Verizon Galaxy Note Edge getting March security update

Verizon has started rolling out the March security update to Samsung Galaxy Note Edge units on its network. The update, which the carrier says only includes the latest Android security patch, bumps the device's software version to LRX22C.N915VVRU2BPA4. Given that the update has just started rolling out, it may take some time before it hits your phone, so be patient. However, if you're feeling impatient, you can also manually check for the update by heading to the Settings menu on your device.

This comes less than a week after Verizon started rolling out the update to both Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge units on its network.

Most concrete rumor about the Meizu Pro 6

So far the most concrete rumor about the Meizu Pro 6 was the gobs of memory it will have -6GB RAM and 128GB storage in the top configuration. It seems that the chipset will be something special too.

MediaTek held an event about its Helio line of chipsets and while it showed off the X20, its first chipset with a 10-core CPU, Meizu representatives came on stage to talk about the X25

The MediaTek Helio X25 was co-developed with Meizu, which will have exclusive use of it and will put it in the Meizu Pro 6.

The chipset is basically an enhanced version of the X20. It has a three cluster design - 2x Cortex A72 cores and two quartets of A53

The difference with the X20 is that the "Turbo cluster," the A72 cores, will be clocked higher (2.5GHz, up from 2.3GHz) and so will the GPU (850MHz). Despite these enhancements, the power draw should remain the same.

Skype for Web now lets you call phones, watch YouTube videos directly

Skype's Web client has received a neat update today, one which brings with it a couple of new features. First off, you can now call mobile phones as well as landlines straight from Skype's Web interface. This might let you save money compared to your carrier's rates, depending on where you're calling. You obviously need either a Skype calling subscription or some Skype credit in your account in order to make use of this functionality.

Next up, you can watch YouTube videos directly inside Skype for Web from this point on. When someone shares a link to a YouTube video in a Skype conversation, that will instantly embed said video into the page. So no more jumping to a new tab or window to see the video in question. Furthermore, when other URLs are shared in Skype for Web, you'll see an image from the webpage.

You can add new people to a conversation even if they're not on Skype, which is something that debuted in Skype's client for Windows PCs not long ago. Basically you create a unique URL for a conversation, and then share that with the person who doesn't have a Skype account. He or she will then be able to join in.

Finally, notifications are going to show up as long as you're signed into Skype for Web and have it open in your browser, even if you're in another app or another tab.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge available for $700 in US

If you are in the United States, and are planning to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, you'll be glad to know that you can currently get it at the price of Galaxy S7.

eBay seller 232tech is currently selling the new Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (32GB) for $700, which is down $100 when compared to carrier locked variants at the moment and $200 cheaper if you purchase the phone outright.

The unit on offer is unlocked and carries a model number of SM-G935F, which means that it's an international model. What's worth reminding here is that unlike US models (which pack in SD820 chipset), international Galaxy S7/S7 edge models are powered by the latest Exynos SoC.

LG G5 Arrives In The US In Early April With Free Cecond Battery

LG has announced that its recently unveiled G5 flagship smartphone is going to land in the US sometime in early April. Oddly enough the company hasn't revealed the actual release date for the handset, but that could very well be April 8 - because the G5 is launching on that day in both Canada and the UK.

You'll find the G5 in stock at such carriers and retailers as AT&T, Best Buy, B&H, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon. Prices are still not known though.

Emulating a promotion that we've seen run many times for last year's G4 and V10, LG will give people who buy a G5 in the US a free second battery and charging cradle. This offer will be available for a limited time, but the company hasn't said exactly how long you'll have to take advantage of it.

At the same time as the phone, LG will also release the G5 Friends in the US. These are the modular accessories that were presented at MWC last month. Some of these help 'transform' the G5 into things like a "DSLR style camera" or a mobile virtual reality viewer.

vivo Xplay 5 Elite Goes Official With 6GB RAM, Vivo Xplay 5 announced.

On March 1st, vivo held a special event in China to announce its next flagship lineup - the vivo Xplay 5. As it turned out the Xplay 5 will launch in two different models - vivo Xplay 5 and vivo Xplay 5 Elite.

vivo Xplay 5 Elite

vivo Xplay 5 Elite is a more powerful model, made entirely of metal and using Gorilla Glass 4 to cover the dual-curved 5.43" Super AMOLED Quad HD screen. It is powered by a Snapdragon 820 chipset with the insane 6GB RAM and integrated non-expandable 128GB storage right out the box.

The Xplay 5 Elite has a rear 16MP (Sony IMX298) snapper with phase-detection AF and dual-tone LED flash, plus an 8MP selfie snapper at the front. The Xplay 5 Elite is a dual-SIM device, supports LTE networks, Hi-Fi 3.0 (2*ES9028+OPA1612), and comes with a 3,600 mAh battery.

Finally, the Xplay 5 Elite has a rear fingerprint scanner on the back.

The Xplay 5 Elite runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop, skinned with the latest Funtouch launcher with split-screen multitasking support. It will launch on March 8 in China and will set you back CNY 4,288 ($655).

vivo Xplay 5

The vivo Xplay 5 is a more affordable version of the Elite model, which retains the same design, 5.43" Super AMOLED QHD display, camera setup, and 128GB storage, but downgrades the chipset to Snapdragon 652 with 4GB of RAM. The Hi-Fi chip configuration is also of a different kind - CS4395+AD45257.

vivo Xplay 5 will launch in China on March 8 for CNY 3,698 ($565).

In case you are not familiar with the Snapdragon models - the 652 flavor offers an octa-core processor with 4xCortex-A72 at 1.8GHz + 4xCortex-A53 at 1.4GHz, and Adreno 510 GPU. The 820 flagship chip packs a custom quad-core Kryo processor and Adreno 530 GPU.

There are no details on international availability, but we guess both models will expand their market reach later on.

Samsung to shut down Milk Music.

I remember when I was working as a Samsung rep inside Best Buy last year, I was instructed to install Milk Music and Milk Video to every Samsung Phone that we handled. Many customers loved the idea of free radio stations with no ads for a year, and I am sure most of them didn’t like the idea of continuing to pay for premium service after the year was up.

Samsung seems to have given up on Milk Music and reports say Samsung is going to shut it down for good. The idea of having a music service that is exclusive to Galaxy phones was a great idea, however, the problem was that Samsung didn’t leverage it as well as it should have, it didn’t give customers a compelling music service that wasn’t already a lot like Pandora.

Even so, Samsung has left Milk Music out of its new lineup of TVs when there was no mention of being able to use the music service. Also, Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 edge announcement in MWC last month didn’t make any mention of Milk Music either.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge to allegedly launch in India next week

According to a report by BGR India, Samsung could be launching the next generation flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones in India as early as next week.

The exact date is unknown, the Economic Times believes it will be around March 8 and that the phone will go on sale in the third week of March with prices matching the iPhone 6s in India.

ET also believes Samsung will be spending about $15 million worth on marketing the phone in India, an unprecedented amount for the company, to compete against the iPhone that has a massive reputation in the Indian market.

Xiaomi Mi4s design and specifications: Another great choice in the upper mid-range category

It is easy to recognize that Xiaomi Mi4s is a more advanced variant of Xiaomi Mi4, carrying an affordable price tag. Design-wise, Mi4s sports an elegant metal frame covering around the handset, and on the back, there are a glass panel and a fingerprint scanner, making it look totally premium. As for color options, you can choose among White, Black, Purple and Gold versions, yet in our opinion, we find the purple one is the most interesting. How about you?

Xiaomi Mi4s has not only the beauty but also the power to strongly compete with other devices in its kind. Specifically, Xiaomi Mi4s specs contain a handy 5.0-inch Full HD screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable via a microSD card). As for photography, you can use its 13MP rear camera with PDAF plus dual LED flash or 5MP selfie snapper to take pictures. Such a standard combo but will bring you beautiful shots!

In addition, the whole machine is run by MIUI 7 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, a pretty decent 3,260mAh battery supporting Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 tech, a dual SIM, and 4G+ network with VoLTE. In general, this is a very good smartphone that can perform any task, even some heavy games and apps.

Xiaomi Mi4s Price and availability

According to the source, Xiaomi Mi4s will go on sale from March 1, 2016 in China with Xiaomi Mi4s price set at 1,699 Yuan or $260. Though, no word has been made for its international availability. Let’s wait for the firm’s official announcement. Now, tell us you opinions about this new Xiaomi model!

Samsung reportedly manufacturing 17.2 million S7 units before April

            The highly anticipated Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are expecting to break last year’s initial number of Galaxy S6 units in the first three months following its announcement.

A Korean media outlet reports that Samsung is preparing to manufacturer a total of 17.2 million Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge units by April of this year.

Samsung is really hoping to break its previous record set by the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge which sold roughly 15.8 million units in its first three months after launch with the second most successful device title held by the Galaxy S4 selling just over 15.2 million units in its initial sale period.

Also, the company has reportedly changed its ratio of S7 and S7 edge where the S6 was manufactured 4:1 with the S6 edge constantly in short supply. 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 last year.

Samsung hopes the overwhelming reception to the Galaxy S7’s announcement this year at MWC is indication to the S7 and S7 edge’s success and should break the S6’s record for the first three months of sales.

More of iPhone 7 to feature innovative technology.

iPhone 7: wireless charge for as far as…

Latest reports have been spreading that, Energous, a small start-up company has started a contract with Apple to bring a brand new gaming technology to the upcoming iPhone. And this technology is called WattUp. WattUp is actually a chip which is, once added to the device, allows it to get charged wirelessly from as far as up to 15 feet (around 4.5 meters). This chip developed by Energous will be so tiny it won’t affect the size of the smartphone, knowing that Apple is trying to keep the iPhone 7 as slim as possible.

In order to activate wireless charging from WattUp, you need to put a transmitter inside your room or office, and the device will be automatically charged all day, even all night. And also according to same reports, by partnering with Energous, Apple will be having all exclusive rights to this technology, making the awaited iPhone 7 a step more competitive than its rivals, which include most of the soon-to-be-released premium flagships of 2016.

Although we haven’t had any real life experience with this WattUp chip, it sounds like there would be a lot more convenience by using this kind of distanced and automatic charge. It would be very more appealing if the wireless charge is also fast charge. Because except for bed time, who would stay in a room for longer than a couple of hours?

iPhone 7 new tech – featuring a new variant

Apparently, neither Apple nor Energous have had their official confirm on this partnership. But they don’t deny it either. Some rumors are even suggesting an iPhone 7S variant to experiment this brand new technology.

Oneplus 3 to launch in Q2, to be drastically different from predecessors

We’ve all heard about Oneplus. It was the company who promised to sell a phone that was a flagship killer. The company got so much attention with the introduction of the Oneplus One.

It was a $300 phone that was sold unlocked and designed to directly compete with the other leading flagships at the time like the more costly devices like the Nexus 5, Galaxy S5 or LG G3 while offering similar or better features that users look for in a phone like NFC, great camera, and long lasting battery life.

In a CNET interview with Oneplus co-founder, Carl Pei stated that the US market will be very important for Oneplus this year with more traditional marketing methods. Could this mean that the invite system will be shelved for the new flagship?

Perhaps. The company said it was very excited about the Oneplus 3 and thinks it will captivate interest like the Original One did, the Oneplus 2 wasn’t as well received when someone decided to strip NFC from the phone altogether, thought it did sell more units than the OnePlus One.

It was not all flowers and roses for the Chinese startup company at the beginning. The company decided to go unconventional and set up an invitation-only program to sell the OnePlus One. So for several months after the phone’s launch, it was still damn-near impossible to get your hands on one of these suckers.

Oneplus was able to use all this positive (and negative) attention that it’d been getting with the launch of the Oneplus One to build a reputation and customer base. The Chinese startup says it has 800,000 active forum users who support the Oneplus community and inspire the company’s design choices for its smartphones.

Sony Xperia X Series With SND 820, 23MP Camera, 2-day Battery

Son Xperia X series: X, X Performance and XA to start a new great era for Sony

Yes, three of them have made a totally new series known as Xperia X. In fact, we are quite impressed with the way Sony names their products this time: X, X Performance and XA, having the same 5.0-inch display. However, X and Per own curved screens while XA does not. Besides, they all sport metal backs and “tone-on-tone approach”, or in other words, each handset’s front and back carry a “single, continuous color”. Well, honestly, we really like the elegant appearance of those Sony smartphones.

In terms of specifications, Sony Xperia X specs include a Snapdragon 650 chip, 3GB RAM, 32GB of expandable ROM, Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, stereo speakers, Hi-Res Audio, DNC, and Full HD display resolution. Specially, on the back, there is a “future-focused” Smart Capture camera packing Sony Predictive Hybrid Autofocus and 23MP sensor while the front contains a fantastic 13MP snapper for selfies. Under the hood, the X boasts a 2,620mAh battery which promises to give two days of use with just one charge. between charges (the battery is 2,620mAh).

As for Sony Xperia X Performance specs, it comes with Full HD resolution, a Snapdragon 820 chipset, 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM (expandable), a 2,700mAh cell, Android 6.0, and a 23MP rear/13MP front shooter combo. About Sony Xperia XA specs, they are lower-end than the others, but still pretty good with HD res, a MediaTek MT6755 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM (expandable), Android 6.0, a set of 8MP secondary plus 13MP primary cam and a 2,300mAh batt.

Sony Xperia X smartphones price and availability

Despite being announced at MWC 2016, there has been no word made for those Sony smartphones’ prices yet. Hopefully, the company will release the guys in the next weeks with reasonable costs for Xperia X, X Performance, and XA. Now, tell us your opinions and feelings about them!

How To Prolong Your Smartphone Battery

Smartphone battery is one of the most vulnerable features in a smartphone. Therefore, many user really concerns about keeping their battery life as long as possible…

1. Keep it cool

Whatever kind of battery your smartphone have, Lithium, ion, removable, non-removable, your smartphone battery will not benefit from the heat. At all. If the battery is kept hot, it will be damaging itself and reduce its longevity. So if you want to keep it long enough, do what everyone is recommending, which is to keep it in a cool condition. Some specific examples are: avoid charging when inside a hot car, using while charging , or charging right after a long time of usage.

2. Be cautious with the charger and power bank you use

Power bank is a very convenient gadget any user fells in love with. It’s handy, light and can be the immediate live-saver when you are out and running out of battery. However, be very cautious with the brand you choose. There are hundreds, if not thousands of power bank options to choose from in our market. And if you use a non-reliable brand, it will do serious harm to your smartphone battery. The worst case every witnessed is as serious as… explosion.

3. Minimize fast charging

Fast charging is such a fancy feature that more and more smartphones are coming up with. However, it has been detected to do some harm to some Lithium-Ion battery. The reason is that Fast charging doesn’t produce waste heat but forces the battery to charge in a way that drain out its longevity. Therefore, in the long run, your battery doesn’t live long if Fast Charge is used frequently by users.

4. Keep your phone from getting water damage

Not many smartphones nowadays still keep removable battery. Therefore, it would be very harmful for your battery when the phone gets water-damaged because you just can not take out the battery and have it dried. But even if the battery is removable and can be excessively dried, it is still contribute to ruin your power cell. One of the best ways to keep it working as long as possible is to keep your phone as far away from water as possible.

Flagship Vivo Xplay 5: Snapdragon 820 and 6GB RAM are on aboard!

Maybe we heard about the flagship Vivo Xplay 5 quite long ago with all the top specifications it would have. However, recently, the manufacturer has just confirmed that the Xplay 5 will not only be a strong machine but also the world’s first 6 GB RAM smartphone. Well, finally, what we’ve been waiting for is coming true. Many people predict this Vivo product can gain lotsa success like ASUS ZenFone 2 with 4 GB RAM released last year.

Not long ago, Vivo posted a teaser claiming that their Xplay 5 will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and whooping 6GB RAM. Though, apart from those two details, other Vivo Xplay 5 specs are still unknown. Yet, previous rumors suggested that the device would sport unique solar charging tech, a 6.0-inch Quad HD display, a combo of 16 MP rear plus 8 MP front-facing camera, and a pretty big 4,300 mAh battery.

Although there is not much information related to the powerful hardware of Vivo Xplay 5, we are really looking forward to it. And no doubt many thrilling battles between the Xplay 5 and other current flagships such as Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5 and Xiaomi Mi5 will happen in the near future. So, let’s wait and see!

Vivo Xplay 5 price and availability

It is said that Vivo Xplay 5 launch date will be March 1, 2016. If so, there are just a few days left. At the moment, no words have been made for Vivo Xplay 5 price, but we guess it can range from $650 to $800. What do you think? What is the reasonable cost for such an awesome handset? Share with us by commenting your favorite number in the following box!

Amazon stops returns for smartphone purchases in India

Amazon has announced that it will no longer be accepting returns for smartphone purchases in India.

From February 7 onwards, Amazon will only allow customers to initiate a replacement for their purchase, and not a return with refund. Those who received a damaged device will get a free replacement but under no circumstances will the phone be taken back for a full refund.

If this sounds bad, it's important to consider Amazon's reason for doing this. Buyers often purchase a device, use it for a while within the return period, and then send it back even if there is nothing wrong with the device. The seller would then have to bear the cost of the device, not to mention the two way shipping cost for Amazon. It is for this reason that the company has decided to stop accepting returns. Amazon's rival in India - Flipkart - has a similar no-return policy, and only does replacements for damaged units.

Unfortunately, those with a genuine reason to return a product after purchase are now left out in the cold due to a few people abusing the system.

OnePlus 2 gets a permanent price cut, now down to $349

OnePlus made some significant changes recently - the OnePlus X went on sale invite-freewhile all orders above $100 are shipping worldwide free of charge. But apparently the company had more treats in the pipeline.

As of today, the OnePlus 2 gets a permanent price cut - its new price is $349 (or €345 in EU), down from $389. This is the price for the 64GB model, as the 16GB one has been discontinued.

But this isn’t all. If you purchased a OnePlus 2 in the past 15 days, you'd be getting $40 refund (or the equivalent of currency you chose to pay with).

You can learn more about the new price cut here. OnePlus says the price will stay this low forever, so maybe we won’t be seeing another price cut in the future

The new Doom game launches on May 13 on PC, Xbox One, and PS4

It's official, ladies and gentlemen, the new Doom game will become available on May 13. This has been years in the making, and it will be the fourth installment in the wildly popular series.

The original Doom 3 was launched back in 2004, so it's certainly been a long wait for fans of the well-known first-person shooter.

On May 13, the new game will be released for PC, Xbox One, as well as PlayStation 4, thus covering all the big platforms. It's already up for pre-order at the moment, with 

prices starting at $60 for a Standard Edition, while the Collector's Edition is double that. The Standard iteration includes the full game (with solo campaign mode as well as multiplayer support). The Collector's Edition adds a 12-inch LED-lit statue of a Revenant demon.

Huawei's Honor 5X is now available in Europe from £169.99 or €209.99

It's February 4, so Huawei's countdown timer is gone from the page listing the Honor 5X in its European online store. Yes, the company's latest affordable smartphone is now available to buy if you're in Europe.

Thankfully this means we now know how much it costs. The normal price is £189.99, €229.99, or CHF 229.90, depending on where you are. However, by just entering your email address in a form that can be found on the same page, you'll instantly receive a discount code which you can use to take that price down by £20, €20, or CHF 20. So essentially you'll be paying £169.99, €209.99, or CHF 209.90 for the device - while this promo code offer is still available. There's no telling how long it will last, though.

Currently both the silver and grey versions of the Honor 5X are in stock and ready to be delivered to you, while for the gold model you will have to wait a few days (the exact number of which varies based on the country you order from). The Honor 5X can be purchased direct from Huawei if you are in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

The phone comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 5 MP selfie shooter, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 615 chipset (with a 1.5 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 4G support, and a 3,000 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop underneath Huawei's EMUI 3.1.

Bing for Android update brings it on par with iOS app, new design and features are in

Microsoft has updated its Bing app for Android today, finally bringing it on par with the iOS version. This means the Android app has received a big redesign (which you can see in the screenshots below), as well as many new features.

You can scan barcodes for products, and you'll get prices and customer reviews from big online retailers. If you search for "gas" or go to the Near Me section and select the Gas bubble you'll get fresh gas prices for your area. Then you can easily navigate to the station you're interested in.

The redesigned home page requires just one tap to get to lists of restaurants, movies, images, videos, maps, deals, and attractions near you. Swiping up from the bottom lets you check out the current weather conditions and stay up to date with the major news stories of the day.

The new Bing for Android is already available in the Google Play Store.