Android

HTC's latest revenue figures show the company falling deeper into a pit of bad sales numbers. Revenue for April spelled a 55% year-on-year decline, which is impressive considering how bad 2017 already was for the company—sales-wise.

A body of text running around the Internet a few days ago put the fear of all things holy into Android users, as it froze—and sometimes crashed—applications with maximum impunity.

With the same price as the Nokia 1, the Huawei Y3 2018 is now available for purchase in South Africa. Its specs include a 5-inch display with only 854 x 480 pixels, a quad-core MediaTek processor, 1 GB RAM, and 8 GB internal storage, 2 MP and 8 MP cameras, as well as a 2,280 mAh battery.

SIRIN Labs managed to raise US$157.8 million for Finney's launch. The first ever block-chain connected smartphone will be released at some point in H2 2018, and the list of features now includes a high-end Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. It will also pack a highly secure cold storage crypto wallet and a host of hardware security features for all the virtual currency fans.

The recently unleashed Firefox 60 is the first Extended Support Release version since Firefox 52, so it brings more than a year's worth of new features for personal, mobile, and business users. The most important changes are the sponsored stories present in the New Tab page and the improved customization capabilities for IT administrators.

Thanks to the recent introduction of six new voice choices, Google Assistant now features a total of eight such options — four female and four male voices. Even more, Sundar Pichai has confirmed at Google I/O that John Legend's voice will also reach the company's virtual assistant by the end of the year.

Motorola has been granted a patent for a foldable smartphone that unfolds into a tablet. While it is not the first patent for a foldable smartphone that has surfaced in recent times, it is the first to show how a foldable smartphone could work with a smart case design to give it even more potential usage scenarios.

It appears Lenovo may be working on a new flagship smartphone. A partial image of a bezel-less device has been published on the Weibo account for Chang Cheng, the Lenovo Group’s VP. There is seemingly no controversial notch present on the smartphone, and there is speculation that the device will be officially announced on June 14.

In a statement issued to stockholders today, ZTE said that the it was suspending all "major operating activities" due to the sales ban placed on the company by the U.S. Department of Commerce. While ZTE has enough cash on hand to fulfill its current commercial obligations, the future looks bleak for the Chinese smartphone manufacturer.

A press release from Valve has revealed that the company intends to release two new apps, one of which will allow gamers access to their Steam media libraries on smartphones. The Steam Link app is expected to be released in the week starting May 21. The second app, Steam Video, will offer movie and television content.

The next gen Kirin 980 is being manufactured at TSMC's foundries and uses the 7 nm process. Huawei will also include a new AI chip from Cambricon and an improved GPU, so the upcoming Kirin 980 will surely battle it out with Samsung's Exynos 9820 and Apple's A12 SoCs. The latest HiSilicon chip is scheduled to be launched with the Mate 20 flagships later this year.

Chromebooks may become the best Android development tools later this year. Google is planning to roll out native Linux support to the Chrome OS-powered machines later this year, allowing coders to build software for Chrome OS and Android natively on Chromebooks.

Google's Android P beta is out, and the good news is you don't need a Pixel or Pixel 2 smartphone to give it a test run. Thanks to Project Treble, Google has been able to work with a select group of OEMs to bring the Android P beta to their devices from day 1.

Google has used its I/O 2018 developer conference to give Android P an early preview, and it looks impressive. It is a comprehensive update to the operating system, including its UI, bringing with it increasingly deeper implementation of machine learning.

A representative for Epic Games has confirmed that an email inviting people to participate in a Fortnite Android beta is a phishing scam. Gamers have been warned not to share any personal information if they receive such an email. Also, Fortnite’s guest villain, Thanos, has had to be nerfed due to player feedback in regard to his destructive powers.

The 5.45-inch ZenFone Live L1 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, next to 1 GB or 2 GB of memory, a 13 MP main camera, and 16 GB of internal storage space. The pricing details are not official yet, but a price tag around the equivalent of US$107 is expected for India, where this handset should debut later this month.

Last week, the Taiwanese government announced that ZTE would have to take permission before embarking on any business partnerships with a Taiwanese company. That permission has been granted now, though, allow ZTE to do business with MediaTek.

HMD Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas has all but confirmed the company's plans of releasing a successor to the first-generation Nokia 5. This device will likely be the Nokia 5 (2018)—or the Nokia 5.1.

Nubia CEO Ni Fei has claimed that the company's upcoming Nubia Z18 will have a full-screen more impressive than the 90.36% screen-to-body ratio on the Nubia Z17s. There's a problem with that, though: The Nubia Z17s has an 81.5% screen-to-body ratio.

The Mate 10 Pro launched in the United States for $800 three months ago, but it can now be purchased for $150 less through major online retailers like Amazon, Newegg, and B&H. Huawei's mid-range MateBook D laptop will also be $200 cheaper for only this upcoming week. The temporary price cuts aim to bolster sales in the backdrop of U.S. surveillance and suspicion of Chinese-branded telecommunication devices.

Fans of the Note series can now rejoice since the latest benchmarks reveal the true power of the phablet. Previous benchmarks presented the Note 9 as a 5 GB device that could end up slower than the S9, but the latest tests show quite the reversal. As a huge bonus, the Note 9 also overpowers Apple's iPhone X, thanks to an unannounced Exynos 9815 SoC.

A news post on Steam has revealed the name for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds upcoming map: Sanhok. The developers are opening an experimental server for the map from May 10 to May 14, giving PUBG fans the opportunity to test the latest addition. Meanwhile, over at Fortnite one of the most villainous characters from the Marvel Universe will be paying a visit. The first lucky player to wield the Infinity Gauntlet will turn into Thanos.

About four months before the alleged release date of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, a refreshed set of details reveals the following: 3,850 mAh battery with 18 W fast charging, under-the-display fingerprint scanner, new S-Pen, Bixby 2.0, upgraded camera, and a new "Teddy Brown" color option.

Xiaomi's upcoming Redmi S2 has been spotted on an AliExpress listing. The seller is a reputable store, so details of the device have been all but confirmed now.

A mysterious Xiaomi device has been spotted on Geekbench. The device is listed as being powered by...a Snapdragon 638, whatever that is.

LG has said that it did not knock off the notch on its flagship LG G7 ThinQ from the Apple iPhone X. Rather, the company says that it thinks of it as a secondary display, which is there to show additional information.

Available for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 for a few months already, Fortnite has recently reached iOS devices, after a short invite-only beta period. Now, it looks like the invites for the Android beta are going out already, so mobile gamers that use Google's platform should get Fortnite pretty soon as well.

Huawei is currently sending out Oreo beta updates to users of the Huawei Mate 8, Huawei P9, Honor 6X, Honor 8, and Honor Note 8 in China. The Oreo update will likely be the final update these devices receive.

New reports have claimed that AT&T will not bear the new LG G7 ThinQ under its banners. The carrier apparently has other plans, though, as LG's next flagship, the V35 ThinQ, is expected to be an AT&T exclusive. Renders of the V35 ThinQ have surfaced, showing a notch-less device.

The latest data from Strategy Analytics, which tracks global smartphone shipments, shows that iPhone X was the best-selling smartphone in Q1, 2018. Rounding out an impressive quarter for Apple, its iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone 7 models took out the number 2, 3, and 4 positions, respectively.

Xiaomi ended 2017 with a bang and has carried that fine form into the new year. According to a report by IDC, the company shipped 28 million smartphone units in Q1 2018, ending the quarter as the fourth-largest smartphone company in the world, ahead of OPPO.

The Huawei P20 devices may not be coming to the US but they will make the trip over to Canada. Carriers Rogers and Fido currently have the P20 and P20 Pro on pre-order. The P20 Lite is, of course, duly ignored.

Insiders familiar with the 10th anniversary Samsung flagship claim that the upcoming — apparently not foldable — Galaxy S10 handset is likely going to launch at the CES 2019 trade show. This popular trade show is scheduled to take place in the first half of January, as usual.

HMD's new device, the Nokia 6.1, will go on sale in the US on May 6. The Android One device will be the first, and potentially the only, HMD smartphone to do so this year.

While AT&T officials confirmed that the company will not add the LG G7 ThinQ to its portfolio, they also revealed that a new exclusive LG device is headed their way and should go on sale this summer. Unconfirmed reports claim that this device is the upcoming notch-less LG V35 ThinQ.

More than one year since the arrival of Google Assistant to smart wearables thanks to Google Wear 2.0, Wear OS receives a whole new set of features for smartwatch users. The highlights of this update include Google Assistant smart suggestions, spoken replies to queries, as well as more than one million actions.

All Verizon Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ handsets will soon be pre-loaded with the following Oath apps: Newsroom, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, and Go90. Although the financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, it has been revealed that Samsung and Oath will share the ad revenue generated by the aforementioned apps.

Chris Lacy's Action Launcher app has reached version 35 and, although Android P is still a few months away, this launcher comes with a dock and search bar inspired by the upcoming major iteration of Google's mobile operating system. Obviously, those who are not happy with the new looks can still use the old versions.

Live images of the upcoming OnePlus 6 have surfaced, shining some more light on what we should expect from OnePlus's upcoming flagship killer. There's a notch present but the bezels are slim and there's also a headphone jack, so it's not all bad.

The manufacturer will be throwing "pop-up events" in at least 14 cities across North America and Europe for the public to experience the upcoming OnePlus 6 firsthand. Prizes, food, and special guests have been announced to encourage users to come. The events are free with no RSVP necessary.

A cryptic tweet by HTC USA has touted the launch of a new device on May 23. The device is expected to be the upcoming HTC U12+, which is likely to be the only flagship HTC releases this year.

The unannounced LG K30's leak could mean that T-Mobile is getting ready to add the model to its offer. Spec-wise, the LG K30 looks like an entry-level model. It comes with a modest 5.3-inch HD LCD, a 13 MP rear shooter plus a 5 MP selfie, a rear fingerprint reader, and an unnamed quad-core SoC that seems to be part of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400-series coupled with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage.

After a lengthy trickle of teasers, both official and unofficial, LG has launched the G7 ThinQ. Yes, it includes a notched display, but it also introduces a number of new technologies not previously seen in a smartphone.

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, the new Coolpad Note 6 smartphone has a 5.5-inch display, 4 GB RAM, and comes with either 32 GB or 64 GB internal storage. Sadly, it only comes with Android 7.1 Nougat onboard, but the starting price of around US$135 should make up for that, at least partially.

Sony's futuristic Xperia Ear Duo headphones are now up for pre-order in the US. The headphones allow listeners to hear both music or voice overs at the same time as being able to hear ambient sounds around them.