Microsoft Windows 10 Anniversary Update might release on Aug 2

Microsoft had officially announced the Windows 10 Anniversary Update at its BUILD 2016 developer conference in San Francisco in March this year. Months after the official announcement, Microsoft put up a blog post confirming the update will start rolling out from August 2. Microsoft had initially put out a blog post noting the availability of anniversary update and has now pulled down that page.

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is believed to be the biggest update to Windows 10 so far. The update will bring a slew of new features and improvements to its latest operating system. Some of the major changes include a revamped Start menu, support for extensions in Edge and Windows Ink. Microsoft’s Edge browser is expected to include Windows Hello biometric authentication support. This will allow users to sign in to websites using fingerprints or face. The Edge notifications will also appear in Action Center.

The update also brings major improvements to digital assistant Cortana, which will now also work on the lockscreen. There will a dedicated section in Windows Store to find Cortana-based apps.

Microsoft Windows 10 was launched in July 29, 2015 and the company has surpassed over 300 million installations since that date. Microsoft Windows 10 was made available to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users as a free update.

The new upgrade prompt offers option to either upgrade now, schedule or decline the offer. Microsoft says it will charge $119 for Windows 10 update after the first year free offer.

LeEco’s Upcoming Smartphone Leaks, Dual Camera Setup

Dual-camera smartphones seem to be the next big thing, and a recent leak suggests that LeEco may be the next company to launch a smartphone with dual-camera imaging module. An image alleged to show the rear panel of the next LeEco smartphone has been leaked by Phone Radar, and shows the cut-out for dual-lens and flash placed in one module. Underneath the camera unit is the hole for a fingerprint sensor, while the top and bottom of the rear panel have the antenna bands.

LeEco is holding an event in China tomorrow, where it is expected to launch a new smartphone. Previous reports have suggested that the company may launch a smartphone with 8GB of RAM, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 823 SoC (which may also be called Snapdragon 821). It is also tipped to feature a 25MP rear camera. However, a LeEco smartphone with model number LEX720 was benchmarked on AnTuTu. As per the listing, the phone features a 1080p display and is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8996 Pro SoC, which is tipped to be the model name of the next generation Snapdragon 823 chipset. Further, the listing shows that the device is powered by 4GB of RAM instead of 8GB, and a 16MP primary camera instead of 25MP. It is possible that the leaks are pointing to different LeEco devices or even multiple variants of a single smartphone. For now, we will have to wait till tomorrow to find out more. 

Google Reportedly working on its own smartphone to take on iPhone

Google plans on launching smartphones before the end of this year, and no we aren’t talking about the much-rumored Nexus devices built by HTC. According to The Telegraph, Google plans to launch its own branded smartphones, much like how Apple makes its own iPhones. The idea is to have more control over the hardware, design and the entire Android experience.

"The new device, which will be released by the end of the year according to a senior source, will see Google take more control over design, manufacturing and software," adds the report.

Additionally, 9to5google received a tip earlier this year from an anonymous which was reportedly sent from an IP address situated close to Google's campus. The tip claimed that Google was "annoyed" at the perception that Apple's iPhone was the only "premium" handset on the market. Google's Matias Duarte, the Vice President of Design, had also last year criticised iOS, calling it "heavy and burdensome."

It's worth noting that Google last year was considering whether it should make its own handsets. Google's CEO Sunder Pichai has been declining any plans to make Google-branded smartphones right now and has been stressing that the company will continue to collaborate with its partners on the Nexus range, with greater customisations. Google's move to make self-branded smartphones may also make the Nexus program irrelevant for OEMs.

There's no doubt the move to make its own branded smartphones would strain Google's relationships with existing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Google has declined to comment on any rumours.

By launching its own smartphone, Google will have more control over the hardware and software, it will also ensure that users get the best Android experience. With this aim, Google brought back former Motorola CEO Rick Osterloh to head an unified hardware division that includes Nexus, Chromebook Pixel, OnHub and Google Glass among others.

It will be interesting to see how Google strikes a balance between pushing its own smartphone, and not alienating its hardware partners. Google’s smartphone will no doubt compete against some partners like Samsung and Huawei among others. It is little wonder that these two companies were in the news for planning on moving beyond the Android ecosystem.

Google and Udacity launch a new Android programming course for beginners

Online education company Udacity has partnered with Google to introduce "Android Basics Nanodegree by Google" programme in India that will provide a guided path for new beginners to learn essential skills needed to build apps for Android.

The programme will cost Rs. 9,800 per month and if the new developers complete the course before 12 months, they will get 50 percent fees refunded.

The "Android Basics Nanodegree by Google" is aimed at those with little or no programming experience and provides entry points into Java, web APIs (Application program interfaces) and will enable a beginner to be able to turn his idea into an actual app.

"Google, in partnership with Udacity, is making Android development accessible and understandable to everyone, so that regardless of your background, you can learn to build apps that improve the lives of people around you," said Shanea King-Roberson, Program Manager at Google, in an official blog post.

By way of encouraging early sign-ups for the new Android Basics Nanodegree, Google is also promising to give the first 50 graduates scholarships to enroll in the more advanced "Android Developer Nanodegree" programme.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 logo leaks, iris scanner, water resistant, microSD card and Many More

It’s all but confirmed that Samsung’s upcoming phablet will be called Galaxy Note 7, and not Galaxy Note 6. Based on the leaks we have come across so far, it is shaping up to be the ultimate phablet you can buy. Yesterday, leakster Evan Blass shared a retail marking of the Galaxy Note 7, and he has now shared some of the specifications and features it will boast.

Of the features Blass has mentioned, by far the most interesting is the built-in iris scanner. Samsung has been rumored to be working on an iris scanner for its smartphones since 2012. Finally it is believed to have reached the point where it can be used in a commercial device. An iris scanner offers much more security as it can recognize 266 traits, as opposed to 40 traits by the fingerprint scanner.

Blass also mentions that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will feature a 5.7-inch QHD (2560×1440 pixels) Super AMOLED display, and 64GB internal storage, which can be expanded using a microSD card. On the photography front, it will feature a 12-megapixel primary camera with dual-pixel technology, PDAF and a 5-megapixel selfie camera up front. It is the same combination used on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge smartphones.

The Galaxy Note 7 will also be IP68 certified making it resistant to dust and water, and will be available in three color options — black, silver, and blue. We should mention that most of these specifications and features are in line with earlier leaks.

Speaking of which, rumors also hint at a Galaxy Note 7 edge variant with curved display and dual-camera setup. Both variants are also expected to feature a heart rate scanner, 4,000mAh battery and connectivity options like 4G LTE support, USB Type-C connector, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth and GPS. On the software front, they will surely run on the latest Android N out-of-the-box wrapped under TouchWiz UI.

While there is no official word, Samsung is believed to be hosting an Unpacked event in New York City on August 2, where it could unveil the pricing and availability details of the Galaxy Note 7.

Reliance to Provide 4G data at Rs 93 for 10 GB data on Reliance Jio Network

Customers of Reliance Communications’ high-speed data services will be able to use Reliance Jio Infocomm’s 4G network from next week, sources said. In a letter to the Department of Telecom on June 22, the company said initially the network transfer will be launched in 12 major circles, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

"RCom has written to the Department of Telecom, informing (the department) that it will be using Reliance Jio Infocomm 4G network to provide 4G data service to its CDMA customers from next week. Only those CDMA customers who opted for the upgrade will get the service," an official source told PTI.

“Other seven circles in phase I are Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar Pradesh West, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. RCOM customers to experience 4G LTE in six more circles by mid-July,” one of the sources said. This is in line with the company’s earlier letter to the government that said it will start upgrading CDMA customers to 4G LTE from May 2016.

Reliance Jio network to its CDMA customers in select circles at a starting price of Rs. 93 per 10GB. Of the 8 million RCom's CDMA customers, over 90 percent have opted for the offered upgrade to 4G services, the data shared by the company with DoT showed. 

RCom will provide 10 GB of 4G data at the starting price of Rs. 93, which is sharply lower by about 94 percent than that of its competitors offering 4G service. In most circles, the rates will vary between Rs. 93 and Rs. 97 per 10 GB, as per the rate published on the RCom website.

RCom has liberalised its 850MHz band spectrum in 20 circles by paying over Rs. 6,600 crore and put in place spectrum trading and sharing agreements with Reliance Jio in most telecom circles. In the other two circles, RCom had purchased liberalised spectrum in the 850MHz band through auction in March 2015.

A company holding liberalised spectrum can go for any kind of technology to offer mobile service to its customers. Older CDMA handsets of RCom customers will not work on the new network as it is being upgraded to 4G. RCom will phase out CDMA technology over the next couple of months, the source said.

Newly leaked Lenovo Vibe C2 could turn out to be the next Moto E

Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola may not have yielded it the sort of results it wanted, but the deal isn’t a complete flop either. The company is still putting its brave efforts to build and carry on the Moto-range of products in the US and across the globe. Now, Lenovo seems all set to launch a new smartphone called the Vibe C2 – the photos and specifications of which have surfaced online. However, there is a small catch here.

Interestingly, the leaked Vibe C2 will be offered in two versions, carrying model numbers XT1700 and XT1706, AndroidHeadlines reports. These model numbers look familiar to what we’ve already seen on Motorola smartphones. For instance, the original Moto E had a model number XT1021, whereas the second-generation Moto E variants sported model numbers – XT1527, XT1511, XT1505 and XT1524. This probably hints that the upcoming Lenovo Vibe C2 could be launched as Moto E (2016) in select markets.

From the leaked photos, the smartphone seems to bear a metal frame along the edges and a plastic back cover. The 3.5mm headphone jack is placed on the top, the volume rocker and power / sleep button on the right whereas the micro-USB port is placed at the bottom. It will likely be offered in black and white color variants.

Lenovo Vibe C2 specifications and features: 

Based on the leaks, it looks like an entry level smartphone sporting a 5-inch HD (720p) display, and powered by MediaTek’s 64-bit MT6753P octa-core SoC paired with 1GB of RAM. There could be two storage variants – 8GB and 16GB, with microSD card slot for further expansion.

Other features include an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie camera, 4G LTE and dual-SIM card connectivity, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The smartphone will likely be armed with a 2,750mAh battery. While there is no word on the pricing and available as yet, the smartphone is likely to be launched sometime soon.

Apple's iPhone 7 will be similar to iPhone 6s in design: WSJ

Apple’s iPhone 7 has been one of the hot topics of rumors and speculation over the past few months. While we have already come across numerous leaks giving a fair idea of what to expect, the latest buzz is that we may have to wait until 2017 to see big design changes and features on the iPhone. The speculations were supported by the logic that Apple changes the design of its smartphones every two years.

Citing sources, WSJ reports that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus may not look very different compared to the existing iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

The report, which cites 'people familiar with the matter', adds that the rumoured iPhone 7 will be arriving in two variants with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s models too come in same screen sizes.

The major design change is expected to arrive in next year's iPhone model. Next year would also mark the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone. Rumours suggest the 2017 iPhone to feature an edge-to-edge OLED display along with a fingerprint sensor built over the display. The Home button is said to be completely removed, said industry sources to the journal.

It has also been revealed that one of the features such as curved screens aren't ready for this year's iPhone model. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook last month in an interview to CNBC said there is "great innovation" in the pipeline for the upcoming iPhone devices. "We are going to give you things that you can't live without that you just don't know you need today," he said.

Confirming previous rumours, the report also says that iPhone 7 models will be ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack completely. Users would have to settle for a lightning connector port, which will also be used to charge the device. This might not be a welcome change for users as they would either be able to listen to music or charge their handsets. Doing both simultaneously may not be possible. Nonetheless, the absence of the 3.5mm headphone jack may result in a thinner iPhone. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted the iPhone 7 will be 1mm thinner than the previous model.

A separate report by the Macotara website says that the Cupertino-based tech firm is planning to add a Navy Blue colour variant in the iPhone lineup. Some concept images have also been posted on social media websites. In addition, Apple might remove the Space Gray colour from the series as well. The firm brought Rose Gold colour variant along with the iPhone 6s.

Moto G4 launched in India Price at Rs. 12,499: Specs and Features

Motorola, as promised, has revealed the pricing details of the Moto G4 for the Indian market. Priced at Rs. 12,499, the new Moto G will be available starting midnight Wednesday exclusively via Amazon India.

The fourth generation Moto G smartphone was unveiled alongside the Moto G4 Plus back in May, and only the latter saw a launch in the country at the time. To recall, the Moto G4 Plus was priced at Rs. 13,499 for its 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage variant, and Rs. 14,999 for its 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant.

Motorola Moto G4 specifications and features:

The Moto G4 flaunts a 5.5-inch full HD (1080p) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Protection. It could be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB onboard storage. A microSD card slot for further expansion is also likely to be in tow.

On the photography, the Moto G4 features a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and 5-megapixel front-facing unit with 84 degrees wide angle lens, It also features a 3,000mAh battery with TurboPower charging support, which the company says is good enough to offer up to six hours of usage with only 15 minutes of charging.

In a connectivity options such as dual SIM card slots, 4G LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and VoLTE support. it runs on Android Marshmallow wrapped under the Moto Pure software. 

Honor 5C launched in India: Price, Specs and Features

Huawei Terminal's Honor brand has launched the Honor 5C in India, priced at Rs. 10,999. The smartphone will go on sale via Flipkart and Honor Official online Store in its first flash sale at June 30, with registrations opening at 2pm Wednesday.  It comes with a 15-month warranty, and screen replacement warranty for the first month.

Honor 5C specifications and features: 

The smartphone flaunts a  5.2-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) IPS LCD display with a pixel density of 423ppi, and is powered by Huawei’s Kirin 650 octa-core chipset paired with Mali T830 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Also on offer is 16GB internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 128GB using a microSD card.

On the photography front, the Honor 5C is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, HDR, LED flash, and SmartImage 3.0 image processor. At the front is an 8-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture, 77 degrees wide-angle lens, and 10 different beauty modes.

The smartphone also features a 3,000mAh battery that Honor says is good enough to last more than a day on heavy usage. It also features FM Radio, and connectivity options like dual-SIM card slots (hybrid setup), 4G LTE with VoLTE support, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS, GLONASS. On the software front, it runs on Android Marshmallow 6.0 wrapped under EMUI 4.1.

HP Spectre 13 'World's Thinnest Laptop' Launched in India: Price, Specs

HP has launched the Spectre 13 in India, a laptop that's claimed to be the thinnest in the world by the US-based firm. With a thickness of 10.4mm, it's thinner than both the 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Air. It has been priced starting at Rs. 1,19,990 in India, and will go on sale from Saturday.

HP Spectre laptop – weighing 1.1 kg and as thin as an AAA-battery at just 10.4 mm at its thickest point, which makes it slimmer than than the 12-inch MacBook (0.52 inches) and MacBook Air (0.68 inches). Some days ago launched Asus ZenBook 3, which is thinner and lighter than Apple’s MacBook (13.2mm and 920 grams).

It also bears a full-sized island-style backlit keyboard, with dual HP speakers powered by Bang & Olufsen audio on either side.

Under the hood, it houses Intel Core i5-6200U/ Intel Core i7-6500U processor, 8GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 520, TrueVision HD Webcam, Bang & Olufsen audio with quad speakers and also boasts segmented 38 W/h Li-ion polymer battery, which can keep the laptop running for more than nine hours.

HP hasn't compromised on the specifications either as the 64-bit Windows 10 laptop will come with a choice of Intel's 6th generation Core i5 or Core i7 processors with Intel HD Graphics, SSD storage up to 512GB, and 8GB of LPDDR3-1866MHz RAM as standard. 

Speaking about the HP Spectre 13, Rajiv Srivastava, Managing Director, HP India said, "HP as India's technology leader aims to make life better, productive and more fun. We are at the forefront of delivering industry-leading innovation and HP's Spectre 13 is a beautifully crafted Notebook and a reflection of what many millennials aspire to be --- exceptional, cool, dazzling, standing out from the crowd, but making an impact."

Apple's iPhone 7 might include Dual-SIM, keep standard audio jack, 256GB storage: Report

Image Source : pcadvisor

Apple's upcoming iPhone 7 has been making headlines for a while now. Rumours and leaks have been aplenty, and the latest ones bring news about the development in production, and some image leaks revealing information on storage, SIM slots, and the much rumoured 3.5mm headphone jack.

Courtesy of leaked components, Engadget reports that the iPhone 7 will boast dual-SIM card slots — a first for Apple. These alleged iPhone 7 components have been leaked by Rock Fix, a Ganzhou-based smartphone repair shop. Just how the shop managed to get its hands on these alleged components is currently unclear. But these components hint at possible dual-SIM capabilities on the iPhone 7, as well as a new high-end storage variant — 256GB.

Based on earlier leaks, the dual-camera setup could be restricted to the iPhone 7 Plus variant. It would include a pair of 12-megapixel cameras with one supporting optical image stabilization, and the other supporting 2-3x optical zooming. Apple is also likely to use LinX’s technology, an Israeli company it purchased, for its ability to shoot DSLR-quality photos.

A separate leak by tipster Onleaks claims that the mass production of the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 has begun. The production is being handled by Pegatron, who is only sticking to the base variant. Foxconn is said to have bagged the larger variant's production, however no details on the production status of the dual camera-bearing iPhone 7 Plus have been disclosed.

From what we have come across so far, the Apple iPhone 7 could look quite similar to last year’s iPhones. It will come with a few cosmetic changes, including moving the ugly antenna lines to the top and bottom edges, leaving the back panel clean. Apart from featuring the dual-camera setup, the iPhone 7 Plus variant is also expected to boast iPad Pro-like Smart connectors, which could be used to connect external hardware.

The larger variant is said to sport 3GB of RAM to accommodate the dual camera setup, touch sensitive home button with TouchID sensor and also come with the Smart Connector at the back for connecting accessories.

Samsung Galaxy S8 rumored to feature 4K display, dual-camera setup

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are currently the best Android smartphones you can buy. And while Samsung is rumored to launch the Galaxy Note 7 on August 2, a new rumor surrounding the next iteration of Galaxy S smartphone has surfaced online. The Samsung Galaxy S8 may not launch until February next year, but based on the rumors, it is set to get some major upgrades. 

Samsung, for the last few years, have always launched the next Galaxy at the MWC. The news this time is that the next flagship phone will sport a dual-camera setup on the back and a 4K UHD display on the front.

A report by Android Headlines that the Galaxy S8 is likely to flaunt a 4K UHD (ultra high-definition) super AMOLED display running at a resolution of 2160×3840 pixels. And while a screen like that is likely to be power hungry, Samsung is likely to pack a larger capacity battery too. Samsung may not be the first smartphone manufacturer to include a 4K display, but the year 2017 could make UHD displays more mainstream on smartphones. The Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is one the first smartphones to come with a 4K display.

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 7 edge and Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus are also rumored to sport a dual camera setup at the back.

Daydream is Google's in-house project to deliver high quality mobile VR. "Together with Android manufacturers, we're working on upcoming phones, and sharing designs with them for a VR viewer and controller that will be really immersive, comfortable and intuitive to use," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said at the IO event last month.

On the hardware front, the Galaxy S8 could be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 830 SoC produced using 10nm FinFET fabrication process, PhoneArena reports. With the Galaxy Note 7 expected to embrace the USB Type-C connectivity port, the same may also be carried forward to the Galaxy S8 too. While other details are scarce at the moment, we expect more leaks to pour in the coming months.

Image Source :  wccftech 

ISRO starts countdown for launch of 20 satellites

The 48-hour countdown for the launch of India’s Cartosat-2 series and 19 other satellites slated for Wednesday, began on Monday morning, the Indian space agency said. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Wednesday at 9.25 a.m., Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will lift off from the rocket port at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh with 20 satellites.

The rocket's main cargo will be India's 725.5 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation. The other 19 satellites weighing totally around 560 kg are from US, Canada, Germany and Indonesia as well as one satellite each from Chennai's Sathyabama University and College of Engineering, Pune. The rocket will blast off from the second launch pad with a total payload of 1,288 kg. The whole mission will get over in around 26 minutes.

The images sent by Cartosat satellite will be useful for cartographic, urban, rural, coastal land use, water distribution and other applications. On the other hand, the 1.5 kg Sathyabamasat from Sathyabama University will collect data on green house gases while the 1 kg Swayam satellite from College of Engineering, Pune will provide point-to-point messaging services to the HAM radio community. 

Wednesday's mission will be the first time the ISRO will be launching more the 10 satellites with a single rocket. In 2008, the ISRO had launched 10 satellites with the PSLV rocket.

Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus might be banned in China

In another setback for Apple in China, the country's intellectual property authority has ruled that the company's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets have infringed design patents of a Chinese OEM. The Cupertino-based tech giant might be asked to stop sales of its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in the country.

Beijing Intellectual Property Office declared that both the iPhones infringe on patent rights owned by Shenzhen-based firm Baili. The regulator ruled that Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets are an exact copy of Baili's 100C phone. Apple is yet to release an official statement on this claim.

"Baili is just another smartphone brand in China. The patent reportedly belongs to Xu Guoxiang.

Meanwhile, Apple can appeal the ruling. "Apple can try to stave off a sales ban by appealing in several venues, including the Beijing Higher People's Court and the Supreme People's Court. If the position by the Beijing IP office is upheld and Apple doesn't appeal further, then in theory they wouldn't be able to sell the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus," Bird and Bird partner and IP specialist Ted Chwu said in a Bloomberg report .

In April, Apple's iTunes Movies and iBooks service were banned in the country on demand from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

The two Apple services competed directly with Chinese firms. According to the New York Times, the official scrutiny might be driven by government's desire to support domestic companies.

In May, Chinese court ruled against Apple in a case it brought against a small maker of "iPhone"-branded leather goods. Manufacturer Xintong Tiandi registered the word as a trademark for use on leather goods in 2007 and has been producing wallets, handbags and phone cases emblazoned with it ever since.

The Beijing municipal higher people's court reportedly ruled that Apple had failed to prove that the iPhone brand was "familiar to the public and widely known" in China before the leather company registered it.

Xiaomi Redmi 3X with Snapdragon 430, 4,100mAh battery launched: Price, Specs and Features

Soon after unveiling the Redmi 3S, Xiaomi has now launched the Redmi 3X with an identical design in China. The biggest difference however is that the new Xiaomi Redmi 3X will be exclusive to Chinese mobile carrier, China Unicom, and will be priced at CNY 899 (approximately Rs. 9,000).

Xiaomi Redmi 3X specifications and features: 

The smartphone offers a 5-inch IPS display with a 1280×720 pixels resolution. It is powered by a 1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 64-bit octa-core processor along with 2GB of RAM with Adreno 505 GPU. It comes with 32GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 128GB via microSD card. The dual-SIM handset (Micro + Nano) comes with hybrid SIM slot which means the second slot also acts as a microSD slot. 

On the camera front, the smartphone comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and a 5-megapixel camera on the front. Both front and back cameras support full HD video recording. The smartphone is equipped with a 4,100mAh battery.

On the connectivity front,the smartphone offers 4G support,fingerprint sensors, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS with AGS/GLONASS and micro-USB 2.0. On the software front, the smartphone runs on Android Lollipop 5.1 wrapped under MIUI 7.

New LeEco flagship phone with 8GB of RAM, 25 megapixel Camera Coming soon

Many are only just getting used to smartphones featuring 4GB or 6GB of RAM. But seems like they are not adequate for LeEco. Rumor has it that the company is working on a flagship smartphone that will be powered a combination of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 chipset and 8GB of RAM. Yes, you read that right — 8GB of RAM!

These specifications will come in an upgraded version of LeEco’s Le Max2 smartphone, GizChina reports. The current-gen Le Max2 is no weakling by any stretch of imagination. It comes with features like QHD display, Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB and 6GB RAM options, 21-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel selfie camera, 3,100mAh battery, and fingerprint scanner. 

As per Chinese media reports, the smartphone is expected to have a large 8GB RAM and may be offered in red, blue and silver colors. The gadget may have a 25-megapixel rear camera and may cost around 3000 Yaun (approximately Rs 30,631).

Instead of being thrilled though, it raises the question — how much is enough? Smartphones with 4GB of RAM are powerful enough to handle multi-tasking and graphic-intensive games with relative ease. But now there’s a race between companies to offer devices with 6GB of RAM. But for some reason LeEco feels that isn’t enough either and it wants to offer as much RAM as a computer in a smartphone.

 

Apple iPhone 7 with touch-sensitive Home Button shown in photo leak

Apple is expected to launch its next generation iPhones, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, in September this year. Ahead of the official launch, there already have been a number of rumors about the future iPhones. From smart connectors to removal of 3.5mm audio jack, these leaks have given a good idea about what to expect from Apple’s new flagship smartphones. Now, new leaked images of what is believed to be the iPhone 7 have emerged online, and reveal a big change in the home button of the smartphone.

According to the leaked images, the next generation iPhone will do away with the physical home button. Instead, the home button will be a touch-sensitive circular pad that might be integrated with Apple’s interactive 3D Touch feature and Touch ID fingerprint scanner. The leaked images also show removal of the circular metal ring around the home button. The touch-sensitive button is said to perform various functions like tap and hold for Siri, double tap to see the running apps etc. This feature might also help the Touch ID feature run smoother and faster.

The change seems to be part of Apple’s efforts to do away with home button altogether. Recent patents filed by the company have suggested that Apple is planning to embed the Touch ID fingerprint sensor beneath the device’s display. Besides a new home button, the leaked images reveal a narrower bezels on the iPhone 7. Also, the front camera and proximity sensor have switched places.

The iPhone 7 Plus is expected to have a 5.5-inch display and come with 3GB of RAM. Apple is also rumored to ditch the 16GB variant as the base model and offer 32GB storage as the base version. Other rumors suggest the Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will have smart connector and dual-camera setup.

Facebook Messenger officially adds SMS support on Android

Facebook has reintroduced support for SMS messages inside Messenger. The feature will be made available through an update to all Android users globally.

This feature will allow users to send SMS text messages to anyone via their Android smartphone. Facebook had introduced this feature earlier, but then rolled it back in 2013 due to lack of popularity. Users can now send stickers, voice clips, emojis, and even location over an SMS to users.

The integration isn’t restricted to just sending text messages either, and one will be able to stuff like voice clips, stickers and locations among others as well. In a post announcing the integration, the company says, “We know that people receive messages via both SMS and Messenger – for example your best friend sends you GIFs on Messenger whilst your mom only uses SMS – we want to make it easier to stay in touch with all the people you care about. We hope that this new choice will bring the convenience of being able to access all your messages in one place, making your messaging a lot simpler and helping you stay on top of your conversations!”

Vice President of Messaging Products at Facebook, David Marcus, took to the social platform to make the announcement. "A lot of Android texting apps didn't keep up with the evolution of messaging, so we felt like we truly had to make Messenger the best SMS client for Android. As a result, in addition to having a fully integrated app for all your messaging, you're now able to send voice clips, stickers, and even share your location over SMS on top of standard texting features. You will now also enjoy all the things you've come to love about Messenger for all your messages, including chat heads and more," he said.

It is worth noting that users do need to set Facebook Messenger as their default SMS texting app. That can be done in a few easy steps, and then other dedicated SMS apps will become redundant. Head over to Settings inside the Facebook Messenger app, select SMS from the list of options, and then switch on 'Default SMS App'. The idea here is to get users to exclusively stick to Facebook Messenger for all chat related activity, and avoid using another app. The distinction of regular Messenger chats and SMS messages will be done through colour coding. While Facebook Messenger chats will remain blue, SMS chats will be purple. Of course, messages will be sent through the carrier from its SMS/ MMS channels, and Facebook claims that these SMS' will not be transmitted through Facebook.

The integration is similar to what Google offers on its Hangouts app. To use Hangouts as the default app for text messages, users have to similarly turn on SMS for Hangouts from the settings.

OnePlus 3 launched in India Price at Rs.27,999: Specs and Features

OnePlus is conducting a launch event in virtual reality, and has finally taken the wraps off its OnePlus 3 smartphone. The successor to the OnePlus 2 brings with it a new design, as well as upgrades on the specifications and features front. The OnePlus 3 is priced at Rs 27,999 in India, and is all set to go on sale later tonight exclusively via Amazon India, it is already available with a 'lightning deal'. Though the company has finally eschewed the invite system, of course, limited units are expected to be available at launch. Buyers in India will get a free 12-month subscription to Saavn Pro, and can avail of a 'double data' offer from Idea Cellular for 12 months. They can also avail of 12 months accidental damage coverage through the 'OnePlus Care app' powered by Servify.

At launch, the OnePlus 3 will be available in a Graphite colour variant, while a Soft Gold variant will be made available at a later date. It features a metal unibody using 'space-grade aluminium alloy', and is 7.35mm thick. 

OnePlus 3 specifications and features: 

Not surprisingly, the OnePlus 3 boasts top-of-the-line specifications and features. That said, where most flagship smartphones are opting for 2K resolution displays, the OnePlus 3 flaunts a 5.5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) Optic AMOLED display. The screen is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4. The smartphone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC (two cores clocked at 2.2GHz, and two cores clocked at 1.6GHz) with Adreno 530 GPU on board, and 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM.

 

On the photography front, the OnePlus 3 is equipped with a 16-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, Phase Detection Auto-focus (PDAF), Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), and Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS), and 4K video recording capabilities.

Up front, there is an 8-megapixel fixed focus selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and 1080p video recording capabilities. The selfie camera also includes a new Smile Capture feature, which as the name suggests, will click a photo as soon as it detects a smile on the subject’s face.

The OnePlus 3 also features a 3,000mAh battery the company claims is good enough to survive the day on a single charge. The battery also supports Dash Charge, which promises up to 60 percent charge in only 30 minutes.

Connectivity options include dual-SIM card (nano) slots, 4G LTE support,USB Type C port, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC and GPS. On the software front, it runs on OxygenOS based on Android Marshmallow 6.1. OnePlus says its latest OS is relatively bloatfree and focuses on speed and stability. It also includes the OnePlus Shelf feature, along with default Marshmallow features like Doze mode, app permissions and now on tap to name a few. 

Lenovo Vibe K5 launched in India at Rs. 6,999: Specs and Features

As expected, Lenovo has launched its Vibe K5 smartphone in India. Priced at Rs. 6,999, the smartphone will be available for registrations starting 1:00PM Monday via Amazon India. The first flash sale of the smartphone will take place at 2:00PM on June 22, and the smartphone will be available in three color options — gold, silver and grey.

The Lenovo Vibe K5 is the successor to the Lenovo A6000 smartphone, which had launched in India last year. The Vibe K5 comes with the same 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 octa-core processor but has more RAM at 2GB. The Vibe K5 also supports Lenovo’s TheaterMax technology, which can be experienced via the AntVR headset (sold separately).

Lenovo Vibe K5 specifications and features: 

The smartphone has a 5-inch HD (1280×720 pixels) display, same as the Lenovo A6000. It runs on Android Lollipop 5.1 wrapped under Vibe UI, and comes with 16GB internal storage along with microSD support,

For photography, the smartphone has 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front facing camera. Connectivity options include dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi and GPS. It is backed by a 2,750mAh battery, which is claimed to deliver up to 32 hours of talk time on 2G, and 12 hours of music playback. For audio, it comes with Dolby Atmos with twin stereo speakers.

9 Year Old Anvitha Vijay Is the Youngest Developer at Apple WWDC 2016

Indian-origin Anvitha Vijay has given a new meaning to the phrase “age is just a number”, she has proved that achievements and knowledge follow passion and hard work and not just age and experience. At a young age of nine years, this little girl has already developed two iOS apps, and is now the youngest attendee of Apple’s WWDC event.

Indian-origin developer Anvitha Vijay who has already developed two app for the iOS platform will be the youngest attendee at the event, according to a report by Fortune. As part of Apple’s scholarship program, which gives free tickets to developers around the world who build applications for Apple devices, Vijay is attending the annual WWDC’s event this year. Vijay had applied for the scholarship online. This event is quite a big deal for developers and coders worldwide, being able to attend it is dream come true for Anvitha Vijay.

The scholarship gives hundreds of free tickets, and reportedly this year saw most winners under the age of 18. “Out of 350 recipients, 120 of the lucky winners are students under the age of 18. Submissions increased by 215 percent more than doubled from organisations focused on science, technology, engineering, and math,” adds the report. Moreover, the number of women who applied for the scholarship have also tripled this year.

Fortune reported Vijay saying, “It’s my dream to go to WWDC and meet Tim Cook.”

According to the same article, Vijay, who lives with her parents in Melbourne, Australia, at the age of seven realised that her piggy bank did not have enough money to hire a developer to make her an app, so she decided to teach herself how to code. For one entire year, she watched multiple coding tutorials on the web and became a programmer herself.

Vijay’s muse for developing the apps was her little sister, who was still learning to talk. Therefore, Vijay developed an educational app for children that were her sister’s age. The app is called Smartkins, which uses about 100 sounds and flashcards of different animals that help children learn and identify. Later, Vijay developed a similar iOS apps for children to identify and learn colors. She is now working on her third app.

In a similar event of genius-spotting in 2012, Shafay Thobani, from Pakistan, at the age of eight, became the world’s youngest Microsoft specialist. At that young age, where I was still confusing the alphabet ‘b’ and ‘d’, Thobani had studied and passed the IT and software tests with a score of 91 per cent. He mastered complicated internet protocol and domain name systems to become a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) in Microsoft Windows 7 Configuration and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2.

Samsung beta tests a new UI in China and Korea: Here What's New

Samsung is testing a new UI in China and Korea as part of the Galaxy Beta Program. The test is being done on the Galaxy Note 5 and called 'New Note UX'.

According to a report by SamMobile, Samsung launched the program on Thursday, June 9. The New Note UX beta program is currently available only for a select few Note 5 users in China and Korea who can test out the latest user interface (UI) for Samsung's Android-powered devices. it’s expected to arrive on the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S6 series as well.

The images point to a cleaner and more modern user interface compared with earlier versions. The New Note UX UI also seems to have been given a fresh lease of life as it has updated app icons, as well as colors. The modified color scheme looks attractive.

One of the big changes is the lack of app drawer in the launcher. This is a common trend among Chinese OEMs so it's likely Samsung is trying this out to see how it works in East Asian markets. The app icons are shaped uniformly, even for third party apps, which means it is cropping them, another trend among Chinese OEMs trying hard to emulate iOS. It remains to be seen if either of these things will be optional or forced upon users.

There are some other changes too, most noteworthy one being the Settings app, which again looks a lot like something you'd find on a Chinese smartphone. Also, Samsung seems to be moving back from having text for buttons to just iconography.

The beta program is expected to run for a couple of months before this new user interface is released for all eligible devices in August this year.

Bluetooth 5 Will be Announced on June 16 with 4x better speed and 2x more range

You may be right to be annoyed that your regular headphones won’t work with new devices, including the Moto Z family, that don’t have a regular 3.5mm headphone jack. Apple has already received plenty of criticism after rumors suggested the iPhone 7 will also lack a standard audio port. But wireless tech is about to get a lot better, making wireless accessories, including headphones, a lot more interesting.

Bluetooth 5.0, the latest version of the ubiquitous wireless standard, is set to be announced on June 16, according to an e-mail sent by Bluetooth SIG Executive Director Mark Powell.

“Two of the most frequent questions I receive are, ‘What will the next version be called?’ and ‘What will it make possible?’ I’m pleased to tell you that on 16 June we will formally announce that the next version of Bluetooth will be marketed as ‘Bluetooth 5,’” he wrote in a news update. “Our new naming approach is focused on simplifying our marketing, communicating user benefits more effectively and making it easier to signal significant technology updates to the market.”

The update will apparently be called "Bluetooth 5" without a point number in an effort to "[simplify] marketing." It's primarily of interest because the update promises to double the range and quadruple the speed of Bluetooth 4.2. It also adds "significantly more capacity to advertising transmissions," which is more exciting than it sounds because it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what you normally think of when you think of "advertising."

In the Bluetooth spec, an "advertising packet" allows Bluetooth devices to send small snippets of information to other Bluetooth devices even if the two aren't actually paired or connected to one another. For instance, when you go to pair a Bluetooth keyboard or speaker with one of your devices, advertising packets can let you see the name of the device before you've paired it so you can distinguish it from all the other Bluetooth devices that are within range. The same technology is used by wireless beacons to transmit information about the location you're in and by Apple's AirDrop and Handoff features to let your Macs and iDevices know what your other Macs and iDevices are up to.

“Bluetooth 5 will also provide significant new functionality for connectionless services like location-relevant information and navigation,” the exec wrote. “By adding significantly more capacity to advertising transmissions, Bluetooth 5 will further propel the adoption and deployment of beacons and location-based services to users around the world.”

Current Bluetooth 4.x devices offer a theoretical range of over 100m, and wireless transfer speeds of up to 1Mbit/s. Bluetooth 4.0 could be updated to 4.1 using software, but usually a new Bluetooth version requires new Bluetooth hardware. In any case, at the current rate of adoption, we can probably expect Bluetooth 5.0 laptops, tablets, phones, and accessories to start appearing at some point next year.