Google’s Upcoming Headphones Likely Having Over-the-Ear Design

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Sep 12, 2017

A new headphones product was spotted a couple of weeks back the weekend on the APK code of the latest Google app version 7.10. The code re-ignites the name Bisto which had earlier appeared in April in the strings of the beta version of Google app 7.0. A new headphones product was spotted over the weekend on Google’s main support website and the listed name may have revealed the consumer name for Bisto.

The Google Assistant app was noticed to have a drawn graphical image of a headphone which is named Baywolf with the graphic titled as baywolf-oobe-image.png. The image is said to be different from what has been seen in previously leaked images. A previously leaked GIF had suggested an over-the-ear design. But the graphic for “baywolf” features precise detail which is different from the GIF and the Bisto logo spotted on Google app. Apart from “baywolf”, Bisto was also spotted at first in the Apk teardown of Google app version 7.10 with names like apollo and scout.

Taking a look at the latest design, it is an over-the-ear design with three buttons grouped together on the right cup as well as a solitary button on the left. Given other strings found in the Google app, the solitary button on the left is likely for Assistant, while the three others are top, middle, and bottom. According to the code strings, a single tap of the Google Assistant button can playback your notifications, while a long press is used for issuing a command:

<string>Just so you know, you can listen to your notifications for up to an hour. To hear them, press the Google Assistant button.</string>

Related: Google Assistant Enabled Headphones Codenamed as Bisto Rumored to be in Works

There is also a second graphic which is named “Bisto-logo” and features several icons which suggest the various features of the headphones. They include access to Google Assistant, music, messages, weather, and possibly fitness tracking. The latest leaked image looks very much like the leaked upgrade to the Bose QC35 and this has led to some suggestions that baywolf could be the QC35. Just like the baywolf image, the leaked QC35 has a button on the left cup which could be for Google assistant. The buttons on existing Bose over-the-ear headphones match the three buttons on baywolf. We just might be seeing a launch very soon considering the rate at which we are seeing leaked details of the Google headphones.

(source)

Apple Introduces Mail Service for Trading Old iPhone for Upcoming iPhone X, 8 and 8 Plus

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 12, 2017

In order to encourage iPhone users to use the latest iPhones, Apple had introduced an iPhone Upgrade Program in 2015 by trading in their old handset. On Tuesday, the company will be launching the 2017 iPhones. A new service of trading old iPhones by mail has been spotted in the iPhone Upgrade Program.

Apple has provided only one way to trade outdated iPhone for a new one by visiting an Apple Store. Two years after introducing the iPhone Upgrade Program, Apple is now offering a more convenient option of trading iPhones by mail. The new option is now listed in the iPhone Upgrade Program and it was first spotted by a forum member of Mac Rumors. It appears that the service is currently available only in the U.S.

In order trade in by mail, users need to ask Apple to provide them with a “trade-in kit” in which users can place their old iPhones and send it to the company by mail. As of this writing, there is no information available on the contents on the trade-in kit.

The description of the new trading option states that once a new iPhone is shipped to the user, Apple will provide users with a trade-in kit. According to Apple Insider, the new way of trading iPhones may have existed on the Apple’s site at least since July or earlier, but the option was unavailable before the launch of iPhone 7.

Because of in-store trade-in requirements, many users who opted for iPhone Upgrade Program in the previous year had to reserve a new iPhone from a local Apple store and they were provided with limited stock of iPhones to choose from. Since the many customers were annoyed because of it, Apple may have introduced another option of trading iPhone through mail.

Like the requirements of an in-store trading of iPhone, users are required to trade only those iPhones by mail that do not have any cracks or breaks, have a working display, turns on and charges properly.

Apple’s new iPhone launch event will begin at 1 PM ET on Sept. 12. Apart from the heavily anticipated iPhone X and iPhone 8 and 8 Plus smartphones, the Cupertino company is also rumored to showcase an LTE enabled Apple Watch and a 4K Apple TV.

(source 1, 2)

Upcoming A11 Chip Will Be Apple’s Most Powerful Chip With Six Processor Cores

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 12, 2017

In a rare occurence, the Gold Master version (Final version) of iOS 11 leaked before the official launch of Apple’s next generation iPhones. The leaked operating system version revealed quite a lot of information about what g has in the works which would be going official in a matter of hours from now. One of the revelation is that the Apple A11 system chip will be powering the tenth anniversary iPhone.

Just to clarify on the A11: it's two high-power Monsoon cores and four low-power Mistral cores, all independently addressable. No Fusion

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 10, 2017

Not much is known about the configuration of the A11 chip but it has emerged that some details of the new chip were also contained on the iOS 11 leaked Gold Master edition. According to developer Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter, the iOS 11 Gold Master leak revealed that the A11 chip will feature six processor cores. Two cores are named Monsoon and will perform tough tasks which require high power such as gaming and video manipulation. On the other hand, the remaining four cores are named Mistral cores and will handle the lighter stuff like texting and checking email, and other lighter functions. This is different from the Apple A10 and A10X chips which were released last year and earlier this year respectively. The A10 chip came with two high-powered cores and two high efficient cores while the A10x used on the iPad Pro comes with three high powered Hurricane cores and three high-efficiency Zephyr cores.

https://twitter.com/never_released/status/906964204757929984

In addition, the Apple A11 chip is revealed to come with the capability to run all its CPU cores independently. What this translates to is that software could be able to access multiple cores of any kind, depending on the task at hand and in a situation where maximum power is required, all could run simultaneously. This is in contrast to the A10 Fusion which could use only its high-performance or low-power cores at any given time. So, we expect the next generation iPhone models to come with some power more than what we have seen before. It won’t be long before it gets spotted in benchmark tests and when it does, expect some amazing results that may dwarf all the new flagship chips we have around presently. We’ll get to find out more and perhaps confirm these features when the device goes official and good thing we won’t have to wait long for that to happen.

(source 1, 2)

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Gets Over 250k Pre-Orders In India

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 12, 2017

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is scheduled to launch the Galaxy Note 8 in India on September 12 and ahead of the official launch, the company had opened up pre-orders for the device on Amazon India and Samsung India’s official website. The pre-sales figures are somewhat surprising because the Note 8 is reported to have garnered over 250,000 persons indicating interest to grab one when it goes on sales.

The Galaxy Note 8 is a pricey device with its base 64GB variant coming at about $964 while the top variant with 256GB storage has a price tag of $1,107. For such a device to command such an amount of interest in a price-sensitive market like India is the surprising aspect. The device recorded 72,000 pre-orders in Amazon within the first 24 hours when the websites opened up for presales The figures reached 150,000 pre-orders on Amazon while 100,000 persons pre-ordered from Samsung’s official website.

The Galaxy Note 8 will be launched in India on a day Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 8 and other products. This could be a strategic move and we expect Samsung to announce the device at a slightly lower price than what it will sell in the U.S for instance. A previous report had disclosed that Samsung plans to give a free Desktop Experience (DeX) station to those who pre-order the device in India. This isn’t the first time Samsung is running such kind of offer, so it is possible. The tech giant rolled out the same offer earlier on in a number of European markets like Croatia.

It is understandable that not all reservations will be activated as actual sales but it shows the strong attention the Galaxy Note 8 commands. Samsung is the top manufacturer in India but most of its sales are in the mid-range and budget category like the Tizen powered Samsung Z-series, J-series, A-series and other mid-range models. But we expect the flagship Note 8 to change it all with its sales in India when it commences.

(source)

No Nougat for BlackBerry Priv, Says Company’s Executive

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 11, 2017

BlackBerry released the Priv as its first Android smartphone in 2015. It had a slide out physical keyboard and a touch display unlike the KEYone which has the keyboard and screen fused together.

The BlackBerry Priv launched with Android Lollipop and was updated to Marshmallow later even though the phone came after the announcement of Marshmallow.

For a flagship such as the Priv, you would expect it to get at least two major updates but that isn’t be the case. According to BlackBerry’s GM, Alex Thurber, the Priv won’t get updated to Android Nougat.

Speaking on a podcast, he explained that the reason for the decision is because it was difficult to get all the vendors on board for the update. However, security updates will still be pushed out.

Continue

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 vs Mi Mix: Smaller Is Better! (Image Comparison)

By

Joel Joseph

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Sep 11, 2017

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is an important smartphone for the company this year, as it not only succeeds the popular Mi Mix flagship but also competes directly with the established players in the premium segment like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the LG V30. The phone comes with upgrades in the external as well as internal department to ensure that it meets the requirements of a 2017 flagship. The Mix 2 is no longer a concept phone, rather it’s meant to be your choice in the premium flagship category.

Xiaomi Mi Mix vs Mi Mix 2 — Mi Mix (L) vs Mi Mix 2 (R)

So, what changes does the Mi Mix 2 bring in comparison to the older Mi Mix? We carried the Mi Mix to the conference earlier today in order to give you a comparison of the Mi Mix 2 vs Mi Mix. You can clearly see the changes in design in the images and you can checkout the changes in the specifications in the table down below. Also, you can check out full specs of the Mi Mix 2 from here.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 vs Mi Mix

	Xiaomi Mi Mix 2	Xiaomi Mi Mix
DIMENSIONS \| WT.	151.8 x 75.5 x 7.7 185g (Black) / 150.5 x 74.6 x 7.7mm 187g (White Ceramic)	158.8 x 81.9 x 7.9mm 209 grams
CPU	[email protected]	[email protected]
MEMORY	(6/8GB+64/128/256GB) MicroSD: NO UFS 2.1	(4/6GB + 64/128/256GB) MicroSD: NO UFS 2.0
DISPLAY	5.99-inch 2160 x 1080p 18:9	6.4-inch 2040 x 1080p 17:9
CAMERA	12MP 1.25um PDAF dual tone flash 4-axis OIS 5MP Front 1080p	16MP f/2.0 PDAF dual tone flash 4-axis OIS 5MP Front 1080p
COMMS	Bluetooth 5.0 USB Type-C Wi-Fi ac NFC No 3.5mm headphone jack	Bluetooth 4.2 USB Type-C Wi-Fi ac NFC 3.5mm headphone jack
SPECIAL FEATURES	High Screen To Body Ratio 18:9 aspect ratio	High Screen To Body Ratio 17:9 aspect ratio
BATTERY FEATURES	3400mAh QC 3.0	4400mAh QC 3.0
PRICE DIFFERENCE	3299 Yuan ($506) / 3599 Yuan ($552) / 3999 Yuan ($614) / 4699 Yuan ($721)	3499 Yuan ($536) / 3999 Yuan ($614)

The Mi Mix 2 is now noticeably smaller than its predecessor, making it easier for every day operations. The phone continues with a ceramic body as the Mi Mix but ditches the 3.5mm headphone jack on top. This isn’t surprising since even the earlier launched Xiaomi Mi 6 didn’t feature a dedicated headphone jack. Further, the bezel at the bottom of the phone is now smaller than before, making more room for the display. But the top bezel is a bit thicker than its predecessor. Also, at the back, you’ll find that the camera is protruding unlike the Mi Mix which didn’t have a camera bump.

Rest of the design aspects have remained more or less the same. Check out the Mi Mix 2 vs Mi Mix comparison in the pictures below.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Hands on: Finally A Big Phone For The Big League

By

Joel Joseph

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Sep 11, 2017

Xiaomi Mi Mix was one hell of a smartphone when it was launched back in 2016. The phone clearly set the benchmark for bezel-less flagships that we are seeing this year. But the Xiaomi Mi Mix was more of a concept smartphone than a daily driver. The phone was unusually large, even with its bezel-less design, which made it hard to operate on a day to day basis. This kept many smartphone enthusiasts away from the device.

This is no longer the case with the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 (full specs here). The company has finally evolved the Mix lineup in to a full fledged smartphone series that will attract the attention of fans all around the world. The phone is smaller, faster, and better suited for your every day needs.

Ditching the large 6.4-inch display, the phone now features a smaller 5.99-inch screen with 18:9 aspect ratio. Once again, this aspect ratio is in trend with what we see on flagships like Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG V30, unlike Mix’s 17:9 ratio. This ensures that the phone is narrower, making it easier to hold even with one hand. Moreover, this makes the overall form factor close to its near competitors like the LG V30.

The smaller form factor definitely helps in the overall handling of the phone. Plus, its lighter as well.

The phone features the usual volume buttons and power button on the right and the SIM card slot on the left. Like the Xiaomi Mi 6, there’s no headphone jack on the device. The USB Type-C port, microphone, and speakers are located at the bottom. Coming to the back, there’s a 12MP sensor with dual tone flash. The fingerprint sensor is located just below this.

Note that there are two versions of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 — one with a ceramic body and stainless steel frame and another version (white edition) with a ceramic unibody design. While the black version looks beautiful, you can already see that the phone is going to be a huge fingerprint magnet. So, you’ll have to clean the back on a regular basis to keep it beautiful.

Overall, the phone feels like a gentle but necessary upgrade to the Mi Mix 2. But with similar options from big players like Samsung and LG existing in the market, we’ll have to see how fans take this new upgrade.

Check out our hands on with the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 down below.

Azdome reveals another surprising detail of DAB211 – over speed warning

By

Linus

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Sep 11, 2017

Azdome DAB211 seems to have been the focus of Chinese manufacturer and consumers around the world since it was officially launched with the characteristic of Ambarella A12 chip, multi-function, and multi-usage. Based on the previous news of DAB211 published by Azdome, it is known to all that DAB211 has featured severally at its built-in GPS as well as its HDR, but the advantage of DAB211 is far more than these, today Azdome also revealed a surprise detail of the DAB211, that’s over speed warning, so what’s the function of it? Read on and find out what you need to know about over speed warning.

The speed warning function can help you keep below a pre-set maximum speed. It will warn you if the vehicle exceeds the pre-set maximum speed. There are 7 options of speed limit can be set, 70km/h, 80km/h, 90km/h, 100km/h, 110km/h, 120km/h, 140km/h, you can choose the speed limit as needed, the system will give an audible warning signal if the vehicle exceeds the pre-set maximum speed, a warning symbol will also appear on the screen display.

Further details which have also emerged shows the powerful function of DAB211, you may take a look at the previous news about Azdome DAB211 for more details. Expecting more surprises about DAB211 ahead, please continue to focus on Azdome news.

Learn more about Azdome DAB211

Mi 5X Owners Can Now Install A Stable Ported Version of The Mi A1 ROM

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 11, 2017

Last week, Xiaomi announced its first Android One phone, the Mi A1. The phone is actually a rebranded Mi 5X. Once people realized that, the question of if it was possible to port its ROM to the Mi 5X popped up.

We also saw a different set asking if it’s possible to port the MIUI ROM of the Mi 5X to the Mi A1. While we don’t have an answer yet for this second group, we are happy to announce that Mi 5X owners can install a stable Mi A1 ROM on their device.

The gratitude goes to a developer named heliOus who ported the ROM. He has confirmed that all the features work and there are no issues.

To install the ROM, you have to unlock your bootloader first, then flash TWRP and download the ROM to your internal storage. The rest is easy from there. The file size is 1.2GB and installation instructions and the download link are available in the source link.

The advantage the Mi A1 has is that it runs Pure Android similar to what you will find on a Google Pixel. The only difference is that it comes with some few MIUI apps. It will also get an update to Android Oreo by the end of the year. If you know Xiaomi, you already know an Oreo update won’t come that early for MIUI.

Continue

Xiaomi Mi 6 Vs Mi Note 3: Size Doesn’t Matter

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Sep 11, 2017

Earlier today, Xiaomi unveiled three new products – the Mi Notebook Pro, Mi MIX 2, and Mi Note 3. The Mi Note 3 is the most surprising of all three as it has redefined what Xiaomi’s Mi Note series stands for.

It is no longer the flagship phablet that competes against rivals like the Galaxy Note series and Huawei Mate series but has now been reduced to a larger but less powerful version of the flagship Mi series, in this case the Mi 6. To further complicate things, Xiaomi even priced it the same as the Mi 6.

This is a comparison of both devices to see which one truly deserves your money.

Display

This is the single most visible difference between both phones when placed side by side. Yes, some folks may not realize that the shades of blue are different.

There is really no winner here as it is a matter of choice. If you like your device small and compact, buy the Mi 6. If you want a bigger one, go for the Mi Note 3. Both displays are IPS LCDs and most people won’t notice the difference in ppi actually.

Processor

The Snapdragon 835 is the most powerful Qualcomm processor in the market right now. It also features the most powerful Adreno GPU (540). Add the fact that it is a 10nm chip with greater efficiency and lower power consumption and also has support for faster uplink and downlink speeds. Then its easy to see why it bests the 14nm Snapdragon 660 SoC.

The Snapdragon 660 is not a slouch either. It will handle anything you throw at it just not as fast as the Snapdragon 835. The Mi 6 wins this round.

Cameras

The Mi 6 and Mi Note 3 both have the same rear camera configuration. A 12MP 1.25um f/1.8 wide-angle lens paired with a 12MP 1.0um f/2.6 telephoto lens. However, Xiaomi says the Mi Note 3 produces better portrait images as the algorithms have been improved.

The Mi Note 3 also wins in the front camera category. The 16MP f/2.0 sensor comes with an upgraded beauty software for breathtaking selfies. The 8MP camera on the Mi 6 isn’t bad judging from reviews but if you are a selfie lover, you are better off with the Mi Note 3.

Storage

You may be wondering why there is a comparison for storage since they both come with the same capacities. The difference is the type. The Mi 6 uses UFS storage but the Mi Note 3 uses eMMC 5.1 which has slower read and write speeds.

IP Rating

The Mi 6 is nearly waterproof. If Xiaomi had added a rubber seal to the USB type-c port, you would be able to take it swimming. However, splash resistance is better than no resistance at all which is why the Mi 6 wins this round.

Battery

The Mi 6 is a 5.15-inch phone that packs a 3350mAh battery. The Mi Note 3 is bigger at 5.5-inches and comes with a bigger 3500mAh battery. Until we get to see a full review, we can’t decide on the winner here. Though we expect the difference won’t be much but the Mi Note 3 should still take the lead.

Price

As at the time of writing, the black 64GB Mi 6 is priced at ¥2499 ($383) on Xiaomi’s official website. The blue and black 128GB model sells for ¥2899 ($444). The ceramic black Mi 6 with 128GB goes for ¥2999 ($460).

The black Mi Note 3 64GB version also sells for ¥2499 ($383) and its 128GB version sells for ¥2899 ($444). It doesn’t have a ceramic black version but a blue variant with 128GB of storage sells for ¥2999 ($460).

Continue

Apple vs Qualcomm: U.S Court Refuses To Stop Apple’s Multiple Lawsuits

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 11, 2017

Apple and Qualcomm won’t be ending their court battles anytime soon as a U.S federal judge has refused to grant Qualcomm an anti-suit injunction which they filed against Apple earlier this year. Qualcomm had approached the court seeking to stop Apple from going ahead with the multiple law suits it instituted against the chipmaker around January this year.

Apple had instituted 11 lawsuits against Qualcomm and its subsidiaries in different countries, including Japan, United Kingdom, and China. According to a court document obtained earlier, Apple is accusing the chip maker of abusing its dominance of the chip industry and is further seeking compensation for damages. Specifically, Apple is accusing Qualcomm of failing to live up to promises made to license “standard essential patents” broadly and inexpensively. Qualcomm is specifically accused of charging unfair licensing fees and is aggressively forcing OEMs into paying for their own inventions, thus directly profiting on technology that is in no way related to the one it’s actually licensing. Apple is claiming that Qualcomm’s per-device royalty fees are structured in a way that violates the principles of common patent licensing, consequently preventing the firm from negotiating with OEMs over patent licenses in good faith.

The U.S federal judge, Gonzalo Curiel ruled that Apple is allowed to go continue, stating that the San Diego court will not stand in the way of Apple’s decision to exercise the rights given to it in foreign jurisdictions, noting that it’s not in the judicial body’s power to rule whether Apple’s overseas motions are vexatious or duplicative. Qualcomm is challenging the multiple lawsuits, claiming that they are “duplicative” in nature.

Qualcomm has lately been faced with multiple litigations and sometimes slammed with huge fines. The Apple lawsuits both in the U.S and other places came on the heels of a decision by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint on January 17 accusing Qualcomm of using anti-competitive tactics to maintain its monopoly of a key semiconductor used in mobile phones. Earlier on, South Korea’s antitrust regulator had fined Qualcomm 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) in December for what it called unfair practices in patent licensing. Back in February 2015, Qualcomm paid a $975 million fine in China following a 14-month probe, while the European Union in December 2015 accused it of abusing its market power to prevent rivals from coming up. The company is also currently facing regulatory scrutiny in Europe.

(source)

LeEco Reveals Chinese Authorities Scuttled Its Failed Acquisition Of Vizio

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 11, 2017

LeEco has been enmeshed in quite a lot of controversies this year most of them as a result of its failed financial fortunes. Apparently, the company still has some steam to respond to some of the controversies and one it did respond to recently is that of its failed acquisition of U.S-based TV manufacturer Vizio.

LeEco first announced its plan to buy the U.S TV maker for $2 billion last summer but in July this year, both companies jointly released a statement calling off the acquisition. Vizio later filed two law suits against the Chinese company. Court documents have now revealed that LeEco is suggesting the Chinese authorities are to blame for the failure of their acquisition deal with Vizio.

The deal with Vizio was aimed to help LeEco gain a strong footing in the U.S market which it officially entered last year. But that deal later did not materialize and we thought it was due to its financial troubles but it LeEco says otherwise. Vizio thinks otherwise, though, claiming LeEco essentially misrepresented its financial status in order to agree on a deal with Vizio and impress its investors. The company also accuses LeEco of attempting to reduce their agreed break-up fee from $100 million to $40 million. Vizio would have none of that as it believes the deal fell through because of LeEco’s lack of financing so, they want all of the $100 million break-up fees.

In its defense, LeEco claims Vizio knew of the possibility that they could not come up with the financing for the deal. The document also claims that Vizio was aware that the American or Chinese authorities could block the deal. LeEco then claims that the Chinese government blocked the deal due to Beijing’s increasingly stricter approach to currency controls and denial to approve mergers determined not to be ‘strategic’ to China’s long term interests.

(source)

Xiaomi Mi Note 3 Announced: Basically A Larger Mi 6 With Better Bokeh Camera

By

Joel Joseph

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Sep 11, 2017

Xiaomi had a busy event today, releasing not one but three new products at the Mi Mix 2 launch in Beijing, China. The third product announced at the event was none other than the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 (after Mi Notebook Pro and Mi Mix 2). The company seems to have a taken a different strategy for the Mi Note series this year as it ditches the dual curved display design and markets the phone as a larger version of the Xiaomi Mi 6. So, instead of the Mi 6 Plus, you get the Mi Note 3.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 3 comes with 7 series aluminum frame with matte texture and four glass body with curved edges. The phone is nearly identical to the Mi 6 in terms of its basic design, including the rear camera placement. Plus, you get the phone in a beautiful blue color as well.

Coming to the specs, the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 comes with the upper mid-range Snapdragon 660 chipset with 6GB + 64GB /128GB memory options. There’s a 5.5-inch 1080p display on board. The 12MP camera module is the same as the Mi 6, but the algorithms have been improved to provide better bokeh tracking. Mi 6’s portrait focus wasn’t very accurate, so it would be interesting to see how the new algorithms improve the tracking. On the front, the phone features a large 16 million 2μm sensor for noise free selfies. You can check out a few bokeh samples down below. There’s a large 3500mAh battery as well.

Other features of the Mi Note 3 include NFC, IR port, under-glass fingerprint, stereo speakers, USB Type-C, improved face unlock, and AI beautify algorithm.

You get all this for a starting price tag of 2499 Yuan (~$384) (6+64), with other variants costing 2899 ($445) (6+128 — BLACK) and 2999 ($460) (6+128 — BLUE). The phone will go on sale tomorrow.

Buy Xiaomi Mi Note 3 on Giztop

Buy Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 on Giztop

Apple iPhone X, 8 and 8 Plus Rumor Roundup, Launch Event & Livestream Details

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 11, 2017

Apple has confirmed that it will be holding a launch event on Sept. 12 to unleash the 2017 iPhones. Apart from the next-generation iPhones, the Cupertino company is also rumored to some other products like the LTE Apple Watch and 4K Apple TV.

Apple’s Launch Event and Livestream

The upcoming launch event by Apple will be held at the newly established Steve Jobs Theater, San Francisco, California. In the U.S. the event will start at 10 AM PT and 1 PM ET. In the U.K., the event will start at 6 PM BST. In China and India, the event will be viewable at 1 AM CST and 10:30 PM IST.

The livestream of the event can be viewed through the Safari browser by accessing this link on any of the iOS devices running on iOS 7. On Mac devices, users need to have Safari 6.0.5 and OS X 10.8.5 to view the event. On Windows PCs running on Windows 10, it can be viewed through Microsoft Edge web browser.

How Many iPhones Will Apple Unveil?

Previous reports had claimed that the 2017 iPhones would be called iPhone 8, iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus. However, by scouring through the code of iOS 11, it has been found that the next-generation iPhones would be probably called iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The iPhone 8 duo is expected to succeed the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus. However, the iPhone X will arrive as the much-hyped tenth anniversary iPhone.

The iPhone X’s design will be very unique compared to all the predecessor iPhones as it will be housing a full-screen display with a small notch at the top bezel to house some sensors. It is expected to feature an all-glass body with stainless steel frame. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are also expected to feature the same all-glass and stainless steel frame design, but the phones will be sporting regular screens like their predecessors.

The iPhone X will be the first OLED screen enabled smartphone from Apple. It is expected to feature a 5.8-inch OLED screen supplied by Samsung Display. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are pegged to respectively house a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch LCD screens supplied by LG Display.

The Apple A11 chipset and iOS 11 operating system will be powering the new iPhones. Rumors have it that the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus would be featuring 3 GB of RAM whereas the smaller iPhone 8 would be featuring 2 GB of RAM. The iPhone 8 duo will arrive with Touch ID sensor, but Apple will be replacing the feature with a new facing scanning feature called Face ID. The new feature can be used to unlock the iPhone X as well as authenticating payment through Apple Pay.

Rumors have it that the iPhone X will be fitted with a vertically aligned dual rear cameras that can shoot 4K videos at 60 fps. Its selfie snapper is also rumored to support 4K video recording at 60 fps. There is no concrete information available on the camera configuration of iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, but like last year, the latter will be coming with rear-facing dual rear cameras. Since the three new iPhones will be sporting glass chassis, they are expected to carry support wireless charging.

The iPhone X is speculated to arrive in multiple storage choices such as 64 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB that are rumored to cost around $999, $1,099 and $1099 respectively. It is rumored to be a limited edition phone as the company is expected to sell only 2 to 4 million units this year. It is expected to arrive in color variants like black, white and gold and all these models will black colored front panel.

The pre-orders of the 2017 iPhones are expected to begin on Sept. 15. The shipments of the pre-ordered units as well as in-store availability is speculated to begin on Sept. 22.

LTE Apple Watch 3 and 4K Apple TV

Apple is expected to unveil Apple Watch 3 with LTE support at tomorrow’s launch event. The Apple Watch 3 is rumored to support LTE connectivity through an embedded SIM that would allow users to access VOIP services without pairing with an iPhone or iPad. However, it may not function as a standalone that would let users to make phone calls through it.

As far as Apple TV is concerned, it expected to carry native support for 4K resolution. It is tipped to support livestreaming even at slow internet speeds of 15 Mbps. Other rumored features include HDR 10 and Dolby Vision support.

(Updated: Availability) Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is Official: Smaller, Faster, Stronger!!!

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Sep 11, 2017

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is now official. After weeks of anticipation, Xiaomi has taken the wraps off its second generation MIX smartphone.

However, the new phone is greatly different from its predecessor in several ways. From the design, to the specs and even down to the price this is a new device.

Mi MIX 2 Design

Unlike the first-gen Mi MIX which is tall and wide, the MIX 2 is shorter and narrower. The largest variant in terms of dimensions is 151.8 mm long and 75.5 mm wide. Compare that to the 2016 Mi MIX which is 158.8 mm long and 81.9 mm wide and you should get the picture.

Xiaomi has maintained the material of choice from the first generation MIX. The ceramic back now has a four-sided curve to allow for a better grip. There have also been some improvements with respect to the audio. The images below should explain better.

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Mi MIX 2 Specs

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 has a 5.99-inch FHD+ display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080. The 18:9 aspect ratio display, unsurprisingly is from LG. This type of display has become so popular this year and gives the Mi MIX 2 its narrow form over its predecessor as well as a higher screen-to-body ratio of 90%.

Xiaomi has released the phone in four different memory variants all powered by the Snapdragon 835 mobile platform with an Adreno 540 GPU. They are:

6GB RAM + 64GB ROM
6GB RAM + 128GB ROM
6GB RAM + 256GB ROM
8GB RAM + 128GB ROM (Special Edition)

The Mi MIX 2 doesn’t join the dual camera bandwagon. It has a single sensor at the back and it is the 12MP Sony IMX386. This is the primary sensor in the Mi 6. It has a 1.25μm pixel size, a f/2.0 aperture and 4-axis optical image stabilization. On the right of the lens is a dual LED flash and below it is a fingerprint scanner.

The front camera is a 5MP sensor that supports face recognition and also has autofocus.

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The fact that the Mi MIX 2 comes with a smaller display has resulted in a smaller battery. Instead of a 4400mAh battery, it packs a 3400mAh one, just a tad more than that of the Mi 6. The phone supports Quick Charge 3.0 though.

For connectivity, the phone has Bluetooth 5.0 but ditches the 3.5 mm audio jack. It has dual WiFi band support and has support for 43 bands which includes 22 LTE bands. The Mi MIX 2 also comes with MIUI 9 based on Android Nougat. We hope an update to Android 8.0 Oreo isn’t far off.

Mi MIX 2 Pricing and Availability

The Mi MIX 2 will sell for ¥3299 (∼$506) for the 6GB RAM + 64GB model; ¥3599 (∼$552) for the 6GB RAM + 128GB version; and ¥3999 (∼$614) for the 6GB + 256GB model.

The Mi MIX 2 comes in black but Xiaomi also announced a special edition with a full ceramic body that is available in white and black i.e. no metal frame like the others. It has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and costs ¥4699 (∼$721).

Buy Xiaomi Mi Note 3 on Giztop

Buy Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 on Giztop

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 will go on sale later this month while the special edition variant will be available in October.

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Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro Announced With 15.6-inch Screen & 8th Gen. Core i7

By

Joel Joseph

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Sep 11, 2017

Xiaomi has unveiled the brand new Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro laptop at the Mi Mix launch event today. The laptop comes with the latest 8th Generation Core i7 processor, trying to take over the high-end market.

The Mi Notebook Pro continues to feature a minimalistic design, but now the laptop is sturdier than before. The company has used a magnesium alloy frame to increase the strength and Xiaomi was kind enough to show us how the laptop came out undamaged even with ninebot going over it multiple times.

There’s one color option available — dark gray, which looks pretty good. It weighs 1.95kgs, which isn’t too light but quite manageable. The design has a few upgrades internally, with a special cooling system featuring larger heat pipes and sinks, expanded fans, thereby making sure that the laptop temperature is controlled at all times.

As for the specs, the Mi Notebook Pro comes in three different variants. There’s a Core i7 (8th Gen) model clocked up to 4GHz along with 16GB of RAM, another Core i7 model but with a smaller 8GB RAM module and finally a less powerful Core i5 variant with 8GB RAM. Note that these are DDR4 dual Channel memory. Also, the laptop features a 256GB PCIe SSD. There’s a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics card as well.

The Mi Notebook Pro comes with a large 15.6-inch screen with Gorilla Glass 3 protection and 6.52mm narrow bezels on the sides. Other features of the Mi Notebook Pro include a full-size keyboard and fingerprint unlock.

The top end variant of the laptop with Core i7 + 16GB RAM will sell for 6999 Yuan ($1076). The other two variants with Core i7+ 8GB RAM and Core i5 + 8GB RAM will sell for 6399 Yuan ($984) and 5599 Yuan ($860) respectively.

Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ Android 8.0 Oreo Update in Works; Beta Program May Begin Soon

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 11, 2017

Couple of smartphone makers such as HTC, BlackBerry, Huawei, Nokia, and Sony have officially confirmed on the smartphones that would be upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo. Fresh information suggest that Samsung too is working on Android 8.0 Oreo update for Galaxy S8 and S8+.

The Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are expected to be the first smartphones from the South Korean company to receive the Android 8.0 upgrade. It appears that the Galaxy S8 duo could be getting the update soon as fresh reports have revealed that the first has begun the development of Oreo update for these phones.

The Android 8.0 Oreo firmware version G955FXXU1BQI1 may possibly arrive for the Galaxy S8 whereas the larger S8+ may receive the firmware version G950FXXU1BQI1. As of this writing, there is no information available on the exact timeline of the release of Android 8.0 Oreo upgrade for the Galaxy S8 duo.

Samsung is not very famous when it comes to quickly rolling out the latest version of Android to its smartphones and tablets. Google had officially announced the Android 7.0 Nougat on Aug. 23 and it took 143 days for Samsung to release the official software update for Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in China and the U.K. It took 180 days for the Nougat update to arrive in the U.S. and T-Mobile was the first one to release it. Verizon was the last among the popular U.S. carriers to release the update few weeks later.

Last year, Samsung had started a beta testing program for Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge so that the users of these phones could test the beta version to iron out all the issues and bugs. Hence, it is likely that before releasing the final version of the Android 8.0, the South Korean firm may begin a beta testing program for Galaxy S8 duo. Also, the Android Oreo update from Samsung would be overlaid with the latest version of the Samsung’s Experience UI.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ users are likely to receive the update in the last quarter of this year. There is a possibility that Galaxy Note 8 could taste the Oreo update before the end of 2017. The other Samsung phones that are expected to get upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo include Galaxy S8 Active, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S7 Active, Galaxy Note FE 2017 version of Galaxy A3, A5, A7, J7, J5 and J7 Prime.

(source)

Galaxy Note 8 Hong Kong Prices Cheaper Than The Expected Price In China

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Sep 11, 2017

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 was launched about three weeks ago in the U.S and is expected to go n sale on September 13, a day after the iPhone 8 and others are launched. There are talks that it would go official in China on September 29 and although Samsung is yet to officially reveal the price of the Galaxy Note 8, it is rumored to be more than 7,000 Yuan (around $1076) for the top variant. The device is expected to come with a price of 6,088 Yuan (~$915) in China for the 6GB base variant.

The Galaxy Note 8 recommended retail prices for Hong Kong has been revealed and it looks like it will be a lot less than the price in China. Of course, both prices are expected to be a little lower than what it will sell in the U.S. There is news that the Samsung Note 8 will be launched in Hong Kong on September 13 while its sales would commence on September 29. The prices will be as follows;

6GB + 64GB: HK $ 6998, about 5,801 yuan
6GB + 128GB: HK $ 7698, about 6,382 yuan
6GB+ 256GB: HK $ 8198, about 6,797 yuan

The Galaxy Note 8 is Samsung’s most expensive model yet, with the price for its base model almost hitting $1,000 USD. So, we really don’t expect it to fall very far below what it will sell in other markets but Hong Kong is a smaller market than China so it may not have the same prices. Also, the prices may slightly vary across different markets all over the world.

As a reminder, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is equipped with a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1440pixels resolution. The device comes with a Snapdragon 835 version as well as an Exynos 8895-powered model with 6GB RAM and 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage options.There is also a 3,300mAh battery on board. The Note 8 also packs a 12MP wide angle + 12MP Telephoto camera Both lenses support OIS optical image stabilization which is the first in the world. In addition, it also supports 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom.

(source)

Android 8.0 Oreo Customs ROMs Arrives for Popular Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola Phones & More

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 11, 2017

Android 8.0 Oreo was officially unveiled on Aug. 21 and since then a couple of smartphone OEMs like BlackBerry, HTC, Nokia and Sony have confirmed on the devices that will be upgraded to the newest Android version. The Android 8.0 will be arriving preinstalled on the forthcoming smartphones and it will be available as the first or second major update for the existing smartphones. It means several smartphones from 2015 and older smartphone are unlikely to receive the official Android 8.0 Oreo update. However, Android 8.0 can be installed unofficially on numerous smartphones through custom ROMS.

XDA Developers has the biggest community collection of Android 8.0 custom ROMS. The list of devices for which AOSP Oreo and Lineage OS 15 ROMs are available is updated regularly. Some of the ROMs that have been made may not function in a very stable manner.

ASUS ZenFone 5, LG Nexus 5, Motorola Nexus 6, OnePlus One, OnePlus 5 (on experimental basis), Sony Xperia SP, Xperia T, Xperia TX, Xperia V, Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Snapdragon edition, Mi Max, Mi 3, Mi 4 and Mi 5 are the handsets for which the AOSP Oreo is available.

ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser, ZenFone Selfie, HTC One M8, One M8 Dual SIM, LeEco Le Max 2, Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus, Moto X 2014, Moto E (2015), Moto G and 4G models from 2013, Moto G 2014 LTE, Moto G 2015, Moto G5 Plus, HTC Nexus 9 WiFi, OnePlus X, OnePlus 2, OnePlus 3, OnePlus 3T, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, Sony Xperia M2, Xiaomi Redmi 3, Redmi Note 4, Mi 4C, Mi 5S, Mi 5S Plus and Yu Yunique are some of the popular smartphones for which the Lineage OS 15.0 is available.

Android 8.0 Oreo is now seeding to Nexus 5X, Nexus 6X, Nexus Player, Pixel C, Pixel and Pixel XL devices. However, the upcoming Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be the first smartphones to arrive preinstalled with the latest Android version. Moreover, the Pixel 2 duo are expected to carry some new features that are not available on the existing version of Android 8.0. The rumor mill has already revealed plenty of information on the specifications of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 duo. Both phones are expected to debut on Oct. 5.

(sources)

Alleged Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 Leaked Image Surface Few Hours Before its Debut

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Sep 11, 2017

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 and the Mi Note 3 smartphones are going to be unveiled later today. The rumor mill has revealed plenty of details on both smartphones in the recent weeks. Now a fresh image of what appears to be the Mi MIX 2 has surfaced on Chines microblogging site, Weibo. The new image reveals the full-frontal view of the alleged phone.

Like the previously seen leaked images and renders of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2, the new image shows it will be boasting a larger screen space than its predecessor as the bottom bezel has also become slimmer.

At the right corner of the bottom bezel is the selfie snapper. The right edge of the phone has the volume controllers and Power button. There are no buttons on the left side of the phone. The top and bottom sides of the smartphone is not visible in the image. Hence, it is difficult to determine whether the Chinese manufacturer has decided to axe the 3.5mm audio jack. The bottom side is likely to feature a USB-C port.

The original Xiaomi Mi MIX has a 6.4-inch screen, but recent reports have revealed that the successor phone may house a smaller display of 6.2 inches. The Snapdragon 835 chipset will be present under is hood.

An image of the box package of the Mi MIX 2 has revealed that the smartphone would be available with 6 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The handset is also expected to be available in 128 GB storage model. Speculations have it that it would be featuring a 4,500mAh battery. Also, it will be arriving preinstalled with the latest MIUI 9.

As Xiaomi had announced the Mi MIX concept phone and Mi Note 2 at the same launch last year, this time too it is expected to unveil the Mi MIX 2 and Mi Note 3 together. Last year’s Mi Note 2 came with flagship specs. Leaked information has revealed that the Mi Note 3 could be an upper mid-range phone as it will be driven by Snapdragon 660 SoC. The chipset of the Mi Note 3 is expected to be coupled with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

Other sources have revealed that the Chinese manufacturer would be also unveiling a new laptop that is reportedly called Mi Notebook Pro. Several details on its specifications have also surfaced.

(source)