It a good week in terms of new announcements with the Samsung’s group launch of the 2016 lineup of the Galaxy A series and the Huawei Enjoy 5s. The theme of the week proved to be “fingerprints.”

The Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) is the flagship of next-gen lineup. It features a 5.5″ Super AMOLED screen with a 1080p resolution inside a fairly thin metal and glass chassis. The headlining new features are the fingerprint reader and full Samsung Pay support, plus the OIS-enabled camera with a wide f/1.9 aperture, just like the Galaxy S6 (but paired with a lower-resolution sensor).

The semi-premium lineup continues with the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016), which grows the screen size and pixel count to 5.2″ and 1080p. It features Samsung Pay and OIS camera like the A7, but targets consumers looking for a compact device. All three Galaxy As have LTE and optional DualSIM.

The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016), the runt of the litter, has been left out of most major upgrades – no Pay and no OIS, not much of a chipset bump either. The screen got a much need upgrade to 4.7″ 720p and the camera also went up to 13MP.

The Samsung Galaxy A 2016 lineup will debut in China later this month and expand its availability.

Then there’s the Huawei Enjoy 5s. It upgrades the Enjoy 5 from October with an octa-core processor and a fingerprint reader. It’s going on sale in China in a week’s time at CNY 1,200 ($187), you need a CNY 100 deposit to save a spot in line.

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Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)

specs gallery

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)

specs gallery

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016)

specs gallery

Huawei Enjoy 5s

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Rayman Adventures is the third Rayman game on the mobile platform in recent times after Rayman Jungle Run and Rayman Fiesta Run. With this game, Ubisoft has made slight changes to the core gameplay, which was unchanged between the first two games, to give the player more control. There are also some new gameplay elements, such as the Incrediballs, which are collectible companions that also assist you in gameplay.

The first two Rayman games were more of an on-rails experience, where you had no control over the movement of the character who moved automatically and all you could do is jump or attack. With Adventures, Ubisoft has given some control back to the player and now you can change direction and go back if you missed something. This is still not the fully manual movement that we see in the console version of Rayman games but it’s better than nothing.

The control scheme has also changed. In the previous games, one side of the screen could be tapped to jump and the other for attack. In this game, you change direction by swiping in the opposite direction you are going in. You can tap once to jump and you can swipe in the direction you are going to attack.

The game also introduces the Incrediballs. These are tiny creatures that you collect as you play and unlock more levels. There are multiple types of Incrediballs, and within each there are three types of varying power.

In the first game you were pretty much entirely on your own. In Fiesta Run, you could use special abilities that helped you in the game. The Incrediballs are kinda like that. Each has a different ability. The green ones can find hidden treasure (up to three in a level) in the level and point you towards it so you don’t miss them. The green ones attract lums around you like a magnet. The red ones will protect you against one attack and then temporarily make you invincible.

Before the game starts, you can use one or more of these to help you. You can use multiple ones of different type for different needs or multiple ones of the same type. For example, having more than one of the blue Incrediballs will attract lums more strongly.

The Incrediballs serve as a nice addition to the gameplay. They are not compulsory and you can finish any level without them, however, some levels are made a lot easier if you have a certain type of Incrediball with you and some levels absolutely need one if you want to perfect the level by completing all objectives. The game highlights at the beginning which ones you will be needing for that particular level.

Of course you can’t just use as many as you want. Only a few are available to you and if you want more you will have to feed them, and as you can guess, the food itself is also limited. This would be a good time to talk about the in-app purchases. Unlike the first two games, Rayman Adventures is free with IAP. You can spend real money in game to purchase items such as food, gems (used for purchasing in-game items), potions, etc. Admittedly, not once did I feel like the game was pressurizing me to spend money and you can play the entire game without spending a cent on it, without being punished in any way. There is no advertising normally, but if you want you could optionally watch a video to earn free gems. I’d have still preferred a fully paid game with no IAP, but as far as having IAP goes, Ubisoft has done a good job here.

But is the actual game fun? Well, yes and no. Yes because this is a classic Rayman game, which means the same frantic combat and platforming sections, the same amazing character animations and the same great level designs. Unfortunately, the major issue here are the controls. Having swipe and tap gestures for attack, change direction, and jumping is utterly confusing. Even if you do get over the learning curve, the game itself confuses your inputs several times, jumping when you wanted to attack and vice versa. It cannot be stressed enough just how frustrating this is when it happens. Rayman games often have amazing flow to the action, with everything placed where it should be for a quick and clean gameplay. Constantly confusing between the controls breaks the flow and makes you want to throw out your phone or tablet several times. This was not at all an issue with the previous games, both of which played beautifully. The addition of…

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BlackBerry has scheduled an event to report its financial results for the third quarter of the fiscal 2015. Beginning at 8am ET on December 18, the announcement will take place in a conference call and a webcast. In case you miss the live broadcast, there will be a replay available for another two weeks until January 3.

Market analysts and investors alike will be intrigued to find out what effect the launch of the BlackBerry Priv will have on the numbers. Rumors have claimed that the struggling Canadian company might be pulling out of the device market, depending on the success or failure of the high-end slider. Early as it may be for conclusions, this third quarter result may shed some light on what’s to…

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OnePlus caused quite the buzz a few days ago, when it announced the Sandstone case for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. Wait, what? A smartphone maker is releasing a case for a smartphone made by another smartphone maker? The internet was bewildered.

It’s fair to say then that the marketing stunt did what it was supposed to. People were talking and OnePlus was in the news thanks to a piece of plastic. We got one too and figured we’d share a few impressions.

OnePlus Sandstone Case for the iPhone 6s – press images

First up – presentation. The case comes in a box, made to a standard well worthy of holding a phone, not the tacky plastic or thin cardboard packages in which most other cases arrive at your doorstep. The pullout tab in the signature OnePlus red color is a nice touch, both functionally and in terms of design.

Inside there’s a plastic scratch card that in our case held an invite for an Onyx OnePlus X, but others may be for the Ceramic version. The luckiest of buyers might be getting a free smartphone, OnePlus announced.

The case itself is very well made and is an excellent fit for an iPhone 6s. We didn’t have an iPhone 6 lying around to test it, but we figure that OnePlus knows what it’s doing by advertising it for both models. The minuscule difference of 0.2mm in thickness is unlikely to be of significance.

The case measures 138.7 x 70.2 x 10.5mm, and covers the back and the sides, but not the top and bottom. Still the extreme corners are reasonably well protected. The camera doesn’t stick out either – the back is thick enough to keep it recessed.

We’re polarized on the surface, just as we were about the OnePlus 2. The general opinion is that the coarse texture evokes the same feeling you get when someone scratches a chalk board. Then again there were those of us that appreciate that the material doesn’t hold fingerprints, and is naturally very grippy too.

Now, it’s debatable whether iPhone users would be inclined to put on a case made by OnePlus. Not only that, but it completely covers the Apple logo, replacing it with OnePlus’ and that seems like a big no-no. That aside, the case is pretty good if you’re okay with the texture. And by the way, it’s now discounted too, selling at…

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Rumors on a possible successor to the iPhone 5c have been on and off at least since March. An alleged iPhone 6c then showed up in a live image (well, at least its back cover), and at one point it was also rumored to launch side by side with the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

No such thing happened, as we’re all aware, but rumors keep coming in that an iPhone 6c will eventually materialize. However, this new bit suggests that it will come even later, and thus will be named iPhone 7c instead of iPhone 6c.

The info supposedly comes from suppliers to Apple’s main manufacturer Foxconn. This 4-inch iPhone 7c is now tipped to arrive in September, as a build-up to the release of the proper iPhone 7. Alongside this information, a $400-$500 price ballpark has been quoted too, presumably off contract.

Needless to say, there’s little tangible data to support these claims, so take them with a due dose of skepticism.

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Construction of Apple Campus 2 is well underway with a launch date set for the end of next year. In his customary monthly aerial video photographer Duncan Sinfield gives us an update on how Campus 2 is progressing and reveals an undeground auditorium in the making.

The giant circular complex is shaping up nicely, and parts of it are already waiting for the next phase of development when the glass panes will be put in. A view from Mt. Apple gives a glimpse of how the whole thing will look from the ground, sort of.

Next to it is the said auditorium, which in its finished state will be below ground and thus away from prying eyes. The tiered venue will accommodate future product announcements and other key events. The R&D facility named Tantau is also coming together, now 3 to 4 levels up.

You can view the video below and listen to the man himself Steve Jobs and snippets from his 2005 Stanford speech.

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Microsoft has announced that it is holding a pre-launch event for its new Windows 10 flagships – the Lumia 950 and 950 XL – in UAE on December 11. Set to take place at Microsoft retail store in Dubai Mall, the event will begin at 6:00 pm local time.

Those attending the event will not only be able to purchase the flagship devices, but the first 20 customers will also get “exclusive access” to the official launch event in the country, which is scheduled for December 15.

For those who aren’t already aware, the Windows 10 flagship duo is already available for purchase in the US and…

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Released back in 2009, HTC’s legendary HD2 smartphone simply refuses to die. Although the device shipped with Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, it has seen ports of several major mobile OS’ including Windows Phone 7, MeeGo, and of course Android – v2.1, Jelly Bean, KitKat, and Lollipop. And now, Marshmallow has also been ported onto the handset.

Frankly, it would be unfair to expect HD2 with Android 6.0 to function smoothly, so it comes as a little surprise that the port is “riddled with bugs and non-working features” – only screen, Wi-Fi, and audio are currently said to be working fine out-of-the-box.

Even if it doesn’t provide a complete experience, the port does show that the now struggling Taiwanese company gave us some of the most impressive mobile hardware we’ve ever seen. For instructions on how to install the port, head to the Via 2 link below.

Via 1 | Via…

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Xiaomi first launched the YI Action Camera in China back in March this year. Now, nine months later, the camera has officially arrived in the United States, where Amazon is selling it for $99.95.

The e-commerce giant also has a YI Action Camera Kit listed on its website. The kit, which consists of the camera, a selfie stick, as well as a Bluetooth Remote, carries a price tag of $139.95.

For those who aren’t aware, the action camera features a Sony 16MP Exmor R BSI CMOS sensor that is capable of recording 1080p60 HD videos. There is also built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity as well as a 1,100 mAh battery. The device weighs in at around 75g.

Source 1 | Source…

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Unveiled back in August this year, the Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE601KL) with 6-inch display has now gone on sale in India, where it’s currently only available online through e-commerce sites such as Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal. Those planning to purchase it through offline channels will have to wait until next week.

Specs-wise, the device is powered by a Snapdragon 616 chipset, and as already mentioned, sports a 6-inch (1080×1920 pixel resolution) IPS display. It comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a 3000mAh battery.

In terms of camera, the Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE601KL) features a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. Weighing in at 190g and measuring 164.5x84x10.5mm, the handset runs Android 5.0 Lollipop-based ZenUI, and carries a price tag of INR 17,999 ($270). Color options include red, silver, and gold.

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