Asus Zenfone Selfie gets a limited edition with up to 128GB storage

Remember the Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe? Well, it’s not the only one that got the fancy treatment, the latest phone in the line is the Asus Zenfone Selfie Limited Edition. There have been such editions for the Laser and Zoom too.

Anyway, the Zenfone Selfie Limited Edition gets the tessellated back like the Deluxe and the memory options have been given a boost. You get 3GB of RAM (the regular model has a 2GB version) and up to 128GB of storage (the base model tops out at 32GB).

Asus Zenfone Selfie Limited Edition

The other specs are unchanged – the 13MP front-facing camera with dual flash for which the phone has been named, the 5.5″ 1080p screen, the Snapdragon 615 chipset and 3,000mAh battery.

Source (in Chinese) |…

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Swatch inks deal with Visa to bring NFC-based payments to Bellamy

Last month, Swiss watch maker Swatch unveiled its NFC payments capable Bellamy watch, which the company said will first be available for purchase in China, followed by other countries including the US and Switzerland.

While Swatch has already partnered with China UnionPay in the Asian country, the company has now teamed up with Visa to enable contactless payments in the countries listed above as well as Brazil. Swatch claims that the “pay-by-the-wrist” transactions do not require any energy at all from the watch, so the battery life of the wearable remains unaffected.

It’s worth stressing that Bellamy isn’t a smartwatch, meaning it doesn’t connect to the Internet or a mobile phone. Set to launch early next year, the watch carries a $90 price tag in China – pricing information for other countries isn’t yet…

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BlackBerry exiting Pakistan over government’s user data demand

BlackBerry has announced that it will stop all its operations in Pakistan, and will exit the market. In a blog post related to the matter, the company revealed that back in July this year, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority sent out notifications to the country’s mobile phone operators stating that BlackBerry’s BES servers won’t be allowed to operate in the country starting December due to “security reasons”.

While there’s no clarity on what those “security reasons” are, BlackBerry says the government there wanted unrestricted access to their customers’ data, which the company refused, and that’s the reason it has received shutdown order from the authorities.

“The truth is that the Pakistani government wanted the ability to monitor all BlackBerry Enterprise Service traffic in the country, including every BES e-mail and BES BBM message,” the company said. “But BlackBerry will not comply with that sort of directive.”

Although the government’s order was only related to BlackBerry’s BES servers, the company has decided to exit the market altogether. “Pakistan’s demand for open access to monitor a significant swath of our customers’ communications within its borders left us no choice but to exit the country entirely,” the company explained.

Initially, the order required the company to shut the operations in the country starting November 30, but after Blackberry announced the news on its blog, the date has been extended to December 30, the company…

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Nokia C1 leaks again with alleged specs and a new render

Nokia has been absent from the smartphone scene for quite some time now – a fact that many fans know all too well. But, as CEO Rajeev Suri has confirmed, it is not a withdrawal, but rather a timeout that should end in Q4 2016 when the agreement with Microsoft expires.

Rumors of a Nokia C1 have been circulating along with claims that it will, in fact, be the first smartphone to bear the Finnish company logo in years. Today brings a fresh batch of info on the alleged handset, namely a render and possible specs sheets.

The new image seems to be made from the same source that we saw a few days ago, so unfortunately it doesn’t add much extra credibility. The same tipster also claims to have some insights on the specs of the device. He notes that the C1 might come in two size variants, which, oddly enough, also have a different camera setup.

The display is said to be 5.0 or 5.5 inches with FullHD resolution. The first version gets 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, while the other gets 3GB with 64GB of storage. The camera setup will vary between 8MP back plus 5MP front or 13MP back with the same front shooter. It is also interesting to note that the C1 is said to run on Android, with a Windows 10 variant available in select markets.

The anonymous source also goes on to explain that the handset has been long in the making, so much so that the original prototype was apparently canceled and replaced with one with better hardware. That could also potentially explain the two distinct sets of specs. In any case, there is still a lot of time to wait until the C1 even has a chance to hit user markets in Q4…

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Microsoft announces the Lumia 950 and 950 XL in India

Microsoft has announced its two new flagship devices, the Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL in the Indian market. Both phones will be available in the dual SIM configuration.

The 950 duo are the first phones from Microsoft running the new Windows 10 operating system out of the box. This allows them to run the same applications that you can on your Windows 10 desktop through the Window Store, and also make use of features like Continuum, which allows you to connect your phone to a dock and use it as a makeshift Windows desktop PC.

The Lumia 950 has a 5.2-inch Quad HD AMOLED display, Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB memory, 20 megapixel camera, USB Type-C with fast charging, wireless charging, and 3000mAh battery. The Lumia 950 XL is mostly the same, but has a larger 5.7-inch display with identical resolution, Snapdragon 810 processor, and a larger 3340mAh battery.

The Lumia 950 is priced at INR 43,699 ($654) and the Lumia 950 XL is priced at INR 49,699 ($743). Both come with Microsoft Display Dock as…

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Cancelled Nokia Mercury tablet shows up in leaked render

When Microsoft completed the acquisition of Nokia’s Devices & Services division last year, several devices including smartphones, smartwatches, as well tablets were reportedly cancelled. However, one of those devices – the Mercury tablet – has now showed up in a leaked render (shown below).

From the Lumia graveyard: Microsoft/Nokia Mercury. http://pic.twitter.com/FB24IfKcCz— Evan Blass (@evleaks) November 30, 2015

The render image was leaked by the usually reliable leakster @evleaks. From what can be seen, the tablet features a front as well as a rear camera, and also comes with what looks like a SIM card slot. Overall, the device looks more like a phone than a tablet.

Unfortunately, no other details including those related to the tablet’s specifications were revealed in the…

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Samsung Galaxy S4, S5, and S6 now available at 50% discount in US

If you’re in the US, and are planning to purchase the Samsung Galaxy S4, S5, or S6, here is some good news: AT&T’s no-contract subsidiary Cricket Wireless is running a Cyber Monday promotion wherein the aforementioned devices are being offered at a 50% discount.

This means that the handsets are now available for purchase for just $100, $200, and $250, down from their original price of $200, $400, and $500, respectively. Valid with activation on a smartphone plan, the promotion runs through December 3, and is available to both new and existing customers.

Cricket says you can also combine the discount with the Black Friday offer wherein those switching to the carrier by December 6 will get a $100 Cricket Shopping Card. The carrier is also offering discounts on several other devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime, LG G Stylo, ZTE Overture 2, LG Risio, Motorola Moto E, and the Nokia Lumia 635. Head to the source link below for more…

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BlackBerry Priv gets 24K gold treatment

You can now get BlackBerry’s debut Android smartphone gold plated for a more premium look. Karalux – a company based in Vietnam, where the Priv set to go on sale this weekend (December 5) – will get the job done for you.

“Unlike the previous generations, it is a little bit more difficult to disassemble BlackBerry Priv,” the company said. “Karalux engineers took nearly 2 hours to ‘operate’ its details, and spent 4 more hours with more than 10 different procedures to complete the first gold-plated BlackBerry Priv in Vietnam.”

As for the price, users in Vietnam can get their device gold plated for VND 8 million ($355), while both phone and gold-plating will cost VND 25 million ($1111). On the other hand, international customers will have to pay VND 30 million (around $1350) for each gold-plated unit.

Source 1…

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The Pirate Bay remains accessible in Sweden… at least for now

While notorious file-sharing website The Pirate Bay has been blocked in several countries around the world, it will remain accessible in its home country of Sweden, at least for now that is. A Swedish court has ruled that it can’t force ISPs to block the website.

The ruling came after the court observed that under the Swedish law, ISPs can’t be held responsible for what users do on a website. Also, no fines can be imposed on them in cases like these.

As for the case in question, it was brought by several music and movie studios – including Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, Nordisk Film, and the Swedish Film Industry – who want local ISP Bredbandsbolaget to block the website.

For those who aren’t already aware, The Pirate Bay has been used to distribute copyrighted material. The decision by the district court is likely to be…

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Vivo Y51 and Y51L receive TENAA certification

After the Y37A and Y51A, two more vivo smartphones have been certified by the Chinese regulatory agency TENAA. These devices carry a model number of Y51 and Y51L, respectively.

Specs-wise, the Y51 is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU, and sports a 5-inch (960 × 540 pixel resolution) TFT display. It comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB expandable internal memory. In terms of camera, the device features an 8MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter.

Weighing in at 157 gms and measuring 143.8 × 71.7 × 7.52 (mm), the handset runs Android 5.0 Lollipop. Color options include white.

The Y51L, interestingly, comes with a similar design and exactly same specs as that of the Y51 (except that it runs Android 5.0.2 out-of-the-box). So the main difference between the two smartphones isn’t exactly clear at this point.

In case you aren’t already aware, vivo is expected to unveil the X6 flagship today.

Source 1 (translated) | Source 2 (translated) |…

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