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The Japanese carrier KDDI picks up Qualcomm's latest LTE IoT modem

Qualcomm has announced that it has broken into the Japanese IoT market. The carrier KDDI has approved the 9205 modem for this platform. Therefore, its network for high-volume, low-power electronics can now transfer data at 4G/LTE ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 30 Jan 2020 19:10

Transparent displays may become more of a feature of lfe in the future. (Source: YouTube)

The transparent display market may be worth billions by 2024

Transparent displays may become a commonplace backdrop for the future of technology. They can show colored images and videos, while allowing whatever's behind them to remain visible. A new research report indicates that their mark...

Deirdre O Donnell, 30 Jan 2020 17:30

The Mate 20 Lite started life running Android 8.1 Oreo builds of EMUI. (Image source: Huawei)

Android 10 goes global for the Mate 20 Lite as Huawei releases EMUI 10 worldwide

The Mate 20 Lite may share its name with two of Huawei's former flagships, but the mid-range handset has not been afforded the same software support as the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro. While the latter two received EMUI 10 globally in...

Alex Alderson, 30 Jan 2020 16:32

Xiaomi launched the Mi A2 Lite running Android 8.1 Oreo builds of Android One. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi confirms that the Mi A2 Lite will receive Android 10 after all

Xiaomi has seemingly been toing and froing about whether to bring Android 10 to the Mi A2 Lite, despite it being an Android One handset. Now, the company has cleared up confusion about the update, although a timescale for its rele...

Alex Alderson, 30 Jan 2020 16:16

The Galaxy S8 and Note 8 are unlikely to ever receive Android 10 officially. (Image source: Phone Arena)

The Galaxy S8 and Note 8 can now be upgraded to Android 10

The Galaxy S8 and Note 8 may now be two generations old, but they are still mighty powerful smartphones. Although they have started life on Android Nougat too, both can now be upgraded to Android 10. The Exynos 8895 and Snapdragon...

Alex Alderson, 29 Jan 2020 20:35

Smart speakers will continue to be big business in the near future. (Source: Google)

The smart speaker market may be worth nearly US$20 billion by 2024

Smart speakers are increasingly popular household items. Their market is now thought to be capable of growing until it is worth US$19.91 billion in 4 years. This success may be driven by the rise of 5G, urbanization, consumer inte...

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Jan 2020 19:41

Realme X2 Pro gets VoWiFi via its latest software update

Realme X2 Pro gets VoWiFi functionality, January security patch, and more via latest update

Indian Realme X2 Pro users will soon be able to use VoWiFi on Reliance Jio and Airtel. The functionality comes via its latest software update which also brings the January security patch. It is rolling out now and will be availabl...

Anil Satyanarayana, 29 Jan 2020 17:28

The Reno family may be getting a new 5G member. (Source: MediaTek)

OPPO may have a new Snapdragon 765-powered phone in the works

A phone calling itself the OPPO PCLM50 has surfaced on Geekbench 5 recently. This putative new phone has an unnamed chipset, but one that may very well be Qualcomm's new mid-tier flagship, the Snapdragon 765G - or its nearest vari...

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Jan 2020 16:31

The Samsung Galaxy XCover 4s. (Source: Notebookcheck)

The Samsung Galaxy XCover 4s could be headed for an Android 10 update

The Galaxy XCover 4s is one of the latest in Samsung's line of rugged smartphones. It currently runs Android 9.0 (Pie). Now, however, devices with its model number have appeared on a benchmarking site running a major upgrade to th...

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Jan 2020 15:38

There is a good chance that the Mi A3 has not received Android 10, despite Xiaomi's assurances otherwise. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi confounds fans with latest news about the Mi A3

The Mi A3 is not due to receive Android 10 until next month, right? Not so, according to Xiaomi. The company has informed fans that the OS upgrade is live and rolling out to handsets now. There appears to be no evidence of this be...

Alex Alderson, 29 Jan 2020 13:48

The Google Pixel 4 will soon get the ability to record calls.

APK teardown reveals the Pixel 4's Google Phone app getting native call recording support

An APK teardown has revealed that Google will be bringing native call recording functionality to the Google Phone app in Pixel devices. The updated Google Phone app will allow users to record, transcribe, and export the recordings...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 29 Jan 2020 13:43

Indian users of the Huawei Y9 (2019) have to make do with EMUI 9. (Image Source: MySmartPrice)

Huawei Y9 (2019) Indian variant and Nova 3/Nova 3i will not be receiving the EMUI 10 update

Huawei has given users of the Huawei Y9 (2019) Indian variant and the Nova 3/Nova 3i a cold shoulder as the company has confirmed the said devices will not be updated to EMUI 10. This is surprising considering that global variants...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 29 Jan 2020 12:22

World of Tanks 1.7.1 - first battle in the dual-barreled IS-2-II heavy tank (Source: Own)

World of Tanks 1.7.1: Double-barreled tanks are finally here

In addition to the long-awaited dual-barreled tanks that have been added to the Russian tech tree (namely the IS-2-II, IS-3-II, and the ST-II), World of Tanks 1.7.1 also comes with the Demount Kit feature that allows players to se...

Codrut Nistor, 29 Jan 2020 10:41

The Skyle with an iPad Pro installed. (Source: Inclusive Technology)

Control your iPad Pro 12.9 via eye-tracking alone with this new accessory

Inclusive Technology has debuted the Skyle, a housing for the larger iPad Pro 2018 variant that allows this tablet to be operated using eye-movements alone. It can allow certain users to access the App Store independently for the ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Jan 2020 22:21

The Huawei Y9 (2019) will receive Android 10, but what about other phones that should be eligible? (Source: Huawei)

Huawei finally promises Android 10 for the Huawei Y9 (2019), but what about the Nova 3 and Honor Play?

Owners of the Huawei Y9 (2019) mounted a campaign against the company after it was revealed that their phones would not get the Android 10 update. That move appears to have been effective, as Huawei has now backtracked and promise...

Ricci Rox, 28 Jan 2020 18:44

This is likely to be the final update that the Galaxy S9 series will receive. (Image source: Reddit)

Samsung confuses Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus owners with latest One UI update

In what may well be a u-turn, Samsung has started releasing One UI 2.0 to the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. The Android 10 update may be the last OS that the two devices receive, but it is better than having to wait another month ...

Alex Alderson, 28 Jan 2020 18:18

Avast-related search suggestions in Bing search (Source: Own)

The price of free software: Avast has been selling the browser history of its users

Although there are still freeware products that are completely free, others come with hidden traps that the user only gets to find out about via scandals. The free Avast antivirus is such a product — it turns out that the Czech fi...

Codrut Nistor, 28 Jan 2020 17:42

Shadow Brawlers game start cinematic (Source: Own)

Quick game review | Shadow Brawlers is a hidden gem worth checking out

Apparently a rather basic arcade fighting game, Shadow Brawlers allows you to bring some friends for offline multiplayer battles that cover quite a few different modes and has the potential to keep you busy for a very long time — ...

Codrut Nistor, 28 Jan 2020 16:28

The Mi 9T may well be replaced by a rebranded Redmi K30 later this year. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Android 10 builds of MIUI 11 may cause high battery drain on the Xiaomi Mi 9T and Redmi K20, but there is a workaround

Xiaomi's latest build of MIUI 11 for the Mi 9T and Redmi K20 may be re-issue Android 10 to both devices, but there have also been reports of the update causing heavy battery drain for some handsets. There is a workaround though, w...

Alex Alderson, 28 Jan 2020 12:17

Apple now owes WiLAN US$85 million

The Canadian tech patent development group WiLAN has won a court case against Apple in which the former asserted that the latter had used its intellectual property without permission. However, the actual damages involved were to b...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Jan 2020 23:20

The TV is still the most popular platform for videos. (Source: Philips)

The TV is still the preferred device for content consumption: new report

Today, the world seems filled with screens of high enough resolutions to consume the content they can show regardless of their size or portability. However, a new report shows that TVs have still managed to retain the greatest sha...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Jan 2020 19:48

Torchlight Frontiers Alpha in the Arc client (Source: Own)

Torchlight Frontiers becomes Torchlight III, drops free-to-play model

Known as Torchlight Frontiers during its Alpha stage, the successor of Torchlight and Torchlight II is now on its way to being launched as — obviously — Torchlight III. Even more, the game will drop the free-to-play business model...

Codrut Nistor, 27 Jan 2020 19:47

Chuwi releases the HeroBox, a new mini-PC for US$199

Chuwi may be best-known for its Microsoft Surface clones; however, it has decided that it will also do HTPCs now. This Herobox has a Gemini Lake chipset with the Intel UHD Graphics 600 necessary for 4K video playback. It also has ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Jan 2020 18:56

Windows 7 will receive one more update despite its official death two weeks ago. (Image via Microsoft)

Microsoft to release update for Windows 7 despite ending support earlier this month

In an unexpected move, Microsoft will issue another public update for Windows 7. The update, which comes almost two weeks after Microsoft officially ended support for the OS, will fix a bug affecting desktop wallpapers. The bug wa...

Sam Medley, 27 Jan 2020 16:19

This game comes preinstalled on the TCL PLEX with its new Android upgrade. (Source: GameLoft)

TCL Plex owners get Android 10 and more from their latest software update

Those who use TCL's latest triple-camera smartphone, the PLEX, may be pleasantly surprised by a new OTA update that confers Android 10 and the January 1, 2020 security patch on these devices. This download is 2.7GB in size, and th...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Jan 2020 16:14

The Mi A2 Lite will more than likely receive Android 10 at some stage. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Fans petition Xiaomi as it allays fears that the Mi A2 Lite will not receive Android 10

The news that Xiaomi may not bring Android 10 to the Mi A2 Lite has clearly annoyed some people. Hundreds of people have responded by petitioning the company to do so, with representatives seemingly on hand to calm fears. Xiaomi s...

Alex Alderson, 27 Jan 2020 14:34

One UI 2.0 is likely to be the last update that the S9 series will receive. (Image source: PhoneArena)

Rumour | Samsung fuels theories that the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus have had their One UI 2.0 and Android 10 updates rescheduled

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ have been eligible for beta versions of One UI 2.0, Samsung's custom version of Android 10, for months now. The arrival of Android 10 on the Galaxy Note 9 brought hope to the idea of Samsung honouring its Jan...

Alex Alderson, 27 Jan 2020 14:22

Smartphones in Russia will soon have to be more Russian... whatever that may mean. (Image via Charles DeLuvio on Unsplash, with edits)

Electronics sold in Russia must soon have software that supports "Russian spiritual and moral values"

A new draft of a government resolution in Russia mandates that all electronics sold in the country carry pre-installed software from Russian companies that espouses the "formation of the priority of traditional Russian spiritual a...

Sam Medley, 27 Jan 2020 05:20

According to a new rumor, every phone that can run iOS 13 will be able to run iOS 14. (Image via Apple)

Rumor claims iOS 14 will still support iPhone SE, iPhone 6S

A new rumor from French website iPhonesoft claims that iOS 14 will be compatible with the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, and original iPhone SE. However, the upcoming version of iPadOS will supposedly drop support for the iPad Air 2 and iPad...

Sam Medley, 26 Jan 2020 22:57

Ultra-short videos have returned to the mobile device world. (Source: Byte)

Vine regenerates as Byte, a new 6-second video app

Byte has emerged from beta onto the Play Store and the App Store. It, much like its predecessor Vine, allows the user to make videos of 6 seconds in length. Both apps also have a creator in common, who hopes to bring a form of rev...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Jan 2020 22:03

The Huawei Y9 (2019) ran Android Oreo out of the box. (Source: Huawei)

Huawei Y9 (2019) owners up in arms after Android 10 snub

Huawei has confirmed that the Huawei Y9 (2019) will not receive the Android 10-based EMUI 10 update, and owners of the phone are, well, unhappy about that decision. Rightfully so, too, as the Honor 8X, another mid-range phone, was...

Ricci Rox, 26 Jan 2020 19:23

According to a new report, the Olympus Tough TG-6 counts as an action-cam. (Source: Olympus)

The action-camera market will be worth nearly US$9 billion by 2025

Action cameras are a popular device category, particularly among those who want to record their rugged pursuits wherever they go. A new report indicates that the market in question will grow to be worth US$8.9 billion in the next ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Jan 2020 19:15

The "Redmi fitness tracker" image. (Source: Weibo)

New leaks suggest Redmi will break into wearables soon

According to a new leak, Redmi - which is usually known as a smartphone brand - will launch a fitness tracker soon. It may be of the kind that fits into a silicone wrist-band, and may also have a front-facing capacitive button. Th...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Jan 2020 18:28

The Nexus 6P case claimants should receive their payments soon. (Source: Amazon)

The Nexus 6P settlement is on the brink of paying out

Recently, the Google/Huawei Nexus 6P was the subject of a class action lawsuit in which the claimants experienced a disproportional amount of battery drain, bootloops or both. This case was settled, and the beneficiaries have now ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Jan 2020 16:56

The Xiaomi Redmi 8A has a 12 MP primary camera. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi Redmi 8A owners rejoice as Android 10 could be winging its way to you soon

It seems owners of the Xiaomi Redmi 8A budget-friendly smartphone could soon be enjoying all the features that Android 10 has to offer. A recent Geekbench database entry for a “Xiaomi Redmi 8A” has “Android 10” mentioned as its op...

Daniel R Deakin, 26 Jan 2020 05:04

The Google Camera app may have been upgraded to support 24fps recording. (Source: Google)

The latest Google Camera app update allegedly hints at new 24fps feature

Google Camera has just been updated to version 7.3.017 on the Play Store. A new report allegedly based on a teardown of its APK specifies the ability to record at 24 frames per second (fps). This option may pertain to upcoming pho...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Jan 2020 21:10

The Galaxy M20's successor may have appeared on Geekbench. (Source: Amazon)

Samsung Galaxy M21: new leak points to same SoC as Galaxy A51

The Samsung Galaxy M20 will probably get a successor called the M21 this year. A new addition to the Geekbench 5 database suggests that this phone does in fact exist. Should it be genuine, it will be powered by the Exynos 9611 chi...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Jan 2020 18:42

Smart TVs will continue to grow as a market until 2025. (Source: Wikipedia)

Smart TV shipments may grow by about 57 million until 2025

Smart TVs are already popular purchases, and may become more so in the future due to their role as smart-home hubs. The latest analysis of their market has found that their shipments may number about 266 million over the next 5 ye...

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Jan 2020 20:36

Wearables may play more of a role in health and medicine over the next 5 years. (Source: Pigsback)

The fitness tracker market may reach US$5 billion in 5 years

The latest report on the health- and fitness-tracker market shows that it may achieve a valuation of as much as US$5 billion by 2025. This may be driven by the increasing number of applications and functions for these devices. The...

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Jan 2020 19:50

The Galaxy A01 may be the Galaxy A10e's successor in the US. (Source: MySmartPrice)

Samsung Galaxy A01 confirmed by FCC listing, may launch in US soon

The 2020 Samsung Galaxy A-series of smartphones was rumored to gain a novel variant called the A01 this year. However, it seems the leak in question has been proved true thanks to new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approv...

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Jan 2020 19:06

Austere's new 8K HDMI 2.1 Cable. (Source: Austere)

Austere releases an HDMI 2.1 cable for 8K UHD content

8K is the next up-and-coming thing in display-tech standards. However, devices that support it may only be so effective at showing it without compatible, high-quality cables. The company Austere has put just such a product on the ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Jan 2020 18:25

The V50 ThinQ has already started receiving Android 10 in South Korea. (Image source: @SomeGadgetGuy)

Dropping like flies: LG announces its LG UX 9.0 Android 10 roadmap

Two years ago, LG promised that it would start delivering updates faster and more frequently. While 2019 largely proved a bust in that regard, the company has already started pushing Android 10 to the V50 ThinQ. Now, the company h...

Alex Alderson, 24 Jan 2020 17:21

The Pocophone F1, better than ever at over a year old? (Image source: Gizchina)

Rumour | Android 10 update doubles gaming performance for the Pocophone F1

Xiaomi may have taken its time in delivering Android 10 to the Pocophone F1, but the OS upgrade apparently brings more than just minor changes to the device. Some people are even claiming that the update brings drastically improve...

Alex Alderson, 24 Jan 2020 17:04

The Mi A2 Lite has only received one OS upgrade since launching in July 2018. (Image source: Frandroid)

Xiaomi fuels speculation that it has binned the Mi A2 Lite after just one OS upgrade

Xiaomi launched the Mi A2 Lite in mid-2018 running Android One, making it eligible for at least one more OS upgrade. However, the company has now sparked talk online about whether the device will even receive Android 10, with it s...

Alex Alderson, 24 Jan 2020 16:57

The Moto G7 Plus starts updating to Android 10

According to a Brazilian blog, Motorola has started to update its Moto G7 Plus to the latest version of Android. It adds the new kind of navigation controls, a dark mode and December 2019 security patches to this phone. So far, it...

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Jan 2020 23:35

The Inkplate 6 could become any kind of display missing from a creator's life. (Source: CrowdSupply)

The Inkplate 6: a new platform for fans of Arduino programming, e-paper and custom design

The Inkplate 6 is a new product directed at those who like to make custom electronics from (nearly) scratch. It is a display that offers all the advantages of e-paper, as well as support for the hardware and software to customize ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Jan 2020 21:51

OxygenOS 10.3.1. squashes plenty of bugs for the OnePlus 6 and 6T. (Image source: OnePlus)

OnePlus rolls out stable OxygenOS 10.3.1 bug-crushing update for the OnePlus 6 and 6T

OnePlus has announced and started rolling out OxygenOS 10.3.1 for the OnePlus 6 and 6T. The latest stable update for the devices addresses a host of issues while also improving system and camera performance.

Alex Alderson, 23 Jan 2020 17:47

The Galaxy S8 and Note 8 are currently stuck on the Android 9.0 Pie version of One UI. (Image source: The Nerd Mag)

Samsung prompts speculation that the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 will receive One UI 2.0 and Android 10 after all

Despite not being officially confirmed, the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 appeared to have missed the cut for upgrades to One UI 2.0, Samsung's custom version of Android 10. While some people had accepted the notion of their two-year-old h...

Alex Alderson, 22 Jan 2020 20:04

Wine 5.0 now available for download, source code also up for grabs (Source: WineHQ)

Wine 5.0 now available for all supported operating systems

The version labeled 5.0 of the popular open-source software compatibility layer known as Wine has just surfaced as both source code and binary for multiple operating systems, including Android, macOS, and various Linux distros. Th...

Codrut Nistor, 22 Jan 2020 15:05

The PS4 UI is currently on update 7.00. (Image source: IndianExpress)

First glimpse at potential PlayStation 5 user interface shows similarity with PS4's UI

A picture of what is claimed to be the first look at the PlayStation 5’s user interface has been posted on a well-known imageboard. The poster of the image states that they work at a game studio that is currently utilizing PS5 dev...

Daniel R Deakin, 22 Jan 2020 06:46