Facebook has started taking out functionality from its main mobile app a while back, when it no longer showed you Messenger conversations inside it – instead forcing you to download its standalone Messenger app. And now it looks like we know what the next feature to be trimmed from the Facebook app is going to be: photo syncing.

The situation right now is that you can use the main Facebook app to auto-sync the photos you capture on your mobile device. These are automatically uploaded to Facebook after you shoot them, and all it takes is for you to flip one simple switch in the app’s settings.

That will all change starting on January 10, as the screenshot you see above can attest. From that point, photo syncing will no longer function through the Facebook app. And all of the photos you have previously synced in this manner will be moved to Facebook’s Moments app.

This will also be the app you’ll need to have in order to keep auto-syncing your pics going forward. If you are really against the idea of using another standalone app for this purpose then you can download your already synced photos from the prompt you’re bound to see both on the Facebook website and in its mobile apps.

Facebook Moments was launched in June with a focus on syncing event photos with your friends. It privately shares pictures you and your friends have taken on the same occasions. And now it looks like it’s destined to become Facebook’s main app to deal with photos, which means it could receive some new functionality on or before January 10.

Do keep in mind that Moments is not available everywhere, and it looks like this transition will only happen in those countries in which you can already download and install it. So the automatic photo syncing could linger inside the main Facebook app in other territories even after January 10.

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It’s impossible to deny Microsoft’s influential position in the entry-level smartphone market over the last few years. The company has always managed to deliver compelling budget packages at hard-to-beat prices. While success has never been a given for any low-end smartphone, Microsoft seems to have perfected the formula.

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At I/O this year, Google announced new features to Google Maps that would rollout throughout the year, about a month ago, Android’s Google Maps received offline navigation, offline business info, and gas prices.

Today, Google released an update to Maps on iOS which brings the aforementioned features to the iPhone’s version of the app. Google Maps is still far from working completely offline. Transit, biking, and walking directions are still not available on offline maps.

Gas prices are also now visible by searching for gas stations in the app. The price will show right under the name of the station on the map if it’s available. The app will also display the most popular times for businesses. I personally love this feature to avoid the gym at its busiest hours.

Finding businesses offline still doesn’t work consistently and downloading an area for offline use is not a straightforward task. Still, we’d probably recommend using Here Maps if you are traveling to an unknown country or state and need to find your way around without a data connection.

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Starting today, Samsung’s four flagship smartphones launched this year are all receiving a security update. This currently applies to devices which were sold by T-Mobile.

Although none of them are ready to run Android 6.0 Marshmallow yet, the Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+, and Note5 are all getting the latest security patches.

Google’s batch of fixes for December is included, along with some Samsung-specific enhancements. Another new thing is that, after having installed this update, the About device screen will receive a new entry. It’s “Android security patch level”, and this was first seen in Nexus devices with the Marshmallow release. Now though it’s making its way to other handsets too, and even ones on Lollipop – as is the case here. This field contains a date, and for now Google’s made this the first of the month – signifying that your phone has all security patches that were released up to that date.

The update for the Galaxy S6 will make your handset run build G920TUVS3DOJC after applying, and it’s a 68.58MB affair. For the S6 edge, we’re talking about software version GS925TUVS3DOJC (a 68.87MB download). The S6 edge+ gets G928TUVS2COKC, 75.23MB in size, while the Note5 will run N920TUVS2COKC after a 74.49MB…

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Best Buy only recently started selling the Nexus 5X in its stores with limited availability of colors and memory configurations and the Nexus 6P will likely follow in suit.

Well, according to 9to5Google, the Nexus 6P is on its way to being sold at Blue and Yellow stores all around the country. It isn’t known exactly when you’ll be able to use your Best Buy credit card to defer payments on a $500 smartphone, but it seeing as how quick Best Buy got the 5X, it should be quite soon.

There is also talk about the gold version of the phone coming to the US. Before it was launched, leaks of the Nexus 6P also included a gold colored phone. This gold-backed 6P launched as a Japan exclusive and only recently became available for purchase through Japanese wireless carrier Softbank.

The gold variant of the phone is also said to be on its way to the US soon, whether it’d be an exclusive to a particular retailer or not isn’t known yet.

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There comes a time in the life of every OnePlus smartphone when it’s finally available to buy just like every other phone – without the need for an invite. The OnePlus 2 has reached this state recently, and now it’s time for the smaller OnePlus X to make a first step in that direction.

The X will from now on be available to purchase sans invite every Tuesday. And this starts from tomorrow, so if you’ve been craving the 5-inch glass-clad handset (but didn’t have an invite), better start making plans. Do note however that it’s likely that only a limited quantity of devices will be up for grabs in this way every Tuesday. But if first you don’t succeed, just wait a week and try again.

Despite the public outcry, OnePlus has stuck with its much-hated invite system for all three of its smartphone launches so far. Given that, this is the first opportunity for invite-dreading individuals to buy the OnePlus X (that is, if you don’t count the three-day open sale that took place at the beginning of this month).

The phone has a 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, an 8 MP selfie shooter, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 chipset running things aided by 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, and a 2,525 mAh battery. The software version employed is Android 5.1.1…

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Pandora has announced a new feature today. It’s called Thumbprint Radio, and it’s a new radio station that’s based on all of your thumbs up – yes, all of them, even the ones from years ago. The company is calling this a “hyper-personalized station for each listener”.

Of course as you continue to thumbs up music on Pandora, this station will be updated and will keep evolving – it’s not a static one-off thing. Pandora says its musicologists are ensuring that transitions between the different genres you’ve given thumbs up to in the past are as seamless as they can be.

Your very own Thumbprint Radio station can easily be shared with friends, and that’s probably something you’ll want to do, since it should reflect your tastes pretty well. And once shared, the station will update dynamically for your friends when you thumbs up something new. So you don’t need to keep resharing it with the same people.

The feature will be made available to you if you have at least three stations with four thumbs on each. And obviously, the more you’ll thumb up things, the better your station gets.

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Just in time for your holiday shopping needs, Pebble has decided to lower the price of its newest and roundest smartwatch yet. Thus, the Pebble Time Round can now be purchased for just $199.99, which is $50 less than the normal price of $249.99.

As you may have gathered from the currency used, this offer is only valid in the US. In other territories the original price seems to be unchanged, for example in the Eurozone you need to pay a whopping €299.99 to buy the smartwatch.

The Pebble Time Round has an always on color e-paper display with LED backlight, 2.5D Gorilla Glass on top of that, a stainless steel chassis and bezel, and it comes with a 14mm or 20mm leather band. It’s 7.5mm thin, and it works with iPhones as well as Android devices.

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With the Holiday season almost upon us, it is definitely not too early to think about 2016 and discuss what the industry has in store for us. Sony’s upcoming lineup has already been subject to a lot of rumors, the most significant of which details a total of five models in the Xperia Z6 family, covering a broad range of display sizes form 4.0 inches all the way up to 6.4.

However, industry sources now hint at the possibility for a different development, including a total of four device releases, two of which major ones, throughout 2016. This entails that the alleged 4-inch Z6 Mini won’t become a reality and the lineup will consist of an Xperia Z6, Z6 Compact, Z6 Plus and Z6 Ultra. The rumor also states that two of those will be flagship releases and run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 SoC.

Furthermore, the two major device releases are said to come a few months apart – one in June and the other one in October 2016, to be exact. Design-wise, the new lineup will allegedly incorporate a lot of Metal for a fresh new look.

This new prediction coincides with a recently leaked T-Mobile release roadmap, so it might just hold some water. Hopefully, we will learn more on the topic at Sony’s CES press conference, which has already been set for January 5. Until then, your guess on the future of Sony’s mobile division is just as good as ours.

Source (in Chinese) |…

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Samsung will give you a $200 gift card for its online store if you purchase either an S6, S6 Edge, Note 5, or S6 Edge+ between December 10 and January 20. You must register on this website, and submit an offer claim form.

The form requires the receipt from a recent purchase of a Galaxy device, as well as its IMEI and WiFI MAC address. The user is also required to register an eligible card to Samsung Pay.

Separately, there is a $23k Game Day giveaway football sweepstakes that does not require you to register with Samsung Pay.

Samsung had a $50 promo not too long ago just for enrolling with Samsung Pay. There is also a promotion for one free year of Netflix with the purchase of a Galaxy Tab S2.

Upon purchase of a Galaxy Tab S2 between December 13 and December 26, you can submit a claim form on this page with your Tab S2’s WiFi MAC address. This offer ends on January 31 while the $200 gift card offer ends on January 20 and the gift card expires March 15, 2016

These offers are only open to legal residents of the 50 United States.

Football Promo | Netflix Promo |…

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