From quick charge batteries to flexible smartphones, graphene is the new wonder tech material

Bendable mobile phones, quick-charge batteries and unbreakable touch screens -- technology firms are racing to harness the potential of graphene, a wonder material which scientists say could transform consumer electronics.

A fine sheet of pure carbon, graphene is as thin as an atom, making it the skinniest material known. At the same time though, it is 100 times stronger than steel, hugely pliable and can conduct electricity and heat better than anything else.

"There are other materials which do have one of those properties each," physicist Kostya Novoselov -- who first isolated graphene in 2004 -- said at the Mobile World Congress, the sector's biggest trade fair, in Barcelona. "What is amazing here is that all those qualities are combined in one simple crystal. Of course that immediately leaves us with a number of possible applications."

Graphene patents soar

Novoselov, a Russian-born British citizen, and his colleague at Manchester University Andre Geim won the Nobel Prize for their work with graphene, sparking a flurry of interest in the new material. The number of patents involving graphene soared from under 50 in 2004 to around 9,000 in 2014, according to Andrew Garland of research firm Future Markets, who puts out a twice-yearly report on the material. "Most are in electronics," he said.

Samsung, the world's number one smartphone maker, has taken out the most graphene patents -- over 490 -- followed by China's Ocean's King Lighting and IBM. While its real-world uses so far remain modest, research into possible applications for the material picked up steam in Europe after the European Union set aside US $1.1 billion in 2013 to be spent over ten years to investigate.

"We believe we require another ten years to get to the point where a lot of devices will start being on the market," said Andrea Ferrari, director of the Cambridge Graphene Centre at the University of Cambridge. The trade fair in Barcelona for the first time had a pavilion dedicated to graphene research centres and start-ups, a sign of the growing importance of the material to the mobile industry.

'Can support an elephant'

Graphene is so pliable scientists predict it will one day make flexible phones possible. British firm FlexEnable showcased a smartwatch prototype made using graphene that wraps around a user's wrist and features a full colour LCD display that is capable of running video content. "This sort of display technology is basically ushering in a completely new generation of mobile devices because we can start folding electronics," said the company's technical director, Mike Banach.

British tech firm Zap&Go, meanwhile, displayed a graphene charger for mobile phones and tablets that takes just five minutes to fully load with power. The company is making 2,000 versions to give to journalists and to people who pre-order them, said the company's marketing director, Simon Harris. "What we have here ultimately could replace the lithium-ion battery in billions of devices. It needs to come down in size and up in power," he added.

Graphene is so strong and thin that researchers believe they will one day be able to use it to make unbreakable screens for mobile devices. "With just a few kilos you can replace all the touchscreens in the word. With just a few layers on top of each other you can support an elephant," said Vittorio Pellegrini, director of the Italian Institute of Technology's Graphene Labs. "Graphene is really a material that allows our imagination to fly. There is no limit to what you can do," he added.

Source: From quick charge batteries to flexible smartphones, graphene is the new wonder tech material

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 release date: Device launches in August 2016

The S6 had one of the best smartphone cameras around, and Samsung says the S7 is even better. In Indian market, Samsung has a very strong holding in the mid-tier market but in the flagship space it is tough fight with the Apple iPhone and also some of the new flagship killers (like OnePlus and Xiaomi). In the USA and several other countries, the two devices are underpinned by a 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor, while on certain markets the phones are available with an Exynos 8990 CPU.

Additional leaked promotional materials for the phone seem to back up those details. The added heft is much more noticeable on the S7 edge, which has blown up in almost every direction due to the new 5.5 inch screen. These emoji changes are the first from Samsung since the release of the Galaxy S5 in 2014. Samsung validated those reports when it unveiled the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge and while the handsets don't include a user replaceable battery, both devices pack in significantly larger batteries than the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge.

USB type-C will be the future for nearly all phones, but Samsung is dragging its feet and sticking to microUSB for the S7. Nevertheless, the most recent update might come later based on a personis provider for example T Mobile, US Cellular, Sprint T.

In terms of photography, Samsung has equipped both smartphones with a 12-megapixel rear camera of aperture f/1.7 (1.4um pixel sensor) to ensure good low light performance.

Have a hole in your pocket due to money burning and need to spend all that cash fast on the new Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge?

The inclusion of 6 GB RAM has already spread a wave of alarm among its competitors. Xiaomi's phone may not reach the U.S. directly, but at prices starting under $300 it's hard to beat the Mi 5's value. That swipe also gets you headlines, frequent contacts and favorite apps. However, the 2016 Mobile World Congress Trade Show's top three phones each offered an entirely different feature than the other using innovation and original functionality.

HTC Vive: HTC and game-maker Valve's answer to the Oculus Rift is the HTC Vive, a virtual reality headset that will cost $800 and will be able to communicate with your phone so that you can still receive text messages, calls and view your calendar while wearing the device.

United Natural buying Haddon House; cuts fiscal 2016 outlookThe ratio is negative, as 62 funds sold all United Natural Foods, Inc . shares owned while 107 reduced positions. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $35.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.33.

Source: Samsung Galaxy Note 6 release date: Device launches in August 2016

Samsung, Apple phones looking more and more alike

- AFP picAlcatel, on the other hand, had the original idea of turning the packaging of its Idol 4 Plus and Idol 4S phones - presented in the Spanish capital - into a VR viewer. With the new smartphones, Samsung offers outstanding features and specs of these two devices. Then there are the phones aiming to nail the flawless balance between price and features.

When Apple introduced the iPhone 6s previous year, the company changed the way we will use smartphones; the iPhone 6s took innovation to a whole new level with 3D Touch.

All the rumors, reports and leaks were true, there were no surprises when the new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were announced. It runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop.

The Galaxy S5 is perhaps the most unpopular flagship smartphone of Samsung as it is actually the reason why Samsung lost its grip to Apple in 2014 for the title of the world's best smartphone manufacturer.

You can get a VR headset and a 360 camera for both these smartphones, but Samsung has been working to refine its Gear VR headset for much longer - and it shows. This is not a new discovery; it has been emerging over the past couple years. iPhones were being created with a larger screen, similar to Samsung's "phablets" or tablet phones. The phone will be powered with a 6 GB RAM paired with Qualcomm Snapdragon's processing chips.

The display screen continues over the edges. There's a premium version of the S7 called the S7 Edge; both sides curve like a waterfall, such that the screen flows over the side to the back of the phone.

Guests who attended the private viewing were able to witness Samsung's unpacked event at MWC 2016 in a fully immersive and cinematic virtual reality experience.

One of the biggest tweaks to the Galaxy S7 is the return of the microSD slot and waterproofing, which tackles two of the three key criticisms levelled at its predecessor. With 9.7 inches of high resolution display and feature-packed technology, this tablet will support your media and technology needs like no other tablet on the market. Shove all this into a metal body, and you have one impressive package. The new flagship has a bigger battery capacity at 3,600mAh (1,000mAh more than that found on S6 edge) which comes with fast charging capabilities for both wired and wireless charging. The newer phone also comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow right out of the box, so you won't have to wait to upgrade. Or you could get better speakers if music really mattered to you - LG is, in fact, also offering a plug-in made in cooperation with Bang & Olufsen to supercharge the G5's sound.

Source: Samsung, Apple phones looking more and more alike

iPhone 7 Release Date, Rumors, Features and Specs: iPhone 7 Could Feature a Second Speaker and Dual Lens – 2016

iPhone 7 Plus Dual Camera Rumor

Update – February 29, 2016 – There have been reports that the new iPhone 7 Plus will have a dual camera system that should help improve zoom, low light photography and overall quality. Apple is said to use the setup from Linx, a company they purchased for their advancement in dual-camera technology.

Now, how would a dual-camera system work? Well, a competitor showed off a dual camera system at MWC 2016, which made optical zoom possible without any moving lenses. Also, the overall quality of the picture was better.

Corephotonics, the company behind the dual-camera tech, stated that the technology was available in 2014, but there were problems with manufacturing and supply.

In a video by Cnet, a working example of the dual-camera setup was compared to the current iPhone 6s camera. Watch the video below;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0v-Lu-9eLE

The reports suggest that only the top end iPhone 7 Plus will get the dual camera setup and by the looks of the results, the tech is going to be a real step up.

iPhone 7 Could Feature a Second Speaker

According to a research memo by the Barclays group, Apple may be planning to replace the 3.5mm headphone jack with a second speaker.

We've heard plenty of rumors about how Apple is all set to get rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7 to make it slimmer. You would have to use a Lightning compatible earphone or a wireless Bluetooth headset to listen to music or make calls.

A second speaker instead of the 3.5mm jack would be a good move, and help improve audio on new iPhones. The new speaker will be powered by a second amplifier provide by Cirrus Logic, according to the firm. The analysts also stated that Apple would most definitely include Lightning equipped earphones with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

Dual-Lens

The rumored dual-lens hardware could be based on LinX technology, in return it can lead to brighter and clearer DSLR-quality photos along with other advantages.

LinX's multi-aperture cameras pack impressive image quality in a smaller size than single-aperture cameras, meaning the iPhone 7 Plus could also lack a protruding camera lens.

Updated on February 7, 2016: A new iPhone 7 rumor suggests that the next gen iPhone will include a ceramic back, a Super AMOLED display and will be waterproof. Yes, we thought it was sketchy as well, when we read the rumored features.

The iPhone 7 is said to have a similar design to the iPhone 6 and 6s, expect that the rear Antenna bands will be gone. Also, it is said to include the Apple A10 processor, more RAM, better TouchID integration and improved camera.

This new rumor, coming from Chinese website Sina.com, has also released a render for the iPhone 7, with the ceramic back and all. Business Korea published the report.

The only thing that we think will be true in this render, is the lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack, the A10 processor, 12 MP camera, faster TouchID and improved 3D Touch. Apart from that, all the other features will probably not become reality.

 iPhone 7 Design Update: No Rear Camera Bump and No Antenna Bands

The upcoming iPhone 7 design will be slightly different and better than the current iPhone 6 and 6s models, says a new report.

For the most part, the iPhone 7 will look similar to the iPhone 6 and 6s. It is said to feature the same aluminum unibody design, same display sizes and the rounded edges that we're so used to now. A recent patent by Apple showed that the company could be working on a new camera tech that would help lose the camera bump on the new iPhones.

The iPhone 6 and 6s have an ugly camera bump at the back, which is a problem when you're laying the phone flat on its back. Now, another report from MacRumors coincides with the patent filing and states that Apple will indeed lose the camera bulge in iPhone 7.

The website has received word from a reliable source that the rear camera on the iPhone 7 will sit flush with the back. This is for the iPhone 7, says the report, and that the iPhone 7 Plus could feature a dual-camera setup. There were rumors that Apple might include a new dual-camera setup on the larger iPhone 7 Plus.

Also, the source has revealed that the iPhone 7 will not feature the ugly antenna lines found in the current iPhone 6/6s/6 and 6s Plus. The back of the iPhone will have no antenna lines, giving it a neat all metal look. Apple will, however, retain the antenna bands present on the top and sides of the device.

Apple is said to unveil the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in September this year, so there's plenty of time. There will be more rumors, leaks and reports, but so far, here's what we know. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will have Apple A10 processors, more RAM, improved cameras, possibly a dual camera setup on the 7 Plus model, bigger batteries and will lack the headphone jack.

Report from Jan 31, 2016

iPhone 7 Camera Bump to be removed

The Apple iPhone 6 and all the models after have had a hideous camera bulge at the back. This is because the phone is slimmer than the camera module.

For many, this is a problem as the phone won't lay flat on its back and the lens cover could be damaged. Both the iPhone 6 and the 6s have the camera bulge. That may change with future iPhones, and Apple may finally get rid of the bulge.

Thanks to the new patent application filed by Apple, a spherical lens will reduce the thickness of the camera module. This would make it possible for a slim smartphone to have a non-protruding camera lens.

The patent is titled "Small form factor high-resolution camera," and states that the distance between the CMOS sensor and the lens can be reduced by using a curved sensor. It's a very cool idea and is already being used in astronomical telescopes. To use this on a small smartphone specific camera would be difficult, but is still possible.

iPhone 7: Apple Patent to remove camera bump from future smartphones…

Despite being thinner than a traditional setup, the camera will produce higher quality and sharper images. The curved would also be able to capture more light and provide better images at night.

This lens system could have an aperture of f/1.8 or less. The total axial length of the setup is proposed to be less than 2 mm. Such a setup is said to cause distorted images due to chromatic aberration, but Apple claims it can fix that by adding another lens.

Apple could end up using this new camera module in a future iPhone, but don't expect to see it in the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 will most likely feature an improved camera, but nothing of this sort and we believe the bulge will still be there.

A patent application doesn't always mean that it'll become a reality. Apple files thousands of patents, but only a few make it to the actual products. You can read more about this patent via the source link.

Report from Jan 28, 2016

Apple iPhone 7 Rumors

Apple is said to unveil the next generation of iPhones in September, later this year. There will be two models as has been since that last two years, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. We've heard plenty of rumors and reports regarding the next gen iPhone. Here's another one that adds to the list of iPhone 7 Plus features.

The iPhone 7 Plus will be the larger, more powerful version of the iPhone 7. It is said to include more RAM, a better camera, bigger battery and obviously, a larger 5.5-inch display. The latest report comes from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has had a superb track record with Apple predictions. We've heard stories about Apple using a dual camera setup on a future iPhone from some time now.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 7 Plus will have a special version that would use a dual-camera setup. It could also feature Sony will manufacture 2x optical zoom and both the lenses used. The structure would include two 12 megapixel cameras, one with optical image stabilization and wide angle view, whereas the other would be a telephoto lens with 2-3x optical zoom.

He also states that only about 30 percent of all iPhone 7 shipments would include the new dual camera setup. This structure will be reserved for a premium version of the iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 7 will only include one sensor.

We're not so sure if Apple will start selling other versions of the iPhone 7 Plus. The company has stuck to introducing only two models every year around September, and we don't think it's about to change anytime soon.

iPhone 7 Dual-Camera Feature?

Apparently, Apple will use technology from the Israeli firm Linx Camera Inc, which they acquired last year. The Linx technology uses two cameras to capture two separate images and then uses imaging software to stitch them together.

iPhone 7 Rumors: Dual Camera Feature

Apple is expected to announce the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September this year. Will we see a special edition iPhone 7 Plus with the dual camera? Or will they reserve this for an S version next year?

Report from Jan 23, 2016

According to a new rumor, Apple will be including wireless Earpods with the upcoming iPhone 7 and other iPhone 7 features.

In another report last year, Japanese blog Macotakara stated that Apple will get rid of the 3.5 mm headphone port in the new iPhone 7.

iPhone 7 No headphone jack, Wireless EarPods?

Without the 3.5 mm headphone port, Apple would be able to reduce further the thickness of their next device. The Lightning port will be used as a headphone port for Lightning-compatible headphones. It would also be used for charging the device, as it has been used since the iPhone 5. But what if you wanted to listen to music while charging your device?

iPhone 7 Rumors: No headphone jack

Well, the latest rumor suggests that Apple will make the EarPods wireless, probably use Bluetooth to connect them to the iPhone 7. That and lightning supported headphones will be required if you want to listen to music on the new iPhones. This information comes from Apple suppliers who're familiar with the company's plans for the next iPhone.

Apple could also, who knows, pack one of Beats wireless earphones with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. That would be easier than designing an all new wireless ear pods. Then again, wireless EarPods would be much better, don't you think?

An adapter for converting regular headphones to Lightning-enabled ones will also be available from Apple.

iPhone 7 Specs and Features

Apart from having no 3.5 mm headphone port, the next gen iPhone is supposed to feature the latest A10 processor and 3GB of RAM. It should also have an even improved camera, better screen, and bigger battery. Reports suggest that Apple could make the new iPhones waterproof, allowing for underwater photography. A Touch ID that's fused with the display has also been rumored, but all that is only predictions.

iPhone 7 Release Date

When will iPhone 7 be released? Apple will not be announcing the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus till September 2016. So, there's a lot of time for more leaks that should reveal more new iPhone 7 features.

Source: iPhone 7 Release Date, Rumors, Features and Specs: iPhone 7 Could Feature a Second Speaker and Dual Lens – 2016

Top 5 smartphones at MWC 2016: Does Samsung's Galaxy S7 edge the LG G5?

The just concluded Mobile World Congress saw the unveiling of some of the best and latest smartphones that could be available at retail stores by the end of March.

Starting with the most premium Samsung S7 Edge to LG's new G5 which earns the tag of being the most innovative smartphone design to Sony's high-powered camera and the two Chinese challenges to the premium versions, here is a list of the top five smartphones and their features.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

One of the first announcements at the Mobile World Congress this year was the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge. What stands out among the two is the S7 edge.

The 5.5-inch device is equipped with one of industry's leading specs such as a Quad HD Super Amoled display and add to it the always-on screen. In terms of design though there is not much of a difference compared to the previous models, except for some minor alterations at the back where the camera bump is marginally reduced.

Depending on the region the device will either run on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8 Octa processor. 12MP dual camera, 3,600mAh battery and 4GB of RAM. 

Samsung reintroduced the microSD slot and you can expand the storage upto 200GB.

LG G5

One of the star attractions this year has been the latest flagship by LG and the G5 managed to turn several eyebrows, thanks to its modular design.

The new feature not only allows its 2800mAh battery to be easily replaced, but also the lower part of the handset can be easily removed and interchanged with either a high-end audio kit or a much higher digital camera pack.

Despite the new design LG has managed to keep the smartphone covered with an all metallic frame. The 5.3-inch device has a Quad HD LCD display and like its South Korean rival has an always-on capability. The device is powered by Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 16MB dual camera and storage that can be expanded upto 200GB.

Sony Xperia X

Sony announced its X series with three new smartphones leading with the X Performance, Xperia X and Xperia XA. 

The X Performance with slightly higher specs stands above the rest. The 5-inch device comes with a Snapdragon 820 processor, Full HD display, 3GB of RAM, a 23-megapixel rear camera with Predictive Hybrid Autofocus,  2700mAh battery with Qnovo's Adaptive Charging, 32 GB storage with expandable memory slot and a fingerprint scanner.

Among thew features that stand out in Sony compared to both Samsung and LG is its camera. The rear camera is equipped with a 5x Clear Image Zoom, ISO 12800 and the Predictive Hybrid Autofocus.

Xiaomi MI5 Pro

The Chinese smartphone has always screamed out to look at its specs rather than its price point, which being deceptively low could be mistaken for a medium end device.

The company's latest MI5 Pro is no different and comes with some high end features.

The 5.15-inch device has an IPS LCD display with a 1080p resolution and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, a 16MP camera equipped with a Sony IMX298 sensor with phase detection auto focus, an f/2.0 aperture, and optical image stabilisation.

The device has 128GB of internal storage. Xiaomi has for the first time added fingerprint sensor on the front of the device. The proversion is priced around $360 and has a more powerful back built with ceramic compared to a more slippery glass build.

Alcatel Idol 4S

Like Xiaomi, Alcatel's latest devices are a challenge to more premium models and offers premium specs at lower price points. A subsidiary of China's TCL Communication, Alcatel shed its Onetouch surname and is now just known as Alcatel. It launched two new smartphones at the MWC the Idol 4 and the more premium Idol 4S. 

The Idol 4S is a 5.5 inch device with a Quad HD Amoled display and is powered by a Snapdragon 652 processor, 3GB RAM and  3,000mAh battery.

The device is equipped with a 16MP camera with auto-focus. Alcatel has placed a special Boom Key on the side of the phone. Although it looks similar to Sony's power button it is used to launch specific functions such as the camera, contacts list, media player, etc.

Source: Top 5 smartphones at MWC 2016: Does Samsung's Galaxy S7 edge the LG G5?

Free Windows 10 Coming To Non-Lumia Phones

Free Windows 10 is a gift from Microsoft to current Windows 7 and 8 users. Not only does it benefit PC users, it has also breathed new life into Microsoft's mobile business. With Windows 10 phones, Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, the company saw a rising demand for the smartphones.

Looking at the popularity of free windows 10 for mobile, the company is now focusing on not restricting it to Lumia devices. Recently, windows 10 insider build preview was made available for Xiaomi Mi4 and Alcatel Onetouch Fierce XL along with Lumia 650, 550, Lumia 950 and 950 XL. Here are the phones that are next in line to get free Windows 10 update.

According to a report published by ibtimes, "A Chinese media house IT Home, citing sources, has claimed that Microsoft officials are in talks with local smartphone makers Xiaomi and OnePlus to bring Windows 10 Mobile ROM to respective flagship phones — Mi 5, OnePlus 2 and the soon-to-be-released OnePlus 3."

At Mobile World Congress, we saw how Microsoft is trying to give the world a whole new lot of Windows 10 devices, Huawei MateBook, Leno Yoga 510, Yoga 710, HP Elite X3, VAIO Phone Biz, Alacatel Fierce XL and Trinity Nuans NEO. With all of these new launches, it is clear that Windows 10 is the OS that is going to be here for years to come. And not just OnePlus 2, OnePlus 3 and Mi 5 are not the only devices to be launched as Windows 10 phones, it's going to be a big list.

Do not be shocked if all of the well-known brands adopt Windows 10 for popular phones just like BlackBerry did for Priv. Is Windows 10 going to be the next Android? Who knows? This latest operating system from Microsoft has a bright future for sure.

Also Read: Windows 10 Mobile Build: New Version Includes Alcatel Onetouch Fierce XL

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Tags:Mi 5MicrosoftOnePlus 2OnePlus 3Windows 10 mobileWindows 10 phones

Source: Free Windows 10 Coming To Non-Lumia Phones

Smartphone innovation hits a wall

Attendees arrive at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain(Photo: Edward C. Baig)

BARCELONA —You're pretty satisfied with the smartphone in your pocket, especially if you got it in the last year or so. The screen is lovely. The device is relatively zippy. The camera takes perfectly acceptable pictures and video.

Yeah, you groan here and there about a missing feature, declining storage, or — the complaint I still get most — a battery that dies too soon. But none of these things is driving you to upgrade. Where's a killer feature when you need one?

Reaching folks like you is a tall order for the companies exhibiting here last week at Mobile World Congress, from a market leader like Samsung, which unveiled its latest flagship Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge devices, to any number of handset makers who don't have near the resources or clout of the South Korean tech giant.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge (Photo: Robert Deutsch, USAT)

It's apparently becoming more of a challenge for Apple, too.

To be sure, smartphones almost always get better through each model step-up, and with beefier specs.

Still, it's worth asking: is better, better enough?

"The challenge is how do you make money in an environment where everyone can source components that are good enough?" asks Avi Greengart, an analyst with Current Analysis.

Indeed, smartphone innovation appears to have run smack into a great big wall, with most tech breakthroughs hitting other corners of tech, such as autonomous cars and virtual reality.

USA TODAY

First look: Samsung Galaxy S7 and 360 camera

According to Gartner, global sales of smartphones grew by just 9.7% (to 403 million units) in the fourth quarter of 2015 over the same period last year, the slowest rate of growth since 2008.

'Is there anything different?'

"I was just in the car with our head of engineering reading out specs of one of the launched phones here and it was like, `Is there anything that's different?' And the answer is it's really hard to tell," says Rick Osterloh, president and chief operating officer of Motorola, now owned by the Chinese tech company Lenovo.

Motorola didn't launch any major new devices at MWC, though Osterloh says, "We think we're working on some stuff that is really interesting innovation that will hopefully change things in the coming future." He wouldn't elaborate.

"5G allows lots of different industries to join mobile"

Qualcomm Chief Technology Officer Matt Grob

Another Chinese company, Huawei, now the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, also didn't announce major new smartphone hardware, pushing instead a Windows 10-based tablet hybrid called MateBook.

Colin Giles, an executive vice president at the company, says Huawei has been concentrating on smartphone fundamentals: in camera, display, battery, fast charging and performance management. "Now as Huawei becomes the clear number three (in global share), the responsibility turns to us as one of the market leaders to do more in terms of our innovation." Giles says Huawei devotes 16% of revenues to R&D.

LG's removable battery

One company that actually revealed something different at the show is LG. Its new G5 is built around a "modular" design, in which you can remove a bottom piece of the phone, slide out the battery and slide in accessories, for starters a camera module (with extra battery), and a module featuring high-res audio. LG's approach is interesting and bears watching, but the idea of bolting on accessories, however it is done, isn't entirely novel.

The LG G5 phone features a modular design. (Photo: LG)

Phone designs inevitably change over time, sometimes more dramatically than other times. Manufacturing tweaks lead to curved glass and edges. Do phones with flexible displays have a future? Or phones that exploit multiple displays? Samsung devoted a little more space on the S7 edge to the secondary "edge" display that can take over part of the main 5.5-inch screen.

Speculation is that after enlarging the size of its screens with recent iPhones, Apple may go small again with models that could launch next month.

Materials  can change, too. Manufacturers use high-quality metals. Or in the case of the new top end flagship XI 5 from China's Xiaomi, a ceramic body. (The phone is not slated for the U.S. market anytime soon.)

"You haven't seen massive change in hardware. It's a piece of glass," says Glenn Lurie, President & CEO of AT&T Mobility. "Now we're starting to talk about where the apps world goes, where does the cloud come in, what's going to happen behind that piece of glass to make it more valuable?"

Indeed, with all the fuss surrounding hardware, any advances on the software side or with the apps ecosystem are equally crucial. So, too, with the networks.

At MWC, there was a lot of activity around the 5G type networks that Verizon and AT&T start running tests on in the U.S. this year. But commercial viability for 5G doesn't likely arrive until 2020, and even with the faster speeds and lower latencies that 5G promises, the more major impact goes beyond the handset, whatever a handset looks like four years out.

"The biggest message is 5G is a lot more than just faster," says Qualcomm Chief Technology Officer Matt Grob. "If you think of what the smartphone did to many other consumer electronic products like cameras, camcorders, voice recorders, VCRs, GPS navigation, it basically sucked them all in. 5G allows lots of different industries to join mobile."

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow USA TODAY Personal Tech Columnist @edbaig on Twitter

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Source: Smartphone innovation hits a wall

MWC 2016: Smartphone Technology That You Shouldn't Miss

Samsung stock posted a strong recovery since last fall, moving from $875.00 per share to $1,100 per share. HTC's stand gives little space to its muted smartphone refresh, but gives plenty of play space to HTC Vive.

Samsung lifted the curtain on the Galaxy S7 at the Mobile World Congress on Monday.

Smartphone companion devices like 360-degree cameras and virtual reality goggles, and souped-up flagship phones dominated the announcements in the lead-up to the Mobile World Congress 2016. "Here at the beginning of 2016 who doesn't take smartphones for granted?"

That's exactly what happened when the big guns of mobile technology began rolling out their latest products in a series of spectacular launches across the city. This should certainly benefit Samsung stock in the medium-term. And it fits everything in between like the iPhone 6S, Galaxy S6, LG G4, and so on.

Sprint is another USA carrier to have the LG G5 in its portfolio, though the its press release doesn't say anything about the smartphone's price, availability date, or colors. Oh, and if the camera is not impressive enough, the phone has a battery that claims to last up to two days. Samsung smartly waterproofed its flagship phone, while LG took a unique approach with a modular accessory system.

However I tried zooming and taking shots one-handed and didn't find it much more practical than doing so on a regular smartphone. Samsung has certainly proven its expertise.

"With some of the hardware accessories that the company specifically developed to be used alongside it, and the capabilities of Windows 10 Mobile's Continuum features, the X3 can morph into a full-on, big-screen computing device", Mr O'Donnell said in a commentary titled The Devices Formerly Known as Smartphones.

Samsung, meanwhile, complemented the new Galaxy GS7 and GS7 Edge phones by debuting Gear 360, a camera that captures 360-degree video, using the phone as viewfinder and remote control.

The social networking giant's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, made a surprise appearance to talk about its potential.

"With Snapdragon 820, we set to make virtual reality mobile", he said.

"Samsung needs to invest a lot more in software, services and content partnerships".

Telstra said it would trial a 5G phone network at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast in 2018.

Overall, the LG 360 VR is a necessary step in the evolution of VR to become more accessible and easier to use. Pre-orders are already available for the Galaxy S7 and they have been selling like pancakes.

Samsung and Facebook have a good opportunity going here.

Samsung designed the Gear 360 in a way that allows users to take photos and videos in 360 degrees. If you are interested in getting one for yourself, you might want to read on, as the countries biggest operators have already revealed details on its availability. Tim Cook, Apple's boss, has expressed interest in this technology, and The Financial Times said that several hundred people are secretly working on a VR project. Plus, being on market in early February will help Samsung's first-quarter earnings.

Syrian army recaptures town in Aleppo provinceRubin doesn't believe that the Syrian government and Syria's armed opposition will agree to a cessation of hostilities. However, he also said the ceasefire should not pave the way for new attacks.

Source: MWC 2016: Smartphone Technology That You Shouldn't Miss

With Galaxy S7, Samsung's phones look even more like Apple's

Mophie has taken the wraps off its first wireless charging battery case with juice pack for Samsung's newly unveiled Galaxy S7 smartphone.

However, whilst this is clearly welcome addition to the new phone Samsung fans will miss out on a key new Android feature called Adoptable Storage.

Samsung heard your cries after it ditched the MicroSD slot on the Galaxy S6, and did an about face with this year's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, which puts it on par with the LG G5. It's a fair argument to make, considering Samsung will provide a Gear VR headset with all early pre-orders in the U.S.

With the S7, Samsung is lowering its camera's resolution-you read that right-to match the iPhone's 12 megapixels. One of them implies purchasing a Samsung Galaxy S7 before the 18th of March and getting a free Samsung Gear VR plus 6 VR games which are all worth $150. It is built better than any iPhone or LG phone. The Galaxy S7 sports a 5.1-inch 1440p Super AMOLED display, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 12MP rear-facing camera, a 5MP front-facing camera, Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi support, and a water-resistant design.

Samsung needs the Galaxy S7 and larger S7 Edge to resonate with buyers or else continue to watch aggressive brands like Xiaomi and Huawei eat its lunch.

You can not use the Galaxy S7 underwater since the screen is going to interact with the water, but it should survive most encounters with water thanks to the IP68 Rating.

The latest iPhones and the S7 Edge have shortcuts to common tasks, such as taking selfies. They won't work with each other's phones or any other Android phone. The idea is that when you capture a photo, the camera will also record the few seconds of video before and after the photo was taken. Apps on the phone will ease sharing with friends and viewing on the VR devices. It's arguably the biggest edge of LG in the battle of flagship phones as the G5's unique modular battery system allows users to add mor e features to the handset. The firm has said that this new smartphone would be available in the selected markets of India from mid of March 2016.

Frampton outpoints Quigg to unify titlesA big left hook from Lowe had McCullough in trouble and he came under immediate pressure as the former threw a series of punches. "In the second half of the fight I started putting my foot to the pedal and I had him going in the 11th", stated Quigg.

Source: With Galaxy S7, Samsung's phones look even more like Apple's

Samsung Galaxy S7 Smartphone Series Camera Lens

According to Go Benn Lee, product manager, Mobile Phone, Samsung Malaysia Electronics Sdn Bhd, it is because Malaysians generally were more excited over and favoured the Galaxy S6 edge over its non-edge counterpart past year.

Yes, the S6 Edge has gotten a substantial chunk of its price chopped off in light of the S7 Edge release. It also houses a dual-edge curved 5.1-inch display. This time around, Samsung wants to use a 6:4 ratio since it was not able to predict the roaring demand that the S6 edge had a year ago.

The Galaxy S7 takes the traditional square flat boxy shape. We heard that the third flagship OnePlus smartphone will be launched in June 2016. You might already know that the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy s7 Edge feature LED flash on their back, but not on the front.

Samsung is hardly the only phone maker to notice users' frustrations with blurry photos.

HERE'S what is set to arrive on Mar 18: the new Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

AT&T will start taking Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge online pre-orders on February 23 at 8:00 AM EST as well. The screen on Samsung phones were larger. The S7 also offers wireless charging; you simply lay the phone flat on a charging base. Further, both devices boast the same QHD Super AMOLED screen, the only difference being the size (the Galaxy S7 sports a 5.1-inch display while the Galaxy S7 Edge comes with 5.5-inch panel). That questioning focused mostly on Sprint, which has seen a fair share of financial questioning, but the overall line of questioning applies to varying degrees to all domestic carriers. That being a beautifully made smartphone with glass and metal in Black, Gold or Silver.

Today, the company has shown off some of the new emoji iOS and Android users have been enjoying for months, including the upside down face, taco, burrito, cheese, champagne bottle, and arguably the most important, the middle finger.

The bigger sibling and new Galaxy S7 lineup for 2016 retains the same excellent build quality, and a similar overall design.

Samsung added microSD card slots to the S7 series so users can expand the storage on their phone up to 200 gigs. At the bottom, we have a 3.5mm audio jack, a micro USB port and the speaker grille. On the face of the phone there is a home button at the bottom that doubles up as a fingerprint scanner and programming this is not as quick as the ones we've come to see in the other phones but works just well. Which is very nice.

As for the camera, the Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge feature a brand new 12-megapixel rear camera with a Dual Pixel sensor technology that delivers the fastest focusing power available in the market.

Source: Samsung Galaxy S7 Smartphone Series Camera Lens

Apple, Inc.'s Rumored New iPhone: What You Need to Know

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will hold an event on March 15, according to a range of different media outlets with reliable track records for Apple rumors. At the event, the company will unveil a new iPhone and iPad, as well as introduce more Apple Watch bands, according to 9to5Mac. With iPhones representing the lion's share of Apple's revenue and earnings, the potential of an early iPhone launch is arguably the most intriguing narrative for the rumored event -- at least to investors.

Here's everything there is to know about Apple's potential new iPhone.

iPhone 5s. The rumored new iPhone is expected to look similar to the iPhone 5s. Image source: Apple. 

Apple's new iPhonePerhaps the most important thing for investors to know about the rumored iPhone is that it's not expected to be a flagship device. Instead, the new iPhone will reportedly aim to simply beef up its two-year-old iPhone -- the iPhone 5s -- with an improved version at the same price point.

Like the iPhone 5s, the new smartphone is expected to have a 4-inch display. This would be much smaller than Apple's current flagship lineup. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have display sizes of 4.7 and 5.5 inches, respectively.

iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 and 6s both have a 4.7-inch display. Image source: Apple.

Rumored to sport the name "iPhone 5se," with the "e" possibly standing for "enhanced," the latest rumors on the device suggest the new phone is "essentially the 2013 iPhone 5s with significant internal hardware and software upgrades," reports 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman -- a 9to5Mac author with a reliable track record with Apple rumors. This assertion differs from earlier rumors that the new phone would look like a smaller version of the iPhone 6 and 6s, which have more curved edges than the iPhone 5s.

The internals are reportedly significantly better than the iPhone 5s, with potential specs including the A9 and M9 chips from the iPhone 6s, an NFC chip for Apple Pay, the ability to take live photos, and 32 GB and 64 GB options instead of the 16 GB and 32 GB options for the iPhone 5s.

If rumors are correct, the device will have a starting price of $450 without a contract -- $200 less than the starting price for Apple's iPhone 6.

A March iPhone launch would be completely out of the ordinary for the tech giant. Typically, Apple introduces new iPhones once a year. And if Apple introduces a phone in March and keeps to its typical flagship iPhone announcement in September, this would mean two iPhone launches in the same year.

Even when Apple decided to introduce a lower-cost model -- the iPhone 5c -- priced below its flagship iPhone model, which was the iPhone 5s at the time, the company introduced both models simultaneously in the fall -- the same period Apple normally introduces its latest iPhones.

Why a new iPhone is importantBut a mid-cycle iPhone launch makes sense after considering two reasons Apple might choose to do so.

First, Apple expects its second-quarter revenue to decline about 11% compared to the year-ago quarter, driven by an expected decline in iPhone sales as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have a tough time living up to the huge success of their predecessors. So, a mid-cycle iPhone launch could help beef up Apple's current lineup and potentially help it return to growth.

Second, priced lower than flagship phones, a revamped lower-cost iPhone could boost sales in fast-growing markets where price is more important -- markets like China and India.

While investors should keep in mind that reports of a smaller, mid-cycle iPhone are still only rumors at this point, it does make sense that Apple would launch the device.

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Daniel Sparks owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Source: Apple, Inc.'s Rumored New iPhone: What You Need to Know

Samsung Galaxy Smartphones Are Finally Getting The Middle Finger, Taco And Unicorn Emojis With Release Of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow

New emojis are coming just in time for Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Galaxy smartphones will finally be getting the middle finger, unicorn and taco with the release of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.(Photo : Emojipedia)

As Samsung fans gear up for the release of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge on March 8, they have something more to look forward to – the latest emojis.

The new Samsung flagship smartphones will be shipping with the new emojis, so owners of older Samsung Galaxy devices need not fret as they, too, will be able to avail of the emoticons once Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow is pushed out.

Samsung has not updated its emojis since 2014 when it released the Galaxy S5 smartphone. Now with the Galaxy S7's release in a few days from now, users will get to use new emojis from Unicode 7.0 and Unicode 8.0 releases. The new emojis include the arrival of the taco, unicorn and the middle finger, to name a few.

According to Emojipedia, the Galaxy S7 will come with 159 new emojis in tow, as well as several additional emoji font changes. There are 12 new emoji faces, including the upside-down face, nerd face, money-mouth face and more.

The complete new emoji faces list is as follows:

Upside-Down Face

Face With Rolling Eyes

Zipper-Mouth Face

Money-Mouth Face

Face With Thermometer

Nerd Face

Thinking Face

Face With Head-Bandage

Robot Face

Hugging Face

Sleuth or Spy

Speaking Head in Silhouette

Samsung, however, completely misses the mark with its Face With Rolling Eyes emoji, which instead of looking fed-up looks like it's quite pleased with itself!

There are also four new gestures, including the much-awaited Reversed Hand With Middle Finger Extended. The other gestures are the Writing Hand, Sign of the Horns and Raised Hand With Fingers Splayed.

Nature and animal lovers will be pleased to see the arrival of nine new emojis that include the unicorn, turkey, lion, crab, dove of peace, spider web, scorpion, spider and chipmunk.

Activities also get 13 additions such as the golfer, hockey and joystick. Food and drink see eight emoji updates which include taco, popcorn, burrito and cheese wedge.

There are new weather emojis, too, including the Wind Blowing Face, Fog, Cloud With Snow, Thermometer and more.

Unlike iOS users, Samsung Galaxy owners will not be able to alter the ethnicity of their emoji. So no changing of skin tone of the human characters for Galaxy users. Interestingly, Samsung's emoji set also does not include country flags. The Crossed Flag emoji now reflects the South Korean flag rather than Japan.

Check out all the new Samsung Galaxy emojis at this link.

© 2016 Tech Times, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Source: Samsung Galaxy Smartphones Are Finally Getting The Middle Finger, Taco And Unicorn Emojis With Release Of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow

Ringing Bells, Makers Of The $3.60 Smartphone, Accused Of Fraud

Earlier this month, a little known Indian company called Ringing Bells created ripples by announcing an all-new smartphone called the Freedom 251 for an amazingly low price of just Rs. 251 ($3.60). While the announcement garnered a lot of media attention for the recently-incorporated company, industry analysts, tech writers and consumer rights advocacy groups debated about the possibility of seeing an actual, working smartphone at sort of a throwaway price. Many accused Ringing Bells of fraud, claiming that there's no way a smartphone can be sold at that price unless subsidized heavily from some quarter or another. With the federal government already denying any involvement with the project, the senior management of the company was left to defend itself in the media against various accusations.

Now, the company has seemingly got embroiled in yet another controversy, with a BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) firm accusing it of fraud and non-payment of dues. According to the founder and CEO of third-party call-center operator Cyfuture, Mr. Anuj Bairathi, the company's call-center handled hundreds of thousands of calls in the days following the stunning announcement of the ultra-affordable handset. "However, when we started asking for our payments, which were to be made to us on a weekly basis, they started making false allegations and abruptly decided to terminate our services citing unsatisfactory services". According to Mr. Bairathi, this action of non-payment of dues and abrupt termination of contract without prior notice amounts to cheating, fraud and breach of contract. The deal between the two companies was reportedly in place for a minimum period of one year.

Ringing Bells, meanwhile has come out strongly against the allegations. The company's President, Mr. Ashok Chaddha, claimed that Cyfuture's services were terminated because of the BPO company's failure to satisfactorily handle the large number of inquiries. According to him, "It came to our knowledge that the BPO company was not able to handle the traffic. We are looking into the situation to serve our customers better". However, it seems like we haven't heard the last of it, as Cyfuture plans to take this to the courts. The company says that it will file an official police complaint against Ringing Bells on Saturday. It remains to be seen what happens eventually, but these new controversies are not helping Ringing Bells, which is already facing a lot of questions from skeptics, many of whom are simply dismissing the upcoming Freedom 251 smartphone as 'vaporware'.

Source: Ringing Bells, Makers Of The $3.60 Smartphone, Accused Of Fraud

LG ends Nexus smartphone partnership with Google

Galaxy S7 Edge vs Nexus 6P

LG seems to have its hands busy with its new "toy" and doesn't have more energy to build another Nexus handset, at least for a while.

Is that the reason the device, which is sort of a "Plus" model to the Nexus 5 in 2014, is being ditched for the this year? Instead, the company plans to focus on its own brand, likely putting its efforts on promoting the newly unveiled LG G5.

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 in Barcelona, LG explains that it wants to focus on its own products for the time being, and it has no plans for a new Nexus. Moreover, Google sells Nexus devices without much of a profit margin, so there's no financial incentive for LG to make a phone this year either.

While the affordable Nexus 5 was a hit with hardcore Android fans, it's unclear how the Nexus 5X performed, especially since it came out at the same time as the bigger, more expensive Nexus 6P phone from Huawei. He also revealed that the Nexus program requires resources that could be used on LG phones. The company has been happy with its relationship with Google so far, it said. The Taiwanese company in collaboration with Google is expected to unveil two Nexus-branded smartphones this year.

The statements from LG contrast heavily with another recent Nexus partner.

In addition, LG will release a second smartwatch in the second half, although he wouldn't provide details. LG has confirmed that the segment below the display can be removed, and replaced with a module.

Source: LG ends Nexus smartphone partnership with Google

Samsung's 2 New Galaxy Phones Are Here - and 1 Feature Is INSANE

The device will be available in 32 GB and 64 GB versions, both expandable via microSD up to 200 GB.

Koh also stated that Samsung has tried to include in Galaxy S7 as many features as possible that were discontinued in the previous models.

That's right, according to the terms and conditions on the Samsung website, those that purchase the new Galaxy S7 handset between 11 and 20 March will be eligible for the VR headset. New smartphones are equipped with a processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 cooled by a heat pipe system. The new phones come with 4GB LPDDR54 RAM.

Despite offering the same resolution as the Galaxy Note 5, the smaller displays on the 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 and 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 edge mean they have greater pixel densities for sharper images and text.

Although the phones look identical at a glance, the rear camera no longer sticks out which will come as a relief to those who hated that element of the S6's design. We've been spending some quality time with the device to see everything it has to offer, and it hides one very cool feature we didn't know existed: Motion Photos!

Hike will launch Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in collaboration with telecom giants Ooredoo and Dhiraagu. However, the former has an aperture of f/1.7, which is so far the best in low-light shooting.

The S7 (32GB) is for Dh2,399, while the S7 Edge (32GB) is for Dh2,799. The battery can be removed and a slew of other options can be added such as a bigger camera, battery or a digital-to-analog converter.

Samsung, on the other hand, boasts its strength and durability as its built curved glass presents the gadget to be fingerprint and scratch proof. After viewing the Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S6 video below, have you managed to make up your mind?

With an IP68 rating, the S7b can survive in drops of up to 1.5m of water for a period of up to 30 minutes.

Source: Samsung's 2 New Galaxy Phones Are Here - and 1 Feature Is INSANE

Microsoft Releases A New Office 365 Update, Focused Squarely On Mobile Devices

Microsoft has just announced a fresh new, 'February Update' to its Office 365 suite. And as should be the trend with new software updates in today's times, this one is focussed intensely on making the overall Office 365 experience better, for a smartphone/tablet user.

Announcing the new update, Microsoft's Kirk Koenigsbauer says,

We're continuing to make Office on mobile devices even easier, more natural, fluid and contextual, so you can use Office to do more, faster, with whatever device you have in your hand.

This fresh update has brought in a host of new features, with enhancements to previous ones. While allowing of annotation with ink on Windows tablets is one of the newer additions, much demanded features like the ability to insert images using one's phone or tablet have also been included in this fresh update.

You can now use your pen, finger and the new tools in the Draw tab to naturally write, draw and annotate in Word, Excel and PowerPoint Mobile on Windows tablets (available initially to Office Insiders).

With fresh Office 365 update descending, Microsoft has made it even easier to pick up where you left off by pinning your favorite documents, spreadsheets, presentations and notes to the Windows Start menu. You can get going on the same, in just a couple of taps.

What would perhaps be one of the most demanded features of all, Office apps are now integrated with your device's built-in camera, so you can capture images, crop and insert them directly into your documents on Windows and Android phones and tablets. This is available now in PowerPoint for Office Insiders and will be coming soon for Word and Excel.

With fresh update, Microsoft is also making sure that its partner storage service, like Box and its in-house OneDrive are used to the core by the user. Last month, the company announced the opportunity for all Cloud Storage Partner Program (CSPP) providers to integrate with Office for iOS. This integration is now available with Box in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Other partners are coming soon.

Apart from these mobile centric ones, Microsoft has also announced a couple of other core updates to the overall Office 365 suite and the Office for Mac suite. We have covered the same in detail here, you can have a go.

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Source: Microsoft Releases A New Office 365 Update, Focused Squarely On Mobile Devices

Freedom 251 smartphone has nothing to do with Make in India: Amitabh Kant

Posted on: 09:53 AM IST Feb 26, 2016

New Delhi: DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant washed his hands of the Freedom 251 phone, which has run into a major controversy with questions being raised over the company providing mobile handset at a dirt cheap price.

"This is not a Govt project. Make in India team has nothing 2 (to) do with this," tweeted Kant, the outgoing secretary of DIPP which is the nodal agency for the 'Make in India' campaign.

The Telecom Ministry is also keeping a close watch over the development with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying that the company would face action if it fails to deliver the promised smartphone.

In an earlier tweet on February 19, Kant had said: "It's not d (the) price of handset; its broadband connectivity & operational cost: Freedom 251: priced at Rs 251".

On this tweet, some Twitter users raised objections as why a government representative of 'Make In India' was clarifying on behalf of Freedom251 company, which has been embroiled in controversy since the launch of the smartphone.

In another controversial turn of events in the Freedom 251 saga, Ringing Bells has been accused of "fraud" and non-payment of dues by its customer service provider - a charge refuted by the smartphone company.

Ringing Bell has on the other hand accused the BPO company, Cyfuture, of having failed in handling the huge traffic of customer calls. Noida-based Ringing Bells unveiled a 3G smartphone at Rs 251, taking by surprise industry players who raised questions over the possibility of such phone at the promised price.

An equivalent model of the phone is available in market for about Rs 3000-4,000.

However, the company received a huge response from customers on the first day of opening of registration for the promised smartphone leading to crash of its website.

The company claims to have received bookings from about 30,000 people and over registration by 7 crore people.

The Telecom Ministry is also keeping a close watch over the development with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying that the company would face action if it fails to deliver the promised smartphone.

The online payment service provider of the Ringing Bells, PayU Biz, has kept money in an escrow account and will release it to the company after its ships the Rs 251 mobile phone.

Source: Freedom 251 smartphone has nothing to do with Make in India: Amitabh Kant

Netflix To Release A New Feature For Its Smartphone App That Will Reduce Data Charges

Netflix revealed that it will release an update to its app later this year that will include features like a data saver mode and a second screen.(Photo : Netflix)

Netflix users have no problem spending $8.99 a month to be able to stream all the movies, TV series and original content on the platform. While many choose to do most of their streaming at home on their big TV screen or on their laptops in bed, others use the Netflix app on their smartphones to be able to keep watching once they leave the house.

With season 2 of Daredevil about to premiere, we already know we will be glued to our screens until we finish it. This can be worrisome — and expensive — for those who don't have unlimited data plans for their smartphone.

Well, don't worry, Netflix subscribers, because the company announced that it will be releasing a new update for its smartphone app later this year that will help users save money on their phone bills.

According Pocket-lint, Netflix said its latest update would help reduce high data charges from consumers' bills by allowing them to limit bitrate using a new data saver button. This new feature will allow users to have more control when it comes to how much data they use.

Once the data saver button is toggled on, the app will then use its intelligence to select the bandwidth to stream that will be the most economical for the user. This means the user might have to sacrifice the video quality (like streaming in Full HD 1080p) in order to save some bucks.

It's also important to note that the user won't have a say in setting the list of the bitrate, although this may be included in the future. Still, this would allow customers who only have, say, 1 GB of data available to use each month, to be able to watch a quick episode of Judd Apatow's Love without worrying that their binge-watching habit is becoming an expensive one.

(Photo : Suzanne Hanover | Netflix)

Netflix will also release a second-screen function that will allow users to read background info on the title they are watching from their mobile devices. This feature will first launch for Android and Chromecast, then later for iOS and consoles. That means users will be able to learn who that actor is that looks so familiar, yet they can't remember their name while watching a series.

Speaking of series like Daredevil, Netflix has plans to introduce HDR (high dynamic range) in March, previously stating that the second season of the hit superhero series will launch the feature. However, HDR (which expands the range of contrast and color to provide more realistic images), may not be available for the series' March 18 release.

Source: Pocket-lint

© 2016 Tech Times, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Source: Netflix To Release A New Feature For Its Smartphone App That Will Reduce Data Charges

OnePlus 3 release date: Co-founder Carl Pei says new smartphone could hit shelves by June

Much like its predecessors, the OnePlus 3 is expected to be a powerful yet super-affordable smartphone offering a host of top-shelf specs at a price a good deal less than Samsung, LG and other premium brands. And now, we might have a better idea of when we can expect to get the phone, made by Chinese manufacturer OnePlus in our pockets.

In an interview with CNet, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei said the company's latest smartphone is expected to launch by the end of Q2 2016, meaning we could be seeing it as early as June. Pei told the website that the OnePlus 3 will sport a new design and that the company wants to recapture the magic of the original OnePlus smartphone by launching something that will "captivate" users.

The OnePlus One was a big hit with consumers when it launched in April 2014. The handset was designed to compete against flagship smartphones of the time such as the HTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S5 and came with enough technology to make it a more than worthy adversary. It also came with CyanogenMod, an open-source operating system that allowed users to more freely tweak their phone's functionality, although this was ditched for the OnePlus 2.

Despite the OnePlus 2 still proving a strong handset, it seems OnePlus isn't as enthusiastic about how it was received by consumers and is now trying to relive the glory days with the release of the OnePlus 3. Some of the features hinted at for the device so far include either a 1080p or Quad HD screen, a Snapdragon 820 processor and a huge 3,500 MaH battery. Some reports suggest that the handset will be launched in two variants, with a 16GB model coming with 4GB RAM and a 64GB version packing a frankly ludicrous 5GB RAM.

If these reports hold water, it seems the OnePlus 3 will have more than enough to take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5, both of which we were able to get our hands on at the Mobile World Congress 2016 and were very much impressed by. No doubt it will also be able to give the HTC One M10 a run for its money too, although official details on HTC's latest handset remain scarce for now.

Source: OnePlus 3 release date: Co-founder Carl Pei says new smartphone could hit shelves by June

Freedom 251 announces Cash on Delivery (COD) option for first 25 lakh buyers; PayUBiz refuses to release the first round payment

Ringing Bells emerged as the most visited website overnight, thanks to its ridiculously priced smartphone, the Freedom 251. The company received a massive backlash from all around as its website crashed and booking were halted mid-way. Many of the industry's bigwigs and Indian bureaucrats have already named it as a Ponzi scheme. Now, the makers of the Freedom 251 have announced Cash on Delivery (COD) payment option for users. No, the pre-ordering for the device has not resumed, and the COD option stands open for the first 25 lakh users who have successfully registered for the Freedom 251.

The company made the announcement on its official Facebook page, which further states that as of now, they are gathering the emails of the 25 lakhs of registered buyers and will soon issue the COD option to them. Moreover, a report about PayUBiz ( a company that is handling online payments for Ringing Bells) states that the company has refused to release the payment received from registration to Ringing Bells. In the first booking round, Freedom 251 received Rs 1.75 crore from 25 lacs of buyers.

Clearing the issue, PayUBiz released a statement saying, "As a leading payment solution company, we are cognizant of both our merchants and buyers. With a surge in no. of queries received for Freedom 251 during last few days, we are cautious towards the payments being made by buyers to buy Freedom 251. As a responsible payment solution company, we have ensured that the buyer's money remains safe with us and gets released to the merchant once the product is dispatched. In case the merchant is not able to fulfil the huge demand they have received, we will work with the merchant to return the money to buyers."

Whilst most people are doubting how the company will manage to achieve the Rs 251 price mark, Ringing Bells' Director Mohit Goel claims that the company is expecting to collect Rs 31 profit on per unit sold. Ringing Bell's president, Ashok Chadha disclosed at the launch event that the per unit procurement price for the Freedom 251 is around Rs 1500, and not Rs 2500.

Among many who raised their concerns over Ringing Bells. BJP MP, Kirit Somaiya proposed Telecom Ministry, Telecom Regulator Authority (TRAI), Consumer Ministry, Stock Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Corporate Ministry, Finance Ministry, RBI, and state governments to examine several concerns that many have raised over the company offering a smartphone at Rs 251, which is an impossible price point. Also, Government of India has distanced "Make in India" initiative from Ringing Bells. All these instances are a hint that nobody is ready put a dime over Freedom 251's authenticity.

In the end, we think that people need to wait and see the entire drama unfold before buying the "World's cheapest phone", although COD option does ensures a little safety as you're not going to share your card details. It would be interesting how Ringing Bells tackles the controversies and fulfils its unbelievable promises.

Source: Freedom 251 announces Cash on Delivery (COD) option for first 25 lakh buyers; PayUBiz refuses to release the first round payment

Lenovo aims at mature markets with new 'augmented reality' phone

BARCELONA: China's Lenovo Group is ready to break into mature markets this summer with the launch of its new smartphone which sports 'augmented reality' features developed under Google's Tango project, its chief executive said.

The device, which was announced at the 2016 CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in January, will launch in July, Chief Executive Yang Yuanqing said in an interview at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Declining to give additional information he said that the phone will include Google's Project Tango technology and more.

Project Tango combines 3D motion tracking with depth sensors to give a mobile device the ability to know where it is and how it moves through an area, creating the potential to use augmented reality features on the phone.

Augmented reality software then overlays text or graphics on the real-life image. It differs from virtual reality, which seels to simulate real-world views.

The phone should boost Lenovo's pr esence in mature markets such as North America, where the smartphone market shrunk slightly last year, by 0.4 percent, according to data from research firm Canalys.

"If you want to access the mature markets you need two things: innovative products and a premium brand," Yuanqing said.

"So far we haven't done very well on both things. But with a couple of years of preparation, I think now we are ready to attack that market this year."

Lenovo bought Motorola Mobility from Google for $2.9 billion more than a year ago, positioning it as the world's fourth-largest smartphone maker behind, Huawei, Apple

and Samsung Electronics, according to Gartner.

Western markets make a tiny contribution to Lenovo's sales, excluding Motorola, accounting for just 0.3 percent of its total in 2015, according to research group IDC. In contrast, 35 percent of Motorola phones went to Western Europe and North America.

Yuanqing expects the new device to boost overseas sales an d will also have a positive impact on China.

"We want to break into the mature markets this year. You definitely can expect that," Yuanqing said.

Source: Lenovo aims at mature markets with new 'augmented reality' phone

Report: Sony's Xperia Z range of smartphones is no more

Sony's Xperia Z line is headed to the great digital beyond. According to a report by uSwitch, Sony's senior product marketing manager Jun Makino said the company "will not be releasing a Z6," which would have been the next device in the Z series.

Xperi Blog got even more details, with an official statement about the company's plans:

"The Xperia Z line has reached its culmination – Xperia X series represents a new chapter and evolution of our product strategy. Whilst the Xperia Z series was all about bringing the best of Sony's advanced technologies to smartphones, Xperia X series is based on bringing smart, adaptive Sony user experiences across camera, battery performance and hardware / software design."

Our hands-on with the new Xperia X lineup left us excited about Sony's latest batch of phones. However, actually seeing these phones launch in the U.S. is another story, as Sony often announces new devices but then drags its feet at bringing them stateside. The Z series featured some good devices, but an excessive number of models and inconsistent updates ensured that they'd never be a hit.

Why this matters: Let's hope the closure of the Xperia Z series means that Sony is also turning over a new leaf with how it treats phone launches. The performance potential of the Xperia X Performance, Xperia X, and Xperia XA seem strong, but only the Performance is confirmed for a summer release. We'll update you if things should change.

For comprehensive coverage of the Android ecosystem, visit Greenbot.com.

Derek Walter

Derek Walter is a freelance technology writer based in Northern California. He is the author of Learning MIT App Inventor, a hands-on guide to building your own Android apps.More by Derek Walter

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Source: Report: Sony's Xperia Z range of smartphones is no more

Samsung to offer Whitepages' caller ID software in new Galaxy handsets

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and LG Electronics Inc unveiled their latest smartphones at the Mobile World Congress industry show in Barcelona on Sunday, seeking to buck the slowdown in industry growth.

While the Internet of Things and virtual reality are playing a big part in the show this year, vendors are also pushing the limits this year on smartphone features with innovative technology, such as wireless charging capabilities, flashier displays and improved cameras.

"Customers upgrading to the new smartphones can look forward to the fastest web speeds yet on Samsung's flagship phones with both the S7 and the S7 edge supporting category 9 LTE download speeds of up to 450Mbps on Telstra's 4GX network".

It's Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona, which means most of Apple's competitors are unveiling their upcoming smartphone lineups that will inevitably compete with Apple's own 2016 lineup.

Why Pre-Order Galaxy S7, S7 Edge for Samsung Gear VR? . You needed a VR headset to take full advantage of the announcement and if you didn't have one you can be better prepared for next year with this deal we have for you.

"The setup was great: journalists were invited to watch a virtual reality demo using Samsung's Gear VR headsets, and when the time came to remove them, there was Mark Zuckerberg standing in the middle of the stage, wearing his familiar gray T-shirt", reports Vlad Savov for The Verge. The Galaxy S7 has a 5.1-inch screen.

The new devices are water resistant and can handle being submerged in up to 5 feet of water for 30 minutes, according to Samsung, though it's not recommended you try it with your device. LG's 5.3-inch smartphone will go on sale globally as early as the end of March, except in Japan, said Woo Ram Chan, vice president of LG's mobile product planning division. What sets it apart are the components that can be added or swapped. A collection of add-on smart devices can turn the phone into a powerful digital camera, a high definition audio player and more. The new cameras also allow the camera's aperture to open wider, letting in more light.

After LG's leading products had struggled past year causing it huge losses, it introduced a modular design to its new G5 smartphones allowing users to replace or upgrade functions such as camera and audio independently. If you don't like it, the feature is optional.

Early adopters will get a bonus of two games, including "Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives" where robots have taken human jobs and a second, "Fantastic Contraption" that challenges to build contraptions as they float on a grassy island in the sky.

Americans Say Farewell To Justice ScaliaOn Saturday , there will be a funeral Mass for Scalia at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Scalia was the longest-serving Supreme Court justice when he died Saturday at a Texas ranch at age 79.

Source: Samsung to offer Whitepages' caller ID software in new Galaxy handsets

Connecting phones in vehicles top concern for U.S. owners - study

By Bernie Woodall

DETROIT (Reuters) - New vehicles may run dependably, but the fiddly business of connecting a mobile phone and giving voice commands to cars continue to bother U.S. drivers in the first three years of ownership, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

The survey of dependability of 2013 models by J.D. Power found owners reported twice as many complaints about pairing a smart phone with a vehicle's communications system as issues with engines or transmissions.

The finding - and the attendant lack of confidence on the part of owners - indicated the country is not yet ready for widespread use of self-driving cars, J.D. Power suggested.

"While automakers, suppliers and even the U.S. government are enthusiastically moving toward putting fully autonomous vehicles on the roads, consumers need to have confidence in the technologies currently in vehicles before they will be willin g to take their hands off the wheel of self-driving cars," J.D. Power said in a news release.

"If consumers can't rely on their vehicle to connect to their smartphone, or have faith that their navigation system will route them to their destination, they're certainly not yet ready to trust that autonomous technology will keep their vehicle out of the ditch," said Renee Stephens of J.D. Power.

In terms of brand dependability, owners of Lexus, Toyota Motor Corp's luxury brand, reported the fewest problems among 32 brands. It was the fifth consecutive year that Lexus topped the J.D. Power "Vehicle Dependability Study."

Porsche, a sports car luxury brand of Volkswagen AG was second, followed by General Motors Co's Buick and Toyota's namesake brand.

GM brands did best among mass market vehicles, as GMC was fifth and Chevrolet sixth. GM's luxury Cadillac brand was 15th, just above the industry average f or number of problems reported by respondents.

Audi, VW's primary luxury brand, was 11th in the study after getting top honors in the Consumer Reports survey for vehicle quality issued on Tuesday.

Subaru, a unit of Fuji Heavy Industries, was 23rd in the J.D. Power study after being second in the Consumer Reports study, in which Lexus was third.

At the bottom of the J.D. Power study was Dodge, a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brand, and Ford Motor Co's namesake brand was next-to-last.

The annual study, now in its 27th year, complements one that addresses initial quality that J.D. Power issues after surveying owners after 90 days of ownership.

For more on the study, go to http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-vehicle-dependability-study.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Frances Kerry)

Consumer Discretionary

Autos

Source: Connecting phones in vehicles top concern for U.S. owners - study

Lenovo aims at mature markets with new augmented reality phone

Ready to go: Yang said the device would launch in July. — Reuters

BARCELONA: China's Lenovo Group is ready to break into mature markets this summer with the launch of its new smartphone which sports 'augmented reality' features developed under Google's Tango project, its chief executive said.

The device, which was announced at the 2016 CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in January, will launch in July, chief executive Yang Yuanqing said in an interview at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Declining to give additional information he said that the phone will include Google's Project Tango technology and more.

Project Tango combines 3D motion tracking with depth sensors to give a mobile device the ability to know where it is and how it moves through an area, creating the potential to use augmented reality features on the phone.

Augmented reality software then overlays text or graphics on the real-life image. It differs from virtual reality, which seels to simulate real-world views.

The phone should boost Lenovo's pr esence in mature markets such as North America, where the smartphone market shrunk slightly last year, by 0.4%, according to data from research firm Canalys.

"If you want to access the mature markets you need two things: innovative products and a premium brand," Yuanqing said.

"So far we haven't done very well on both things. But with a couple of years of preparation, I think now we are ready to attack that market this year."

Lenovo bought Motorola Mobility from Google for US$2.9bil (RM12.2bil) more than a year ago, positioning it as the world's fourth-largest smartphone maker behind, Huawei, Apple and Samsung Electronics, according to Gartner.

Western markets make a tiny contribution to Lenovo's sales, excluding Motorola, accounting for just 0.3% of its total in 2015, according to research group IDC. In contrast, 35% of Motorola phones went to Western Europe and North America.

Yuanqing expects the new device to boost overseas sales and will also have a positive impact on China.

"We want to break into the mature markets this year. You definitely can expect that," Yuanqing said. —  Reuters

Source: Lenovo aims at mature markets with new augmented reality phone

LG G5 Officially Revealed: See Specs, Features And Release Date

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British government agrees deal with Scotland over new spending powersFollowing a formal announcement, the first minister said: "There has been give and take in these negotiations". The Scottish and United Kingdom governments have finally agreed a new funding deal for Holyrood.2/24/2016

N Korea row causes school uniform shortage in SouthChina has been outspoken in opposing deployment of the system, which it is anxious could be used against its own launch systems. Within weeks, senior administration officials said, the regime repeated the message thorough its mission to the United Nations.2/24/2016

Americans closely divided on who should pick new justiceThe doors to the court chamber, where Scalia had served for almost 30 years, were open at the east end of the hall. Both Republicans and Democrats have played scorched-earth politics when it comes to Supreme Court nominees.2/24/2016

McConnell: Senate Will 'Withhold Consent' For Obama's SCOTUS NomineeBiden says as senator he ensured prompt consideration for Supreme Court nominees and the Senate must do that now. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid condemned McConnell's attitude as "obstruction on steroids".2/24/2016

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An Outpouring Of Twitter Tributes to Harper Lee On Her DeathRob Carr/AP Harper Lee was eulogized by her longtime friend, Wayne Flint, who gave a speech she requested he read at her funeral. There's the Mockingbird Inn on the edge of town and a statute of children reading, " Mockingbird " in the courthouse square.2/24/2016

CDC: 14 more US reports of possible Zika spread through sexEmergency funding requested from Congress by White House to combat Zika virus . "Testing for the male partners is still pending". Four more women have tested positive for Zika in preliminary tests but are still waiting for tests to confirm they have Zika.2/24/2016

US to play Colombia, Costa Rica, Paraguay in Copa AmericaU.S. will face stern test in the historic centenary edition of Copa America 2016. "Colombia is just exciting", he said. Ranked eighth in the world, Colombia has a player pool that includes stars James Rodriguez and Jackson Martinez.2/24/2016

China yuan surges after central bank chief's commentsThe country's foreign reserves are now at $3.23 trillion (lowest level since May 2012) after falling $420 billion over six months.2/24/2016

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Louis jury awards $72M in Johnson & Johnson cancer suitTalc is used in products as varied as wallboard and the powder that keeps elastic balloons from sticking together. Fox claimed she used the Johnson & Johnson products for feminine hygiene purposes for 35 years.2/24/2016

Dr. Luke denies Kesha's claims of rape, abuseLuke, is hidden behind many global tubes, especially sung by Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne , Pink, Katy Perry or ... He tweeted: "Until now I haven't commented on the lawsuits, which should be resolved in court not here on Twitter".2/24/2016

Source: LG G5 Officially Revealed: See Specs, Features And Release Date