Daily Archives: February 2, 2016

Microsoft Lumia 550 selling for just €98.70 in Germany

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Looks like the Microsoft Lumia 550 has received yet another price cut in Europe. The Windows 10-powered device is now available for just €98.70 in Germany, where retailer MindFactory is selling the budget handset for that price.

A quick look at Amazon’s Germany website reveals that the retailer currently has the phone listed for €118. This means that those purchase the Lumia 550 from MindFactory are saving at-least €19. The device has already been the subject of multiple price cuts in the UK.

Meanwhile, If you are in the UK, and are planning to purchase the Lumia 950 flagship instead, you’ll be glad to know that it’s now available for just £380 in the country.

Source |…

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Alcatel OneTouch Idol 4 and 4S leak; complete specs revealed

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Two unannounced Alcatel smartphones – the Idol 4 and Idol 4S – have been leaked. Both devices were spotted listed on the company’s own support site, revealing almost all of their specs. The listings, however, have now been taken down it seems.

The Idol 4S is powered by a 1.8GHz + 1.4GHz octa-core CPU (SD652 SoC) and sports a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display. It comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a 3,000mAh battery. In terms of camera, the device features a 16MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. The handset runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and also supports VoLTE.

Coming to the Idol 4, it’s powered by a 1.7GHz + 1.2GHz octa-core CPU (SD617 SoC) and sports a 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display. It has 2GB/3GB RAM options, while internal memory is 16GB, although expandable. The device’s camera department is handled by a 13MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. It packs in a 2,610mAh battery, and like the Idol 4S, runs Android 6.0.

There’s currently no information on their pricing and availability, although Alcatel is said to be eyeing an MWC launch for…

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US Mobile defends itself in wake of Xiaomi’s ‘not an authorized seller ‘ remark

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Earlier this week, US Mobile started offering select Xiaomi and Meizu smartphones in the United States, with orders being fulfilled by a third-party. As the news spread, Xiaomi issued a statement saying that the carrier and its partners are not authorized sellers of any of the company’s products. Now, US Mobile has defended its decision in an official blog post.

“This is nothing new. Amazon, Ebay and other US marketplaces offer Xiaomi, Meizu and countless other brands,” US Mobile said. “The challenge with such marketplaces however is that you don’t always know whom you’re dealing with. The concern is that if something goes wrong with your phone or if you have any service related questions, you are stuck without a warranty to back the device.”

“Here’s where we created a better experience for our customers. By partnering with third party distributors who sell and ship the devices, US Mobile is able to offer our customers warranty and support on the devices locally in the US. Very simply, customers can call US Mobile’s 24/7 Customer Support team with any service related issue or send the phone back to US Mobile for repairs.”

The carrier also said that it never claimed to be an official distributor, stressing that even product listings on its webshop specifically noted that the devices are “sold and fulfilled” by its third party partners.

The listings, however, have since been removed, something the carrier said has been done because the devices in question are currently undergoing “testing and certification” with its “enabling…

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Microsoft acquiring mobile keyboard maker SwiftKey for $250 million

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Microsoft has agreed to buy mobile keyboard maker SwiftKey for around $250 million, according to a new Financial Times report. While both companies are currently tight-lipped about the deal, report says an announcement in this regard will be made later this week.

For those who aren’t aware, SwiftKey is a popular keyboard app currently available for both Android and iOS and installed on around 300 million devices. It was first launched for Android back in 2010, and came to iOS in 2014. Initially a paid app, SwiftKey became free a couple of years ago, but started offering in-app purchases.

Given that Microsoft already offers a keyboard app, dubbed Word Flow (although only for Windows Phone devices at the moment), it may seem rather strange that the company is purchasing another Keyboard app. However, the report notes that the Redmond, Washington-based company is actually eyeing UK-based firm’s artificial intelligence technology that’s used in its keyboard. The technology can be used by Microsoft in several other products in addition to mobile…

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Report: Microsoft will purchase SwiftKey

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While we don’t always pay attention to it, the keyboard on our smartphone is one of the most integral pieces of the device. Manufacturers and software designers have spent many hours studying keyboards trying to make them better, and one company that has made significant strides is SwiftKey, the company that’s created one of the best virtual keyboards to date.

The powerful logarithms within SwiftKey allow it to quickly learn from you and your ways of thinking and typing, personalizing it for you. In the future, SwiftKey may be even more powerful, with SwiftKey now offering its powerful neural network-based keyboard in alpha. SwiftKey Neural is a new project by the company that uses AI to mimic the way the human brain thinks, so as to better predict sentences. One of the downsides, however, is that SwiftKey Neural can’t be customized for users based on things like email and social media.

With SwiftKey leading the pack in terms of innovation, it stands to reason that the company would be a hot purchase opportunity. According to a report from the Financial Times, that’s just about to happen, with the publication reporting that Microsoft is on the verge of purchasing SwiftKey for a whopping $250 million.

What Microsoft will do with SwiftKey isn’t entirely clear. While it’s likely that the computing giant will utilize SwiftKey’s technology in its own keyboards, we can’t be sure that the company will allow SwiftKey to continue to function as its own independent company. Microsoft has a mixed record in this area, sometimes allowing acquired businesses to continue to function on their own, but also occasionally shutting them down after merging the new technology into Microsoft products.

In any case, we’ll let you know if official confirmation arrives.

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Alcatel OneTouch Idol 4 and Idol 4S leak ahead of MWC

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Every spring (or winter, depending upon where you live), mobile techies descend upon Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, one of the biggest events of the year for mobile technology. This year’s MWC promises to have plenty of announcements, but thanks to a leak, we now have the details on two devices that were slated for announcement at Mobile World Congress. The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 4 and Idol 4S are two new phones coming from the rapidly growing manufacturer, so let’s take a look at the specs of both of them.

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 4S is the higher-specced of the two, offering a 5.5-inch QHD (2560×1440) AMOLED display, 1.8GHz + 1.4GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage plus microSD card slot, 16-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel slow motion front-facing camera, 3000mAh battery and Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Additionally, the Idol 4S supports AT&T andT-Mobile LTE bands and even tosses in VoLTE capability.

Alcatel OneTouch’s Idol 4 is a slight step down from the flagship Idol 4S, but it still packs some decent specs. These include a 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display, 1.7GHz + 1.2GHz octa-core processor, 2/3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage plus microSD card slot, 13-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front-facing camera, 2610mAh battery and Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Pleasantly enough, the Idol 4 contains the same LTE connectivity and VoLTE support as the higher-end Idol 4S.

This info comes courtesy of Android Police, which was tipped off regarding support pages for the devices on Alcatel OneTouch’s website. The support pages have since been pulled, but the info is out there and now it’s just a waiting game until the official announcement.

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Deals: Best Buy offers on Nexus 6P, Nexus Player and TP-Link OnHub Router

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We’re always on the lookout for new deals, and Best Buy has a few of them happening right now. These deals include some of Google’s products, like the Nexus 6P, Nexus Player and the TP-Link OnHub Router. As the Nexus 6P is the most prominent device among them, we’ll begin there. Best Buy is offering purchasers of the gold Nexus 6P a $25 Best Buy gift card, and that’s on top of the $50 savings that Best Buy is already offering on the Nexus 6P.

As far as the Nexus Player goes, Best Buy has once again dropped the price down to $50, just half of its original price. The Nexus Player isn’t the most current Android TV option, but at $50, it’s a hell of a good deal. The final device that’s being offered with savings is the TP-Link OnHub Router, which is $20 off, leaving it at a reduced price of $179. This OnHub router is well-reviewed and reportedly offers powerful range, fast speeds and of course, that unbeatable convenience that comes with Google’s OnHub software.

You can follow any of the links below to see the deals for yourself. Don’t forget, though, these deals aren’t likely to last for long!

Nexus 6P Deal

Nexus Player Deal

TP-Link OnHub Router Deal

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