MIUI 8 Stable Release Rolling out from August 23

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Jul 19, 2016

Apart from the Mi Notebook laptop launching on July 27, Xiaomi is expected to unveil a new flagship smartphone in the Redmi series. All along, the device was tipped to be the Redmi Note 4 since logically the current latest is the Redmi Note 3, until it was outed that the flagship may likely be called Redmi Pro.

Xiaomi has released a video teaser on its Weibo page that seems to suggest that the Redmi Pro would sport an OLED display. The video teaser and its attached text tells us that one of Xiaomi’s new spokesperson, @Wu Xiubo would serve today’s first Cuisine which it named as French dessert “OLED PING” and described as “Colorful, like the Galaxy, feel comfortable and romantic life”. The message went on to disclose that from today and in the next seven days before the July 27 Xiaomi news conference, the three spokesmen will be involved with the launch of the Redmi Pro.

The video teaser almost confirms that the Redmi Pro will feature an OLED display. The OLED display will be featured on the 5.5-inch 1080p display which the Redmi Pro has been touted to tag along. Other specs expected on the device includes; a deca-core Helio X25 processor, 4GB of RAM, Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based MIUI, dual cameras, dual SIM and lots of stunning features which would keep you hooked on this device.

Xiaomi Sells Over 1.5 million Mi Max units in Two months, reveals Analyst

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Jul 19, 2016

Xiaomi released the Mi Max which is its first device with the largest ever display size in May this year and the device was a huge success, receiving over 8 million registrations prior to its first flash sales. The device carried a 6.44-inch display while it was moderately priced at 1499 yuan ($224).

Just two months after it first went on sales, it has been reported that the massive phablet has recorded over 1.5 million sales during this period. This was revealed by an analyst, @Kevin Wang who stated this figure from the view point of supply chain, since the Xiaomi Max has been on sale for two months, it had shipped more than 1.5 million units.

He further adds that this is a great achievement considering no other 6-inch smartphone has managed to achieve this feat.

The report was forwarded by CEO Lei Jun saying the Xiaomi Max is the best choice for users who love large screen devices. This seem to lend credence to the assertion that over 1.5 million Xiaomi Mi Max units have been sold in just two months.

The opening up of more offline sales channels could see the Mi Max and other Xiaomi devices make monumental sales records at the year’s end, considering their cheap pricing.

Meizu has no plans for a Notebook PC, but curved screen phones possible!

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Jul 19, 2016

Meizu unveiled the Meizu MX6 flagship earlier today in China. The phone comes with the deca-core Helio X20 chip with 4GB RAM and a powerful 12MP Sony IMX386 CMOS sensor. Soon after the event, the company executive, Bai Yongxiang (CEO) and Li Nan (VP) talked about the company’s future plans with the Chinese media.

In an interview, Meizu’s CEO made it clear that the company currently has no plans for a Notebook PC. This comes at a time when Xiaomi is expected to unveil its first ever laptop on July 27. Considering Meizu and Xiaomi often compete in similar product segments, it was possible that Meizu could be developing its own version of the laptop. But that clearly is not on the cards, at least for now.

At present, he said that the company wants to focus on its smartphone business. Further, he added that a curved screen smartphone from the company is possible in the future. We have been hearing many rumors as well as pictures of the curved screen phone from Meizu and this could be a good indication that such a device is really in the works. When asked about smartwatches, the CEO didn’t completely say that a wearable was out of the question.

As for today’s MX6 release, he believes that the phone will easily sell over a million units.

If the camera with IMX386 sensor is really better than competitors, then MX6 with its 1999 Yuan ($300) can turn out to be a pretty good deal.

What do you think?

More iPhone 7 Real Images Surfaces Online, No Headphone Jack!

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Jul 19, 2016

Weibo user @kk has posted a fresh batch of iPhone 7 images said to be taken at the Foxconn factory.

The images are not any different from what have previously showed up all over the internet but one of the images shows the top part and it is taken in a way that let’s you see there is no 3.5mm jack on the device.

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The 8848 Titanium is a Phone for The One Percenters

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Jul 19, 2016

Luxury phone maker, 8848, has announced a new phone called the 8848 Titanium M3 with a starting price of 9999 Yuan ($1493)!!!

The founder of the company, Du Ying says the company’s aim is to make secure and high-taste phones for business folks. He also mentioned that a sale of 100,000 units a year is a win for the company.

The M3 is made of hand polished titanium, sapphire glass, high- tech ceramic, and calfskin from Netherlands. It has a 5” FHD screen, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of built-in storage, a 21MP rear camera, 3MP front facing camera, and an unspecified octa-core snapdragon processor. The phone also has full network support.

On the software side, the phone’s encryption prevents calls from being traced; mobile banking is secure, and that the OS is ”isolated” from the call history, contacts, and messages.

This isn’t the first phone from the company which is sometimes referred to as Vertu of China; last year they released a model called the 8848 Ti Mobile.

The base version of the Titanium M3 has a price of 9999 Yuan ($1493), there is also a 12,999 Yuan ($1941) fashion edition, and a high-end version that costs 15,999 Yuan ($2389).

Meizu MX6 12MP Sony IMX386 Official Camera Samples Released

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Jul 19, 2016

UPDATE: More Samples Added!

Meizu MX6 was officially announced a couple of hours back and it comes with a powerful camera on board. The phone is using the Sony IMX386 custom CMOS sensor along with a new algorithm that ensures that the white balance and noise are optimized for beautiful photos. With PDAF, f/2.0 aperture, and 6P lens, the overall camera setup seems to be quite powerful.

However, we have often seen that the specs on paper don’t matter much. In fact, the only thing that matters is the resulting images taken from the device. So, for now, let’s take a look at the three camera samples (yes we could find only three right now) of the Meizu Mx6 that have been officially released by the company. These official images look amazing, but that isn’t surprising given that they come directly from Meizu. The color reproduction seems to be great and the images turned out to be clear and well focused.

You can check out the samples from below. Like always, we would advise you to wait for some real samples from MX6’s camera until we can make our final judgment. Also, you will most likely find a review of the device from Gizmochina in the coming days, wherein you can check out the real samples from the device.

CLICK ON THE BELOW IMAGES FOR FULL SIZE (4000 x 1700)

Another Honor V8 Max with Kirin 955 Chipset Shows up on TENAA

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Jul 19, 2016

Days after the Honor V8 Max was spotted listed on TENAA’s website with a Kirin 950 processor, another V8 Max model equipped with a different chipset, clocked at 2.5GHz and has entire network support has been spotted on the certification website. Now, as you may know, TENAA doesn’t list the name of the processor but we were able to determine that using the CPU clock speed listed on the TENAA record for the V8 Max.

Earlier on, TENAA’s listing pegged the CPU clock speed of the V8 Max at 2.3GHz and since Honor uses Kirin chipsets, we identified the Kirin 950 as the processor in question. This is where things change, as the new Honor V8 Max smartphone is listed as having a CPU clock speed of 2.5GHz in addition to supporting entire network.

The shift in the clocking frequency from 2.3GHz to 2.5GHz means this V8 Max version sports possibly a Kirin 955 SoC which clocks at 2.5GHz.

The juice doesn’t stop there, as the new V8 Max model equally wears a different memory chip inside its hood, packing a higher 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM, higher than the 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM on the version listed earlier.

In other features, both versions pull their weight together, sporting 6.6-inch 2k display, 13MP main camera, 8MP front camera unit, massive 4,400mAh battery and Android 6.0 Marshmallow pre-installed inside both.

The latest information from China reveals that the Honor V8 Max will be launched in August this year, possibly on August 1 and is expected to carry a 1999 yuan ($450) price tag.

Meizu’s New Bluetooth Speaker Has a Build Quality Way Higher Than Its Price

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Jul 19, 2016

Meizu launched a new speaker (not the Meizu Gravity) called the Lifeme BTS30 alongside the MX6 flagship today with a price tag of 399 Yuan ($60).

While the price tag is affordable, Meizu says it is a premium speaker that has the build quality of a 3000 Yuan ($448) device. The speaker which has a simple design similar to transistor radios of old without the knob and dials, weighs 685 grams, has 3D sound technology, and comes in silver and black.

The speaker uses Bluetooth 4.0 and has a range of up to 10 meters. There is a Texas Instruments TPA3130 amplifier IC in it and a battery that can last for up to 7 hours.

The power button, volume rocker, and call button (just in case you want to use this for answering calls) are positioned on the right. We can’t tell if the buttons are aluminium like the rest of the body or if they are made out of plastic until we get our hands on a unit.

Meizu has added 2 anti-slip pads to the base so that it doesn’t slide off your desk when pumping out sounds.

While it does look really nice, the only fault we can see is the absence of an auxiliary port. It would have been an added feature.

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Meizu MX6 Official With Helio X20 & Sony IMX386 12MP Sensor

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Jul 19, 2016

After so many rumors and leaks, Meizu has finally unveiled the Meizu MX6 flagship in Beijing, China. Like expected, the phone is going to continue the design used on the Meizu Pro 6 flagship, that includes unique antenna lines placement, on the top and the bottom of the rear panel and all metal body. The company has made sure that the phone is super thin as well, measuring just 7.25mm in thickness!

As for the specs, the Meizu MX6 is quite a powerful handset, worthy of being called as a flagship machine. It comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p incell LCD panel from Sharp with TDDI technology that improves touch sensitivity. Under the hood, the phone features the Helio X20 deca-core processor with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Plus, there’s a decent battery on board as well, measuring 3060mAh in capacity. The phone supports fast charging as well at 12V 2A (24W) which ensures that a 10-minute charge provides half a day’s additional usage.

Like we have been seeing in the teasers, the Meizu MX6 does have a great camera. In fact, it is reportedly the world’s first smartphone to use the custom Sony IMX386 CMOS sensor with 12MP resolution. With PDAF, large 1.25um pixels and f/2.0 aperture, the phone will make sure that the pictures have enough light and clarity. Further, the phone features a new algorithm that improves the color balance and reduces noise resulting into better pictures. Meizu seems to be saying that the phone’s camera is comparable to the Galaxy S7 Edge, with faster imaging speed.

Other features of the Meizu MX6 include a fingerprint sensor embedded into its mTouch button, full network support in China, VoLTE, 4G+, dual SIM dual standby, Cat. 6 LTE and Android 6.0 based Flyme UI.

Finally, for the price, the MX6 flagship is cheaper than expected as it starts at just 1999 Yuan ($300). Given that earlier rumors had said that the price could be as high as 2299 Yuan, this is actually a great price for the specs it comes with.

Registrations for the phone start at 4PM today in China and it goes on sale on July 30.

So, what do you think about the new Meizu MX6? Can it take on other Snapdragon 820 models like ZUK Z2 that retail around the same price?

Xiaomi Redmi Pro May Carry A Higher Price Tag Than Its Predecessors

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Jul 18, 2016

hThe Xiaomi Redmi Pro is just days away from the July 27 unveiling at the company’s news conference, but that hasn’t stopped discussions around the expected Redmi flagship which is tipped to tag along a cheap price label. Apart from the expected specs, the price has formed the bulk of discussions about the Redmi Pro which was thought to be priced around 1000 yuan ($150).

But analysts have suggested that the price might be higher than that. The official introduction of the device as one of the devices to pop on July 27 described the Redmi Pro as “the professional, the flagship” and according to analysts, this seems to suggest that Redmi Pro will be higher than the current Redmi Note series and perhaps sport a price tag ranging between the Redmi price range and the Mi price range.

However, the Redmi Pro isn’t expected to carry a price higher than the Mi phone series, even though the Redmi Pro surpasses the Mi phone in some of its rumored configurations. The Redmi phone series presently carry a price ranging between 699 yuan ($105) and 1099 yuan($165), while the cheapest Mi phone which is the Mi 4c costs 1099 yuan ($165). When this is considered, analysts believe the Redmi Pro will break the 1000 yuan barrier .

Some analysts believe that the Redmi Pro will be priced at 1499 Yuan(about $230), a tad higher than the current Redmi Note range because of the Pro attached to the name which indicates some higher specs package. Secondly, the increase in price could be a good way to enhance the image of the Redmi and Redmi Prime series. Also, a higher, more competitive price will aid Xiaomi in its plans to expand to new markets.

Even at 1499 yuan ($230), the Redmi Pro will still be very cheap with the giant array of features the device is touted to launch with, such as a dual camera setup, 4GB RAM, dual SIM, Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, 5.5-inch 1080p display, a deca-core Helio X25 chipset, fingerprint sensor and other goodies.

Xiaomi fan club members have even launched a vote to see the price tag fans would prefer the Redmi Pro to carry. The options where 1499 yuan ($230), 1699 yuan ($254) and 1999 yuan ($300) and of the three options, around 80% of fans think the Redmi Pro should be priced at 1499 yuan ($230).

What do you think is the ideal price for the upcoming Redmi smartphone?

ZTE unveils ultra-cheap ZMax Pro, with 6-inch 1080p display at $99

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Other Smart Lighting at GearBest

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Jul 18, 2016

ZTE has unveiled a mid-range device price at $100 which it says creates a new record for its highly cheap price. The device adopts the moniker ZTE Zmax Pro and takes over from last year’s Zmax 2 and its 2014 predecessor Zmax. ZTE says the device will be aimed at rival devices Samsung Galaxy J7 and LG Stylo 2, which both sport identical specs with the Zmax Pro but cost higher.

On the specs, the Zmax Pro sports a 6-inch 1080p touchscreen display and is powered by an Octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor with Adreno 405 GPU. The device packs 2GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in storage which is expandable. Also, the ZTE Zmax Pro features a USB Type-C port and a fingerprint scanner at the back.

In addition, ZTE ZMax Pro boots Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. The smartphone also features a 3.5mm headphone jack which is gradually disappearing from phones and crams a 3,400mAh battery under its hood.

Talking about the camera, the Zmax Pro sports an impressive 13MP rear facing camera with phase detection auto focus and LED flash as well as a 5MP camera up front for selfie snapshots.

ZTE says the Zmax Pro will be in MetroPCS website starting from August 1 and the phone is priced at $99 (about 660 yuan). Those who pre-ordered their units before July 31 will receive a free holster alongside.

Doonne Smart Bluetooth Vase Review

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Linus

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Jul 18, 2016

There are plenty of Bluetooth devices out there but we have never reviewed a smart Bluetooth flower vase. Learn more in our full review.

Doonne Smart Bluetooth Vase Review: VIDEO

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-W5I7o3CHc[/embedyt]

Doonne Smart Bluetooth Vase Review: UNBOXING

The device comes with a power plug and all other basic stuff you need to get started using it.

Doonne Smart Bluetooth Vase Review: DESIGN and FEATURES

This Bluetooth vase is made of real glass and the build quality is great. All you have to do is to connect the power cable to the charging cradle, charge the vase up and you are all set.

The vase comes with a built-in 1000mAh battery that can last up to 20h, which is a pretty good result.

Doonne Smart Bluetooth Vase Review: FUNCTIONALITY

As the name implies, you can connect this vase to your smartphone via the Bluetooth and control it via the proprietary app.

The setup is pretty straightforward and the phone finds the lamp quickly.

Within the app, you can adjust the colour temperature and brightness like you would do that on any other smart LED bulb. In addition, you can play some weird games that change the colours of the vase.

My favorite feature is the breathing light as the lamp starts flashing in various speeds and colours. Some other notable features include the integrated music player. If you use it, the vase starts flashing according to the music rhythm. Last but not least, we have the alarm clock feature.

Doonne Smart Bluetooth Vase Review: CONCLUSIONS

At the price of around $40, Doonne smart Bluetooth vase is not the cheapest gadget around but it is quite unique as there aren’t too many smart flower vases, anyway.

If you know anyone who loves flowers, this may be a good gift idea as the vase does everything it is being advertised for.

Buy it from Gearbest

Special Price: $39.99 with Coupon: VaseLP

12-inch Chuwi Hi12 Tablet GiveAway From Gizmochina

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Buy Chuwi Hi12 For $239.99 on Tomtop

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Jul 18, 2016

In the past couple of weeks, we have given away a lot of new products on gizmochina, and keeping up with the momentum, we are here yet again to give away a brand new product for our readers. Chuwi has provided us with the large screen Chuwi Hi12 tablet to give away to one of our readers, which means you have yet another chance to get hold of the tablet.

Like the name says, the Chuwi Hi12 is a large screen tablet, featuring a 12-inch 2160 x 1440 pixel display. Inside, the tab comes with the Intel Z8300 quad-core 64-bit processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. To support its large screen size, the Hi12 tablet also comes with an 11000mAh battery, which should easily give you more than a day’s battery life. You can get this powerful tablet at just $239 via online stores and now, you have the option of getting this tab for free. Plus, this is a dual boot tablet which means you can run either Windows or Android OS according to your preference.

Like always, we are going to organize this giveaway via the gleam widget. One random winner will be selected in a week’s time and will be given the new Chuwi Hi12 tablet.

All the best!

Chuwi Hi12 Giveaway

Xiaomi Unveils Soocare X3 Electric toothbrush with Bluetooth Connectivity

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Jul 18, 2016

Xiaomi’s teased “mysterious” product tipped to be unveiled today under its crowdfunding platform has been confirmed to be an electric toothbrush.

The toothbrush dubbed Soocare X3 is manufactured by Chinese innovative startup Soocare Cassels founded last year and was tipped to take on Philip’s Sonicare line up of electric toothbrush with its innovative gadget. The handheld device uses a magnetic levitation acoustic wave motor with a swing speed of up to 37200 times per minute which spins the bristle. The gadget motor also has a torque output of 220 gf.cm which makes it continues swinging strong.

The bristle of the toothbrush is made by US company DuPont and is an o.152mm thin soft bristles which has a 3D design that fits well into the teeth surfaces and interproximal spaces.

In addition to general everyday toothbrushing to achieve a clean teeth, the Soocare X3 features a sensitive care brush head and deep cleaning brush head. There’s also a Soocare Mini for toddlers.

Still on the design specs, the Soocare Electric toothbrush consist of a body and chassis that is IPX7 waterproof certified and can be washed and cleaned after use directly under running water without fear of damage.

The device also comes with Bluetooth connectivity which seems to be able to connect with your smartphone to display the percentage of battery power left. Other details still hazy at the moment. The device packs a 1000mAh battery which can last up to 25 days without charging and charges to full capacity in just 16 hours. There is also wireless charging support.

The Xiaomi Soocare X3 carries a 229 yuan (about $35) price tag and is available under crowdfunding. The device starts shipping to those who placed orders in August.

Xiaomi Redmi Pro Confirmed! Coming on July 27

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Jul 18, 2016

We all have been wondering what to expect from the July 27 event from Xiaomi. There were a few guesses, with a majority of them stating that we will see the new Redmi Note 4 model soon. Along with that, it is said we will also see the new Xiaomi Notebook at the event. Now, the company has just confirmed at least one product that will be unveiled on July 27, and it will be called as the Xiaomi Redmi Pro! Yes, not Redmi Note 4 or Redmi 4, but simply as the Redmi Pro.

The company just started a new topic on the micro-blogging website, Weibo with the title “Redmi Pro” and the date fixed at July 27, when Xiaomi has confirmed it will unveil new products. The Redmi Pro name actually says a lot about the phone. This time around, the company is not giving it the usual number (ideally, it should have been Redmi 3 Pro), instead, it is using the Pro name. So, this could be a good indication that the new device is going to redefine the Redmi series. If we were to consider the various rumors and leaks that have been going around on the internet in the past few days, then we can expect pretty powerful hardware on the new device. This could be the ultimate Redmi device from the company, and the timing couldn’t be perfect as July 2016 marks the third year anniversary for the company’s best-selling low-cost lineup.

If you remember, we had seen the Redmi Pro model on Geekbench a few days back. The listing revealed a few details about the specs of the device like the presence of the powerful Helio X25 chipset, 4GB RAM and Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This could be the final specs of the upcoming device. Camera details are not confirmed, but a leaked teaser revealed that the phone could be sporting dual cameras at the back.

Looks like Xiaomi’s new Redmi Pro with these specs will be a killer device! With the company’s usual aggressive pricing practice, we hope to see the handset anywhere around $150.

Japan’s SoftBank To Acquire UK’s ARM

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Jul 18, 2016

SoftBank is a Japanese multinational telecommunications and internet corporation with interests in several companies including US carrier, Sprint. As of 2015, the company was the 62nd largest company in the world. That position will be changing as they plan to acquire British company, ARM Holdings, whose primary business is the design of ARM processors.

These processors or their designs are found in a ton of devices ranging from smartphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, and cars’ ABS.

The acquisition is supposed to be in the tune of $32bn. The announcement raised the company’s shares by 45% at the London Stock Exchange adding $10bn to ARM’s market value.

ARM whose headquarters is in Cambridge is the 3rd chip maker in the city to be acquired. Last year, Qualcomm bought chipmaker CSR, and before that, HP also acquired Autonomy.

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ZTE Announces Little Fresh 4 Budget Mid-Ranger With MT6753

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Jul 18, 2016

Although ZTE has a few products in the mid-range market, the company hasn’t really managed to make a mark in the low cost budget segment. However, the company is still devoted to release products in this price segment, as ZTE just announced a brand new ZTE Little Fresh 4 smartphone in China.

Going with the trend, the ZTE Little Fresh 4 (the name is a direct translation from its Chinese name) features an all metal design. The phone is quite slim, measuring just 7.5mm which is great for a device in its price segment. Unlike other budget handsets which either feature 5.5-inch or 5-inch displays, ZTE has used a 5.2-inch FHD 2.5D display on board, following the likes other flagships with the same size display.

Under the hood, the phone features the tried and tested MT6753 octa-core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of expandable internal storage. At the back, there is a 13MP camera while up front, you get a 5MP shooter. As for software, the ZTE Little Fresh 4 runs on android Marshmallow with the company’s UI on top. You also get a fingerprint sensor at the back. Finally, the phone is being offered in three color options, gold, rose gold and silver.

Pricing is pretty decent. The phone will go on sale for 1090 Yuan ~ $163. We don’t expect the phone to hit the international markets.

Nico360 is a Tiny 360 camera that features live streaming

By

Jitendra Soni

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Jul 18, 2016

Buying a camera is a very trick question these days. We first had decent camera phones, but for action junkies, a smartphone camera wasn’t an ideal solution. This led to the birth and eventual growth of the action camera market. It’s time now, I think to look beyond action camera’s too and grace 360-degree cameras. With Virtual Reality going mainstream, there is a lot of requirement for good 360-degree content and devices.

The trouble with the current generation of 360 cameras has been that either they’ve been not really easy to use or have been very costly. However, Nico360 seems to have an answer to all. It is a tiny 360 camera and also supports live broadcasting.

Nico360 is listed on Indigogo as the world smallest 360 cameras and it does borrow some design inspiration from GoPro cameras. However, unlike the Ricoh Theta S and Samsung 360, it is much smaller and square in shape.

Nico360 is capable of recording 360 degree videos at 2K resolution at 30 FPS. It can record 360-degree videos at a resolution of 25 megapixels.It has two 16 MP spherical cameras mounted on either side of the body and buttons to power on/off the device, click images, switch modes from video to images is located on the left side of the body of the camera.

Nico360 comes with a 32GB on board storage and is capable or live streaming as well, making it a device to watch out for. It is compatible iOS, Android and Windows mobile devices and it comes with a 1400 mAh battery too.

An action camera should not just be compact and durable, it has to be waterproof too. The company claims that Nico360 is not just splash proof but waterproof too. On the pricing front, Nico360 will be available for $199. Early backers of the campaign can get the 360camera for $99 on the crowdfunding site IndieGoGo.

For those looking for a 4K camera, the latest Xiaomi Yi camera that is priced at CNY 1,199 or $185 is a pretty good option.

Mysterious Xiaomi product launching tonight. Electric toothbrush?

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