Ookla’s main desktop site now uses HTML5 and no longer depends on Adobe Flash to function. The Beta launched a few months ago but is now available to the public.

Ever since Android stopped supporting Flash back in 2012 with version 4.1 Jellybean, the internet’s dependence on it has been declining ever since. As of the beginning of 2015, Youtube has dropped Flash as the default video player worldwide in favor of HTML5.

The Beta SpeedTest looks more minimal and doesn’t show the map of your location anymore(which we’ll miss, it was a fun feature). Note that some testing servers on the Flash-version may not appear in the Beta-version.

We tried accessing the Beta site from a mobile device but the mobile site only shows links to download the app.

Check out Ookla’s new Beta SpeedTest and let us know what you…

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Today Google has made Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow official. As hinted at by the .0.1 increment in the version number, this isn’t a big release or anything like that. But it does come with support for dozens of new emoji, all of which are part of the Unicode 8.0 spec. A few of the new emoji are shown in the screenshot below.

The Android update enables system-wide support for the new emoji, and if you’re using the Google keyboard (that ships preinstalled on the Nexus devices) then you’ll be happy to know that this app is receiving a new version as part of the OS release. However, it looks like you’ll need to wait for an update to arrive through the Play Store for the Google keyboard in order for it to support the new emoji list layout, which consists of 10 tabs (up from seven previously).

Until that rolls out, you will still benefit from the unlocking of a few characters that were in the system before but couldn’t be used via the keyboard (examples include country flags, and dial pad number keys).

Aside from all the emoji action, Android 6.0.1 also comes with two small tweaks. One of them you’ll only see if you’re on a tablet. In this case, the navigation buttons have been moved, with Back and Home now being towards the left edge of the screen, while Recents is to the right. Previously, as you may know, the three software buttons were centered. This change will help with navigating the OS especially on bigger tablets, while holding the device with both hands (and using your thumbs to hit the buttons).

Finally, the Do Not Disturb mode once again has an “until next alarm” option when you enable it. This made its debut in Android 5.1 Lollipop, but for some reason was removed in the first Marshmallow release.

And if you were wondering where December’s security update was, well, it’s part of Android 6.0.1. The new version is already available to download for supported Nexus devices in the form of factory images, and the over-the-air rollout should commence very soon. After that happens, allow around a week or so for all Nexuses out there to receive that coveted update notification.

Source 1 • Source 2 |…

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Following a similar move made for its iOS app in October, Adobe has announced that starting today Photoshop Lightroom for Android is free to use. Previously, you needed a Creative Cloud subscription to take advantage of the app’s features, but not anymore. This change is introduced by version 1.4 of Lightroom for Android, which is already available in the Google Play Store.

There is a slight caveat here, as you may expect. You can use Photoshop Lightroom for Android all you want, but if you need to sync edits and files with the desktop version of the software, you still have to purchase a Creative Cloud subscription.

Yet you may not see the need for going to a computer, since Photoshop Lightroom for Android can do quite a lot of stuff (even with raw DNG files). It has everything from “simple one-tap presets to powerful advanced adjustments”, and supports copying edits across photos. And naturally, any edit can be reverted with just one tap.

Source |…

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Spotify launched a site that lets you see the worldwide trends of the year and relive the biggest stories of the music industry.

Among these events are Missy Elliot’s comeback, lawsuits between artists, the year of hip-hop, and worldwide events that resulted in trends of a certain type of music. For each story or event, Spotify will give you a playlist of relevant songs that will bring you back to those moments.

If you do have a Spotify account and log into the site, Spotify will show you the first song you played this year, top artists of each calendar season, the top tracks, genres, and total minutes played the whole year.

It seems like a pretty nice feature overall. Music plays such a huge part in our lives, it reflects how we feel, it causes and resolves problems, and it can bring passion and tears. So returning to tracks we listened to a year ago has the potential of having us relive moments we hold dear.

Spofity was recently declared the #1 music streaming service in the entire world and it wants you to relive the year and see how your tastes have changed throughout.

Source…

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Set to commence on January 6 in Las Vegas, the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 is just a month away, and participating companies have started sending out invitations for their respective press events. Following Sony, now Samsung has begun sending invites for its CES press conference.

Samsung’s press conference is scheduled for January 5 from 14:00 to 14:45 PM. There’s however, no official word on what the South Korean tech giant will unveil during that 45 minute window.

Going by the rumors we’ve come across so far, Samsung could make official the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge successors, expected to be called the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, at the technology trade show. But that looks less likely at the moment given that the S6 and S6 edge made their debut on March 1 this year – a one year gap is usually maintained between flagship successors.

Other possible candidate could be the Galaxy A9, which was expected to be released last week, but that obviously didn’t…

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Rumors on the Galaxy S7 have indeed been plentiful, but there hasn’t really been anything visual to investigate. Well, that all changes with this exclusive leak of S7 renders. As often happens they come courtesy of a third-party accessory maker – ITSkins. Such companies get access to detailed proportions and control layouts to prepare their product line. The info is still scarce, but it does contain detailed measurements of the next flagship duo.

Yes, in keeping with the current trend, Samsung is going to out two S7 models. One is going to measure 143.37 x 70.8 x 6.94 mm, which is almost identical to the Galaxy S6 footprint. The other one, however, is said to dwarf its sibling at the whopping 163.32 x 82.01 x 7.82mm. That is indeed huge and actually comes close to what the Galaxy Mega 2 measures. This all point in one direction – the upcoming Plus variant of the S7 will be a supersized 6.0-inch device.

Well, that is a big bombshell right there. Naturally, it is early to say what will happen with the current “edge” variety, whether it will persist in the next generation and exactly how, but a 6.0 – inch S7 device will dwarf the Note series as well, which has persisted in its 5.7 inch approach for three generations in a row.

Come to think about it, it does make more sense to have a larger screen option with proper flagship hardware to complement the standard offer quite a bit more than the current situation where you have a slightly odd, curved-screen, 5.7-inch S6 edge+ coexisting with the Note5, only lacking the signature S Pen and all the advanced productivity features.

Other than the aforementioned display size, the renders hint that the S7 will bear a lot of resemblance to the S6. There are, however, two instantly noticeable changes. The home button has shed its typical Samsung round shape in favor of very rectangular alternative. Perhaps, it is intended as a quick distinctive trait between the two generations. The SIM slot has also been moved to the side.

As for other potential insight we have on the S7, there is the quite distinct possibility that it will be offered in a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 variant, as well as an Exynos 8890 one, which is was the norm for Samsung’s flagships before the Snapdagon 810 overheating…

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Xiaomi’s upcoming Mi 5 and Mi 5 Plus flagship smartphones are in legal trouble in the US, where a firm by the name of Blue Spike LLC has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Chinese company.

In its complaint filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Blue Spike has alleged that several of Xiaomi’s mobile devices – including the unannounced Mi 5 flagship duo – are infringing on patent 8,930,719 B2 titled “Data Protection Method and Device”.

Other handsets cited in the lawsuit include the Mi 4, Mi 4 LTE, Mi 4c, Mi 4i, Mi Note Plus, Mi Note Pro, Redmi 1S, Redmi 2, Redmi 2 Prime, Redmi 2 Pro, Redmi 2A and Redmi Note 2. Its worth mentioning that of these, the Mi 4 and Redmi 2 Pro have already cleared the FCC hurdle.

As for Blue Spike, the company claims its business revolves around Address Space Layout Randomization (“ASLR”) software, systems, and technology. However, a quick look at its website doesn’t reveal any products or clients, suggesting the company – which has filed patent infringement lawsuits against several other companies, including Google and Facebook, in the past – is nothing but a patent troll.

Source | Via 1…

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Unveiled late last month, the Huawei Mate 8 flagship smartphone will go on sale in China starting Wednesday – December 9. This was announced by He Gang, who heads the Chinese company’s smartphone division.

As for the price, the handset will carry a tag of CNY 2,999 ($470) for the 3GB/32GB model, CNY 3699 ($580) for the 4GB/64GB model, CNY 4399 ($690) for the 4GB/128GB model, and CNY 6888 ($1075) for the exclusive champagne edition. Gang also said that the company has high expectations from the device, and is planning to manufacture a whopping one million units per month.

The Huawei Mate 8 is powered by Huawei’s latest Kirin 950 SoC with octa-core CPU and Mali T880MP4 GPU, and sports a 6-inch FHD IPS display. It packs a large 4,000mAh battery, a 16MP main cameraand an 8MP shooter on the front. It runs the company’s next-generation EMUI 4.0 OS based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

The Mate 8’s international availability details will be announced at CES…

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Gionee has announced the new P5W, a budget smartphone with a colorful design inside out.

The P5W has a glossy polycarbonate body that comes in five colors – black, white, yellow, blue, and pink. The UI comes color matched to the body.

The P5W has a 5.0-inch, 720p IPS display. Inside there is a MediaTek MT6735 chipset, 1GB RAM, and 16GB storage. On the back is a 5 megapixel camera and on the front is a 2 megapixel shooter. Powering the phone is a 2,000mAh battery. The P5W runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop.

The phone is expected to go on sale soon but we have no details on the…

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The Microsoft Band 2 has received a price cut in the UK, where Amazon is now selling the device for £189.99, down from its original price of £199.99. Agreed, that’s not a big discount, but what’s interesting is that the price cut has happened just a couple of weeks after the wearable was launched in the country.

A quick look at the Microsoft UK Store reveals that the Band 2 is still listed for £199.99 there. Also, other retailers like Currys are also selling the device at £199.99 only, which lead us to believe that only Amazon is offering the discount in the country at the moment. Over in the US, where it went on sale back in October this year, the Band 2 still carries its launch price tag – Microsoft Store, Amazon, Target, as well as Best Buy are all still selling it for $249.

The wearable comes in small, medium and large sizes, and features continuous heart rate monitoring, notification alerts as well as eleven sensors that can track various activities including running, weightlifting, exercising, rowing, and…

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