LeEco founder Jia Yueting Ordered To Return To China Before Year End

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Dec 26, 2017

LeEco founder Jia Yueting has been ordered by the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission to return to China before December 31. This is one of the many calls made by the regulator to the Chinese billionaire to come back home. He is said to be in the United States taking care of his electric car venture, Faraday Future, which is another company struggling with operations.

jiu-yueting-co-founder-leeco — LeEco Founder, Jia Yueting

Earlier this year, Jia resigned from all of his positions in Leshi Internet Information & Technology Corp. But at the time of his resignation, he left LeEco in a very bad position mounted by debts. He is now being called by the regulator to fulfill on his promise made back in 2015 to provide interest-free loans to Leshi with the proceeds from the sale of his shares in the company. It is worth mentioning that he said in a letter back in November that he won’t be able to fulfil his promise of financial support to a LeEco subsidiary.

The regulator ordered Jia in an official statement yesterday, asking him to immediately return ‘home’ (China) and handle the situation. The statement further adds that ‘the debt has to be paid back’ and it has caused ‘extremely adverse social impact’.

The situation doesn’t look good for Jia right now. With mounting debts and Faraday Future struggling, it remains to be seen whether he will pay heed to the call from the Chinese regulator this time.

(Source, Via)

Snapdragon 670 Specifications Leaked; Promises Flagship-Like Performance

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Dec 26, 2017

Most of the flagship phones in 2017 were launched with Snapdragon 835 chipset onboard. Some of the upper mid-range phones that were launched this year were powered by Snapdragon 660. The Snapdragon 845 that was officially unveiled recently as its successor will be powering the flagship smartphones arriving in 2018. A report that was published few months ago revealed that Qualcomm is working on Snapdragon 670 chipset as the successor of SD 660. In the previous week, well-known tipster Roland Quant had revealed some of the key specs of the SD 670 to reaffirm the existence of the chipset.

Quandt claims that the U.S. based chip maker is currently testing the Snapdragon 670 chipset on a prototype device. His tweet reveals that the upcoming chipset supports WQHD resolution. In other words, the chipset is able to support a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. It can support 64 GB of eMMC 5.1 storage, 6 GB of DDR4X RAM, a rear camera of 22.6-megapixel and a front-facing camera of 13-megapixel.

Previous leaks have revealed that the Snapdragon 670 chipset will be built with 10nm LPP (Low Power Plus) manufacturing technology by Samsung. It is speculated to feature two high-performing Kryo 360 cores along with six low-power Kryo cores and it also rumored to house a new 600 series Adreno graphics. The mass production of the Snapdragon 670 chipset is rumored to start in the first quarter of 2018.

The Snapdragon 660 is also a very potent chipset after the Snapdragon 835. However, only few smartphones featuring the SD660 chipset were launched this year such as OPPO R11/R11s, R11/R11s Plus, Xiaomi Mi Note 3, Vivo X20, ASUS ZenFone 4, Smartisan Nuts Pro 2, Sharp Aquos S2, 360 N6 Pro and Elephone S9. The market may see few more Snapdragon 660 chipset phones in the coming months before the arrival of Snapdragon 670 driven phones in the latter half of 2018.

What do you think about the specifications of the upcoming Snapdragon 670 chipset? Share us your thoughts by adding your comments below.

(source)

You Can Now Buy Dodocool Wireless Stereo Headphone For Only $25.99 On Amazon

By

Vinay Patel

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Dec 26, 2017

Dodocool Wireless Stereo Wood IPX5 In-Ear Headphone comes with HD Mic that allows users to experience superior quality stereo audio and answer phone calls without using their hands. It sports an Ergonomic design that lets them conveniently listen to their favorite music.

This Magnetic Wireless Stereo Wood IPX5 In-Ear Headphone comes in three sizes of ear caps that can be interchanged. They not only filter ambient noise but also offer reliability and comfort.

You can now buy dodocool Wireless Noise Cancelling Headset on Amazon by shelling out just $25.99. The item is sold by Aoputek and fulfilled by Amazon. But much to the chagrin of Indian music lovers, Amazon doesn’t ship the dodocool DA164 ear headphone to India.

With a full charge, the headphone can provide up to an impressive 6 hours of playtime. There’s an LED indicator that shows the device’s battery level status, charging as well as connection.

Aside from that, there are multiple buttons placed on the device’s right side that allow users to control media playback, adjust the volume and even answer/reject/transfer/end calls without breaking much of a sweat. You can click here to buy dodocool’s Magnetic Wireless Stereo Wood IPX5 In-Ear Headphone on Amazon for only $25.99.

Dodocool Magnetic Wireless Stereo Headphone Available For Just $25.99 On Amazon

Android P May Provide Power to Carriers to Hide Signal Strength Completely

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Dec 26, 2017

Google has reportedly begun works on Android P since late August. Fresh information revealed by XDA Developers states that Android P may allow telecom operators to hide the strength of the network in Settings. An evidence that supports this claim has been found in the Android Open Source Project commits.

The AOSP commits reveals that mobile network operators in the U.S. might hold the power to disable signal strength in the “SIM Status” settings in Android P. It appears that the search engine giant is doing so on the request of some carriers without taking users into consideration.

The actual numerical signal strength that is measured in dBm or asu can be seen in the SIM Status. This can be done by navigating to Settings > About phone > Status > SIM status. Hence, the network bars that appear at the top of the screen are the not actual representation of the strength of the signal that the device is receiving.

If the dBm value is low, it means that the strength of the signal is poor. Low signal strength will impact call quality, internet connectivity speed and battery life of the device.

Through the signal strength value, users can decide whether they want to switch to another mobile network operator that offers better signal. The publication claims that the configuration on of the carrier in the vendor.xml determines whether to show or hide the signal strength to the users. Hence, the power to change the visibility of signal strength in Android P will prevent users from the seeing the actual signal in the SIM status.

Even if the carriers decide to hide their signal strength in Android P, users can still accurately how good the network strength is by using third party apps like Signal Strength available on the Google Play Store. However, if a carrier is putting more pressure to prevent users for seeing network strength in Settings, Google may block it on an API level.

Android P is expected to arrive with version number 9.0 in the coming year. Its first developer preview may get unveiled at Google I/O event in May 2018. Its stable edition may arrive by August next year.

(source)

Original Xiaomi Huami AMAZFIT Sports Bluetooth Smart Watch Available On GearBest For Only $85.99

By

Vinay Patel

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Dec 26, 2017

Looks like fitness freaks have something to cheer about. Original Xiaomi Huami AMAZFIT Sports Bluetooth Smart Watch is currently up for grabs on GearBest for $156.88.

The smartwatch comes with multiple sports recorders that can track heart rate, pace, running time, altitude, cadence, speed, calories and lots more. The AMAZFIT watch is available in English and Chinese version on GearBest.

While the black and red color options of the English version are available for $156.88, there’s a considerable 26% off the Chinese version of the Original Xiaomi Huami AMAZFIT Sports Bluetooth SmartWatch. You can buy the black-tinted, Chinese version of the watch for $113.93.

You can use promo code ‘GBHUAMI’ at the time of checking out and buy the English version of the smartwatch for just $85.99. There were only 300 pieces left at the time of writing.

The watch runs on Android 4.4 / iOS 8.0 and above operating system, and is backed by a robust 280mAh battery. Click here to buy the Original Xiaomi Huami AMAZFIT Sports Bluetooth Smart Watch for just $85.99.

Buy Xiaomi AMAZFIT Sports Smart Watch On GearBest For Just $85.99

Buy Top-Notch Laptops On GearBest At A Discounted Price

By

Vinay Patel

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Dec 26, 2017

GearBest is currently offering lowest coupon prices on Xiaomi, MSI, Lenovo, and Cube-branded laptops. Let’s take a gander at the popular online seller’s hot-selling laptops.

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro

Powered by Intel Core i5-8250U processor, the Mi Notebook Pro offers 8GB DDR4 RAM, coupled with 256GB SSD (solid-state drive). As part of its Year Huge Savings offer, GearBest is currently selling the laptop for $829.99.

The coupon code you can use at the time of checking out is ‘MIBOOKPRO.’ Click here to buy the Mi Notebook Pro.

MSI GL62M 7REX – 1252 Gaming Laptop

Avid PC gamers can now get their hands on one of the best gaming laptops currently available in the market by shelling out just $939.99. MSI GL62M 7REX runs on Windows 10 operating system and comes with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX1050 Ti GDDR5 graphic card. The device is powered by Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor.

Thanks to a considerable 23% discount on GearBest, you can now buy MSI GL62M 7REX for only $979.99; however, you need to head straight to this link now since only 139 pieces were left at the time of writing. Apply coupon code ‘MSI1252’ before checking out to buy the laptop for just $939.99.

Lenovo Legion R720 Gaming Laptop

Next, we have an equally-robust gaming laptop from Lenovo bearing the Legion R720 moniker. Under the hood, the device packs the Core i5-7300HQ processor, which is paired with 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD.
The laptop is currently up for grabs on GearBest bearing a flash sale price tag of $959.99. Other versions of the Legion R720 Gaming Laptop include:

128GB SSD + 1TB HDD + GTX1020 2G

128GB SSD + 1TB HDD + GTX1060 6G

1TB HDD + GTX1050 2G

256GB SSD + 1TB HDD + GTX1050 TI 4G

The device is available in Black color and only 154 pieces were left at the time of writing. You can click here and use promo code ‘LenovoGam’ at the time of checking out to buy the laptop for only $919.99.

Cube iPlay 8 Tablet PC

There’s a 21% discount on iPlay 8 Tablet PC on GearBest. You can buy it for only $69.99 before the promo ends in 4 days i.e. on December 30. It’s also worth noting that only 131 pieces were left at the time of writing.

There are two versions of the tablet PC including 1GB + 16GB and 1GB + 8GB listed on the website. However, the 1GB + 8GB version has now been discontinued. You can buy the 1GB + 16GB variant at a discounted price of $49.99 by using coupon code ‘IPLAY8’ at the time of checking out. Click here to buy the Cube iPlay 8 Tablet PC before the promo ends.Alternatively, you can head straight to this link in order to check out the Year Huge Savings wherein you can avail some lowest coupon prices.

Check Out GearBest’s Year Huge Savings For Top-Notch Laptops

Xiaomi Mijia 3.5K Panorama Action Camera Is Available On GearBest For Only $222.99

By

Vinay Patel

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Dec 26, 2017

Looks like photography enthusiasts are in for a treat. Xiaomi Mijia Action Camera is currently available on GearBest at a flash sale price of $222.99. This massive 39% discount was slated to end in 35 days at the time of writing.

Alternatively, you can get your hands on an International edition of the Xiaomi Mijia Panorama Action Camera on GearBest by shelling out the same amount. There were 35 days for the promo and 184 pieces left at the time of writing. The camera is available in Black color.

The compact camera boasts a simple yet appealing design and it is IP67 Certified. Moreover, it features Smart Notification Indicators. On the downside, if you’re planning to directly upload videos to YouTube from the Mi VR 3.5K Panorama Camera, it does not come with this feature.

The camera comes with two fish-eye lens modules and is powered by an Ambarella A12 chipset. A couple of 190 degree ultra-wide angle fish-eye lenses are used and placed against each other with the catadioptric lens reducing the blind area.

Aside from that, there’s a built-in IMX 206 sensor that can continuously clip and weave the image together into a 360-degree image. You can apply coupon code ‘360MJA1111’ at the time of checking out to buy Xiaomi’s Mijia Action Camera for only $184.99. Click on this link to buy the camera for just $222.99.

Buy Xiaomi’s Mijia 3.5K Panorama Action Camera For Only $222.99

Oukitel K6 Smartphone Is Now Up For Pre-Order On Banggood For Only $199.99

By

Vinay Patel

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Dec 26, 2017

As part of its Global First Presale, Oukitel is now offering its K6 smartphone for pre-order on Banggood for just $199.99. This is a considerable reduction from the device’s original asking price of $269.99.

Sporting a massive 6-inch FHD+ display, Oukitel K6 is backed by a robust 6300mAh battery and it uses Face ID technology to unlock the phone instantly. On the photography front, the phone comes with 21MP+8MP rear-mounted cameras, and 13MP and 8MP camera with 3 LED flashlights in the front.

The estimated shipping time is between 7 to 20 business days. It’s worth noting that when you pre-order this phone via Banggood, you earn 199 Banggood points that can be redeemed later. There were 286 pre-orders available on the site at the time of writing.

There are two color options for Oukitel K6, including Black and Blue, that are currently up for pre-order on Banggood. You must bear in mind that coupons don’t apply to this handset or any other item with “PROMO” or “VIP” tag on the site.

The Oukitel K6 packs a MediaTek MT6763 Octa Core 2.0GHz processor with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory, under the hood. It runs on Android 7.1 and has NFC technology. Click on this link to pre-order the Oukitel K6 smartphone for only US$199.99 before the promo comes to an end.

Buy Oukitel K6 Smartphone For Just US$ 199.99

Get A Massive 25% Off The Original Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum 1st Generation On GearBest

By

Vinay Patel

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Dec 26, 2017

The Original Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum 1st Generation has made an appearance on GearBest. With a massive 25% off the first generation model, you can now buy the device for just $299.99 before the promo comes to an end.

The second generation of the model is only available in China Warehouse for $518.99, which is a considerable 23% discount from the device’s original asking price. The second-generation International version EU plug white version, on the other hand, is available for $599.99 on GearBest.

Backed by a robust LDS Bumper SLAM 2000Pa Suction 5200mAh battery, the Original Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum 1st Generation is available in two color options including Rose Gold and White, but only 22 pieces were left at the time of writing.

While checking out, you can apply promotion code ‘XMIVCHK’ to buy the item for just $269.99. You can head straight to this link to take advantage of the discount.

Buy The Original Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum 1st Generation For Just $269.99

OPPO A75 & A75s Launched: 6-Inch Full-screen Display, 20MP Selfie Camera & More

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 25, 2017

Chinese smartphone maker OPPO has wrapped up what is definitely a very successful year with the launch of two new models with a near-bezel-less design in Taiwan. The smartphones dubbed OPPO A75 and A75s both come with a full-screen design and have almost similar specifications. The only difference between both models is in the amount of storage available. Let’s take a look at the specifications.

Specifications- OPPO A75 & OPPO A75s

Both the OPPO A75 and A75s sport a 6-inch Full-screen display with a Full HD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The models are powered by the MediaTek Helio P23 (MT6763T) chipset. The processor is backed by 4GB of RAM on both smartphones while the A75 packs a 32GB internal storage. On the other hand, the OPPO A75s packs a 64GB native storage.

As far as the camera goes, the OPPO A75 and A75s pack a 16MP rear camera while at the front is a massive 20MP front camera. The front camera comes with AI face recognition which compliments the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for unlocking the smartphone. In addition, the A75 and A75s measure 156.5 x 76 x 7.5mm, weighing in at 152g. The phone runs on Android 7.1 Nougat-based Color OS 3.0 and keeping the light on is a 3,200mAh battery. The phone also comes with connectivity features such as WiFi 2.4/5GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n, GPS support, Bluetooth 4.2 and OTG function.

Pricing & Availability

The OPPO A75 and A75s are both available in Black and Gold colours. As for the prices, the A75 carries a price tag of NTD 10,990 ($365) while the A75s is priced at NTD 11,990 ($400). Both models are already available to buy from OPPO’s Taiwan online store. There is no indication as to when the models will be available in other regions.

Exclusive Images of Samsung Galaxy S9+ Enclosed in Colorful Cases Highlight Dual Rear Cameras

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Dec 25, 2017

It is already a tradition that the few months leading up to the launch of flagship phones from manufacturers such as Samsung and Apple are usually filled with endless leaks. Today we have gotten our hands on exclusive pictures of the upcoming Galaxy S9+ wrapped up in a bunch of colorful cases.

The Galaxy S9+ is the bigger sibling of the Galaxy S9. However, unlike this year’s Galaxy S8+ which mainly differs from its smaller sibling with respect to screen size and battery capacity, the Galaxy S9+ is much more different.

The Samsung Galaxy S9+ will come with dual rear cameras like the Galaxy Note8 albeit in a vertical arrangement while the smaller Galaxy S9 will make do with a single rear camera.

The cameras are flanked on the right by the LED flash and heart rate monitor, and below by the fingerprint scanner. The re-positioning of the fingerprint scanner is one of the changes users will appreciate most as there were complaints about that of this year’s flagships.

With the new design, your index finger will naturally rest on the scanner and you won’t have to deal with smudges on the lens of the camera like in the case of the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

The front of the phone doesn’t reveal much. All we can make out is the infinity display which will keep its 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The bezels are smaller but we are sure the top is home to a plethora of sensors.

Continue

Xiaomi Launches Giant Mi Air Purifier Max With Up To 1000m³ / h CADR Value

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 25, 2017

Xiaomi has launched a new Air Purifier, adding to the growing number air purifiers it has in its arsenal (five in the last 3 years). The Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier Max comes with a massive size and is well suited to purify the air in a large room considering it comes with a CADR value of up to a 1000m³ / h.

The Mi Air Purifier Max features a design similar to the previous models that have so far been launched by Xiaomi, including the recently launched Mi Air Purifier 2S. It comes with an OLED display having a circular shape and is integrated with the operational design. As a result of its gigantic size, the Mi Air Purifier Max utilises a two-filter design. The design includes a left and right fuselage with a detachable top cover which allows users to replace the filters manually.

The CADR value of up to 1000m³ / h ensures the device can be used to purify the air in a room with an area of 120 square meters in just 3 minutes. Despite the large size, you won’t get bugged by noise as the Mi Air Purifier Max comes with Xiaomi’s patented silent noise reduction technology such that even in the highest mode, the noise is still reduced at just 34dB.

The new Air Purifier Max brings to six, the total number of air purifiers that Xiaomi has so far launched. The tech giant first launched the first-gen Mi Air Purifier in 2014, and the Mi Air Purifier 2 in 2015. Last year saw the launch of the Mi Air Purifier Pro and then the Mijia Car Air Purifier. Xiaomi also launched the cheaper and trimmed down Mi Air Purifier 2S this year.

The Mi Air Purifier Max is priced at just 1,999 yuan ($304) making it the most expensive Air Purifier Xiaomi has launched. Also, remember that it is the largest and has twice the output of the Mi Air Purifier Pro which has a price tag of 1299 yuan ($197). The gadget would go on sale on December 26 and we expect it to be available outside China anytime soon via online retailers like GearBest.

New Leaks Of Meizu Full Screen Phones M6S and M15 Plus Surface Online (Images and Specs)

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Dec 25, 2017

Meizu has two full-screen phones in the works. One will be launched by its sub-brand mBlu and is currently called the Meizu M6S while the other is the Meizu 15 Plus which is its anniversary flagship. Fresh images and details of both devices have leaked online today.

Meizu M6S/mBlu S Full Screen Phone

This will be the first Meizu full-screen phone and is rumored to arrive in January. The phone has been spotted at the ministry of information with model number M712C, M712M, and M712Q. The three variants represent the various models available for China’s three network operators – China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom.

The model number is also proof this is the successor to the Meizu M6 released back in September. The M6’s model number is M711 and also comes in the C, Q, and M variants as above.

Some of the specs of the M712Q were revealed but they should apply to all three models. The phone measures 152 x 72.54 x 8.0 mm and has a 5.7” display. The dimensions translate into a display with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

The Meizu M712Q (M6S) will also come with a 2930mAh battery which is slightly smaller than the 3070mAh battery of the M6.

Another set of live images of the phone have also surfaced online confirming that the phone will not keep its familiar mBack button. One of the image shows a black variant of the M6S with reduced bezels at the top and bottom.

The mBack button is missing but there is no picture of the rear. However, the second picture which shows a gold variant of the phone gives us a closer look at the power button which is said to now double as the fingerprint scanner.

In a video leaked online last week, we saw that the Meizu M6S doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner on the rear and in front beneath the display. The biometric scanner has now been buried underneath the power button on the right side of the phone.

The Meizu M6S/mBlu S (M712x) is expected to be priced at about ¥1000 (~$152) just like its rival, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus. It is rumored to be powered by Samsung’s Exynos 7872 processor and will will come in 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB variants.

Meizu 15 Plus

The Meizu 15 Plus is a special edition flagship phone that will be launched to mark Meizu’s 15th anniversary. It will launch after the M6S and also feature a full-screen display. However, Meizu will be keeping the mBack button in its usual position based on the previous leaks as well as these new ones.

The new images are of the gray variant of the phone. Even though the bezels are black, we can still see the mBack button sitting on the lower bezel in two of the images.

The third image shows the rear of the phone. There are two cameras stacked vertically and positioned in the middle just like we saw in a leak a few weeks ago. Below the sensors is a ring flash like that of the Meizu Pro 6.

The back of the phone is made of metal. There are antenna lines at the top and bottom and Meizu’s logo in the middle.

The Meizu 15 Plus is rumored to come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor. Its sibling, the Meizu 15, which we hasn’t made a public appearance yet is said to be powered by the Snapdragon 660. Both phones are expected to arrive in March 2018.

(Sources: 1, 2)

Another Apple Engineer Joins Google, Fueling Rumors of Production Of In-house Mobile Chips

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 25, 2017

Barely six months after it was revealed that Google employed Manu Gulati, a former Apple CPU Architect, the company has been discovered to have drafted another Apple engineer into its team. This time around, the tech giant has deployed chip designer John Bruno who until recently was in charge of Apple’s silicon competitive analysis group. Bruno’s team at Apple made sure that the chips used inside Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad were always ahead of those used by competitors.

John Bruno’s rich profile as seen on his LinkedIn account also included a stint at Advanced Micro Devices, where he was a head engineer before heading off to Apple. At AMD, he worked on the development of the Fusion line of chips the chip design at ATI. Presently, John Bruno’s LinkedIn profile shows that he is a “System Architect” for Google.

Google is reportedly in the early stages of developing its own line of in-house mobile chips that would be utilised on future Pixel phones and other mobile devices. With such high-profile recruitment from Apple who unarguably has the best mobile chipsets in the market, we could see Google launching its own line of chips as early as next year. But we can’t say if Google will take the risk of introducing a relatively new chipset on its 2018 flagship Pixel phones.

(source)

Huawei Announces Refreshed MateBook D (2018) With Upgraded CPU, Graphics

By

Jeet

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Dec 25, 2017

Earlier this year, Huawei launched a trio of laptops — MateBook D, MateBook E, and MateBook X. The company has now announced a new refreshed edition of MateBook D, which is dubbed as Huawei MateBook D (2018). While the design of this new laptop remains same as its predecessor, it comes with upgraded CPU and graphics card.

This newly refreshed Huawei MateBook D (2018) features a metal unibody design and has a thickness of just 16.9mm. It comes with a 15.6-inch display with 83 percent screen-to-body ratio, just like the earlier model. The display carries a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and has 178-degree viewing angle, 45 percent coverage of the NTSC colour gamut and a brightness 350 nits.

Internally, the laptop is powered by Intel‘s 8th Generation Core i5-8250U processor and comes with 8GB of RAM. The base model with Core i5 processor comes offers two options — one with 256GB SSD storage while another with 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD. The higher-end model is powered by Intel Core i7-8550U CPU, along with 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage.

Coming to the graphics processor, it packs Nvidia MX150 while the previous model packs Nvidia 940MX. The MateBook D (2018) packs a 43.3Wh battery which according to the company lasts up to 10 hours and provides video playback time of around 8.5 hours. It comes equipped with Dolby’s panoramic speaker system along with two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, and an HDMI port. The laptop uses a dual-antenna design for Wi-Fi, expanding the network coverage as well as signal range.

Along with the laptop, the company is including a lightweight power charging adapter which weighs only 175 grams. As of the pricing, the Core i5 model with 256GB SSD is priced at CNY 5,188 (approximately $791) while the Core i5 with 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD costs CNY 5,488 (approximately $837). The high-end model which packs Core i7 processor is priced at CNY 6,688, which roughly converts to $1020.

All three models, which comes pre-installed with Microsoft‘s Windows 10 operating system, are now available for purchase in China. However, there is no information available regarding its global availability.

Nokia Reportedly Shipped Around 16 Million Phones in Q3 2017, Most Of Them Feature Phones

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Dec 25, 2017

It’s already a year since HMD Global Oy kickstarted its lofty bid to revive the moribund Nokia brand. One year after, HMD Global seems to have succeeded in its mission as the brand has recorded accelerated growth, with Nokia’s towering sentimental value standing as its biggest catalyst.

Counterpoint research has now revealed that Nokia shipped close to 16 million smartphones in the third quarter of 2017. Out of that record figure for a new entrant to the phone business, 2.8 million Nokia Android smartphones were sold while the company’s feature phones marshalled by the new Nokia 3310 took the lion share with a total of 13.5 million shipments.

Within a year of its existence, HMD Global has brought back the Nokia brand into the global mobile market with accelerated growth. Counterpoint Research claims that 2.8 million Nokia Android smartphones and 13.5 million Nokia feature phones were shipped in Q3 2017. There is no doubt that the Nokia 3310 contributed a great deal to this impressive sales figure for just the third quarter of the year.

This figure puts Nokia in the third position of the top feature phones vendor while it sits far behind at number 16 on the smartphone vendor list. Nokia’s smartphones have enjoyed a favourable receivership since the launch of the Nokia 6 mid-range smartphone earlier this year. According to Counterpoint Research, the release of a number of mid-range and flagship models and the brand’s past antecedence contributed to the gain in market share. Nokia has launched a number of smartphones this year, including the Nokia 2, Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 7 and its first flagship phone- Nokia 8. An earlier data had shown that Nokia shipped just 1.5 million smartphones in the first half of 2017. So, 2.8 million shipments in Q3 alone is pretty impressive and shows the brand is getting more acceptance. The company is expected to consolidate on its successes for this year next year and already, HMD is getting set to open the year with the flagship Nokia 9 which has been a regular on leaks and rumours.

(source)

Amazon Acquires Connected Security Camera And Doorbell Startup Blink

By

Jeet

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Dec 25, 2017

Amazon, the global e-commerce giant, has acquired Blink — the maker of wireless connected home security camera and doorbell. In a post on its website, Blink has stated that nothing will change for its users and the company will continue to operate and support its products as usual.

The company has not revealed any financial information related to this transaction. The move could help Amazon compete in the fast-growing home security camera market. Currently, it competes against the likes of Nest — a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet.

The e-commerce giant recently forayed into the connected home video cameras with the launch of its Cloud Cam. This acquisition of Blink seems to be a step forward for the company to strengthen its position in the home security market.

Making the announcement on its website, Blink said:

If you own one of our systems, nothing changes for now. We’ll continue to operate under the Amazon umbrella selling and supporting the same great products you know and love. It’s Day 1 for us at Amazon, and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can deliver to our customers together.

For Amazon, Blink brings the expertise in building connected, wireless home monitoring and security technology. Blink started its operations in early 2016 through a crowdfunding campaign that raised over $1 million for its totally wireless home monitoring system.

Unlike several other home security systems available in the market, which requires a wired power connection, or the battery-powered cameras which generally have relatively short battery life, Blink’s device operates on two AA batteries and should last for about two years of regular use.

The company’s offering was well-received by the users. Its crowd-funding campaign was a success, with Blink raising five times the amount it initially targeted.

(Source)

Wishing All Of You A Merry Christmas!

By

Joel Joseph

-

Dec 25, 2017

Dear Readers,

Christmas is the time of joy and love. May you get the best present of all: the company of people you love, good cheer, and smile.

Thanks for being a part of Gizmochina all these years and we look forward to your continued support for many years to come.

Merry Christmas. Stay Blessed! 🙂

Gizmochina Team.

Nokia 2 Amazingly Scales Through Scratch, Burn & Bend Durability Tests

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Dec 25, 2017

HMD Global first unveiled its cheapest smartphone yet, the Nokia 2 about two months back. The phone is plainly a budget smartphone but has now been revealed to have Nokia’s trademark durable build in a Durability test carried out by Zack Jerry and uploaded to his YouTube channel JerryRigsEverything.

The test video shows the Nokia 2 being subjected to several tests and the first of them all is the scratch test where the device is scratched with a Mohs hardness pick set, keys, and a razor blade in order to measure its resistance to scratches. The YouTuber was able to detect that the Nokia 2’s display and front-facing camera are protected by a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which is uncommon for low-end devices. The Corning Gorilla Glass 3 features a Mohs hardness rating of six, making it resistant to scratches from coins and keys. Unfortunately, the display can be mutilated by sand since the particles are made from harder materials.

The rear camera and LED flash is also noticed to have a glass protective cover which is an improvement over the plastic-covered Nokia 3 rear camera setup. Also, the earpiece has a thin sheet of vinyl protecting it. The rest of the Nokia 2’s covering, as well as the power button and volume rockers, are all made of metal.

After the scratch test, the smartphone was also subjected to a burn test where a lighter fire was placed close to the display in order to determine the amount of time it would take before the pixels temporarily shuts down. That happened in just 5 seconds and the Nokia’s 2 IPS LCD display started changing to black. The good thing is the display recovered after a few seconds. This is amazing, considering that AMOLED displays usually don’t recover when they are subjected to same burn test. Finally, a bend test was carried out to ascertain whether the Nokia 2 can withstand extreme force from either the back or the front and the device didn’t disappoint on this one.

The Nokia 2 features a 5-inch IPS LCD display with an HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor having a Quad-core CPU while an Adreno 304 GPU fires up the graphics. The budget nature of Nokia 2 is well reflected in the 1GB RAM and 8GBof internal storage it packs. Thankfully, the internal storage can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card. Crammed into the device is a massive 4,200mah non-removable battery. It runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat but will get upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo in no distant time. You can take a look at the video from below.

Lenovo Mirage Solo Daydream VR Headset Seen At FCC

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Dec 25, 2017

Earlier this year, there were reports that standalone Daydream VR headsets will hit markets this year. Some of the manufacturers linked to the reports include HTC, Lenovo and Huawei. With the year almost over, there is no chance a standalone Daydream VR headset will hit the market.

HTC announced last month that it will no longer release a Daydream headset at the launch of its own standalone VR headset, the Vive Focus. However, we still have Huawei and Lenovo left.

Details of the Huawei’s Daydream VR headset surfaced about a month ago when it made an appearance at the FCC. Now it has been followed by that of Lenovo.

According to the FCC documents, the VR headset is called the Lenovo Mirage Solo and has model number Lenovo VR-1541F. Other features revealed include a 4,000mAh battery capacity and Bluetooth 5.0.

While it is not specifically mentioned, we believe the Mirage Solo is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor.

Have been using and loving my pre-release @Lenovo standalone headset, running Daydream. More soon. Can't wait for you to try it. pic.twitter.com/lwb6PCG4tD

— Clay Bavor (@claybavor) November 14, 2017

Last month, Google’s VP of VR Clay Bavor, tweeted that he has been using a pre-release unit of Lenovo’s VR headset powered by Daydream. He added that more (details) will be revealed soon.

An image accompanying the tweet shows a line drawing of the headset with a controller identical to that of the Daydream headset for the Pixels.

With barely a week left this year, there are speculations that the Lenovo Mirage Solo will be unveiled at CES 2018 which thankfully begins in January. The price is expected to be revealed at the event in addition to other specs.

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