iOS 9.2 only started rolling out to supported devices less than ten days ago, and today Apple’s already pushing out a new software version. This time however we’re not talking about a final release, rather a new public beta.

iOS 9.2.1 Public Beta 1 is now available for those who’ve signed up for Apple’s beta testing program. If you’re in it, then expect to see an update notification any minute now (if you haven’t gotten it already).

As of now it’s unclear what exactly is included in the new software, because there’s no changelog to speak of. However, as this is a x.x.1 release, you probably shouldn’t expect any new features, just a number of bug fixes and performance enhancements. If the beta testing goes well, it’s possible that we’ll see the finalized iOS 9.2.1 in the wild…

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The latest change Facebook is implementing into its mobile apps as well as onto its website has to do with events. The social network seems to want to put more emphasis on this feature compared to the past.

From this point on, if you use the Facebook iOS app, you’ll be able to browse nearby events by category. Some examples of such categories include Music, Food & Drinks, Nightlife, as well as Sports & Fitness. These will help you find interesting stuff happening near you in a much easier manner than before. What’s more, you can even search for events taking place in other cities, so you can plan your trips accordingly.

Unfortunately there are a couple of caveats regarding the revamped events functionality. First off, for now it’s only available for ten US cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, Miami, and Houston. And the new feature is currently limited to the social network’s iOS app (an update to which should arrive later today containing the new events discovery style), though it’s said to be on its way to the website and the Android app as well.

Source 1 • Source…

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A new rumor from China is out today discussing the possible price level of the upcoming (and much talked about) Xiaomi Mi 5. Since all of its predecessors have been launched with a CNY 1,999 asking price (which translates into approximately $308 right now), you may have expected the situation to remain the same this time around too. But that may not be the case.

It’s being speculated that the phone will in fact start at CNY 2,499 ($385), or even CNY 2,999 ($462). If either of these levels pans out, then the Mi 5 is on track to be the most expensive of all the non-phablet Xiaomi flagships.

Apparently the price increase will be resorted to in order to boost the Chinese company’s brand image. It wants consumers to perceive it as more premium than before.

Of course you shouldn’t take any of this for granted – just consider it a distinct possibility. The Mi 5 has been rumored to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chipset, 3GB of RAM, Android 6.0 Marshmallow underneath the latest iteration of MIUI, and a fingerprint sensor. Although it’s been in the news a lot already, the Mi 5 may not arrive until April – that is, if yesterday’s info saying the Snapdragon 820 will be exclusive to Samsung until then is actually real.

Source (in Chinese) |…

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Today Adobe has launched a new iOS app. It’s called Post and it’s already available to download for free from the iTunes App Store.

Adobe Post is a way to quickly and easily create shareable graphics. You start with an image (which can be a photo you’ve captured, a picture from your Lightroom library or Creative Cloud collection, or one of half a million stock photos that are available inside the app), and then choose a design. You add text, and play with the various design filters if you want to. And when you’re done, sharing your creation to a social network of your choice (or via email) is just one tap away.

You will need to login first, however, either through Facebook or with an Adobe ID. All graphics you make are saved in the cloud (where you get 2GB of space for free, after which you can purchase 20GB for $1.99 per month), so you can go back to any one of them whenever you want. By default, your graphics will contain an Adobe Post watermark, but you can remove this by simply tapping on it. You can unlock additional fonts and shapes if you agree to tweet a link to the app.

Source |…

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Just in time for the holidays, Facebook is rolling out a pretty significant update to its Messenger app. This comes with the Photo Magic feature now available to all users, after having been in testing since last month.

Photo Magic reminds you to send pictures you’ve taken of your friends to them. This works using the social network’s facial recognition capabilities. It recognizes which of your friends are in each photo you shoot, and then asks you to send them said pics. And you can quickly create a group thread with those friends, through which you can also share your images.

You can turn this on or off at any time through Settings, and you also control if you are recognized in the pictures your friends snap. So if you don’t want this to work for you, it won’t.

Messenger has received a bunch of new customization features too. You now have new color choices and emojis to pick from, and you can assign nicknames to your contacts. All of these are accessible in the iOS app by tapping on people’s names at the top of the conversation, and in the Android app through the info button on the top right.

And if you send a Santa, Christmas tree, or snow-related sticker or emoji to someone, you will instantly make it snow inside that conversation. If you’re north of the Equator and use Chat Heads on Android, you’ll see a snow globe effect on them “for a limited time this season”. And when the New Year comes, confetti will take snow’s place. Finally, two new sticker packs are available: Frozen and Star…

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A notable source on info about a smartphone’s development progress, the FCC database now lists the Samsung Galaxy A9. The US communications authority has thoroughly examined the device and has given it the green light.

There’s little detail revealed in such filings, at least in terms of specs, but we’ve already covered most of those. The Galaxy A9 already starred in a number of leaks, including our exclusive story on its dimensions.

What we can take out of this FCC certification is that the launch of the Galaxy A9 is just around the corner. Just to remind you, the Galaxy A7 (2016) stopped by the FCC on November 27 and got officially announced on December 2 (in the opposite part of the world, but still).

Source |…

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OnePlus officially unveiled the OnePlus X Champagne Edition. The new color combination features white for the front and back, while the metal frame is done in champagne gold color. Check out the new look below, we find it quite fancy.

OnePlus X Champagne Edition official photos

Mind you, this is not a variation of the Ceramic OnePlus X, but rather of the Onyx one. As such, the Champagne Edition is now available for €269.

The phone has been very well received in China in the last few weeks, which is the reason why OnePlus decided to make the phone available internationally as well. Be wary, that unlike the OnePlus 2, you’re going to need an invite to get this one. Alternatively, you can just get it on Tuesady, when it’s on open sale.

Before rushing to buy it, make sure to check out our OnePlus X…

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Microsoft has really been trying hard lately to sweeten the deal for current Xbox fans and possibly captivate a whole new wave of players. The major change we are referring to is the much requested Xbox 360 backward compatibility, just recently introduced to Xbox One.

For anyone unfamiliar with the ambitious undertaking, last month, Microsoft released a major Windows 10-based, update to the Xbox One, complete with backward compatibility with Xbox 360 titles. Seeing how it is quite a complicated endeavor, the process does require a fair amount of work from the EOM so the project was launched with an initial list of 104 supported Xbox 360 games, but also with a promise to periodically enrich the database.

Today, Microsoft has shown commitment to keep said promise with another 16 titles joining the list. Highlights among them include fan favorites, such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Fable III, and Halo: Reach. The full list is as follows:

Braid
DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION
Doritos Crash Course
Fable III
Halo: Reach
Hydro Thunder
Iron Brigade
Kane & Lynch 2
Motocross Madness
MS.PAC-MAN
Peggle
Portal: Still Alive
Spelunky
Splosion Man
Ticket to Ride™
Zuma’s Revenge!

If you own any of these titles as a digital edition or on a disc, they will now work on the Xbox One, as well as any of the other 104 titles, a fully list of which can be found here. The announcement also came with a statement by a Microsoft spokesperson, which hints that legal matters might actually be more of a concern to adding additional titles to the list than technological issues.

We’re continuing to work with our publishing partners to grow our library of Xbox One Backward Compatibility titles . We’ll be adding to the catalog on a regular basis.

As an added bonus, since Xbox One also has support for Windows 10 streaming, so you can play all your Xbox titles on your PC as well.

Source |…

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It seems the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium will remain the only smartphone (well, at least from a major brand) to pack an UltraHD display throughout next year as well. Samsung and LG are in no hurry to make the switch to 4K phone panels, a Korean report states.

Industry insiders have reported that that the resolution race is not a priority for the two companies, and they will instead concentrate on improving outdoor visibility, brightness and power efficiency. The choice to keep flagships in QHD territory will also help to keep production costs lower than what 4K panels would entail.

Part of the reasoning behind the move (or lack thereof) is that the two Korean corporations’ display divisions manufacture panels for other makers and demand hasn’t been high, the report goes on.

And even though Samsung is in a leading position in the VR-for-mobile market with its Gear VR headset, virtual reality hasn’t yet taken off as much as to require the immediate switch to higher-res screens.

Source |…

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Mobile software company Fleksy has announced a partnership with Chinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE that will see the latter pre-loading its keyboard on its phones.

This means that users of upcoming ZTE handsets will be able to access complete Fleksy experience, including GIFs, stickers and emojis, out-of-the box. The integration will also include the recently launched custom theme builder, which you can use to customize your keyboard with photos, colors, and effects.

“We’re committed to delivering a faster and more expressive input experience for users across the globe,” said Fleksy CEO Kosta Eleftheriou. “ZTE is one of the world’s leading device manufacturers, and we’re pleased to bring Fleksy to their users.”

Commenting on the partnership, ZTE CEO Adam Zeng said, “At ZTE, we are constantly listening and working with both our consumers and partners to enhance our smartphone feature offerings. As such, we are delighted to work with Fleksy to incorporate their award winning user typing interface to give our end users the best possible smartphone…

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