Apple iPhone 7 Exploded While in Transit, an Isolated Incident

As we are hearing about phones catching fire all of the time this time it’s Apple iPhone 7 overheats and catches fire. In fact, Samsung made headlines recently for its massive Galaxy Note 7 recall after a faulty battery put the device at risk for catching on fire. But a charred phone on delivery? That’s amazing!

The world’s leading smartphone makers just can’t stop copying each other. While the company has certainly improved its image over the past few years, Samsung is likely most famous for being an Apple copycat. After all, the company was sued repeatedly by Apple for stealing its technology and designs. And as we all learned, things got so crazy at one point that Samsung even created a 132-page internal document to help its engineers copy the iPhone pixel by pixel. Of course, Apple is hardly innocent in all this. The iPhone maker has aped plenty of features from Android in recent years, and it probably never would have made iPhones with large displays if Samsung hadn’t paved the way.

So what’s the latest feature Apple ripped off from its top smartphone rival Samsung? Apparently, Apple was jealous that Samsung’s exploding Galaxy Note 7 is stealing some of the iPhone 7’s airtime, so it built an exploding smartphone of its own. Behold:

All joking aside — and before other sites catch wind of this story and go crazy with it — this clearly appears to be an isolated incident, at least for the time being.

The device you see above was posted to Reddit. It’s an iPhone 7 that is apparently arrived in that condition, despite what appears to be very little damage to the box. “Something happened between the factory and delivery,” Redditor KrooptheSnoop said.

Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus pre-orders on Flipkart to start from tonight

Now, with less than 10 days to go for India launch, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available to pre-order from Apple's new e-commerce partner, Flipkart, starting September 29, at 23:59PM. To recall, Apple partnered with Flipkart earlier this month to expand the online availability of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones in India. Until recently, Apple had Infibeam as its only authorised online reseller. Apple's tie-up with Flipkart means the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be available at the official launch price at the online retailer. The biggest advantage for Flipkart with the partnership will be that it can source the new iPhone models from Apple directly, instead of Apple partners. Those units still carried Apple warranty, so for end users this is unlikely to be a big change.

Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus India prices revealed ahead of Official launch

The iPhone 7 32GB variant is priced at Rs 60,000, while the 128GB and 256GB variants are priced at Rs 70,000, and Rs 80,000 respectively. Prices for the iPhone 7 Plus start from Rs 72,000 for the 32GB variant. The 128GB and 256GB variants are priced at Rs 82,000 and Rs 92,000 respectively.

With Apple ditching the 3.5mm audio jack on the new iPhones, the smartphones will be bundled with a pair of EarPods with Lightning Connector and a Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter. These two accessories will also be sold separately, priced at Rs 2,500 and Rs 900 respectively. Other accessories for the new iPhones include leather and silicone cases priced from Rs 2,900, and a Smart Battery for Rs 8,900. Lightning Docks in several color-matching metallic finishes will also be available for Rs 3,700. Apple has also introduced new wireless AirPods that will be going on sale in late October, priced at Rs 15,400. 

Apple launched iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in India in October last year. The Apple iPhone6s (16GB) launched at a price of Rs 62,000, while iPhone 6s Plus (16GB) had an MRP of Rs 72,000.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Specifications and features

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come with a 25 percent brighter display featuring wide color gamut and a smart color management and 3D Touch. Instagram is one of the first third party apps to leverage the new display.  The Apple iPhone 7 comes with 4.7-inch Retina HD display whereas the iPhone 7 Plus has a 5.5-inch Retina HD display. Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are powered by the A10 Fusion processor, which is a 64-bit quad-core processor, and is said to be 40 percent faster than A9 processor. It  is also said to deliver better graphics than previous processors on the older iPhones. Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone Plus run iOS 10 out of the box. Also, the base variant starts at 32GB onboard storage. The other two variants come with 128GB and 256GB onboard storages.

Apple has updated the Home button. The revamped button also allows users to customize. As rumored, the Home button is now Force sensitive, and works with a new taptic engine, which is said to deliver a smoother experience. Also, the smartphones are water and dust resistance with IP67 certification.

Both Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come with Optical Image Stabilization and six element lens. The iPhone 7 comes with 12-megapixel sensor with TrueTone Flash. It has f/1.8 aperture to deliver more brightness. The camera comes with a new image signal processor. The front camera on the iPhone 7 and iPhone Plus have been upgraded from 5-megapixel to 7-megapixel resolution. Live photos can also be customized now.

Rumors were true.The iPhone 7 Plus comes with two 12-megapixel lenses. The first one is wide-angle lens while the second one is telephoto. It comes with Optical Zoom feature, a rarity for smartphone cameras. The dual camera setup helps deliver bokeh effect, giving DSLR-like depth. Users can get bokeh effect by tapping on portrait mode within the camera app. The bokeh feature will come part as a software update later this year.

The Apple iPhone 7 comes with stereo speakers, which are located at the top and bottom. The volume level has increased two times and comes with high dynamic range. As expected, Apple has done away with 3.5mm audio jack, and use lightning port for audio experience. The lightning port based ear pods will come bundled with the new iPhones. Apple will be also bundling a connector with the new iPhones for those who don’t have lightning port based ear pods.  Apple has also focused on wireless audio experience. The company has introduced Apple AirPods, which are true wireless earphones, similar to Samsung’s Gear Icon X. The AirPods come with Apple-designed W1 chip, custom made for the wireless audio experience. The Apple AirPods are compatible with Apple Watch and iPhone 7-series smartphones. Beats is also going to launch Solo 3 Wireless and Beats X audio devices, leveraging Apple’s new wireless audio technology.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are claimed to deliver most battery than any of the iPhones launched so far. Apple says the iPhone 7 Plus lasts more than 1 hour than the iPhone 6 Plus.

Google Allo passes 5 million installs on the Google Play Store

Google’s Allo messaging app has only been available for a little over a week, but it appears the app is already pretty popular among Android users. Only a few days ago it was reported that the messaging app had been downloaded more than 1 million times from the Google Play Store. Now, the messaging app’s popularity has surpassed the next marker, reaching over 5 million downloads on the Play Store since its release.

Although the Play Store listing states that the app has surpassed 5 million downloads, there’s now way to be sure what the exact number is, or even downloads that come from users who have downloaded the app on more than one device.

Without a doubt, the standout feature for Allo is the preview version of Google Assistant, which is essentially a bot that allows you to interact with Google and is similar in a way to Google Now. Users have the ability to ask Google’s Assistant questions regarding more or less anything and the virtual assistant will search Google in order to provide a result. Also, users can set up subscriptions such as a daily weather forecast and can even play games such as Solitaire within the app. All of this is rumored to eventually be combined with the integration of Google Duo, meaning Allo users could easily start a video call with any of their contacts without needing to leave the app.

A 'Safe' New Samsung Galaxy Note 7 reportedly explodes in China

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 woes are just not ending. Recalling defective units with exploding batteries and replacing them with “safe” units does not seem to be doing the trick. Customers in South Korea particularly have complained saying that the battery of their new and replaced Galaxy Note 7 unit, is still overheating and the battery is not charging properly. To make matters worse, there is now a new report of a new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploding in China. The device was reportedly part of the “safe” units, which Samsung had said were fixed.

Hui Renjie, a 25-year-old Chinese resident said that he had purchased a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 this week from online retailer JD.com. The Galaxy Note 7 exploded less than 24 hours after he got it delivered. Renjie said that the explosion caused minor injuries to two of his fingers and also burned his MacBook, Bloomberg reports. After the incident took place, a Samsung representative visited him and had asked him to take away the smartphone. Renjie, however, declined the offer citing reasons that he did not trust the company to reveal the real reason behind the explosion. “We are currently contacting the customer and will conduct a thorough examination of the device in question once we receive it,” an emailed statement by Samsung regarding the incident reads.

Samsung had announced on September 2 that it would replace all the 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in the countries where it went on sale. Despite new units being shipped, the real problem behind the explosion of batteries may have still not been fixed. Initially, Samsung acknowledged and even revealed the reason behind the explosion. The batteries manufactured by SDI had a defect that led to the anode and cathode coming in contact, which led to the overheating and in some cases even the battery exploding.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission mentioned that “phone’s battery was slightly too big for its compartment and the tight space pinched the battery, causing a short circuit.”

Samsung has also delayed the launch of the Galaxy Note 7 in India and its official date has not yet been released but some rumor on internet re-launch in India on Oct 7 . But considering how the Galaxy Note 7 has been banned in flights by the DGCA, its launch may not take off as expected. Samsung is yet to comment on issues raised by users who have received the replacement units. 

Xiaomi Mi 5s, Mi 5s Plus with ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, dual-camera setup, Snapdragon 821 SoC launched: Price, Specifications and features

Xiaomi at its Beijing event on Tuesday launched the much-anticipated Mi 5s smartphone, featuring a metal unibody design. The company also unveiled the Mi 5s Plus alongside, which features a dual rear camera setup. The new Xiaomi smartphones are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 821 SoC.

Xiaomi's Mi 5s has been launched in two variants -- 64GB with 4GB RAM priced at 1,999 Yuan (Rs 19,900 approximately), and 128GB variant with 6GB RAM priced at 2,299 Yuan (Rs 22,900 approximately). The Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus similarly comes in two variants -- 64GB variant priced at 2,299 Yuan and 128GB variant priced at 2,599 Yuan (Rs 26,000 approximately).

Both smartphones bear an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor on their home button. Placed under glass, the sensor will not get damaged with use, however, Xiaomi claims it offers the same level of accuracy and speed as regular planar fingerprint sensors.

The Mi 5s Plus' highlight -- dual-camera setup. This setup includes a pair of 13-megapixel cameras with Sony sensors -- one RGB sensor to capture color information, while the other is a black and white sensor. Again, this feature is only restricted to the Mi 5s Plus, and Xiaomi has opted for a standard 12-megapixel snapper at the back with a Sony IMX378 sensor.

The Xiaomi Mi 5s will be available in four color variants -- dark gray, silver, gold and rose gold. The gold and dark gray comes with brushed metal on the back and rose gold and silver back with matte anodizing process. There is also a special 3D ceramic version, similar to one launched with the Mi 5 earlier this year. Surprisingly, the back panel of the Mi 5s is marred with ugly antenna lines that remind us of last year's iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Thankfully that is not the case with the Mi 5s Plus, which looks more like a Redmi Note Pro. It will also be available in four colors, and boasts a brushed metal body.

Xiaomi Mi 5s specifications and features

Xiaomi Mi 5s smartphone features a 5.15-inch full HD (1080p) display with 2.5D glass and 600 nits brightness. Another highlight of the Mi 5s is the pressure-sensitive display on the smartphone's 128GB storage variant. Powered by Synaptics' technology, the pressure-sensitive display can distinguish between light and hard taps. The overall functionality is pretty similar to what you get on Apple's new iPhones.

The Xiaomi Mi 5s also features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, and its rear camera comes with features 4-axis camera image stabilization, f/2.3 aperture. Up front, there is a 13-megapixel selfie camera, and the smartphone also features 3,200mAh battery, and connectivity options like 4G LTE support, NFC, and USB Type-C port.

Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus specifications and features

Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus, on the other hand, features a 5.7-inch display with 2.5D curved glass, Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, a 3,800mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support, and USB Type-C port.

Google for India 2016: Fast Wi-Fi for everyone, 2G-ready Play Store, and YouTube Go

Google has turned 18 today, and at its ongoing “Google for India” event in New Delhi, the company has made a number of announcements to make internet easily accessible in India. Internet penetration in India is still the most in cities, with billions in villages still unconnected. Users are now shifting to smartphones, telecom operators are rolling out their 4G services, but in most circles, users are latched on to 2G connections. To allow users discover more apps and download the on their smartphones, Google is testing a Google Play Store app that will work on slower 2G networks.

Caesar Sengupta, Google's VP for Next Billion Users, outlined the company's vision:

Our goal has not just been to help more Indians get online — but also to help Indians create the online experience they want; one that serves their needs and enables them to have an impact on the entire world. So we have been thinking about how to build products and services for this wave of new users — products that work for any level of connectivity, in local Indian languages, and across the devices that are most frequently used in India.

We're starting to see 4G networks take off in India, but the reality is that a majority of customers still rely on 2G connectivity. The app is exclusively designed for India and the automatic rollout will start later today. The new Play Store app will cache popular pages and allow users to download apps later when on Wi-Fi network via a Wait for Wi-Fi feature. Google is also working on offline search. So, when you are offline and make a search query, Google will send you a notification whether you would want to perform the search query when you’re connected to the internet. This feature will soon be made available to users in India.

To make Google services available for non-English speaking users, the company has also announced voice search support in Hindi. It also demonstrated the working of voice search at the event. To make the internet work for everyone with the Indic keyboard Google has also introduced tabbed search experience. It also mentioned that Hindi content consumption grew five times at the rate at which English content is consumed. 

Also, the Google Assistant – an upgraded version Google Now, which we have already seen in the company’s Allo messenger will soon be made available in Hindi. This will allow users to ask for queries in Hindi language and it will revert in the same language. That’s not all; Google has also announced the expansion of free Wi-Fi beyond railway stations. It’s a global initiative called Google Station and the company is also working on making it easier for partners to setup, maintain and monetize their Wi-Fi networks.

YouTube Go is designed for offline usage. Building on the Smart Offline feature that debuted earlier this year, YouTube Go lets users easily download videos. The app shows how large a particular file is before the download commences, and users have the ability to choose 720p and Full HD content for offline viewing as well. The app also shows previews of videos, giving users more options when it comes to managing their data bandwidth.

In a statement, YouTube product management VP Johanna Wright said:

YouTube Go is a brand new app to help the next generation of users share and enjoy videos. YouTube Go was designed and built from the ground up with insights from India, in order to bring the power of video to mobile users in a way that is more conscious of their data and connectivity, while still being locally relevant and social.

If you're interested, you can now sign up for YouTube Go.

Chrome has a built-in Data Saver mode that compresses data, and starting today, the feature works with MP4 videos as well. All downloaded content is accessible from a new Downloads tab, and Google is claiming that the feature will see bandwidth savings of up to 67%.

Samsung Galaxy On8 with 5.5 inch Super AMOLED full HD display, S Bike mode launched in India, priced at Rs 15,900: Specifications, features

Just recently, we had reported about Flipkart teasing the launch of a new smartphone in the Samsung Galaxy On series. Today, Samsung has put all the rumors to rest by launching the Galaxy On8 in India, which as the name suggests, is the successor to the Galaxy On7 (2016). Samsung’s new smartphone is priced at Rs 15,990, and it will sold exclusively on Flipkart during the Big Billion sale which will begin on October 2 at 11.59PM. Samsung Galaxy On8 will be available in three colors — gold, black and white.

The biggest highlight of the new Galaxy On8 is its 5.5-inch full-HD Super Amoled display that was being teased ahead of its launch. The smartphone packs metal body and Samsung claims it features diamond cut metal frames. 

The smartphone comes preloaded with two ‘Make in India’ initiatives UDS (ultra data saving) and S bike. The UDS initiative was introduced first in the Samsung Galaxy J2, and it is said to deliver up to 50 percent data saving, and also frees up RAM by 11 percent. The S bike mode was introduced with the Samsung Galaxy J3(2016) smartphone, earlier this year. 

ALSO READ :- Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016) launched in China 

Commenting on the launch, Manu Sharma, Vice President, Mobile Business, Samsung India said, "The Galaxy On8 is the perfect smartphone for consumers seeking an optimal mix of style, portability and powerful performance. The device not only looks stylish but also packs a punch with a superior consumer experience with powerful processor and vivid display. We are extremely pleased to announce the new Galaxy On8 exclusively on Flipart's Big Billion Day Sale."

Samsung Galaxy On8 specifications and features

The Samsung Galaxy On8 features a 5.5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display, and is powered by a 1.6GHz octa-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM. The smartphone offers 16GB onboard storage, which is further expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card.

On the photography front, the Samsung Galaxy On8 sports a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. Both the rear and front cameras come with f/1.9 aperture and LED flash. The smartphone also features a 3,300mAh battery and connectivity options like dual-SIM support, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. On the software front, the smartphone runs on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1. Surprisingly, one feature missing is the fingerprint scanner that has become somewhat of a standard feature in this price segment.

Google Pixel smartphone surfaces in leaked render, shows off new navigation buttons

It’s no secret that Google will be unveiling a boatload of hardware stuff at its October 4 event, but the limelight will no doubt be on the new Pixel smartphones. If reports are to be believed, the Nexus lineup has reached the end of the line and it will be replaced by the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, which will be manufactured by HTC but “made by Google”. With just a week to the event, the first official render of the upcoming Pixel smartphone has surfaced online.

In addition to showing what the Google Pixel could look like, the render leaked by VentureBeat also gives us a glimpse at the updated UI of the Pixel launcher. As you can see, the UI now features round icons, based on what we have heard before, the UI has also been built to maximize Google Assistant AI. While the overall smartphone design is in line with previous leaks, one of the things to note is the missing home button up front. The Pixel seems to feature on-screen buttons, and this could mean there will be a fingerprint scanner placed at the back below the rear camera.

Google Pixel smartphone specifications and features

The Google Pixel is expected to feature a 5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) display, Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 12-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. It is also expected to include a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Google Pixel XL specifications and features

The Google Pixel XL, on the other hand, is likely to feature a larger 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display, Snapdragon 820/821 chipset, 4GB RAM, 32GB and 128GB storage options, 12-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel selfie camera, a 3,450mAh battery, and USB Type-C port.

Both smartphones will run on Android Nougat 7.1 out-of-the-box. Reports also state that both smartphones will be IP53 certified that make them somewhat resistant to water and dust but not to the extent as the latest iPhones or Samsung’s Galaxy S7. As for pricing, reports claim that the Pixel will be available for somewhere around $649 that is approximately Rs 43,000. It does seem to be on the higher side, but we will recommend taking it with the pinch of  proverbial salt.

Besides the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, Google will also be unveiling a bunch of other devices at its October 4 event. Google is also expected to unveil a bunch of other devices next month, including a 4K-capable Chromecast Ultra, a Daydream device reportedly called Daydream View,  Google Home Wi-Fi router and possibly even some tablet or all-in-one devices that run on a new platform that’s based on Chrome OS and Android. 

Xiaomi Mi 5s photos leaked ahead of tomorrow’s launch, shows off iPhone-like circular home button, Camera pictures Samples

With less than 24 hours to go for Xiaomi to unveil its Mi 5s, there’s no stopping the leaks. We have already come across leaked renders, live photos and benchmark results revealing some key details of the upcoming smartphones.  Now, yet another live photo of the anticipated smartphone has surfaced online, and it appears to be ‘Mi 5s Plus’ with a slightly larger display. It shows off the front-panel with earpiece, sensor and selfie camera above the display, and an iPhone-like circular home bottom flanked by two capacitive buttons, for back and menu. These buttons also seem to have blue backlighting. From the photo, we can also see the metal frame and 2.5D curved glass on the front panel.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has shared sample pictures taken from Mi 5s on his Weibo account. Xiaomi further shared some more sample pictures (Original Resolution) taken from the smartphone on its MIUI thread. 

Xiaomi has been teasing the smartphone and an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner that uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sense ID feature. The button could be a non-clickable one, just like we’ve seen on the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The advantage of ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is that it can read fingerprints even if your fingers are sweaty or oily. In another leak, render of Mi 5s showing front and back panel have also surfaced. The design seems to be in line with the existing Mi 5 with front and back glass panel, and metal frame on the side.

In the render we can also see the vertical dual camera setup on the back along with an LED flash. As of now, there is no word on how the dual camera setup will work. Xiaomi can either use Qualcomm’s announced ‘Clear Sight’ technology which uses one color sensor and one monochrome sensor for better low-light photography, while improving the dynamic range and sharpness. Or, Xiaomi can go with the setup similar to its Redmi Pro, where one camera captures photos and other captures depth, to add DSLR-like blur effects later. 

Xiaomi’s Mi 5s is also expected to boast force touch display, just like the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7’s 3D Touch display. It can sense the amount of pressure applied on the screen and distinguish between – a tap, a press and a tap and hold. These can have shortcuts to quickly access different functions of the app. In case of mail app – one could press and hold to bring up menu like compose mail, inbox, read all, and more.

Xiaomi Mi 5s specifications and features 

The smartphone is likely to flaunt a 5.15-inch full HD panel with 2.5D curved glass and force touch feature. At the heart of the Mi 5s, a better and slightly powerful Snapdragon 821 quad-core chipset clocked at 2.4GHz is expected paired with 6GB of RAM and Adreno 530GPU. Along with 256GB of internal storage, Xiaomi could also launch variants with lower internet storage capacity.

For shutterbugs, a 16-megapixel dual camera with aperture f/1.9 is expected at the back. It could support PDAF, 4-axis optical image stabilization (OIS) and 4K video recording capabilities. To keep thing ticking a 3,490mAh battery, along with connectivity options such as USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and Wi-Fi 802.11ac are likely to be in tow. On the software front, it is expected to ship with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based MIUI 8 out of the box. 

Motorola Moto E3 Power goes on next sale today at 11:59PM via Flipkart

Lenovo-backed Motorola last week launched the Moto E3 Power smartphone in India. The smartphone, priced at Rs 7,999, went on sale via its exclusive partner Flipkart and set a milestone of selling 100,000 units of the smartphone within the first day of the launch, and went out of stock. The smartphone is now going on sale tonight at 11.59PM via Flipkart. The company has not yet revealed the total number of units it will put on sale for this sale.

Flipkart is also offering the smartphone on EMI starting from as low as Rs 388. The Moto E3 Power also comes with Reliance Jio Welcome Offer that comes with limited benefits. The company offers unlimited HD voice and video calls; however there are reports that users have been reporting call failure. You also get unlimited SMS, which is restricted to 100 per day. Do remember, there is a limit of 4GB per day, after which speeds will be throttled to 128Kbps. The Welcome Offer is valid till December 31.

Moto E3 Power specifications and features

The Moto E3 Power flaunts a 5-inch IPS HD (1280×720 pixels) display, and is powered by a 1GHz MT6735p quad-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM. There is 16GB onboard memory, which is further expandable up to 32GB using a microSD card.

In the photography department, the smartphone sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with auto-focus and features likes burst mode, HDR, Panorama and tap-to-focus. There is also a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video-calling with beautification mode. The smartphone is packed with a 3,500mAh battery, which the company says is good enough to run all day. Moto has also bundled in a fast charger that can give five hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging. 

On the connectivity front, the smartphone include 4G VoLTE support, 3.5mm audio jack, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS and dual-SIM card slots. On the software front, the smartphone runs Android 6.0 out-of-the-box.

The Moto E3 Power also comes with a splash-proof body, which essentially involves a nano coating on the outside as well as inside. This makes the smartphone water repellant, which means it can survive and accidental splash of water or light rains. The company asserts that the Moto E3 Power is not waterproof.

Samsung to relaunch Galaxy Note 7 in India on October 7: Report

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 launch in India on 2nd September and price at Rs. 59,990. The Galaxy Note7 has received a lot of flak due to a battery issue, causing a small number of units sold across the world to explode. 

According to SamMobile report, Samsung is going to relaunch the Galaxy Note 7 in India on October 7. The launch is said to be accompanied by an aggressive marketing push to inform customers that the new units are completely safe.

ALSO READ :- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Officially Recalled in US 

If reports are to be believed, Samsung has strategically decided to place its launch date around the festival season (Diwali) in India, which is home to world's second largest smartphone market. However, it is unsure whether the company would be launching the smartphone with a price cut or bundle it with offers. Apple's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will go on sale in India on the same day.

The report said that the smartphone major is also planning a big scale media campaign involving print, television and digital media to introduce the product in India.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 recently caught fire onboard an IndiGo flight travelling from Singapore to Chennai.

Twitter shares surge on report that Google or Salesforce may buy it

Speculation that a major tech firm could take over Twitter returned in full force on Friday — only this time there might be more credibility behind the sale rumors.

The company’s stock soared by 22 percent at one point after CNBC reported that Twitter may soon get a formal acquisition offer from potential buyers that included Salesforce.com and Google’s parent company, Alphabet.

A top executive from Salesforce has tweeted explaining why it makes sense to buy Twitter. Salesforce, which earlier tried to acquire LinkedIn (which Microsoft eventually bought), is vying for a social networking platform in its kitty for long. The company, “which reached $6 billion in annual revenue faster than any other enterprise software company”, offers customer service software, market research tools, email marketing systems and other products and several of them already use social media.

“Why @twitter? 1 personal learning network, 2 the best realtime, context rich news, 3 democratize intelligence, 4 great place to promote others,” tweeted Vala Afshar, Salesforce’s “chief digital evangelist,” on Friday. Afshar, however, added that “he was tweeting a personal opinion and not confirming today’s rumors that Salesforce is interested in acquiring Twitter,” Wired reported. Google has experimented with social media in the past with Orkut and Google+ but failed. The company can use its popular Android smartphone operating system to promote Twitter’s mobile app, the report further added.

The shares of Twitter, which currently has 313 million monthly active users, jumped more than 20 per cent on Friday on the sales rumors which have been making the rounds for quite some time now. Twitter, which is struggling to add new users amid stalled growth, now has a market value of nearly $16 billion.

Samsung Galaxy On8 with Super AMOLED Full HD display could soon launch in India, will be Flipkart exclusive

Just yesterday, Samsung had launched the Galaxy On7 (2016) in China. The smartphone was listed on the company’s official China website and is priced at Rs 16,000 approximately. The 2016 version of the Samsung Galaxy On5 was also teased as well on the website. The only information known about the Samsung Galaxy On5 (2016) so far is that a Snapdragon 617 Soc octao-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz will run under the hood. There has been no word whether the Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016) or the Samsung galaxy On5 (2015) for that matter would be launched in India or not. However, a new Samsung Galaxy On smartphone is expected to be launched in India soon as Flipkart had recently teased a Samsung Galaxy On smartphone. Further, the smartphone could carry the moniker Samsung Galaxy On8.

This information comes from SamMobile report of e-commerce website Flipkart teasing a Galaxy On smartphone. The first was a Facebook post by Flipkart, which was a teaser poster. 

The caption of the post read, “The smartphone with most incredible display is coming soon,” with the hashtag #OnlyOnFlipkart. The teaser poster showed that the new smartphone will feature a Super AMOLED full HD display. What is confirmed that it will be a Samsung Galaxy On smartphone, is a hashtag #TheNextON which would be coming soon. 

SamMobile reported another information that smartphone could be part of Flipkart’s Big Billion sale.

A dedicated page for the Big Billion sale was put up by Flipkart and in the Special thanks to our partners section among the brands mentioned, a Samsung Galaxy On8 smartphone is also mentioned, which is quite surprising because till now there has been no newsabout a Samsung Galaxy On8 smartphone is in the works.

No other specs have been listed by Flipkart, and given how confusing Samsung’s affordable smartphone lineup has become, we don’t feel like guessing what features the Galaxy On8 will offer. 

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Phone Catches Fire On IndiGo's Singapore-Chennai Flight

A Samsung Note 2 smartphone caught fire inside a Chennai-bound international flight of IndiGo on Friday with 175 passengers on board, leading to a major safety scare.

The scare prompted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to issue an advisory to airlines, asking them to caution passengers to avoid using Samsung Note series phones on board.

The DGCA or Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked airlines to advise passengers to keep their Samsung Galaxy Note phones off while on board.

The aviation safety regulator also ordered a probe and summoned Samsung officials on Monday.

The aircraft landed safely after the crew retrieved the smoking phone from an overhead luggage rack and put it in a container filled with water in the lavatory.

The incident happened on IndiGo flight 6E-054 from Singapore to Chennai when the plane was about to land around 7.45am. The airline said passengers alerted the crew after smelling smoke in the cabin.

The crew quickly identified minor smoke coming from the hat-rack of seat 23C,” it said. A fire extinguisher was also used, although IndiGo clarified there was no fire “but sparks were observed”.

It’s not yet clear whether the phone was switched off, in airplane mode or was left on by the passenger.

The incident comes barely a fortnight after the DGCA banned flyers from carrying the latest Samsung phone, Galaxy Note 7, in check-in bags. The regulator prohibited the phone’s use on board after Samsung announced this month to recall millions of this make over batteries catching fire.

“We are aware of an incident involving one of our devices. At Samsung, customer safety is our highest priority. We are in touch with relevant authorities to gather more information, and are looking into the matter,” said a Samsung spokesperson.

IndiGo too made a similar assertion about safety beings its utmost priority.

“This equipment (Samsung phone) will be further examined by the departments concerned,” the airline said.

Android 7.0 for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to bring Grace UX and improved features

Samsung is already testing Android 7.0 Nougat builds on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, according to a report from a couple of days ago. But what is in the new software? Will you only find the improvements that Google's baked in, or is Samsung prepping some goodies of its own?

The Korea Times reports that Samsung is planning to issue its first Android 7.0 Nougat update to the Galaxy Note 7 and it will supposedly arrive two to three months after its arrival in late August. That puts the release firmly in Q4.

Samsung is currently testing the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge Android 7.0 Nougat updates though this doesn’t mean that a release for these two devices is imminent. It could be months before the company is done with its internal testing.

According to SamMobile, Samsung will apparently bring the Grace UX that debuted in the Galaxy Note7 to the S7 and S7 edge alongside the Nougat update. The new UI will be joined by the expanded feature set for the Always On Display, which was also first seen in the Note7.

The new UI is reportedly performing better (or smoother) on the Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge than the software they're currently loaded with. That's certainly good news for owners of the flagship duo, yet it's unclear if the enhanced performance is thanks to Samsung's new interface, the underlying new Android release, or both of these factors. Either way, Nougat should be on its way to the S7 and S7 edge in a few months.

The Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will reportedly be first in line to the Android Nougat update.

T-Mobile’s confirmed Nougat updates for the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.

All of these updates are currently in the “Manufacturer Development” which means they still have a long way to go before they are released to the public.

Motorola Moto Z with Moto Mods launching in India on October 4

After unveiling the flagship Moto Z and Moto Z Force smartphones at Lenovo’s Tech World 2016 event in June this year, the company is all set to launch the smartphones in India. It has sent out media invites for launch event on October 4. The invite is pretty interesting with a caption that reads “The innovation that’s worth the wait will be here on October 4 2016,” and photos of the iconic Moto Razr phones with letter ‘Z’ in the end. It remains to be seen of Lenovo launches just the Moto Z, or the Moto Z Force as well.

Both smartphones feature sleek, full metal unibody design. One of the key taking points of the new smartphones is their semi-modular capabilities, which allows users to snap on external modules called Moto Mods. These modules interact with the smartphones using the ’16 magnetic’ port at the back. The company has already unveiled a handful of these modules including — JBL’s SoundBoost to boost audio output of the smartphones, InstaShare mod to turn your smartphone into a projector, and a PowerPack that can boost the Moto Z’s battery life by up to 23 hours. Lenovo also recently announced the Hasselblad True Zoom camera mod for Moto Z and Moto Z Force smartphones.

Moto Z specifications and features

Touted as one of world’s slimmest smartphones with a thickness of 5.2mm, the Moto Z flaunts a 5.5-inch QHD (2560×1440 pixels) AMOLED display. Under the hood is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz, paired with 4GB of RAM and Adreno 530 GPU. With 32GB and 64GB onboard storage options, a microSD card slot for further expansion is also available.

In the photography department, the Moto Z features a 13-megapixel rear camera of aperture f/1.8 with optical image stabilization (OIS), and dual LED flash. Up front is a 5-megpaixel selfie camera of aperture f/2.2. Armed with a 2,600mAh battery, it also supports Turbo Charging feature, which the company claims to offer up to eight hours of usage on 15 minutes of charging.

The smartphone also includes water-repellent nano coating, a fingerprint scanner and connectivity options such as 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, and NFC. Just like the iPhone 7 and LeEco Le 2-series, the Moto Z also lacks 3.5mm audio port. The company uses USB Type-C port for charging, data transfer and for audio. The Moto Z boots Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS out of the box. 

Moto Z Force specifications and features

It shares the same set of specifications and features as the Moto Z, but one of the taking points of the ‘Force’ variant is the Shattershield technology, which Motorola claims is nearly indestructible. While the processor, RAM, storage and connectivity options remain the same as the Moto Z, the difference lies in the camera and battery capacity. The Moto Z Force features a 21-megapixel rear camera of aperture f/1.8, OIS and 4K video recording capabilities, and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. On the battery front, it comes equipped with a 3,500mAh non removable battery with Turbo Charging feature. The company claims that the battery is good enough to last for up to 40 hours on single charge.

Motorola Moto M leaked in live photos

Last month, leaked images of a smartphone dubbed 'Moto M' surfaced on Internet and suggested that Motorola might be coming up with a new 5.5-inch smartphone with a fingerprint scanner at the back. Now, renders of the same smartphone have surfaced again, revealing some new information.

The images leaked by TechDroider don't show the rear part of the smartphone, and therefore don't confirm the presence of a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device. However, the images do show some of the specifications available on the device.

The phone carries a model number XT1662 and sports a 5.5-inch full HD (1080p) display. Running on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS, it comes with 32GB onboard storage and 4GB of RAM. The publication has also revealed that the Moto M will only be released in Asia, and will be manufactured by Lenovo, not Motorola.

From what we know so far, the Moto M will come with a unibody metal design, something that we have already seen in TENAA images. The front-panel looks similar to the original Moto X, whereas the back panel has antenna bands along the top and bottom. The camera and LED flash module is similar to the Moto E3 Power and Moto G4 Play, and a fingerprint scanner is placed right below it. The volume rocker and power button is placed on the right edge, whereas the SIM card tray is placed on the left edge. 

Moto M specifications and features

The smartphone is likely to feature a 5.5-inch full HD (1080p) display, and could be powered by MediaTek’s MT6755 octa-core processor clocked at 2.1GHz, paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB onboard storage. However, there is no word on whether the storage will be expandable or not. In the camera department, a 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. With 3,000mAh battery, connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE with VoLTE support and GPS are expected.

Interesting, a Moto M smartphone with model number XT1663 was also spotted on GFXBench, albeit with different set of specifications. The listing shows a 4.6-inch full HD display, a 1.9GHz MediaTek MT6750 SoC octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage. Other specifications include a 16-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel selfie camera and Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. Looking at the specifications and features, it could be launched as mini version of the smartphone.

As of now, there is no word on the launch date and pricing of the Moto M. However, more details are expected when leaks start pouring in.

Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016) with Snapdragon 625 SoC, fingerprint sensor launched: Price, specifications, features

Samsung has quietly unveiled the successor to the last year's Galaxy On7 smartphone in China. Dubbed Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016), the smartphone is now listed on the company's China site and is now available to buy at CNY 1,599 (approximately Rs. 16,000). Apart from the Galaxy On7 (2016), the South Korean company has also teased the Galaxy On5 (2016) smartphone in the company listing. However, there is no word on specifications, pricing, or availability of the Samsung Galaxy On5 (2016). The Galaxy On7 (2016) sports metal design.

The smartphone is available in three colors, gold, pink and black. As of now, the smartphone is available in China and there is no word on its availability in India and other markets.

Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016) specifications and features

The Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016) smartphone features a 5.5-inch full HD TFT display. Under the hood runs an octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor clocked at 2GHz paired with Adreno 506 GPU. The smartphone comes with 3GB of RAM and onboard storage of 32GB which is further expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card.

On the photography front, the Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016) sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and equipped with f/1.9 aperture and full HD video recording at 30fps. It also sports an 8-megapixel front camera with f/1.9 aperture. Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016) is powered by a 3,300mAh battery along with fast charging support. 

On the software front, the smartphone runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. Its connectivity options include dual-SIM support (Hybrid SIM slots), 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and fingerprint scanner which is embedded in the home button.

Lenovo Z2 Plus with Snapdragon 820 SoC, 3,500mAh Battery, U Touch technology launched in India, Price starting at Rs. 17,999: specifications and features

Lenovo has launched a new flagship smartphone in India called Z2 Plus, which is basically a rebranded version of ZUK Z2 that was launched in China earlier this year. For the Indian market, Lenovo has dropped the ZUK moniker altogether. The body of smartphone is made from fiberglass material that is ‘stronger and lighter than metal,’ Lenovo says. It also boasts internal heat conduction technology to prevent the device from overheating. The Lenovo Z2 Plus with 3GB RAM + 32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 17,999, whereas the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant will set you back by Rs 19,999. It will be available exclusively on Amazon India starting 25th September at 11:59PM. Lenovo will also sell accessories such as — Chrono case for Rs 1,299, Skullcandy Ando headphones for Rs 1,299 and Stealth case (back cover) for Rs 6,99.

Featuring a unibody design, the smartphone has volume rocker, power button and dual SIM card slot tray on the right panel. The bottom has the 3.5mm audio port, USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer and the speaker grill. Up front is the selfie camera, proximity sensor and earpiece, followed by the display and a physical home button that also doubles up as a fingerprint scanner. The home button also comes with comes with a U-Touch control technology to navigate through the interface – single touch for back, single press for home, press and hold for Google Now, double press for app switcher,  swipe from left to right or vice-versa to switch between apps.

The company is also touting the U Touch 2.0 fingerprint sensor on the home button, which is claimed to deliver 99.7 percent accuracy, get better with time with its self-learning module, and work with sweaty hands as well.

Lenovo Z2 is the cheapest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 powered smartphone. Lenovo Z2 also features Adreno 530 GPU, which is 40 per cent faster than the previous generation GPU. Lenovo says Snapdragon 820 enables faster performance without utilizing much power from the device.

Lenovo Z2 Plus specifications and features

The smartphone flaunts a 5-inch full HD (1080p) display with pixel density of 441ppi, viewing angle of 178-degrees and 2.5D curved glass on top. At the heart of the Z2 Plus runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor (four custom kryo cores). It will be offered in two variants - 3GB RAM + 32GB onboard storage and 4GB of RAM + 64GB storage. Sadly, there is no option to further expand the storage.

In the photography department, the smartphone features a 13-megapixel rear camera of aperture f/2.2, PDAF, electronic image stabilization (EIS) and LED flash. It also supports 4K video recording at 30fps, slow motion HD (720p) recording at 120fps and time-lapse video recording. Up front is an 8-megapixel selfie camera of aperture f/2.0 and 80 degrees wide-angle lens. Armed with a 3,500mAh battery along with support for Quick Charge 3.0 and a feature called intelligent charge cut-off (ICC) to ensure it doesn’t overcharge. 

Connectivity options include dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE with VoLTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth and USB Type-C port. The Z2 Plus boots Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Pro with 8 GB RAM, 256GB storage, Android 7.0 Nougat spotted online

Xiaomi has a few smartphones lined up for later this year. Just yesterday, Xiaomi had sent out invites for the launch of its smartphone the Mi 5s, which will be launched on September 27. The company is also expected to launch the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Pro this year. There have been plenty of rumors about the launch of the device, evidently that has not taken place as yet. But it hasn’t stopped rumor mills from leaking details about the Mi Note 2 Pro. Recently, we had come across a report that the Mi Note 2 Pro could be launched as Mi Pro. Adding to the plate is a new screenshot which shows a new possible variant of the Xiaomi Mi Note 2, most likely the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Pro. According to the leaked information, the Mi Note 2 could come with 8GB of RAM and 256 onboard storage.

The screenshot was spotted on Chinese website Weibo by Android Pure. The screenshot is of the ‘About Phone’ page that reveals key specifications of the smartphone. The name of the smartphone is mentioned as the Mi Note Pro. According to the specifications revealed, the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Pro will run on Android 7.0 Nougat based MIUI 8 6.9.8. The chipset is not mentioned in the image but the processor is shown to be clocked at 2.6GHz. The Mi Note 2 Pro will come with a whopping 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is already expected to come with an onboard storage option of 256GB but an 8GB RAM variant has not been mentioned as yet. So all in all, this could be the high-end variant of the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 featuring 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. Other than that, the image did not show any details about the smartphone.

As said earlier, the smartphone has been doing rounds on the rumor for several months now. It had been rumored to launch quite a few times now already but Xiaomi has not made the smartphone official as yet. The last rumored launch of the Mi Note 2 was on September 14 but that did not happen either. Based on leaks and rumors so far, the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 could feature a 5.7-inch QHD (2560×1440) super AMOLED dual-edge curved display. Under the hood, a Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor clocked at 2.4GHz is expected to run. It could come in two variants with 4GB of RAM and 6GB of RAM. The storage options are 64GB, 128GB and 256GB.

On the photography front, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 could sport a 16-megapixel dual-camera setup and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. The smartphone could run on Android based MIUI 8. It is also expected to be powered by a 4,000mAh battery along with Quick Charge 3.0 support. The Mi Note 2 could be priced at RMB 2,499 (approximately Rs 25,000) for the 64GB variant and RMB 2,799 (approximately Rs 28,200) for the 128GB variant.