Now that the HTC One A9 is officially here, fans are already aiming their sights at the next possible HTC phone. That might very well be the One X9, which, despite being a relative newcomer to the rumor mill, has already stirred up quite a fuss amongst prominent tech tipsters.

What was initially portrayed as a Mediatek Helio X20 high-end device, later got its alleged specs denoted quite a bit, making it more of an upper-midrange offer to come shortly before the One M10 flagship. As for the aesthetics on the device, there hasn’t really been much to go by, except for a single press render, until now that is.

This new image was leaked on Chinese social media Weibo and matches up nicely with the initially revealed X9 design. The distinct pair of groves on the front of the phone can easily be spotted in both renders, but the new one also offers a glimpse at the back. It appears to feature a prominent strip for the camera module, perhaps even slightly thicker than the rest of the unit’s body, but it is hard to tell from this angle. Also, the bottom antenna line is clearly visible, hinting at a metal body. In any case, allegations of Apple-inspired design seem a lot less likely with the X9.

As far as we currently know, the handset, model number E56, sports a 5.5-inch FHD display, and packs in a 3000mAh battery. Memory is 2GB/16GB, while a 13MP/4UP camera-combo is on-board. It should be launched in Q1 2016, around 2-3 months before the One M10…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1WWImrx
via IFTTT

The Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is now available for purchase across (most of) Europe. The handheld, which pioneers 4K display resolution on a smartphone, has been listed on several of Sony’s local websites as well as third-party retailers.

The privilege of owning an Xperia Z5 Premium was never going to come cheap, and the cash you’ll need to part with amounts to £629 in the UK or €799 in most other countries. You could buy it for £599.95 SIM-free from major retailer Carphone Warehouse or opt for one of a myriad of installment plans. Over at giffgaff, the Z5 Premium is even a pound cheaper.

Some German retailers will sell you one for up to €10 less than Sony, though most stick to the list price. If having a smartphone with a pixel density north of 800ppi isn’t quite worth €800 to you, you could wait for potential carrier-subsidized deals, of which there are none just yet.

We stumbled upon a “Buy now” link for the Xperia Z5 Premium on Sony’s websites in the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy (€829), Greece (an even steeper €899, mind you), and so on, but the list is by no means exhaustive. If you’ve been craving the 4K display goodness for a while (which we are, even though we did have one for a brief hands-on a while back), make sure you check with Sony reps and retailers in your home country. Either way, the floodgates are open.

Source 1 2 3 4 5 6 |…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1QAB90F
via IFTTT

The upcoming Vivo X6 smartphone, which has been the subject of various teasers and leaks lately, has passed what’s known as China Compulsory Certification (3C).

As you can see in the screenshot above, the certification information reveals that the device will be available in two variants: X6A and X6L. There’s, however, currently no information on the difference between these models.

From what is known so far, the handset is powered by a 10-core MediaTek Helio X20 chipset, and sports a a 6-inch QHD screen with Force Touch. It has 4GB RAM (1GB dedicated for video), packs in a 4,000mAh battery, sports a 21MP rear camera, and offers 4G connectivity. The handset also features a fingerprint scanner and quick charging capabilities.

However, keep in mind that none of these specifications has been officially confirmed…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1HMKhIp
via IFTTT

The successor to the Apple Watch is currently being worked on, according to Barry Lam, chairman of Taiwan-based Quanta Computer, the company which assembles the wearable device for the iPhone-maker.

Lam reportedly made the aforementioned comment recently during an an investor meeting, noting that the next-gen Apple Watch will perform better than the original variant. Soon thereafter, rumors started going around that the Apple Watch 2 would be launched towards the end of Q2 next year.

These rumors are inline with previous reports that suggested a 2016 launch for the Apple Watch successor. There have also been rumors that the new wearable will continue sporting the existing square form…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1QAhwG2
via IFTTT

Cyanogen Inc. aims to pick up the ball that Android One dropped. Google’s initiative for low-cost smartphones for developing markets underwent several changes and reportedly, it no longer lives up to its original mission.

Cyanogen is working with multiple OEMs to develop a number of $75 devices targeting several markets. They promise high performance on inexpensive hardware by keeping software bloat at bay.

The phones will run CyanogenOS 13, based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It will come out early next year, while the ROM version (CyanogenMod 13) will be out sooner – by the end of this year or in early 2016.

The Cyanogen team will see these devices through several major Android versions, a promise also made by Android One phones.

The team will provide its partners with SDKs for custom apps (which will differ by OEM and region) and make sure there are no overlaps. No two apps that do the same thing (Google-powered Androids often have two browsers, two email clients, two calendars and so on).

It won’t be just sub-$100 phones though, Steve Kondik had a “one more thing” moment and promised a flagship too. Currently Cyanogen OS powers phones from Yu, ZUK, Wileyfox, BQ and Smartfren.

Source |…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1NPyAqT
via IFTTT

Sony’s Internet TV service PlayStation Vue, which was already accessible through the PS4, PS3, iPad, and iPhone, is now also available on Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. Support for Chromecast is also arriving soon.

The Japanese company has also slashed the prices for the service’s Core and Elite packages by $5 – the former is now available for $54.99 (down from $59.99) while the latter is available for $64.99 (down from $69.99).

There’s also a special Amazon promotion for new users who sign up for the service’s aforementioned packages.

“For a limited time starting November 15th, 2015, new users who sign up for a free trial of PlayStation Vue’s Core and Elite multi-channel packages will receive a free Amazon Fire TV Stick with their first month paid subscription.”

The promotion, however, is only available in areas where where PlayStation Vue multi-channel packages are…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1HMkK1O
via IFTTT

US watchmaker Fossil Group has announced that it will be acquiring startup company Misfit for $260 million. Misfit’s current CEO and co-founder, Sonny Vu, will become the CTO of connected devices for Fossil Group.

Misfit is a wearable device manufacturer, maker of fitness trackers such as the Misfit Shine and the recent Misfit Shine 2. Fossil plans on using Misfit’s technological knowhow into standard watches while also continuing existing Misfit products to sell alongside. Fossil recently announced its entry into the wearable space, with the launch of two fitness bands, a standard watch with some smart functionality, and an Android Wear…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1ProJsy
via IFTTT

Microsoft has started rolling a major update for the Xbox One, which brings with it two new features, the New Xbox One Experience, which is based on Windows 10, and Xbox One Backward Compatibility.

The New Xbox One Experience brings with it a new Dashboard and a new Guide. The focus here is on making everything faster, not just performance wise but more importantly, in reducing the number of steps involved in doing things. The guide helps out in this a lot. The guide is like a hub for all your friends, parties, messages, notifications, settings, and apps. The guide slides over from the left as an overlay on the Dashboard, in an app or even during a game, so you are never far away from important things.

The other important thing is Xbox One Backward Compatibility. Now Xbox One users will be able to play over a hundred Xbox 360 games on their console, with more coming in the future. The Xbox 360 titles can be downloaded from the store if you had purchased them digitally in the past. If you have them on a disc, you have to enter the disc into the Xbox One, at which point the game will be downloaded from the store, with the disc acting as sort of a DRM. You can play multiplayer within these games with Xbox 360 owners and also have access to new Xbox One features, such as screenshots, in-home streaming, and Game DVR.

The update is now rolling out and you can read more about it in the link…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1MrDzte
via IFTTT

Apple is planning to add a new feature in Apple Pay that will allow users of the mobile payments service to quickly send/receive money to/from their contacts, according to a latest report from Bloomberg.

As per the report, the Cupertino-based company – which sold over 230 million iPhones last year – is already in talks with banks about the said peer-to-peer payments feature, and could announce it as soon as next year.

For those who aren’t already aware, a similar money-sending feature is already being offered by social networking giant Facebook – it’s available to users of the company’s Messenger app in the…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1HLYrJN
via IFTTT

Facebook is currently testing a new Messenger feature in France that allows users of the chat application to send ephemeral messages that vanish after one hour. The feature can be turned on and off simply by tapping the new hourglass icon (see image below) included in the app.

“We’re excited to announce the latest in an engaging line of optional product features geared towards making Messenger the best way to communicate with the people that matter most,” said a Facebook spokesperson in a statement.

“Starting today, we’re conducting a small test in France of a feature that allows people to send messages that disappear an hour after they’re sent. Disappearing messages gives people another fun option to choose from when they communicate on Messenger. We look forward to hearing people’s feedback as they give it a try.”

Clearly, this is yet another attempt by Facebook to take on Snapchat, which is arguably the most popular app in the category. For those who aren’t already aware, Facebook launched a Snapchat-competitor – dubbed Poke – back in 2012, but it failed to capture people’s imagination and was shut down last…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1Qly0Cz
via IFTTT