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Xiaomi Has Sold Over 10 Million IoT Smart Home Products Globally

Xiaomi continues to make progress on all fronts as the tech giant has been revealed to have surpassed 10 million shipments for its IoT devices. This is coming barely three years after the company nick-named “China’s Apple” committed to the production of IoT devices in order to create a connected smart home.Xiaomi smart home

The tech giant announced on Christmas day that it had achieved the milestone earlier this month. The record shipments also show that Xiaomi’s diversification strategy was working as planned. Presently, Xiaomi’s IoT gadgets include products like the Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaner, Mi Smart Speaker, Mi Home Thermometer, smart body scale, home security kit and several others. Most of the IoT gadgets are manufactured under Xiaomi’s MIJIA crowdfunding platform like the Aqara smart home products.

Related: Xiaomi And Baidu Partners To Work Together On IoT And Artificial Intelligence

Majority of the smart home IoT gadgets are sold exclusively in China but most of them can be bought outside China via third-party e-retailers like Banggood, GearBest, LightInTheBox and several others. Xiaomi doesn’t ship the product directly but of late, the company has made available some of its IoT gadgets in India where Xiaomi has continued to soar and is currently close to surpassing Samsung as the largest local smartphone vendor, according to recent estimates. As Xiaomi’s connected smart home products continue to gather momentum, the tech giant is expected to expand its Internet-enabled home products to more markets around the world.

(via)

Sharp FS8015 Gets Spotted on TENAA Along with Entire Specifications

Earlier in this week, the Sharp FS8018 phone with a notch for the selfie camera at the top edge of the phone was spotted on the website of TENAA, the telecom regulatory body from China. Another upcoming phone from the company with a model number of Sharp FS8015 has been found listed on TENAA.

The images of Sharp FS8015 on TENAA reveals that it will be arriving with a full screen design and a vertically stacked dual rear cameras. The back panel of the phone also features a fingerprint reader. Coming to the specs of the phone, it features a 5.99-inch screen that offers an aspect ratio of 18:9 as it supports a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels.

Since the Sharp FS8015 is powered by an octa-core processor that clocks at 2.2 GHz, it seems that the handset will either feature Snapdragon 630 or Snapdragon 660 chipset. The 4 GB RAM variant of the phone will be featuring 64 GB of storage whereas the 6 GB RAM model will be housing a native storage of 128 GB.

[envira-gallery id=”163823″]

Read More: Sharp To Launch A Smartphone With Highest Screen-To-Body Ratio In January

The rear side of the Sharp FS8015 will be equipped with a dual camera setup featuring a 12-megapixel sensor and a 13-megapixel sensor. It has a selfie shooter of 16-megapixel. It is preinstalled with Android Nougat OS and will come fueled with a 3,100mAh battery. The TENAA listing states that the Sharp FS8015 will only arrive in one color choice of Black.

As of this writing, there is no information on the launch date of the phone. However, it appears that the Japanese tech giant will unleash the Sharp FS8018 and FS8015 phones soon in China..

(source)

 

 

Samsung W2018: Variable Aperture Explained

Samsung’s W-series is a line of smartphones with the clamshell design of old. While the design may no longer be in vogue, the latest model in the series, the Samsung W2018 packs modern day specs. Apart from the fact that it has 2 displays, the W2018 is powered by the Snapdragon 835 and has 6GB of RAM making it the most powerful clamshell phone ever released.

Samsung W2018

Samsung also set another record with the W2018’s camera. The phone’s primary camera has an aperture of F1.5, the widest found on a phone. However, that is not the only special thing about the camera, while it does have an aperture of 1.5, it can switch to a 2.4 aperture size as well depending on the lighting.

While there are phones that can change the size of their apertures, they actually do so electronically. The Samsung W2018 on the other hand varies it mechanically just like a DSLR.

Variable Aperture

To vary the aperture size in a camera, the amount of light passing through the lens is adjusted by using a polygon or circle with a variable area. The image above should help explain better.

The Samsung W2018 applies the same principle above. When the aperture changes, you can see it when you look at the lens. The first image below is when the aperture is set to 1.5 and the next is when it is 2.4. The camera switches automatically between the apertures depending on the amount of light detected.

Samsung W2018 F1.5 Aperture
Samsung W2018 F1.5 Aperture
Samsung W2018 F2.4 Aperture
Samsung W2018 F2.4 Aperture

Samsung W2018 Aperture

READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt With 3GB RAM And 32GB Storage Launched In India

LeEco Is Back! Releases 10 New TVs Under Lean & New Series

Just when we thought LeEco’s  collapse was all done and dusted, the company has made a remarkable comeback into the tech gadget scene with the launch of a number of smart digital TVs in China. The company seems to have charted a new course for itself under a new management in the absence of founder Jia Yueting. But LeEco seems to be taking things slowly by  reducing its business lines. For now, the smartphone business seems to be on a hiatus as no new model has been added in recent times. Instead, the once sprawling tech giant has shifted its focus to Smart TVs, apparently to leverage on its internet services business.LeEco Lean TV series

Today, the ailing tech giant launched several smart TVs under two new lines dubbed Lean and New series. The two series are made up of a total of 10 new models of varying sizes ranging from 40 – 65 inches. The new Smart TV series is said to built with the focus on the family and provides a completely open platform with a host of internet services available to users. LeEco Smart TV series

The LeTV Lean series is made of the following models; X40L / X43L / X50L / X55L / X65L with the price starting at 1899 yuan (~$290). On the other hand, the New series is comprised of the following models; X40N / X43N / X50N / X55N / X65N starting at 2099 yuan (~$320). The New series is obviously the high-end series and the price goes as high as 5799 Yuan (~$885) for the top-end model. LeEco Lean TV series

The models differ slightly in their configuration but in terms of image quality, the new generation products still retain Leco’s super TV’s unique color management engine. Most of the products support HDR technology. The Smart TVs utilises a unique SDR to HDR processing technology which converts SDR contents into HDR display effects thereby enhancing the user’s viewing experience. Onboard the smart TV series is the Mstar quad-core processor while the entire product range comes with 16G flash memory. Providing the interface is LeEco’s custom EUI 6.5 operating system bringing with it lots of new features to the Smart TVs.LeEco TV

The New and Lean series LeEco Smart TVs are presently available in China via LeEco’s LeMall.LeEco Lean TV seriesLeEco Lean TV seriesLeEco Lean TV seriesLeEco Lean TV seriesLeEco Lean TV seriesLeEco Lean TV series

Android Oreo Update On Xiaomi Mi A1 Brings Support For Fast Charging

Xiaomi launched Mi A1 smartphone earlier this year, reviving Google’s Android One program. The smartphone has been well-received by the users and is currently one of the best device available for purchase in its price range.

During the launch, the company had promised to roll out the Android Oreo update for the device soon. After seeking beta testers for the update, Xiaomi started rolling out the Android Oreo update for the Mi A1 to select users.

While the update introduces several new features on the device such as picture-in-picture mode, Autofill API, smart text selection, notification dots, etc., there is an addition of one feature that no one expected — fast charging.

Xiaomi Mi A1

Mostly all of the Xiaomi’s device lacks support for the Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology even though the hardware is capable enough for such feature. This is because Xiaomi did not pay the license fees to Qualcomm to use the Quick Charge technology. But that is about to change now, at least for the Mi A1.

According to the folks at TelecomTalk, who have tested the Android 8.0 Oreo update on the Mi A1, the update brings the support for fast charging feature to the phone. In their testing, they found that the phone now takes just 92 minutes to get fully charged, which used to take about two hours before installing the update.

However, it should be noted that this was tested using OnePlus’ Dash Charger and not the Xiaomi’s charger which comes bundled with the phone. Also, we have not yet tried this feature. We are not sure if the bundled charger supports the quick charge feature or not. In case it doesn’t, you’ll have to buy a new charger.

Read More: Xiaomi Crowdfunds 6000mAh ZMI Stainless Steel Powerbank Priced At ¥249 ($38.05)

The Xiaomi Mi A1 was launched in India a couple of months ago for a price of Rs. 14,999. However, the company recently announced a price cut of Rs. 1,000 on the device, bringing the effective price of the phone to Rs. 13,999. Apart from the price cut, the China-based smartphone manufacturer also launched a limited edition Red colour model last week.

(Source)

 

Xiaomi Said to Focus on 3D Facial Recognition in 2018 As Rivals Opt for Under Display Fingerprint Scanner

Synaptics has recently confirmed that it is working with Vivo to launch a smartphone next year that will come enabled with under-display fingerprint scanner. Fresh information shared by an industry insider has revealed that not only Vivo, but also other leading smartphone OEMs will be debuting phones with in-screen fingerprint scanner in 2018. However, he claims that Xiaomi is not so keen on introducing the advanced fingerprint scanning technology as it will be introducing 3D facial recognition feature on its future phones.

According to the industry insider besides Vivo, other companies like Huawei and OnePlus will also launch smartphones with in-screen fingerprint scanner. This corroborates with our report that revealed that the OnePlus 6 will come equipped with under-display fingerprint reader.

Xiaomi Mi 7 Concept Render

Read More: Xiaomi Reportedly Set To Surpass Its 2017 Revenue Target

Since Xiaomi is focusing on developing 3D facial recognition technology, it is expected to introduce the feature first on the upcoming Mi 7 flagship. It is speculated that the 3D facial recognition by Xiaomi could be as robust as Face ID by Apple. The Chinese firm is reportedly working Qualcomm, Himax Technologies and Truly Opt-Electronics to begin the mass production of 3D facial scanning technology by the first quarter of 2018. After arriving on the Xiaomi Mi 7, the advanced face scanning feature is also expected to be available on multiple devices from the company.

Xiaomi has already hinted that the upcoming Mi 7 flagship will be powered by Snapdragon 845 chipset. It is also speculated to arrive with AI driven dual rear cameras. It is rumored to launch as the first Xiaomi phone with wireless charging technology. The Chinese firm is also pegged to launch a larger Mi 7 Plus alongside the Mi 7 smartphone. The Mi 7 and Mi 7 Plus are rumored to respectively arrive with 5.65-inch and 6.01-inch screens. Both the phones are likely to support 18:9 aspect ratio.

(source)

 

 

Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) Price Appears on a Russian Retailer Site

Last week, popular leakster Roland Quandt had leaked the full specifications of the upcoming Galaxy J2 (2018). He had also claimed that the entry-level smartphone may cost 8,000 Rubles (~$138) in Russia. Even though Samsung is yet to officially unveil the phone, the Galaxy J2 (2018) has appeared with full specifications and pricing on a retailer site in Russia.

The Galaxy J2 (2018)’s listing the Russian retailer site reveals that it will be arriving with a qHD resolution screen of 5 inches. It is surprising to know that the South Korean company is launching a phone with such a low resolution in 2018 when most companies are selling low budget phones with HD or Full HD resolution.

The Snapdragon 425 chipset is powering the Galaxy J2 (2018) along with 1.5 GB of RAM. The device is fueled by a 2,600mAh battery. It will be coming with a native storage of 16 GB. The external storage slot will allow users to add up to 256 GB of microSD card on the device.

Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) Color Variants

The rear and front sides of the phone will be respectively featuring 8-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras. It will be equipped with other features 3.5mm headphone slot, microUSB port, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.2. Quandt had revealed that the phone would be coming in Black and Gold options. However, the Russian retailer has listed the phone in Black color only and it is carrying a price tag of 7,990 Rubles (~$138).

Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) Pricing Leaked 1

Read More: Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt With 3GB RAM And 32GB Storage Launched In India

There is no confirmation on whether the company will be officially announcing this phone this year. Since the entire specifications of the phone have been revealed, it appears that it will be launching soon.

What’s your opinion on the specifications and pricing of the Galaxy J2 (2018)? Share us your views by adding your comments below.

(source)

 

360 N6 Flint Black Now On Sale For ¥1399 (~$214)

Yesterday, the CEO of 360 Mobiles posted a teaser on Weibo which we thought was a new product. It actually turns out that it is not a new product launch but a teaser for the “new” color variant of the 360 N6.

360 N6 Flint Black Teaser

The 360 N6 is a full-screen smartphone that was launched earlier this month. It is the second of the N6 trio, the other being the N6 Lite and N6 Pro.

When it was announced, the 360 N6 was said to be available in Bright Gold and Flint Black but only the former was available for purchase. 360 Mobiles has announced that starting today, interested buyers can now purchase the phone in Flint Black.

360 N6

JD.com is still the official retailer and will sell the phone in both the 4GB and 6GB RAM variants. At the moment, the store still doesn’t have it in stock but you can keep checking.

The 360 N6 is a mid-range phone with some very interesting features. First, it packs a 5.93-inch 18:9 display with a FHD+ resolution. It is also powered by the Snapdragon 630 processor.

Its main selling point is its 5000mAh battery which is said to last up to 3 days on a single charge. It also has support for Quick Charge 3.0

READ MORE: 360 N6 Lite vs Xiaomi Redmi 5: Entry Level Smartphone Specs Comparison

Giveaway – Win A Oukitel K6 Full Display Phone

oukitel k6

Gizmochina along with Oukitel official is conducting a Oukitel K6 full display smartphone as giveaway gift to one of our lucky readers. Like always, you just have to follow the steps mentioned on the Gleam widget to get a chance to win this amazing phone.

Visit Oukitel K6 on official site and Subcribe

How to entry this giveaway? Just follow these steps via Gleam widget:

  1. Visit Oukitel K6 on official site and subscribe, we will only pick the winner from who has subscribed;
  2. Share this article to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or other social media;
  3. Leave comments under here, please tell us what feature do you like on Oukitel K6.

Terms & Conditions:

1. The giveaway is an international giveaway.
2. We are not responsible for lost shipments.
3. We are not responsible for any duties, import taxes that you may incur.
4. We reserve all rights to make any changes to this giveaway.
5. The prize will be shipped in a week when the giveaway end.

Just follow the steps mentioned in the Gleam widget to participate in the giveaway.

Once again, good luck.

Giveaway – Win A Oukitel K6 Phone

Get Your Hands On Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 4G Phablet Global Version For Only $451.99

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 strikes a perfect balance between jaw-dropping looks and incredible power. Aside from that, it offers an excellent UI (user interface) experience at a price that puts some of the best phones available on the market to shame.

Much to the delight of those who have restlessly been waiting to get their hands on Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 2 4G Phablet, the device is currently up for grabs on GearBest at a discounted price of  $489.99. This is a considerable reduction in the device’s original asking price.

You can take advantage of the 13% discount before it comes to an end. It’s worth noting that there are only 100 units bearing the aforesaid price tag available. On top of that, you can apply coupon code ‘gBJmix2’ while checking out to get a $38 discount.

In other words, you end up paying only $451.99 for the global version of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 4G Phablet. You can head straight to this link to get this discount.

OPPO A83 is Official: Ditches Fingerprint Scanner for Face Unlock

OPPO seems to be on a roll in the last few days to the end of the year. After announcing the OPPO A75 and A75s duo in Taiwan yesterday, it has returned to China to unveil the OPPO A83.

OPPO A83

OPPO A83 Design

The A83 has a design similar to the A75 released yesterday. The key difference only being the absence of a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. You won’t find the scanner in front too as OPPO has decided to go the iPhone X route by completely ditching the biometric scanner and sticking to Face Unlock.

The OPPO A83 has a metal back that curves at the edges for better handling. The primary camera is raised and there is a LED flash on its right. OPPO’s logo in silver chrome sits in the middle.

Up in front, we get another full-screen display with reduced white bezels on the gold variant and black on the black variant.

OPPO A83 Specs

OPPO’s A83 comes with a 5.7-inch HD+ display. It packs 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and is powered by a 2.5GHz octa-core processor. OPPO didn’t disclose the processor type but this should be the Helio P23.

OPPO A83 camera

The phone has a 13MP rear camera that OPPO says can shoot up to 50MP. This is most likely achieved by stitching several shots together. There is an 8MP sensor with AI beauty mode for selfies.

The selling point of the OPPO A83 is its face unlock feature. Unlike its other recent releases that have Face Unlock and a fingerprint scanner, the A83 ditches the fingerprint sensor.

OPPO claims the phone scans for 128 different facial features and unlocks in just 0.18 seconds! To get a clearer picture of the speed, the OnePlus 5T which has one of the fastest face unlock features unlocks in 0.4 seconds.

Is it secure enough to replace the fingerprint scanner? We will have to put it to the test to find out. OPPO also doesn’t mention if it supports payments which is a bummer.

The A83 rounds up its specs with a 3180mAh battery and runs ColorOS 3.2 out of the box.

READ MORE: Huawei, OPPO, Vivo Reportedly Reducing Orders by Over 10% as Worldwide Demand for Phones Decline

Snapdragon 845 Driven Sony H8216/H8266 Appear in 4GB/6GB RAM and 64/128 GB Storage Models

In the previous week, the rumor mill had unearthed the entire specifications of the Sony H8216 phone. A leaked image that has appeared today reveals that the upcoming Sony H8266 phone will be a higher edition of the Sony H8216.

The above image reveals that the Sony H8216 and H266 phones are powered by Snapdragon 845 chipset. The Sony H8266 will be featuring 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage whereas the Sony H8216 will be packed with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The models will also include external storage slot.

The H8216 will include a 3,120mAH battery whereas H8266 has a slightly larger battery of 3,240mAh capacity. The Sony H8216/H8266 will come battery related features like Smart Stamina, Qnovo Adaptive Charging, Battery Care, Stamina mode and Quick Charge 3.0 Both the phones will be loaded with Android 8.1 Oreo.

 

The Sony H8216/H8266 will be measuring 157 x 78 x 8.1mm and weighing 159 grams. They will be featuring IP68 certified chassis. These phones will be housing a 5.48-inch Triluminos display with X-Reality image processing. It will be supporting FHD resolution and will be protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

In the last week, the Sony H8266 phone was also spotted on Geekbench benchmarking site stellar scores. The handset that is powered by Snapdragon 845 and 4 GB of RAM has respectively score 2393 and 8300 points in single-core and multi-core tests.

Read More: Mysterious 2018 Sony Xperia Flagship Phones with Full Screen Design Appears in New Renders

It is speculated that the Sony H8216 and H8266 could be the two variants of the alleged Sony Xperia XZ2 phone that will be arriving as a successor for the Xperia XZ1 phone from this year. Recent reports have also suggested that the alleged Xperia XZ2 may arrive with 12-megapixel dual rear cameras and 15-megapixel selfie camera.

Apart from these models, the Japanese tech giant is also rumored to be working on Sony H4133, H4234 and H3213 phones. Since the company is known for launching new smartphones at Mobile World Congress (MWC), it is speculated that the aforementioned phones may get unveiled at MWC 2018 in February next year.

(via)

 

 

Xiaomi Crowdfunds 6000mAh ZMI Stainless Steel Powerbank Priced At ¥249 ($38.05)

Xiaomi has launched a new power bank under its crowdfunding platform. The new power bank is manufactured by ZMI and comes with a stainless steel body as well as fast charge support. The ZMI Stainless steel power bank comes with an affordable 249 Yuan price tag ($38.05).Xiaomi ZMI Stainless steel power bank

In terms of its appearance, the ZMI Stainless steel power bank is manufactured using the 304 stainless steel which is further polished to increase the glare, thus giving it a mirror finish. The fuselage takes the shape of a smartphone, with well-chamfered edges and curved sides. he is an LED indicator on the vertical aspect. Xiaomi ZMI Stainless steel power bank

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

The power bank has a built-in 6,000mAh high-density polymer battery as well as a two-directional USB-Type C fast charging interface. The power input is either a 5V/2A or 9V/1.8A while the output is a 5.1V / 2.4A, 9V / 1.6A, and 12V / 1.2A. The stainless steel power bank also comes with a PU leather protective cover, OTG adapter cable and other accessories.

Xiaomi ZMI Stainless steel power bankXiaomi ZMI Stainless steel power bank

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

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

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.

snapdragon-featured 
Read More: TSMC To Snatch 7nm Qualcomm SD855 Orders From Samsung: Report

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

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.

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

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.

Android Sim Status

Read More: HMD Global Announces That Its Nokia Smartphones Will Get Updated To Android P

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

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 Top-Notch Laptops On GearBest At A Discounted Price

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.

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

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.