Touchscreen

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S8 Active with the rugged phone being exclusive to AT&T for a limited time before it will presumably be available on other US carriers as well as off-contract. During the launch period, there are numerous deals available that are focused on encouraging the purchase of other Samsung products or AT&T services.

New pictures of the Galaxy Note 8 have just gone live and seem to corroborate earlier reports of a Galaxy S8-esque design with a squared-off look at the corners, along with the presence of dual rear cameras and a redesigned S-Pen.

The LG Q6 will be getting its first international launch in India on August 10 as an Amazon exclusive after launching in South Korea earlier this month.

A deep dive into Apple's HomePod firmware has revealed strings that point to the iPhone 8's enhanced Pearl ID facial recognition that could enable the user to unlock the phone even in odd angles, such as lying flat on a table.

Microsoft has released two feature updates to their Skype iOS and Android apps in quick succession. The first brought PayPal integration to iOS and Android apps, while the second adds a dark mode option to the Android app which helps reduce eye strain eye strain during night use.

The Intel Atom-driven, 27-inch Canvas tablet with pen, touch, and dial input support can be purchased starting at US$1,799, but depending on the hardware, software, and services chosen, it can get much more expensive.

The latest driver update from Microsoft has stopped Windows Hello from activating the IR camera needed for facial recognition on some Surface Pro 4's. However, the problem with the screen vibration bug might also have been fixed.

Apple's third quarter financial reports show strong performance of the iPad and online Services. Meanwhile, revenue in the Greater China region dipped by 10%, highlighting one of the company's future challenges.

Noted product leaker, Evan Blass, has posted an image of the Galaxy Note 8 on twitter. It shows front, back, and side profile in two colors. The fingerprint scanner is in the same troublesome location as the Galaxy S8, and there appears to be a dedicated Bixby button.

The Cupertino company wants to secure and diversify its iPhone supply chain by injecting money into more overseas factories.

The Moto Z and accompanying Moto Mod products have been one of the most successful modular smartphone systems to date. Now that the second generation of Moto Z smartphones has arrived, Motorola has announced that they will continue to support their modular ecosystem for a third generation in 2018.

A Black Hat researcher has found a vulnerability with Broadcom wireless chips used in various phones including iPhone, Nexus, and Galaxy S phones. This bug allows a hacker to overflow the memory in the wireless chip and execute code in the device memory. Apple and Google have patched the flaw, but will third party manufacturers push the update to their devices?

A detailed comparison by Anandtech between the Galaxy S8 Exynos 8895 and the Galaxy S8 Snapdragon 835 showed a performance difference between the two SoC. While both chips traded blows and the difference didn't seem as pronounced, ultimately the Snapdragon 835 offered better performance.

LG Electronics posted a second quarter operating income of US$588.2 million, no thanks to the mobile department which recorded a net loss of US$-117.27 million. LG attributes the mobile loss to lower than expected sales of their premium smartphones, despite a 13% improvement in North American sales of their product line.

Foxconn, the electronics manufacturer largely responsible for building components used in the iPhone, has announced their intention to construct an LCD manufacturing plant in Wisconsin. In return, the state of Wisconsin will pay the Taiwanese company US$3 billion in taxpayer subsidies.

Qualcomm has responded to Intel's claims that they are an "anti-competitive bully," by asserting that they aren't specifically targeting Intel's products, just those that infringe on their patents.

Microsoft maintains a relatively rapid release schedule for their popular Arrow Launcher. Only two weeks after the release of version 3.7 they have released version 3.8 to beta testers.

The latest firmware update for the Surface Pro 4 has enabled the Power-Mode slider, which was previously only available on the new Surface Pro 2017 and the Surface Book. The slider provides users with a quick and effortless way to adjust power settings on the fly.

It looks like Facebook could be resurrecting Googlle's Project Ara, which was cancelled in 2016. It's still unclear how a modular device would fit into Facebook's business model, but the company certainly acquired key team members that worked for Google's Project Ara and also Amazon's Alexa speaker.

OnePlus has been in contact with the original user who reported the 911 reboot bug, and they have successfully tested a bug fix that has stopped the phone from rebooting when dialing emergency services. It is expected that they will release an OTA update in the near future.

After a one month early access program, Bixby Voice is now receiving a full launch for the US market. Samsung is hoping that the deep integration with their applications will allow users to seamlessly switch between voice and touch input when using their phone.

Microsoft uses their line of Surface devices to help set an example for OEMs; however, their quality control appears to have slipped a bit as over 200 users have claimed on the Microsoft forums that their devices are showing excessive backlight bleed.

Canadians are first to get their hands on the Grand X View 2 tablet and Bell is selling it for CAD $179.99 (USD $141).

A new Samsung Galaxy variant, purportedly the Galaxy S8 'lite', has hit the Geekbench benchmarks list and interestingly, the device seems to feature an unannounced Snapdragon 840 chipset.

Techspot pits the i7-7700K against the slightly more expensive hexa-core i7-7800X, and the results are conclusive: the 7800X might give you more cores, but it's less (game) performance for more money.

The "world's thinnest and lightest Windows-based 2-in-1" will have optional WiTricity wireless charging mat and detachable keyboard accessories.

Leaked case renders for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8 phablet lend credence to earlier reports of a bezel-less Infinity display and presence of dual cameras in what could be Samsung's most impressive comeback in the phablet space after the Note 7 debacle.

The price of manufacturing a 5.5-inch FHD AMOLED display is now a mere 10 cents more than a 5.5-inch LCD panel. Market researchers are expecting the market for AMOLED to grow by 63% this year, and that by 2020, 50% of smartphones will have an AMOLED screen.

Huawei's current flagship can be had for $150 USD off the original price for a limited time. A total of six other Huawei devices will also be discounted for Amazon Prime users only.

A new mobile device prototype, which could likely be focused on AR/VR, is doing the rounds in Microsoft HQ that could possibly signal the company's efforts for a comeback in mobile.

Canary builds of Chrome OS feature a touch launcher suggesting that Chrome OS could soon power touch-enabled displays in the near future

Microsoft has confirmed that some Surface Pro units are being affected by sudden and random hibernation — though other users assert the laptop is simply turning off abruptly, causing them to lose work.

A midrange spec sheet coupled with a humongous 5000 mAh battery and a 16MP selfie camera make the ZTE Nubia N2 standout from the rest of the pack.