News of manufacturers working on a foldable display have been around for years now. The latest report circulating now is that of Samsung’s upcoming foldable phone which is rumored to be launched in H1 2018 and not Q3 2017 anymore. One other company that has been working on foldable displays for over a decade already but has not been mentioned recently is actually Nokia.
As it stands, Nokia may or may not be preparing to launch a phone with a foldable display in the near future but a patent granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office back in 2013 and made public in September is now making rounds on the internet.
The patent’ diagrams show a device with a clam-shell design that looks like a square pocket mirror. The way it is deigned, the display doesn’t bend completely when you shut the device. The patent description says the design makes it possible to have a ‘‘pocket size device with a relatively large display (for example, a 6, 7, or 8-inch display or larger)’’. The device also has a sort of lock that keeps both halves in place, a design found in laptops of old.
PayPal Co-Founder and Facebook board member, Peter Thiel has said in a recent interview that he thinks that the age of Apple is over.
The statement was made during a Q&A session called Confirm or Deny, a segment of the New York Times. Replying to the question of whether the age of Apple is over, Mr Thiel says “Confirm. We know what a smartphone looks like and does. It’s not the fault of Tim Cook, but it’s not an area where there will be any more innovation.”
It seems Peter Thiel is one of those who think we have reached the top of the curve when it comes to innovation with respect to smartphones. Currently, more than half of Apple’s revenue from the last two years is from the iPhone and for the first time in more than a decade, Apple’s annual profit fell in 2016 due to a fall in the sales of the iPhone.
While it is too early to say if Apple’s glory days are coming to an end or have ended, we can all agree that innovation when it comes to smartphones have been a bit stagnant. Google has abandoned Project Ara and LG and Lenovo/Motorola’ stab at modularity was not well received. Though the Moto Z did a better job but the cost of the phone and the individual cost of the mods might have contributed to it not being much of a success.
Nokia yesterday held a news conference in Beijing where the Nokia 6 was officially unveiled before a crowd of tech enthusiasts, media practitioners and other invitees. The mid-range smartphone was announced to have gone up for reservation immediately after the launch and would be available exclusively on Jingdong (JD.com).
The Nokia 6 will officially go on sale on January 19 and ahead of its first sale, Nokia has announced that registrations for the device have exceeded 230,000 persons just after 24 hours since it opened for reservations. The reservations are of two types, there is a zero yuan reservation and another one which required those making reservations to pay a 66 yuan price with a membership benefit attached. As should be expected, the free reservation package saw 229,000 people registering in 24 hours, while the 66-yuan package has 6686 persons during the same period. These figures would have increased by now, though.
Although, the reservation figures may not really turn out to become actual sales, it sometimes help project how a smartphone would fare in the market. The Nokia 6 isn’t one for the geeks who are interested in having a device with a wonderful performance but perhaps, for those who wouldn’t mind the fire power but are just content in having the sleek and rugged smartphone, as long as it bears the Nokia moniker.
Specification details of the Moto G5 surfaced a few days ago alongside some images and a possible pricing. Today another image of the upcoming phone has leaked online.
The image is said to be a press shot of the Moto G5. Lenovo/Moto is going for a Moto Z kind of look which is evident from the camera design. Though the glass is all metal and not black which is nice as the Moto Z is a fingerprint magnet.
Another notable difference is the fingerprint scanner. The Moto G5 plus ditches the square scanner for one that is pill-shaped. It also appears that the SIM tray has also been moved to the top as a groove with a hole can be seen on the top left part of the phone. The Moto G5 plus still has the rounded corners but the rear doesn’t curve to meet the metal frame anymore.
One thing we are actually quite disappointed about is the Snapdragon 625 processor that is said to be present in the phone. It is not a bad processor but considering the fact that the Snapdragon 653 and 626 have already been announced since last year, we expected the Moto G5 to sport either of the newer chips. The Moto G4 Plus from last year was no different as it launched with the Snapdragon 617 processor released back in 2015.
LeEco-backed Faraday Future unveiled its FF 91 concept electric car at CES 2017 in Las Vegas which it says will ship in 2018. The company had hinted that those interested in having the car would be required to register their interest by making a down payment of $5,000, but the company failed to disclose the likely price of the Faraday Future FF 91.
Even without knowing what the FF 91 would cost in the long run, registration for the electric car was reported to have reached 64,124 in just 36 hours. Previous rumors had suggested that the Faraday Future electric car would be priced around $150K – 200K USD but in a recent interview, LeEco’s CEO revealed that the FF 91 will be priced under 2 million yuan (around $290,000). This is way more expensive than the Tesla Model S P100D which is currently the fastest accelerating electric car (the FF 91 will soon replace that). The Tesla Model S starts at around $130K in the US. Even at that, the FF 91 is still not as expensive as we thought it would be but sure it is a price that is profitable to the company as the model isn’t tailored after LeEco’s cheap flagship phone sales model where they make money from content sales.
The Faraday Future FF 91 features lots of innovative technology, with superior performance and superior handling. It is an SUV which is touted as having the ability to hit 60 mph in just 2.39 seconds, a few milliseconds faster than the Tesla Model S. The car also has a self-driving feature and is capable of parking itself. The car, in addition, comes with lots of smart connectivity features inside.
In a related development, Faraday Future has opened its official website in China and is now accepting booking from those interested in having the car which it called “Dream Partner” version. All they’ll need to do is to make a deposit of 50,000 yuan. It is also expected to ship in 2018 in China.
HTC unveiled two new phones at an event in Taiwan today: the HTC U Ultra and U Play, and just the way the Moto Z Force and Moto Z Play belong to the same series but are targeted at different categories so also are HTC’s new phones.
The new U series are the pioneers of a new design from HTC. Both phones have a curved glass back HTC calls liquid surface. Their fingerprint scanners are front-mounted and like the HTC Bolt, they are also missing audio jacks.
HTC U Ultra
The U Ultra is the higher variant with a 5.7-inch Quad HD display with corning gorilla glass 5 and a smaller 2-inch (160 x 1040) display at the top just like that of the LG V20 and pretty much does the same work too. There is a Snapdragon 821 processor underneath the hood, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a SD card slot.
The primary camera of the HTC U Ultra is a 12MP UltraPixel sensor with a f/1.8 aperture and 1.55-micron pixels, PDAF,and laser focus. The front facing camera is a 16MP shooter.
The U Ultra comes with some cool features such as four omni-directional microphones that records sound in 360° for immersive audio. It also has a new software feature called HTC Sense Companion that learns about your usage over time and improves how your phone works, sort of like an AI assistant. The U Ultra has a 3000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.
HTC U Play
The U Play tones down things a lot. There is a single 5.2-inch 1080p display and the processor is Mediatek’s Helio P10. Dependng on the region, there is a 3GB + 32GB model or a 4GB + 64GB model. The rear and front camera are both 16MP sensors but the front facing camera also has a special 4MP UltraPixel shooting mode. There is a 2500mAh battery inside which is pretty small considering the display is 5.2-inches.
Chinese innovative tech company Xiaomi has set a tall figure for itself this year, aiming to rake in more than 100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion USD) of revenue in 2017, Bloomberg reports. This is coming even as the company pledged to go slower at its pace of business expansion and to completely change its online-focused retail strategy which had been successful but unable to sustain the company’s growth.
Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun is credited to have laid down the company’s strategy for 2017 in a memo posted on WeChat. The Chief Executive of China’s most valuable startup, in the memo, talked about drastically increasing its store network with additional 200 outlets established. He also envisioned a global expansion for the brand, as well as deepening research into artificial intelligence and online finance. The CEO admitted that Xiaomi had tried to expand too rapidly in past years.
The company even failed to consolidate on the success of its online-only sales model which fostered the bond with its fans and reduced cost for the company. When rivals copied the strategy and created competition as well as focusing on their own offline sales strategy, the company was left in the lurch without making efforts to add other channels to its sales model. Now, according to Lei Jun, Xiaomi plans to build on a network of about 54 outlets around the country. Another strategy the company seems to be pursuing is a shift outside the Chinese market, especially North America and India. While it may be difficult breaking into the US circuit, India holds lots of potentials for the company. In 2016, smartphone sales surpassed $1 billion USD for Xiaomi in India. That figure could more than double if the right approach is employed because the company enjoys teeming support from fans globally.
Another avenue the company hopes to explore this year is its other products aside smartphones. The company has in its arsenal, a wide range of electronic gadgets like air purifiers, robot vacuums, smartTVs, washing machine, scooters, bikes, and several others which are manufactured by its ecosystem-partners. Mr Lei Jun did disclose that the company garnered over 15 billion yuan from such sales in 2016 and as such would continue with the partnership system. Xiaomi is an innovative company with lots of potentials, it is hoped the company can find its bearing this year and get back right on track soon.
Most smartwatches aim to be gender neutral, but the FENwatch takes a different route. It’s looking to capture the attention of all the ladies out there, especially those who are looking to add a fashionable watch to their collection. The elegant looks and the blue flowers decorating the dial are clear indications that the company is targeting the female crowd. Never need to charge, the world’s first White & Blue Porcelain Smartwatch FENwatch coming to Kickstarter on Jan 10.
The brand of Fen has emerged from HK and is eager to bring some cultural influence into the smartwatch market. The new smartwatch, called simply as the FENwatch, aims to bring a blend of Chinese and Western cultures together. The FENwatch comes in a unique round face in blue and white porcelain. The front of the FENwatch is made out of ceramic, making it stand out among other watches in the market today. From shaping the clay to drawing the unique designs, over 80 different processes are involved in progressing from raw material to finished product. Hand painting each dial provides each watch with a unique personality and history, allowing each wearer to maintain their individuality.The rest of the FENwatch body is made out of 316L Stainless .K1 glass with
Hand painting each dial provides each watch with a unique personality and history, allowing each wearer to maintain their individuality. The rest of the FENwatch body is made out of 316L Stainless .K1 glass with a sapphire coating which is pure, clear, hard, and wear-resistant. FENwatch’s unique movement combines Swiss precision gears and smart technology together, thereby, integrating traditional craftsmanship with modern technology in one present.
The 467 days of development cycle was not just for perfecting its design. The company reveals that the FENwatch has all the basic features of a regular smart wearable inside its unique body. The FENwatch comes with features such as UV monitoring, sleep monitoring, acts management, step tracker, as well as a pedometer which ensures that all the vital health data are being tracked. While this is good, what’s really the best feature of the FENwatch is its super long 12-month battery life. So, unlike traditional smartwatches, the FENwatch is good to go for nearly one year once its charged completely.
The FENwatch app is available for iOS and Android. It includes the pedometer data, monitors sleep patterns and provides exercise tips to improve health. Features like remote camera, call alert, call reject, phone location services make interacting with the FENwatch in a natural and enjoyable experience.Wear it, you are unique.
FENwatch’s Kickstarter page will kick off on January 10. Stay tuned for more details from this link: Kickstarter
Nokia was synonymous with rugged phones way back in the days of feature phones et al. It seems the brand under HMD’s management still intends to retain this high build quality on its smartphones. A few days back, Nokia teased the Nokia 6 as featuring a military grade body which can withstand a wide range of extreme condition. Conditions the device is touted as capable of withstanding include extreme temperature, high humidity, snow, water etc.
The Nokia 6 smartphone is yet to go on sale but it is already in the hands of some crazy testers who did test the ruggedness of the Nokia smartphone by smashing a walnut with the phone. Of course, the Nokia 6 comes with an all-metal unibody so anyone would expect the back of the smartphone to successfully smash a walnut shell but the front screen? Well, the tester in the video used both the front screen and the back casing to smash the walnut and it did break the shell without any damage to the Nokia 6’s display or body, not even a scratch.
Despite its tough, rugged body built, coupled with its decent specs lineup, the Nokia 6 is pocket-friendly. The smartphone carries a price tag of 1699 yuan ($245 USD) and is already up for pre-order exclusively on Jingdong (JD.com) in China. The device will go on sale starting from January 19.
Although Nokia had unveiled its first smartphone under HMD Global which signalled the return of the Nokia brand, many are still expectant of that true flagship smartphone that we had all been waiting for all these while. Indeed, during the launch of the Nokia 6 in China, HMD did tease that a true flagship device would be coming our way on February 26 at the Mobile World Congress 2017.
Not much is known about the expected flagship device but it has been revealed that it is known with the codename Nokia Supreme and may likely enter the market as Nokia 8, continuing the naming tradition of the Nokia 6. Curiously, the purported flagship was said to have been on display at Qualcomm’s booth at CES 2017, but only a few noticed it.
On the specifications, the leak reveals that the Nokia 8 would be powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chip. Perhaps, that it is the reason it found its way into Qualcomm’s booth at CES. The flagship device is also expected with a large 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with QHD resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution. The display is a flat-screen and not a curved display.
https://youtu.be/RbQSJMFwZvY
In addition, HMD is also said to be putting together a Snapdragon 821-powered version of the flagship device with a slightly cheaper price tag. Going further, the device is also said to sport a powerful 24MP rear camera with OIS, and super EIS. There is also a 12MP sensor up front for selfie snapshots. On the memory aspect, the Nokia 8 is rumored to pack just two storage versions, one with 64GB storage and another with 128GB storage, both of which are expandable via microSD up to 256GB. It is expected that the Nokia Supreme will come pre-installed with Android 7.0 Nougat, since the Nokia 6 ships with Google’s latest mobile OS.
Samsung Galaxy S8 release date is drawing near as new renders and leaked information consistently. Ghostek, a case maker has created a render that shows a Galaxy S8 fitted inside its waterproof case. It reveals a lot about Galaxy S8’s design. However, it is astonishing to see that the rear camera does not feature an LED flash.
Industry experts had revealed earlier that the South Korean company would be bringing overhaul improvement to the design of Galaxy S series smartphones. Hence, the Galaxy S8 is expected to arrive with a revamped design.
There is no concrete evidence to confirm that the Galaxy S8 design revealed by Ghostek is real. However, it cannot be dismissed since case makers are known to receive information on forthcoming smartphones quite earlier so that they can manufacture various kinds of accessories.
The Galaxy S8 sitting inside Ghostek Atomic 3 waterproof case shows that the smartphone features a dual-edge curved display. Previous rumors have also stated that S8 would sport such type of curved screen.
The Home button is missing on the Galaxy S8 in the new render. Also, the fingerprint reader is neither present on front nor on the rear of the smartphone. As early rumors have stated, the fingerprint sensor may come embedded under the display. Hence, it may not be visible in the image.
What’s worrisome about the new render is that there is no LED flash for the main camera of Galaxy S8. It is unlikely that Samsung will axe such an important feature on S8, but case makers are required to build accessories based on the specifications provided by the smartphone companies. The lack of LED flash questions the legitimacy of the image.
Ghostek is a well-known brand that makes cases for iPhones and Samsung Galaxy smartphones. BGR has reported that the Galaxy S8 render by Ghostek was revealed by an unknown user with unproven track record on Weibo. According to the publication, a source has revealed to it that the render has been made on the basis of actual data originating from Samsung factories.
Even though LG has not confirmed it directly, it is heavily pegged to unleash the LG G6 flagship in February through MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2017 event. LG has released a teaser video that reveals that the LG G6 will be an ideal smartphone.
The teaser video begins with a question: “What’s on your wish list for the ideal smartphone?” People can be seen asking for larger screen in a compact, comfortable to hold and use, one-hand usability, waterproof, a camera that is able to “capture it all once” and a “more reliable” device.
At the last part of the video LG hints that these features will be arriving on its new smartphone. The description of the video on YouTube reads: “Your wishes for the ideal smartphone will come to life. Stay tuned for its arrival in February 2017.” Hence, it seems that the South Korean company is hinting on LG G6 features that will get unveiled to the world at MWC 2017.
Recently, LG announced a new display that would support a quad HD+ resolution of 1,440 x 2,880 pixels along with an aspect ratio of 9:18. It delivers a higher pixel density of 564 ppi. It is known to consume 30 percent less power than its predecessor and offers better viewing under direct sunlight.
The 5.7-inch quad HD+ display is speculated to be taller and slimmer than the 5.7-inch quad HD screen on LG V20. The taller display would allow users to easily multi-task through multi-window mode. It can be seen see that a larger screen for multi-tasking is one of the desirable features for ideal smartphone. In spite of having larger screen, the LG G6 will arrive with a smaller body.
Another important feature that LG seems to confirm in the video is the water-resistance capabilities of LG G6. If the South Korean company brings this feature on LG G6, it will be its first global smartphone to feature it.
Do you know sharing a selfie snapshot of yourself with a pose where you did the V sign or peace finger sign could lead to your identity being stolen? This might sound crazy but it is dead true! In case you are wondering what we mean by this, here is the gist.
Chinese authorities have started warning the public that displaying the V-sign in a photo snapshot, may put you at risk of identity theft. The V sign is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted, while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the cultural context and how it is presented. It is a very popular pose pattern for persons in Chinese photo shoot.
Now, the authority is warning that your fingerprints can be extracted from these images and used to gain access to your personal accounts. This is only possible, though, in situations where the use of fingerprint identification is enabled to unlock your online accounts.
How it all works has been demonstrated in December 2014 by a cyber-security expert, Jan Krissler who alleged he successfully digitally cloned the fingerprints of Germany’s defence minister. The hacker was able to achieve this feat by grabbing the target’s photograph shot during a press conference and then using commercial software to replicate it.
A lot of flagship smartphone enthusiasts look forward to having the NFC feature on their favorite new releases. This is because of the “secure” fingerprint features the NFC offers. Now we know better, it is very well advisable to store your password as numbers in your head. It is sure safer up there.
In a new report released by Kantar Worldpanel, Android is the OS that dominates in China. The info was gotten from a survey carried out between September and November.
Android however lost market share in the United States, Britain, France, and Japan but increased its share of the smartphone market in other European countries like Germany, Spain, and Italy. Apple’s iOS gained more customers with its new iPhone 7 in Japan, Great Britain, and France.
Americans love the iPhone and the results show it. The iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 6s were the most popular devices in the US within the period with a combined share of 31.3%. Leaving Samsung’s S7 and S7 Edge at the fourth and fifth position with 28.9% of smartphone sales. The Google Pixel was able to grab only 1.3%.
Lenovo‘s elite brand ZUK is set to push update ushering in Android 7.0 Nougat to two of its smartphones which are the ZUK Z2 and Z2 Pro. According to a Weibo post by Lenovo’s VP, both the ZUK Z2 and ZUK Z2 Pro will receive update to ZUI 2.5, which will be based on Android 7.0 Nougat.
The Lenovo ZUK Z2 was announced around May last year and it came running ZUI 2.0 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The ZUK Z2 Pro was announced earlier on in March 2016 but packs similar UI and operating system. The ZUI 2.5 is perhaps a new upgrade of the ZUI 2.0 which was available earlier on.
The update is billed to bring in lots of cool features like an optimized system stability, security patch, optimization of split screen experience, and so on.
When the Nokia 6 launched, it was said that the phone will remain a China exclusive. It seems that will be changing as two new variants have been certified by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).
The devices have model numbers TA-1000 and TA-1003 and are described as the Nokia 6. Rumor has it that the Nokia 6 might be heading to India as well and may be priced at Rs.9,999 (~$150) but new info says it will still be priced at about $250.
The new models might probably be global variants of the phone with the same or slightly different specs. We can’t confirm now until more details are released.
It is a known fact that Xiaomi is facing financial deficit due to the poor performance it posted last year. It is also not a secret that the tech giant is planning a foray into the highly lucrative US market. Because of the financial implications of such venture, rumors were rife that the Chinese company is planning a fundraiser to help finance its entry into the US market.
This rumor has however, been debunked by Xiaomi’s Chief Financial Officer Shou Zi Chew in an interview with the Wall Street Journal at CES in Las Vegas. According to the company executive, Xiaomi doesn’t need to raise funds in order to respond to the loss of market shares to competitors. He hinted that the company is still very robust financially with a very healthy cash balance. He, however, refused to disclose specifics on how robust the cash balance is.
Xiaomi had been one of the high fliers since it opened its doors, even topping the Chinese smartphone market in 2014. However, several factors such as unavailability of its smartphones and using a single sales channel led to the company losing some of its market shares to competitors like OPPO, Vivo, and Huawei. The company is repositioning by adopting multiple sales channels and also targeting markets outside of China in a bid to recover lost grounds. It is yet to be seen if the company can recover but there is no doubt they are capable of doing that, with the avalanche of innovative products in their arsenal such as the Mi Mix and Mi TV 4 unveiled at CES 2017.
Foldable phones have been in the making for years but it seems Samsung finally has one ready to hit the market this year. Reports have it that the company has switched from its initial design of a fold-in bendable screen to one that folds outwards so that owners will not need to unfold the phone just to check notifications.
A Korean media outlet says that a device with such a display should be ready to hit markets in the third quarter of the year if it is eventually greenlighted as the company has to consider things like demand and profitability and as well sort out the political issues it is facing.
Details of the new phone leaked says the display can be unrolled into a 7-inch tablet. That means since it folds outwards, you will have a sort of two-sided display phone probably of in-equal halves judging from the images, which when unfolded becomes a larger device. So of you want to watch a video or read a book or do something that basically gets better with a larger screen estate, all you have to do is unfold the screen.
The Galaxy Note 7 was pulled off the market after a second spate of explosions started with the replacement units. Samsung, in a statement released on Tuesday says over 96% of all Galaxy Note 7 phones have been returned since the recall began last year.
Samsung had released the Galaxy Note 7 in August to critical acclaim only for things to go south when reports of some devices bursting up in flames started to circulate. Samsung decided to issue a recall after carrying out an inspection of the phones. Replacements were later sent back to those who had returned their phones. But that was not the end of Samsung’s woes as the replacement units still kept having issues.
Things got so bad when a Galaxy Note 7 exploded on a Southwest Airlines flight and the Federal Aviation Authority had to ban the phone from flights.
Samsung had to issue another recall and eventually kill the Note 7 but it wasn’t easy getting people to part with the phone as some felt since they didn’t have any issue with their phone, they should not have to return it. To solve the issue, the company had to roll out an update that disabled the phone from charging.
Apple will ditch the traditional CNC machining process for a more refined stainless steel forging process for its next generation iPhone 8 flagship that would be launched later this year. There have been rumors that the iPhone 8 will not come with an all-metal unibody like its predecessors but would adopt an all-glass body just like Samsung’s latest flagships. That doesn’t remove the fact that the frame would be made of metal, but the type of metal wasn’t revealed.
Now, latest rumors are saying that the Apple flagship will have as its frame, a stainless steel body. The rumor is said to have emanated from “sources within the upstream supply chain. If it turns out to be true, it will mark a big departure from what we have become accustomed to on successive Apple iPhones. This isn’t the first Apple iPhone to use a Stainless steel body, though, as the iPhone 4 used stainless steel on its chassis. The stainless steel chassis is said to be supplied by Foxconn and Jabil, two companies who did supply the one used by the iPhone 4.
The new stainless steel material doesn’t only bring in a new t0 the iPhone 8 design, it will somehow lower the cost of production as it is said to be 30%-50% cheaper than the aluminum unibody- CNC machining process. Whether this reduction in production cost will lead to reduction in the iPhone 8’s price is unknown. It may not affect the price anyway, because the iPhone 8 is rumored to have a curved AMOLED display on one of its models which is way more expensive than LCDs.
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