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The Meizu Note 9 in its 3 new colors. (Source: Meizu)

The Meizu Note 9 launches in China

The Meizu Note 9 is one of a handful of phones that rocks the new 48MP Samsung camera sensor. It has been launched today in China for prices ranging from about US$208 to $238, depending on the variant selected. However, it will no...

Deirdre O Donnell, 06 Mar 2019 18:03

Messenger's dark mode is up and running. (Source: Facebook)

Facebook Messenger's Dark Mode is now available for activation

A new feature in Facebook's Messenger app - Dark Mode - has been in the works for some time now. A Redditor has recently noticed that it can be activated by sending a specific emoji. The new Mode may particularly benefit those wit...

Deirdre O Donnell, 05 Mar 2019 19:32

Microsoft Edge is being re-vamped with numerous Chromium tweaks. (Source: Microsoft)

Images of Chromium-based Edge emerge online

The new version of Microsoft Edge, a browser whose development is now driven by that of Chromium's, has been leaked in a set of images by Neowin. They show a browser that will indeed ring a number of bells for those who follow the...

Deirdre O Donnell, 05 Mar 2019 18:03

Opinion | By all indications, the Nokia 9 PureView's cameras were not designed with the average user in mind

HMD Global released the Nokia 9 PureView a few weeks ago, and the first batch of camera reviews from various outlets are finally in. While photos taken by the flagship's five rear cameras are excellent, it’s become painfully obvio...

Ricci Rox, 05 Mar 2019 14:10

A render of what the Essential Phone 2 could possibly look like. (Source: YouTube/Science and Knowledge channel)

Essential gives PH-1 Phone users Digital Wellbeing; PH-2 concept video wows viewers but fails to convince

Essential has informed PH-1 phone users that the latest security patch from Google is now available. However, the March update brings a welcome new feature for owners of the Essential Phone: Support for Google’s Digital Wellbeing ...

Daniel R Deakin, 05 Mar 2019 08:23

Google has released the March update for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. (Source: BGR)

Some Google Pixel 3 owners are reporting improved storage performance after latest software update

Some Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphone owners have been reporting that the March update for their devices has optimized read/write storage performance to a considerable degree. Images of AndroBench comparisons between Febru...

Daniel R Deakin, 05 Mar 2019 07:07

The Xiaomi Mi Max and Mi Max Prime may have helped kick the giant-screen trend off. (Source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi will cease official software support for the Mi Max and Mi Max Prime in April

Xiaomi released its first iterations of the Mi Max line in 2016, and they have received regular software updates ever since. However, the OEM has announced that the Mi Max and Mi Max Prime will see its final stable build in April ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 04 Mar 2019 18:31

A potentiallly critical bug has been found through the use of a Vu Android TV. (Source: NDTV Gadgets)

A Twitter user claims an Android TV allowed access to other users' Google Photos data

An Indian Twitter user has alleged that an Android TV to which he had access allowed him to see all the other accounts linked to the same via the Google Home app. The bug in question also could have let him put their Google Photos...

Deirdre O Donnell, 04 Mar 2019 17:43

AMD Adrenalin software now live across all Ryzen, Vega, and Radeon PCs

The Adrenalin 2019 Edition unifies Radeon and Vega GPUs under a single software umbrella for faster updates. Owners of Kaby Lake-G laptops and NUCs, however, will be out of luck.

Allen Ngo, 04 Mar 2019 06:18

Microsoft Excel will convert photo data into tables soon. (Source: Microsoft)

New version of mobile MS Office can convert photos into Excel spreadsheets

Microsoft has announced a useful new feature for Office on phones or tablets: the ability to convert an image of a table into one in Excel. The app will use optical character recognition (OCR) and AI to deliver this promising new ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 03 Mar 2019 23:33

TikTok has amassed over a billion downloads on iOS and Android

The short-video app TikTok has seen its billionth download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store combined. It has also rivalled Facebook and surpassed Instagram for app install counts in 2018. It was also the most-downloade...

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Mar 2019 19:50

The Bixby button can now be remapped on older Samsung Galaxy flagships as well. (Source: CNET)

Bixby remapping now available on older Samsung Galaxy devices as well

Samsung is now offering the ability to remap the Bixby button on older flagships such as the Galaxy Note 9, S9/S9+, Note 8, and S8/S8+. The update is available via the Galaxy Store and allows the user to select a custom app to lau...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 01 Mar 2019 23:06

Fortnite Season 8 now live (Source: Epic Games)

Fortnite Season 8 arrives with pirates, ninjas, new map points of interest, and more

The eighth season of Epic Games' Fortnite comes with two new locations - Lazy Lagoon and Sunny Steps — as well as pirates, ninjas, and "a ship load of new fighters" that will join the battle. The season's Battle Pass comes with mo...

Codrut Nistor, 01 Mar 2019 10:45

Asus publishes Android Pie update roadmap

Asus has recently revealed a detailed Android Pie update roadmap that includes a wide range of handsets that mainly belong to the Zenfone 4, Zenfone 5, and Zenfone 5 families. However, the official ZenTalk forum topic is currently...

Codrut Nistor, 01 Mar 2019 09:48

This potential feature is part of Google's Web development program. (Source: Google)

Chrome developers are preparing a new feature to make back/forward navigation faster

Google engineers are developing a 'back/forward cache' to reduce the latency with which Chrome returns to a previous page, or goes forward from one. This involves saving an entire webpage in memory, JavaScript included. While this...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Feb 2019 20:35

Connected LED bulbs can often change color at the tap of a screen. (Source: TechHive)

New Google Home app update adds ability to control the color of smart-home lighting

The Google Home app can act as a one-stop shop for all your smart-home appliance control needs. Its latest update also adds the ability to tune the color of connected bulbs or lamps. This is opposed to the simple on-off switch fou...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Feb 2019 18:56

The 'Meizu 16s' and its ultra-short forehead. (Source: SlashLeaks)

New leaked images suggest next Meizu flagship will be both notchless and punch hole-free

Meizu's next flagship smartphone, projected to be called the 16s, is linked to new images posted on SlashLeaks. They show a phone with a traditionally-placed selfie camera, but in an ultra-low-profile forehead. The bezels on this ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Feb 2019 18:17

The new GoPro HERO 7 Dusk White. (Source: GoPro)

The GoPro HERO7 Black now has a limited-edition variant

The HERO7 Black is the top-spec'd SKU of its GoPro camera series. It is now available in a limited-edition alternative finish, Dusk White. This version will be released on March 3, 2019 on gopro.com and selected retailers worldwid...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Feb 2019 17:52

Spotify is now available in India with a host of exclusive features. (Source: Spotify)

Spotify is now available in India with exclusive features and better value than any other market

Spotify has announced that it is now available in India bringing its total number of markets to 79. Spotify is a late entrant to the country that has already has local and international providers trying to outdo each other and he...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 28 Feb 2019 09:00

MWC19 | Nubia Alpha: the flexible wrist-phone unveiled at MWC

There is a new alternative to the foldable phone already. Nubia has unveiled the Alpha, a device with a screen that curves along a wide watch-like form factor. This display is 4 inches long, and operates using the Snapdragon 2100 ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Feb 2019 18:30

Frank Herbert's Dune is a sci-fi epic that has received multiple video game adaptations.

New Dune games on the horizon

At least three new games based on Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic Dune will be making their way to consoles and PC over the next six years. Funcom, the developer behind Conan Exiles and Conan Unconquered, has signed a contract with Le...

Sam Medley, 27 Feb 2019 18:09

The Energizer Ultimate U620S' dual pop-up selfie camera. (Source: Android Authority)

MWC19 | Energizer's new foldable smartphone is unveiled

Energizer, a brand known better for disposable lithium-ion batteries, has brought new smartphones made under its name to MWC. One is an extremely typical mobile device, although it has a dual pop-up camera. Another is a foldable p...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Feb 2019 15:46

Swatch claims that Samsung has copied its trademarks. (Source: Swatch)

Swatch has filed a legal case against Samsung for trademark infringement

The Swiss watchmaker group Swatch has filed a complaint with US legal authorities to the effect that Samsung has impinged on its trademarks. This is connected to the design of some downloadable watchfaces for Gear-line smartwatche...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Feb 2019 22:26

Guo Ping is Huawei's current chairperson. (Source: Huawei)

MWC19 | Huawei chairperson denies US espionage allegations on stage

Guo Ping, Hauwei's current chairperson, has appeared on stage as part of a conference at MWC19. He asserted that the company is not involved in activities that amount to cyber-spying on behalf of the Chinese govermment, as the U.S...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Feb 2019 18:07

The Sony 5G phone. (Source: Pocket-Lint)

MWC19 | Sony shows its 5G phone prototype off at MWC

Sony has unveiled its own foray into 5G tech at the Mobile World Congress (2019). It is a phone that, with its 21:9 aspect ratio, resembles the new Xperia 1 closely. The OEM did not offer much detail on this device, besides that i...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Feb 2019 17:33

The OnePlus 3/3T may have taken a step closer to Pie. (Source: OnePlus)

OnePlus may have started work on Pie for the 3/3T

Some time ago, the Android OEM OnePlus committed itsefl to provide an update to Android 9.0 (Pie) for its 2016 flagships, the 3 and 3T. However, it may have fallen behind in these plans recently. Now, a potentially important piece...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Feb 2019 17:05

The Bixby Studio in Barcelona. (Source: Samsung)

Samsung has opened a Bixby Studio in Barcelona

It seems Samsung is doing more in Barcelona than MWC. The OEM has opened a Bixby Studio in the city's Plaza de Catalunya. This installation gives visitors a sense of what life would be like with Bixby-powered applicances and devic...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Feb 2019 16:24

The new, red BlackBerry Key2. (Source: 9to5Google)

MWC19 | BlackBerry launches its new Red Dual SIM variant of the Key2

BlackBerry had an announcement of its own for the MWC19 event. It was not for a new device, however, but for a new variant of the pre-existing Key2. It is a vibrant, red, dual SIM, 128GB version of this phone.

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Feb 2019 00:35

The new Alcatel 3T 10 tablet. (Source: Alcatel)

MWC19 | Alcatel's newest tablet has a stand that is also a full-sized speaker

The TCL subsidiary Alcatel has launched its new 3T 10 tablet at MWC19. This device has a 10-inch screen and runs Android 9.0 (Pie) out of the box. It also comes with a Google Assisant pre-install. The Alcatel 3T 10 is compatible w...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Feb 2019 18:50

According to a new report, smartphones are now the most popular form of consumer tech. (Source: YouTube)

Smartphones account for 59% of all spending on consumer electronics in 2018: tech author

Jim Harris, an author and speaker on disruptive innovations, has released a new report on consumer tech ahead of MWC 2019. In it, he claims that 59% of all the money spent in the same market in 2018 was expended on smartphones. Ha...

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Feb 2019 14:42

The 'LG V50' alone and in its alleged dual-display case. (Source: SlashLeaks)

Possible LG V50 pictured with 'second-screen' case in new leaks

The LG V series has a history of including secondary displays, which are often built into their large phablet-scale screens. If a new leak is to be believed, this feature has returned to the V50 ThinQ - sort of. It consists of ima...

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Feb 2019 14:17

The Meizu Note 9 also arrived at TENAA recently. (Source: TENAA)

Meizu Note 9 to be released in March

Meizu has announced that its Note 9 is to be launched on March 6, 2019. This phone will feature a Samsung GM1 48MP camera sensor. It may also have 6GB of RAM, a 6.2-inch FHD display and the Snapdragon 675 processor.

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Feb 2019 17:54

The Bixby button finally becomes remappable in the S10 line. (Source: Samsung)

The Bixby button is remappable in the Samsung Galaxy S10

The Samsung Galaxy S10 line continues the recent tradition of having an additional hardware button that activates the Bixby virtual assistant out of the box. However, unlike previous flagship generations, users will be able to re-...

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Feb 2019 00:25

The Galaxy S10+'s punch-hole camera obscures some app text. (Source: Twitter)

Apps are already having compatibility issues with the Samsung Galaxy S10 display

The Samsung Galaxy S10 line introduces the Infinity-O display to the international market. Unfortunately, it seems that some app elements are being occluded or otherwise disrupted by the 'punch-hole' found in the upper right corne...

Deirdre O Donnell, 22 Feb 2019 17:15

Xbox One games may become available on the Switch. (Source: Nintendo Enthusiast)

Nintendo Switch may gain ability to use Xbox features, including Game Passes, soon

A YouTuber has asserted that Microsoft will port some games and features to the Nintendo Switch later this year. The indie title Ori has been specifically named in relation to this new purported deal to link the two platforms. Thi...

Deirdre O Donnell, 22 Feb 2019 16:46

Adobe is offering a limited-time discount on individual Creative Cloud Plans

Adobe is offering a discount on the prices of all-app Creative Cloud (CC) plans. This offer applies to monthly-paid prices for CC and CC plus Adobe Stock plans only, and drops them to US$39.99 and $69.98 respectively. It is valid ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 22 Feb 2019 16:20

Windows 20H1, not 19H2, is being tested now. (Source: Microsoft)

Microsoft starts developing Windows 20H1 ahead of 19H2

Microsoft's next probable major software release is 19H2, the April 2019 update. However, a build associated with a release in 2020 is the one that has most recently popped up for users in the Skip Ahead program. Despite this, the...

Deirdre O Donnell, 22 Feb 2019 15:56

Panhard EBR 75 FL 10 premium tank in World of Tanks available via The Challenge on Wheels event

Wargaming is giving the premium EBR 75 FL 10 for free, but you have to fight to get it

"The Challenge on Wheels" special event that has begun today will last until March 7 and comes with the chance to obtain the Panhard EBR 75 FL 10 for free — or at least a good discount when purchasing it. This is the first premium...

Codrut Nistor, 21 Feb 2019 15:22

Bixby now supports a wider range of languages. (Source: News4C)

Update | Bixby 2.0 adds support for more languages

Samsung's in-house virtual assistant, Bixby, has been historically linked to many limitations over its life. One of them is the inability to work in certain languages, German and Italian included. However, support for these langua...

Deirdre O Donnell, 20 Feb 2019 20:18

Opera for Android 50 sports PiP mode and publisher-friendly ad blocking (Source: Opera Blogs)

Opera for Android 50 comes with publisher-friendly ad blocking and picture-in-picture mode

The version labeled 50 of the Opera browser for Android comes with an improved ad blocker that features a site-specific setting, picture-in-picture support for videos on Android Oreo (and later), support for dark CSS themes, as we...

Codrut Nistor, 20 Feb 2019 12:50

ML Kit helps developers work with AI applications. (Source: Google Developers)

MediaTek announces collaboration with Google to enhance the Helio P90 SoC's AI features

The Helio P90 is an SoC that could bring augmented and mixed reality to some mid-range devices in the future. Today, MediaTek added AI to that list of possibilities. It has announced support for Google's ML Kit in conjunction with...

Deirdre O Donnell, 19 Feb 2019 19:09

GDC 2019 | Google to hold event at GDC next month, possibly related to its Project Stream game streaming service

Google announced today that it would be holding a special event at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) next month on March 19th. The announcement offers few details, but many are guessing that Google will announce something relate...

Sam Medley, 19 Feb 2019 18:49

PullString (ToyTalk) joins Apple to improve Siri (Source: TechCrunch)

Apple acquires AI startup PullString

The latest corporate acquisition in the AI field for Apple is San Francisco-based PullString, a company that was founded in 2011 by former Pixar executives and has been working on "shaping the future of voice applications" ever si...

Codrut Nistor, 19 Feb 2019 16:55

Xiaomi may release a smartwatch that has nothing to do with Amazfit or Huami. (Source: Amazfit)

Xiaomi's first own-brand sports watch may be launched via crowdfunding

MyDrivers has reported that Xiaomi intends to announce a crowdfunding project for a new product: a smart sports watch. This device will apparently support real-time GPS tracking, so that a user can generate and maintain maps of th...

Deirdre O Donnell, 18 Feb 2019 17:40

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Blue Coral Android phablet gets February 2019 security patch

Samsung releases February security patch for the Galaxy S7 flagship

The February 2019-dated Android security patch comes with the software version G930FXXS4ESAE and seems to be only available for Samsung Galaxy S7 users in the United Kingdom and Austria for now. The Galaxy S7 lineup receives this ...

Codrut Nistor, 18 Feb 2019 09:29

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8. (Source: BGR)

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is now receiving the stable One UI Android Pie update

Samsung rolled out the Android Pie-based One UI update to the Galaxy S9, S9 Plus, and Note 9 a while ago. The latest device to receive the update is the Galaxy Note 8, the company's last-gen flagship.

Ricci Rox, 17 Feb 2019 13:50

Facebook publishes apps such as Messenger and Facebook Lite. (Source: Newsweek)

Facebook was the world's most popular app publisher in Q4 2018

According to data from Sensor Tower, Facebook was the top app publisher in the world for Q4 2018, with over 800 million app installations. It was also the number one publisher on Google Play, amassing nearly 700 million installs. ...

Daniel R Deakin, 16 Feb 2019 06:47

LG may also launch the enterprise-focused K40 at MWC 2019

The LG K40 is one 2019 device that may launch at MWC 2019. However, this exciting attribute is somewhat tempered by its direction at the budget end of the OEM's business-to-business devices. Then again, it may be supported for 3 y...

Deirdre O Donnell, 15 Feb 2019 18:09

Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 official launch website, April 2 event details

Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 coming on April 2

Microsoft's Visual Studio 2019 will launch on April 2 during an all-day event and comes with quite a few changes. The most noticeable one is the new start screen that has been redesigned to work with Git repositories, but there ar...

Codrut Nistor, 15 Feb 2019 13:55

MIUI 10 beta dark-themed areas (Source: FoneArena)

MIUI 10 beta comes with native dark mode

The native dark mode in the latest MIUI 10 beta covers most areas of the operating system — Phone, Contacts, Gallery, Screen recorder, Updater, Messaging — as well as the notification shade, volume slider, and the Recents menu. Xi...

Codrut Nistor, 15 Feb 2019 12:35