The BlackBerry Priv, the struggling Canadian manufacturer’s first Android phone was just officially confirmed hours ago, and the company’s CEO later appeared in a video with a live device in his hands.

Johny Chen tried to show the device in action, but obviously new to the OS, kept saying that the Priv “runs Google” instead of Android. He also had trouble running Chrome on the demo unit, and it would have been nice if they had given him an already set up device, instead of one fresh off the assembly line.

Anyway, he did manage to reveal that the Priv’s sliding QWERTY keyboard is capacitive as well. So much like on the Passport, you’ll be able to use it for gestures without pressing the keys.

Source |…

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

The smartwatch is still rocking back and forth trying to find its true calling. Manufacturers are exploring all sorts of compromises between the all-out bright colorful displays and the classic mechanical watches and with features ranging from comprehensive activity tracking and voice calls to simple notifications.

It closer to the latter where Vector is positioning its lineup of smartwatches. A traditional case, either a 44mm round one, or a 40.5mm-tall rectangular one, comes in a choice of either plain brushed stainless steel or in black, rose cold and champagne gold colors. 22mm straight or tapered leather straps or a 22mm steel bracelet complete the classic look.

Only, you won’t find a mechanical movement inside and the watch face will be shown on an always-on monochrome display – customizable, naturally. In terms of design, that helps mask the otherwise huge bezels – with white hands on black background, they don’t pop out as much.

The smartwatch connects via Bluetooth to your phone (anything running iOS 8, Android 4.4 or WP 8.1 or newer versions) and can display notifications and reminders, and… Well, that’s about it.

There’s no heart rate monitor, step counter, GPS or any of that fitness tracking stuff. But the smartwatch will be able to last a whole month on a single charge, Vector says. Try that, Apple/Huawei/LG G watches.

Source |…

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

Nearly a month after a leaked AnTuTu benchmark result revealed its specs, the rumoured Samsung Galaxy O7 smartphone has been spotted on GFXBench, revealing almost similar, mid-range specs.

The benchmark reveals that the handset will be powered by a Snapdragon 410 SoC, and sport a 5.8-inch 720p display – a 5-inch display was also reported (see image above), but that could be the Galaxy O5. Other specs that were revealed were: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, 13 MP rear camera, 5 MP front shooter, and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

For the uninitiated, it was late last month when rumour broke out that Samsung is working on a new O series of devices, the first of which will be the Galaxy O5 and Galaxy O7.

However, it was later said that those names have been dropped, with the company opting for Galaxy Grand On and Galaxy Mega On instead, although it isn’t yet exactly clear that the new names correspond to which previous…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1KAW53K
via IFTTT

Uber has announced a new feature that lets event planners send ride passes (free or discounted) to their guests. Dubbed UberEVENTS, the feature is currently in beta, and only available to select riders and Uber for Business users in New York City.

The way it works is: the host will first have to create an event on Uber’s website, following which they’ll receive their guest passes via email, and then all they’ve to do is to send them to their guests.

Upon receiving the pass, a guest will just have to enter the code (mentioned in the pass) under the Promotions section of the Uber app and request a ride to the event. That’s it.

What’s good is that the guest passes are customizable, meaning host can set a maximum value for each ride as well as the number of rides they’d like each guest pass to be valid…

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

The Verizon models of some of the Samsung’s newest flagship smartphones – including the Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6, S6 edge, as well as S6 edge+ – are receiving a new update.

While there isn’t much detail on what exactly the update brings (the change-list for all the devices just mentions Android security patches), it does come shortly after Samsung promised regular (about once per month) security updates for its devices in the wake of Stagefright.

The update is currently rolling out, and should hit your device soon (if it hasn’t already). Meanwhile, you can also manually check for it by heading to Settings > About device > Software update on your phone.

Source |…

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

Microsoft’s upcoming trio of Windows 10 smartphones got fully detailed ahead of their launch thanks to leaked slides from an internal presentation. Microsoft Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL, and Lumia 550 will make their official debut alongside Microsoft Band 2 and Microsoft Surface Pro 4 at an event in New York City on October 6.

In line with past leaks, Microsoft Lumia 950 XL will be the Redmond giant’s flagship smartphone. Its specs include 5.7″ QHD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC, 32GB of expandable memory, Iris scanner, and 3,300mAh battery with support for Qualcomm QuickCharge and Qi wireless charging.

The Lumia 950 XL will sport 20MP PureView camera with triple-LED flash, coupled with 5MP front-facing snapper. Cable connectivity will take place via USB Type-C.

Microsoft Lumia 950 will feature a more compact 5.2″ QHD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset, and 3,000mAh battery. The rest of the device’s specs match those of its larger sibling.

Both the Lumia 950 XL and Lumia 950 will support Windows 10 Continuum. Users will be able to connect the devices to a full-size monitor via a dedicated dock.

Microsoft Lumia 550 on the other hand, will be an affordable Windows 10 device. Its specs include 5″ HD display, unnamed Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset with 1GHz quad-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of expandable memory.

The rest of the handset’s specs consist of 5MP main camera, 2MP front-facing unit, and 1,905mAh battery. The main camera will have LED flash.

All in all, October 6 shapes up to be one busy day for Microsoft. We will be covering the company’s product launch live, so be sure to tune in for the full scoop on the new products.

Source |…

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

Earlier today we reported on iFixit’s teardown of the iPhone 6s, which revealed a very heavy display assembly and a smaller battery compared to the iPhone 6 from last year.

Now it’s time for us to see how the iPhone 6s Plus did in a teardown of its own. And, unsurprisingly, the bigger Apple handset seems to be just a bigger version of the iPhone 6s – at least when it comes to internals.

Like its smaller sibling, the iPhone 6s Plus was found to have a heavy display assembly. It weighs a whopping 80g, 20g more than that of the iPhone 6s. The weight difference obviously accounts for the size differential between the two. However, last year’s iPhone 6 Plus came with a display assembly weighing 60g too. Compared to it, the new model’s added weight is all because of the 3D Touch technology.

The battery capacity of the iPhone 6s Plus is 2,750 mAh, which is 165 mAh smaller than the one in the iPhone 6 Plus. The downgrade in this case was made to compensate for the added heft of the screen and the 3D Touch controller, allowing the phone to sport very similar exterior dimensions to its predecessor.

Apple has used a custom 7000 series aluminum alloy for the construction of the iPhone 6s Plus. This contains 91.17% aluminum, 0.08% iron, 7.64% zinc, and 0.106% tungsten. The zinc is there to provide an increase in tensile strength compared to the alloy that was employed last year.

In the end, the iPhone 6s Plus got a 7 out of 10 repairability score. Screen repairs are pretty easy to perform, as is accessing the battery (with the right tools and technique, however). Repairs to the Touch ID cable are more difficult since it’s paired to the logic board, and the phone features proprietary Pentalobe screws on the exterior, requiring a specialty screwdriver to…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1gV3EaB
via IFTTT

It is all official now, BlackBerry will be launching an Android-powered smartphone and it will be called Priv. This new information comes in an official company statement only hours after Evan Blass leaked the name online.

BlackBerry’s statement proves the existence of the slider, previously named Venice. Ever since we caught a glimpse of the unit at MWC 2015, it has been shrouded in a lot of mystery and we had to only make do with speculations. CEO John Chen says he has kept his promise to only do an Android if it can reach the high security standards of the company:

Today, BlackBerry is announcing two new additions to its handheld device roadmap. First, the company will launch a flagship slider device, Priv, which will run on the Android operating system, bringing together the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform. In combination with BlackBerry’s efforts to support Android for Work on the BES12 platform, the new device will offer best in class security for enterprise customers. BlackBerry expects the device to be available late in the calendar year in major markets in-store and online, and will release further details in the coming weeks.

But, despite this new and exciting change of pace, BlackBerry also made it clear that it is not giving up on its BES12 platform and all it has accomplished and will keep building products and services upon it:

While the new device will provide a choice in OS to new and existing customers, the company remains committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which enables industry-leading security and productivity benefits. Second, the company will continue to develop and enhance the BlackBerry 10 operating system and is confirming plans to release platform updates focused on security and privacy enhancements, with version 10.3.3 scheduled to be available in March 2016.

From what is known till now, the BlackBerry Priv is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 808 chipset, and come with 3GB of RAM. It is said to feature an 18MP rear camera with dual-LED flash, and run Android…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1YFw76s
via IFTTT

Engulfed by all the mobile tech innovations, amidst a hectic and ever-so-dynamic realm, we often tend to overlook the business side of things. Operating on an international scale is no mundane task and quarterly market reports tend to reveal trends and processes on a bigger scale that can make or break an OEM.

The latest Counterpoint research numbers are now in and from the looks of things Samsung is still king of the smartphone world. It seems that the Korean giant has managed to skillfully counter declining sales of its current Galaxy S6 flagship, thanks to a wide variety of other offers, both in the premium and mid-range segments. Samsung managed a 19 % global share, compared to 10% for Apple, which is a distant second and 7% for Huawei in the third spot.

There are, however, a few clarifications to be made. The aforementioned numbers are for mobile phones as a whole, when we narrow things down to smartphones only, which currently have about 75% market share, Samsung shines with an even more respectable 21% globally, followed by Apple with 14% and Huawei with 9%.

Breaking things down by continent reveals an identical picture, except for North America, where Apple leads with a 31% share and Samsung is second with 24%. Also, bear in mind that the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have just hit user markets today and their sales in the following weeks are sure to change the picture in Q3.

But, apart from Apple and Samsung, this batch of sales report does offer insight on a few other trends. Most notably, the impressive growth from various Chinese OEM’s on international markets.

Huawei has really been doing great for itself, while Xiaomi is another major success story as it already has a 5% share in the global smartphone market. In fact, in Asia alone, Xiaomi managed to surpass Apple with 11% of the market, compared to Cupertino’s 10%.

This trend will likely continue in the following months. Asian brands are on the rise – Asus, for instance, has been the fastest growing brand with 500% raise in shipments, followed closely by vivo with a growth of 400%. This, combined with major market expansions in India and Africa, where growth rates can exceed global values by as much as seven times, means that Chinese manufacturers are quickly becoming a strong force in the mobile realm.

Source |…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1YFw5vj
via IFTTT

It takes 6 inches or more to warrant the Ultra moniker and Sony only makes one of these a year. Fair enough, not everyone can handle a phablet. But if you have a use for all that FullHD screen real estate, the Sony Xperia C5 Ultra tops it up with an LED-flash-assisted selfie camera, expandable memory and LTE…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1NR9O8R
via IFTTT