Today Apple has released the first public beta of iOS 9.2. This build first went out to developers a couple of days ago, and now it’s available for everyone who’s signed up for Apple’s beta program for software.

As before, if you’re in the beta program iOS 9.2 beta 1 will be offered to you as an over-the-air update on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Once you apply it, you can’t turn back to older versions of the OS, keep that in mind.

So far only one thing seems to be new in this build, namely the fact that it’s now possible to enable user-installed extensions for Safari while the Web browser is working in third-party apps. Obviously some bug fixes are bound to be in too.

The final version of iOS 9.1 was only sent out to the public last week, so you should probably expect a few more betas before iOS 9.2 is…

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There are many differences between the two Nexus smartphones Google announced this year, the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. One is cheaper, the other more premium, for example. But there’s a new big difference between the two – how easy each of them is to repair.

The Nexus 5X teardown which we told you about last week resulted in a 7 out of 10 repairability score, which isn’t perfect, but it’s not bad either.

Now though the Huawei-made Nexus 6P has been put through the same process by the teardown experts at iFixit. And it was found to be in the exact opposite situation compared to its smaller sibling. In fact, the Nexus 6P got only a 2 out of 10 repairability score.

The problems include the fact that the display assembly can’t be replaced without tearing the whole phone apart, which means that one of the most common repairs for a handset is very difficult to accomplish. Furthermore, tough adhesive is used to hold the rear cover panels and battery in place, and it’s very difficult to open the device without damaging the glass camera cover.

On the other hand, the phone’s solid construction is said to improve durability, and once the opening procedure is complete the battery is easily accessible.

As an oddity, the circular-looking fingerprint sensor on the back of the Nexus 6P is actually square – the circle shape is merely due to the round hole in the phone’s case. So it turns out that this isn’t the exact same sensor as on the Nexus…

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Samsung finally announced the Galaxy View, its biggest tablet yet, through a press release yesterday. This came after many months of rumors regarding this particular device.

While the official unveiling made no mention of its price or a release date, we now know both of those things. The Galaxy View will be out in the US on November 6, and you’ll need to pay $599 to pick one up.

That amount of cash will net you the Wi-Fi-only iteration bundled with 32GB of storage. Apparently a US carrier will sell the Galaxy View too, at some point in the future. This company hasn’t been named, but it’s probably going to be AT&T.

There’s no word yet on other markets when it comes to availability and pricing. The Galaxy View has an 18.4-inch 1080p touchscreen, Samsung’s Exynos 7580 SoC at the helm (with a 1.6 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU), 2GB of RAM, a 2 MP camera, two 4W speakers, and a 5,700 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1…

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The rumor mill was right about this one, too. Motorola’s new top of the line smartphone with the world’s first shatterproof display may be exclusive to Verizon in the US (where it’s known as the Droid Turbo 2), but it’s coming to international markets too.

And outside of the US it will be known as the Moto X Force. Thus, this is the third Moto X family member to be announced this year, following the Moto X Style and the Moto X Play. Spec-wise, the Moto X Force is identical to the Droid Turbo 2, and it obviously includes that touchscreen that’s said to be shatterproof. To back up this claim, Motorola is even offering a four-year warranty covering serious screen damage.

The phone will launch in a few key markets first, starting in mid-November, then expanding its rollout next year. One of the countries to get it in the first wave of availability is the UK, where it will cost £499 for the 32GB model and £534 for the one with 64GB of storage. Like the Droid Turbo 2, the Moto X Force can be customized using the Moto Maker tool.

The Moto X Force has a 5.4-inch QHD display, a 21 MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, a 5 MP selfie cam, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC at the helm, 3GB of RAM, microSD card support, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and a 3,760 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

Source | Via 1 • Via…

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Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL are the first Windows 10 running smartphones. Both are powerful enough to use the so-called Continuum feature – that’s the ability to turn your phone into a full-fledged PC by plugging in an external monitor and a keyboard via the Microsoft Display Dock. This in theory make for lighter packing when traveling or save you the expense of a standalone computer.

Both Lumia smartphones are now available on pre-order as is the Display Dock, required for the phone-to-PC magic. This small gadget is quite expensive though, it costs about €75 in Europe.

Luckily, Microsoft will be throwing this dock for free if you get a Lumia 950 XL via the Microsoft’s official online stores in UK and Germany. The dock itself won’t come bundled with your Lumia 950 XL though. Instead you’ll get a promo voucher and you’ll have to order it for free from the Microsoft Online Store.

“Buy a Lumia 950 XL and get a free Microsoft Display Dock * * Valid with purchase of 950 XL and offer registration between 20th November 2015 and 31st January 2016, while supplies last. Redeem promotional code through the online Microsoft Store by 28th February 2016. Valid credit or debit card required at time of redemption. Terms and Conditions apply.”

We hope other Microsoft stores across the globe offer the same promotion – it’s sure a clever way to make more people switch to Windows 10. This promotion does NOT apply for the regular Lumia 950.

Both Lumia 950 (€599) and Lumia 950 XL (€699, £530) will kick off on November 28.

Microsoft UK • Microsoft DE •…

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LG’s mobile division turned in its quarterly with mixed feelings. It sold 8.1 million LTE smartphones worldwide for the quarter, a record for the company. Also, in North America revenues went up by 36% on a yearly basis, driven largely by the successfully mid-range smartphones and tablets.

Now for the bad news – performance in its home country of South Korea isn’t as stellar and the premium segment saw a weaker demand, which affected the overall profitability. Revenues are up 1% to $3.33 billion, however shipments by units is 3% lower for a total of 14.1 million. The mobile division posted a loss of $67.8 million.

LG will implement a dual strategy going forward, it will focus on premium devices as well as mid-rangers for emerging markets.

The LG Home Entertainment Company reported a declining operating margin due to a weak global market for LCD TVs and negative currency effects. The company does expect the market to improve, especially the market for 4K TVs. LG will expand its OLED line too and offer new designs and better prices. The TV division brought in $222 million in operating profits.

As a whole the company turned in a profit of $206 million in an “extremely challenging environment.”

Source |…

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Alcatel unveiled a low-cost, large-screened Android for one of the smaller carriers in the US, MetroPCS. The Alcatel Fierce XL will cost $139 when it launches on November 2. It will be available on T-Mobile alter this winter too.

The phone has an 8MP main camera plus a 2MP selfie camera, which are bundled with Polaroid Photo Editing Software. The Polaroid camera mode will enable a variety of filters and borders, including the iconic Polaroid border. Single, double and multi-shots can be assembled in custom layouts with time, location and note added.

Alcatel Fierce XL

The Alcatel Fierce XL features a 5.5″ IPS screen with 720p resolution (267ppi) and runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. At its heart is a Snapdragon 210 chipset (quad-core Cortex-A53 @ 1.1GHz) with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.

The phone supports up to 150Mbps LTE speeds along with VoLTE, HD Voice and Wi-Fi calling. The smallish 2,500mAh battery is good for 12 hours of talk time.

“A smartphone has to be more than a respectable list of specs, it has to deliver an engaging and value-focused consumer experience, and this is where Fierce XL delivers,” said Jon Maron, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Alcatel…

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In spite of a lagging mobile division, Sony announced today it ended Q3 with a profit. The company’s PlayStation and image sensor divisions are to thank for the $278 million (JPY 33.6 billion) profit. Overall revenue for the quarter is down 0.5% over a year ago to $15.8 billion, partly because of the strong dollar. Operating profit came in at $733 million.

Sony Mobile revenue is also down by 15% from over a year ago reaching $231 for the quarter. Sony surely remembers Q3 2014’s loss of $1.58 billion, so this quarter’s $172 million isn’t as bad. The company explains the low smartphone sales with its “strategic decision not to pursue scale in order to improve profitability.”

The game and network services division, from which the PlayStation 4 is part of, rose 16.5% year-over-year and account to $3 billion in revenue and $199 million profit. The company’s image sensor division continues to be one of the company’s most important parts with $215 million profit on $1.5 billion…

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A couple of days ago, there were rumors that Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 820 chipset has overheating issues just like its predecessor SD810, and Samsung – which is manufacturing the SoC – is working to fix to the problem.

Now, Qualcomm has responded to the aforementioned rumors, clarifying that there are no such issues with the chipset. The company also said that the SoC currently meets its design specifications, and will continue to be enhanced. FYI, Qualcomm’s response on the matter came in the form of a Weibo post.

The said rumor came over a month after Qualcomm revealed details about the chipset at an event where Snapdragon 617 and Snapdragon 430 SoCs were also announced. For those who aren’t already aware, Samsung is reportedly busy testing the SD820 for integration inside its next Galaxy S7…

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A total of 355.2 million smartphones were shipped worldwide in Q3 this year, which is the second highest number on record, according to a latest report from market research firm IDC. When compared to Q3 2014, that’s a 6.8% growth – a total of 332.6 million units were shipped in that period.

The total number of smartphones shipped in Q3 this year, however, was less than what was predicted (363.8 million) by IDC, which blamed slightly lower than expected iPhone shipments and pricey Android flagships for it.

As for individual smartphone vendors, Samsung again topped the list with 84.5 million units shipped, up 6.1% from last year, while Apple came in second with total shipments of 48.0 million units, up 22.2% from the 39.3 million units last year. Chinese companies Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi rounded up the top five.

It’s worth mentioning here that IDC’s estimate for Huawei’s Q3 shipments (26.5 million) is less than what the Chinese company itself revealed yesterday.

“The vendor landscape and product offerings are really unique at the moment as many markets are seeing consumers become more aware of alternative buying options when it comes to paying for their smartphone,” said Ryan Reith, Program Director with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

“In mature and subsidized markets, we now have a wide range of operators offering equipment installation plans (EIP), as well as early trade-in options. At the same time the number of unlocked/off-contract offerings has increased significantly and it’s slowly starting to resonate with consumers. Within these markets these moves will put pressure directly on Android OEMs with offerings that are greater than…

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