processing time set as February 17th, there were two pre-orders already placed at the time of writing.

In order to ensure you do not miss this opportunity to get your hands on the Kospet Brave smartwatch at a lowered price, all you need to do is to follow this link without wasting time.

Samsung Galaxy A60 (A8s Lite) with punch-hole display rumored to debut in Q2

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 18, 2019

Samsung is reportedly working on many as nine Galaxy A series smartphones ranging from Galaxy A10 to Galaxy A90. In November 2018, the South Korean company had announced Infinity-U, Infinity-V and Infinity-O as its new display designs. It is speculated that some of the upcoming Galaxy A phones will have Infinity-O punch-hole display whereas the other smartphones in the same series will be equipped with U or V shaped notched screens. Fresh information shared by a reliable tipster reveals that Samsung will be debuting the Galaxy A60 smartphone in April.

The tipster has claimed that the Galaxy A60 will be arriving as the lighter version of the Galaxy A8s smartphone that features a punch-hole display. Hence, there is a possibility that the Galaxy A60 will also come equipped with Infinity-O display like the Galaxy A8s. As of this writing, there is no information on the specifications of the Galaxy A60.

Another Chinese tipster had recently claimed that the Galaxy A series is being built independently by the Samsung China team and it is mainly aimed towards the Chinese market. He added that the upcoming Galaxy A90 will be the most advanced Galaxy A series smartphone.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S10 series In-display fingerprint scanner won’t work with a screen protector

The upcoming Galaxy A90, Galaxy A70 and Galaxy 50 are expected to arrive with in-display fingerprint scanner. However, Samsung will be using optical type of in-screen fingerprint readers on the upcoming Galaxy A phones while the more accurate ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor is reserved for the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus that are scheduled to go official on Feb. 20. The other upcoming phones from the Galaxy A series will have some other attractive features such as triple or dual rear camera or ToF (Time of Flight) cameras.

LG G8 ThinQ 360-degree renders leak design and key details [Update]

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 18, 2019

Update: Through Twitter, Head of Global Corporate Communication for LG, Ken Hong conveyed that the device shown in the new renders isn’t the LG G8 ThinQ renders are correct, but not real. This suggests that the 360-degree renders may belong to a different device and not LG G8 ThinQ.

Original Story:

LG is expected to announce the LG G8 ThinQ flagship phone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 tech event in the coming month. Popular tipster @OnLeaks and 91mobiles have shared the 360-degree renders of the LG G8 ThinQ smartphone to reveal its design and key details.

LG G8 ThinQ renders reveal that its overall design is not very different from the predecessor LG G7 ThinQ smartphone. The handset sports a metallic frame and a glass rear. Instead of the vertical dual camera setup found on the predecessor model, the G8 ThinQ is equipped with a horizontal dual lens system. The renders suggest that the G8 ThinQ will lack support for Laser Autofocus. The rear shell of the phone is also fitted with a fingerprint reader.

The G8 ThinQ 360-degree renders show that it features a notched display. It seems to be housing dual selfie snappers inside the notch. The handset could be featuring the same 8-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual selfie camera setup that is available on the LG V40 ThinQ smartphone, but there is no confirmation on it yet.

The smartphone is equipped with a loudspeaker grille, a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack on its bottom edge. The right edge of the phone features a power button and a SIM tray. The volume buttons and a dedicated key to access the Google Assistant is available on the left side of the phone.

The LG G8 ThinQ measures around 152 x 72 x 8.4mm and it comes with a 6.1-inch display that offers an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. There are no other details available on the specifications of the phone. The handset is likely to be fueled by Snapdragon 855 chipset and 6 GB of RAM. A report from yesterday had claimed that the G8 ThinQ will come with an optional case with an additional display that will provide with a larger screen size of 7 inches. There is no fresh information available on it yet.

Buy Wireless WiFi IP Camera For Just $35.99 On TomTop

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Get 54% Off On Wireless WiFi IP Camera

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Jan 18, 2019

It is no secret that installing surveillance cameras in your home is very important from the security point of view.

Although the market is brimming with all sorts of cameras that can keep their eyes peeled for anything suspicious, you’d normally end up spending a lot of money on home security systems. If you looking for a cost-effective alternative to ensure the safety of your loved ones, the Wireless WiFi IP Camera might just fill the bill.

Equipped with an AI intelligent movement tracking, this Wireless WiFi IP Camera not only can detect a moving object but can also capture its movement track. It features a hidden infrared lamp to keep a close observation even during the night.

Its night vision mode does not see infrared in a bid to minimize the negative effects light pollution. Aside from its recording ability, the Wireless WiFi IP Camera offers an on-site alarm and abnormal alarm reminder.

You can easily set a no-detection area from the setting section in order to minimize false alarm and reduce detection storage space. Every time the mobile phone gets the alarm message of mobile detection, the Wireless WiFi IP Camera will make a clearly audible alarm sound, striking terror into the suspicious people.

Moreover, it comes with a built-in Wi-Fi antenna that using an 802.11b/n/g transmission protocol in order to expand the connection area and stabilize the connectivity. Other functions include two-way hands-free voice, 360-degree panorama shot, 2 million HD quality, AI intelligent core, a fast image in 3 seconds and 20m night vision.

While you’d normally expect a top branded IP camera offering comparable features to burn a hole in your pocket, the Wireless WiFi IP Camera will set you back only $35.99 on TomTop for a limited period of time. This is a 54 percent drop in the device’s original asking price of $77.83.

You can follow this link to check out more details about this AI camera and grab the aforesaid discount. With only 363 pieces remaining, this promotion sale is slated to end in thirteen days.

Buy BlitzWolf BW-KS1 Bluetooth Party Karaoke Speaker For Just $69.90 On Banggood

By

Get 31% Off On BlitzWolf BW-KS1 Bluetooth Party Karaoke Speaker

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Jan 18, 2019

With the BW-KS1 party karaoke speaker from BlitzWolf, you can now turn your house into a nightclub without breaking a sweat or the bank.
The BlitzWolf BW-KS1 is an all-in-one audio solution. In terms of connectivity, it offers AUX in, FM mode, TF card, and USB flash drive play. Made using high-quality PC, PVC, iron and aluminum alloys material, it is a compact and easy-to-carry party karaoke speaker.

Despite its portable size, the BW-KS1 is capable of delivering hi-fi sound, strong bass and excellent treble for a superior auditory experience. On top of that, it is highly versatile as you can play your favorite music from multiple sources, thanks to its ability to wirelessly connect to a mobile phone and other devices.

Moreover, the BlitzWolf BW-KS1 features a 10M wireless microphone that delivers hi-fi sound quality, making it a great choice for home parties, classroom lessons as well as karaoke. Aside from that, it has a convenient remote that allows you to switch between different modes, change songs and increase or decrease the volume.

If the BlitzWolf BW-KS1 has now grabbed your attention, it might also interest you to know that this feature-laden party karaoke speaker has gone up for pre-order carrying a heavily discounted price tag on Banggood. While it would normally set you back $100.98, you can now buy the BW-KS1 for just $69.90.

Note that the aforesaid 31 percent discount will only be valid for the first 20 pieces. The next 65 pieces will sell for $75.99, while the remaining 100 pieces will retail for $79.99. It is imperative for you to follow this link without wasting time if you are interested in grabbing the big discount.

Note that the BlitzWolf BW-KS1 will go back to its original asking price as soon as the remaining pieces are pre-ordered.

Buy Huawei Matebook 13 Laptop And Huawei Nova 4 4G Phablet At Lowered Prices On GearBest [Coupons Inside]

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Get 12% Off On Huawei Matebook 13 Laptop

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Jan 18, 2019

Huawei has joined hands with GearBest in a bid to offer the Matebook 13 laptop and nova 4 phablet at unbeatable prices.
Aside from that, the Shenzhen-based company known for making top-level consumer electronics and a slew of other technology-based services and products is giving its loyal fanbase something more to cheer about. We’ll shed more light on it in just a bit.

Huawei Matebook 13 Laptop

Designed to be used on a daily basis, the WRT – W19B MateBook sports an eye-catching 13.0 inch IPS screen with a high resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels that breathes new life into your photos and videos. It is a full-screen laptop that boasts a 2K display screen.

It is powered by an Intel Core i5-8265U Quad-Core 1.6GHz up to 3.9GHz processor and packs an NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU, under the hood so that you can experience seamless basic photo editing and casual gaming. Moreover, it ships with 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and offers 256GB of internal storage capacity.

Furthermore, this Huawei-branded laptop runs Microsoft Windows 10 OS and draws its juices from a built-in 3670mAh battery. On optics front, the Matebook 13 houses a 1.0MP front-mounted camera so that you can start a video chat with friends and family.

A top-branded laptop offering comparable features would normally set you back a pretty penny, but the Matebook 13 laptop has gone up for pre-order bearing a considerably lowered price tag of $1059.99 on GearBest. This is a 12 percent drop in the device’s retail price of $1198.41.

On top of that, you can use coupon code GBNBHWMB13 and get an extra $260 off. In other words, you can use the aforesaid coupon to bring the already lowered selling price of the laptop further down to only $799.99.

You can follow this link to grab this discount, which will be valid only for the silver color version of the Huawei Matebook 13 laptop. It is only worth noting that the pre-sale price will be limited to only 247 pre-orders with the promo slated to end in eight days.

Huawei Nova 4 4G Phablet

As a phablet, the Nova 4 sports an extra large 6.4-inch capacitive display with a screen resolution of 2310 x 1080 pixels. Huawei adopts its off-screen technology in a bid to hide the selfie lens under the full-screen, making the four sides of the screen completely.

The device is powered by Kirin 970 processor and it packs a highly competent Mali-G72 MP12 graphics processing unit to deliver an unmatched viewing experience. Furthermore, it comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage capacity for you to save your favorite content.
The Nova 4 houses a 48.0MP+16.0MP+2.0MP triple camera setup on the back and a 25.0MP front shooter for self-portraits and video chat. The phablet runs Android 9.0 Pie operating system and draws its juices from a built-in 3750mAh battery.

In order to make the feature-laden Nova 4 available to cost-conscious buyers, Huawei is now doling out a 13 percent discount on the phablet’s original asking price of $735.42. As a result, you can now buy the black and blue color versions of the device at a dropped price of only $639.99.

You can follow this link to check out the full specifications of the Nova 4 phablet and avail the discount before the promo comes to an end.

Get 13% Off On Huawei Nova 4 Phablet

Check Out GearBest’s Computer Gear Summer Sale

Nokia X5 Android Pie update in China brings system optimization, camera upgrade and more

By

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Jan 18, 2019

Nokia X5 was released in July last year as one of HMD Global’s thousand yuan smartphone with a starting price of 999 yuan (around $147). The device was the company’s second notch screen phone after the Nokia X6. It came preinstalled with Android Oreo but Nokia seems to have started pushing Android Pie OTA update to the model.

A Nokia X5 user has shared the screenshot of its device which just got Android 9.0 Pie OS update. The screenshot shows the several new features which the update brings. Perhaps, the biggest feature is the adaptation of the new OS to the notch screen design such that the display is optimized to allow the system or installed apps make full use of the entire screen.

The Nokia X5 Android Pie update also upgrades the camera, app store, weather client, theme store, change assistant and other programs. In addition, the update log shows that Nokia X5 Android 9.0 supports native text selection magnifier function, native Lockdown lock function, native system forced horizontal screen function and improved system smoothness. The update also brings optimized battery management, new game assistant and updated Google security patches (December 2018). We beklieve the update will soon roll out the update to the global version known as Nokia 5.1 Plus.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 vs Meizu X8 vs Honor 8X: Specs Comparison

By

Michele Ingelido

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Jan 17, 2019

Given the importance of the new potential best-seller Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, we are comparing it with all the best midrange smartphones currently in the market. You can check all the comparisons we published until now by clicking here. Here, it is the turn of Meizu X8 and Honor 8X, two incredible value for money devices that hitten the shelves with an amazing quality-price ratio. The latter is also known as Honor View 10 Lite in the global market for marketing reasons. Go ahead with this comparison and we will help you find out which one should you get if you are looking for a new affordable mid-ranger.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 vs Meizu X8 vs Huawei Honor 8X

	Xiaomi Redmi Note 7	Meizu X8	Huawei Honor 8X
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT	159.2 x 75.2 x 8.1 mm, 186 grams	151.2 x 74.6 x 7.8 mm, 160 grams	160.4 x 76.6t x 7.8 mm, 175 grams
DISPLAY	6.3 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 409 ppi, IPS LCD	6.2 inches, 1080 x 2220p (Full HD+), 398 ppi, 18.5:9 ratio, IPS LCD	6.5 inches, 1080 x 2340 pixels, 396 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, IPS LCD
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, octa-core 2.2 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 710, octa-core 2.2 GHz	Huawei Hisilicon Kirin 710, octa-core 2.2 GHz
MEMORY	3 GB RAM, 32 GB – 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD slot	4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB	4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot
SOFTWARE	Android 9 Pie, MIUI	Android 8.0 Oreo, Flyme OS	Android 8.1 Oreo, EMUI 8.2
CONNECTIVITY	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
CAMERA	Dual 48 + 5 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4 13 MP front camera	Dual 12 + 5 MP f/1.9 20 MP front camera	Dual 20 + 2 MP f/1.8 16 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY	4000 mAh, fast charging with Quick Charge 4.0	3210 mAh	3750 mAh, Fast Charging
ADDITIONAL FEATURES	Hybrid Dual SIM slot	Dual SIM slot	Dual SIM slot

Design

If you are looking for the most innovative design and also the best build quality, then you should go for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7. It has an amazing glass back available in gradient color variants, a small waterdrop notch, and very narrow bezels, even though Meizu X8 has slightly thinner bezels despite its bigger notch. Further, it is water and dust resistant, even though it does not have an IP rating, and its glass is very strong thanks to the Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Honor 8X comes right after with its stunning glass back, despite its way bigger dimensions, and its high screen-to-body ratio. Meizu X8 is just more compact and lightweight, but not that beautiful.

Display

With each of these devices, you will get an average IPS display just like most of the panels mounted on midrange handsets. So we suggest you focus on the size. If you are looking for a productivity and multimedia device, then choose the Huawei Honor 8X because it has one of the biggest displays you can find on a phone with a diagonal of 6.5 inches. But if you want a more compact device that you can easily use even with one hand, then Meizu X8 is better for your needs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 goes in the middle, its display is wide but not excessively.

Specs & Software

When it comes to the hardware side, we start noticing more evident differences. Indeed, Meizu X8 is undoubtedly a more powerful and a faster handset thanks to its higher-end SoC. We are talking about Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710, the best midrange chipset from the San Diego-based company. And you can even get up to 128 GB of internal storage. The Snapdragon 660 found on the Redmi Note 7 by Xiaomi is slightly better than the Kirin 710 on the Honor 8X, but unlike the Honor 8X it does not have a 128 GB version and it comes with max 64 GB of internal storage. Further, Honor 8X comes with a dedicated micro SD slot.

Camera

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 has the most impressive rear cameras thanks to the 48 MP sensor by Xiaomi which combines 4 pixels to get an awesome level of detail and good performance in low light conditions. Meizu X8 and Honor 8X are not very distant in terms of camera quality, but I personally prefer the Honor 8X.

Battery

The biggest battery is the one of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 that is able to last more than Honor 8X thanks to its bigger capacity and a great software optimization. The second place goes to Honor 8X with its 3750 mAh unit, but unlike the Redmi Note 7 it does not feature a fast charging technology. Meizu X8 has just an average battery life due to its smaller 3210 mAh battery.

Price

Due to its better camera, bigger battery and amazing build quality, I would pick the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7. It even costs less than its rivals: just $147/€129 in China for the base variant, while Meizu X8 costs about $227/€200 and Honor 8X is available in the global market with a starting price of about €270/€307.

Read More: Redmi Note 7 Teardown video: Here’s what you can find inside the flagship killer

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 vs Meizu X8 vs Huawei Honor 8X: PROs and CONS

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7

PROs

Great design
Affordable price
Better camera
Bigger battery

CONS

Nothing particular

Meizu X8

PROs

Powerful hardware
High screen-to-body ratio
Affordable price
More compact design

CONS

Smaller battery

Huawei Honor 8X

PROs

Great aesthetics
Big display
Big battery
micro SD dedicated slot

CONS

Worse processor

Reservations for Redmi Note 7 second flash sale surpass 400,000

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Jan 17, 2019

Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 7 smartphone recently and it was put on sale for the first time on January 15. Records show that the device was sold out in just about 8 minuteswith all 100,000 units exhausted in that short space. The flagship-killer Redmi Note 7 will go on sale again on January 18 and reservations for the sale is ongoing. The reservation page on Jingdong (JD.com) shows that over 400,000 persons have indicated interests to grab the device when it goes on sale.

Unfortunately, we doubt if the available stock will be enough to cater for all those who made reservations. It’s unlikely that all of those who made reservations will show up for the flash sale, though. Xiaomi had earlier hinted that it will make available up to 1 million units of the Redmi Note 7 to buyers this January. That amount may be getting exhausted already if we are to piece together all the units sold on Mi.com, Jingdong, and other online stores in China during the first sale and this upcoming flash sale. Xiaomi is yet to announce when the device will be coming to India and other regions of the world.

As a reminder, the Redmi Note 7 features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with 2340 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The display carries support for 450-nits brightness, 1,500:1 contrast ratio, sun legibility, and eye protection mode. Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core chipset with 3GB/4GB/6GB RAM and 32GB/64GB internal storage. It also comes with a dedicated microSD card slot allowing users to expand the storage capacity. Perhaps, the most outstanding feature on the device is the f/1.8 aperture 48-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary camera with artificial intelligence technology at the rear. On the front side, there’s a 13-megapixel camera housed in the display notch.

Further, the phone is also equipped with features like AI Smart Beauty and AI face unlock. The Redmi Note 7 is equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack and features an infrared blaster which makes it possible to use it as a remote control. A fingerprint scanner resides of the backside of the smartphone. It runs Android 9 Pie-based MIUI 10 out-of-the-box and is fired up by a 4,000mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging technology. With an 18W fast charger, the phone can be fully charged in just 1 hour and 43 minutes. The price tag makes it all look crazy – starts at 999 yuan! This best we have seen in this price category so far. It is available in Dream Blue, Twilight Gold and Bright Black colours.

Amazon launches Echo Input in India, perfect companion for the Mi Soundbar

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 17, 2019

Xiaomi‘s Mi Soundbar was announced in India last week and early reviews have praised its balance of price and audio quality. Now Amazon has announced its Alexa-powered Echo Input is now available in India and we think it is a smart addition for anyone planning to get the Mi Soundbar.

The Echo Input is a device that turns any speaker or sound system into a smart one powered by Alexa. It was announced last year and is already available for purchase in countries like the US. Now, Amazon has announced its availability in India.

All you have to do is connect the Echo Input to your speaker either via Bluetooth or AUX and you can ask it questions about the weather or your schedule, ask it to play music, or even use it to control Alexa-supported smart devices.

The Mi Soundbar has an AUX port and also has Bluetooth, so you can connect it to the Echo Input in any way you prefer. The Echo Input has four far-field microphones, a mute button, an action button, an LED, a 3.5mm audio port and a Micro-USB port for power.

Amazon is selling the Echo Input for INR 2,999 (~$42). That is more than half the price of the Mi Soundbar which sells for INR 4,999 (~$70). However, you will be hard-pressed to find a smart soundbar for under $100.

The Echo Input currently sells for half the price in the US now. Its original price is $34.99 but it is available for $19.99. It also comes in white and black variants. Sadly, only the black variant is available on Amazon India.

If Alexa isn’t your thing, you may want to begin praying Google announces something similar that is powered by the Google Assistant. The tech giant announced it will stop manufacturing the Chromecast Audio, so it might be working on something similar to the Echo Input.

(Source, Via)

Top Ten Semiconductors in the world has Samsung on top, Qualcomm in sixth

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Jan 17, 2019

According to Jimmy Goodrich, vice president of global policy at the Semiconductor Industry Association, a trade group based in Washington DC, “Semiconductors are arguably humanity’s greatest achievement to date. They’re still central to everything that’s modern or electronic, whether you’re driving a car, or surfing the internet, or using a supercomputer-everything is ultimately based on a semiconductor and lots of them.” If you think this assertion isn’t correct, ask Chinese firm ZTE which almost went bankrupt when the US government imposed a ban which prevented the company from using US technology. Even though the biggest challenge was the use of Google’s Android OS, the company would have lost out entirely because a flagship phone without Qualcomm’s latest chipset isn’t really one.

The semiconductor industry continues to post some gains as the market experiences boom. Preliminary results released by Gartner show that worldwide semiconductor revenues totalled US$476.7 billion in 2018 which is 13.4% higher than the revenue in 2017. The Memory chips solidified its ranking as the largest semiconductor category as it reportedly accounted for 34.8% of total semiconductor revenues, an increase of 31% from 2017’s revenue.

In terms of ranking, Samsung maintained its lead of the market and even increased the gap solidifying its position as the No. 1 vendor. Samsung’s impressive revenue is tied to the DRAM market, an analyst at Garner disclosed. He went on to state that despite building on the growth established in 2017, Samsung’s overall gains due to its memory chips accounted for half the 2017 growth rate.

Gartner’s report also reveals that the top-4 vendors in 2017 retained their ranking in 2018. This means Intel still remains the second largest semiconductor manufacturer. Intel’s semiconductor revenue is said to have grown by 12.2% compared with 2017, driven by a combination of unit and average selling price (ASP) growth. At the third position is SK Hynix, while Micron Technology is in the fourth position. Qualcomm moved from the fifth largest chipmaker in 2017 to the sixth position in 2018 while Broadcom moved a step up. The rest of the top 10 comprises Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Western Digital and NXP. However, Gartner projects the current rankings may see significant change this year due to expectations that memory market conditions will weaken in 2019 in the face of rising US/China tensions.