More live photos of BlackBerry Venice maker the rounds online

Another set of live photos showcasing the unannounced BlackBerry Venice made the rounds online. The high-end Android smartphone is expected to launch at some point in November on all major carriers in the United States.

The latest batch of images falls right in line with past leaks. It confirms that BlackBerry Venice features slide-out QWERTY keyboard, slightly curved display, and main camera with dual-LED flash.

On the software side, the device appears to boot a mostly stock version of Android. BlackBerry has reportedly added a number of productivity-centric goodies, including hardware keyboard shortcuts, as well as easy access to composing emails and messages.

Hardware-wise, the BlackBerry Venice is once again rumored to pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset, coupled with 3GB of RAM. The device’s camera is expected to be an 18MP unit with dual-LED flash.

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iOS 9 is now rolling out while bug delays watchOS 2

If you live in the iOS world, today is the big day. It’s when the rollout for iOS 9 has started. The new software is now on its way to all supported devices.

You can get iOS 9 as an update if you own an iPhone 4S or newer, an iPad 2 or newer, any version of the iPad mini, or an iPod touch (5th or 6th generation). If you haven’t received the notification yet, you can manually check for the new bits by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The download is only around 1.3GB in size this time around, so it should be easy to get even if your device has just 16GB of storage.

Despite clearly being just an evolutionary step forward, iOS 9 comes with a lot of new things. There’s a new font throughout, a new multitasking app switcher, an improved Siri, split-screen multitasking for the newest big iPads, as well as a new News app built-in. The new Wallet app lets you store credit cards and reward cards in the same place for use with Apple Pay, and the Notes app has been revamped too.

Today was also supposed to be the day when watchOS 2.0 got released, but that won’t happen. Apple was forced to pull the new software version for its smartwatch at the last minute, because of “a bug in development of watchOS 2 that is taking a bit longer to fix than we expected”, according to a company spokesperson.

watchOS 2 is still coming, of course, but it will not be out today. We assume it won’t take more than a few days for Apple to fix that nasty bug and send the new software to Apple Watch owners everywhere.

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10-inch Amazon Fire tablet gets shown in leaked press renders

So far, Amazon hasn’t gone past the 8.9-inch mark with its Fire-branded tablets, but apparently that’s set to change in the future. Aside from reportedly working on a budget $50 tablet, the retail giant is now rumored to also have a 10-inch Fire tablet in development.

In fact, what you see below are said to be leaked press renders of just that device.

A few interesting things stand out here. As the source is the almost always reliable @evleaks, we have no reason to doubt the authenticity of these renders. However, it does appear that Amazon is going to go with a more stock-looking Android fork for this tablet, compared to its previous efforts in the space.

That said, there’s no sign of any Google apps, so we’re probably still going to get Amazon’s forked Android, completely devoid of Google. But at least in this case the interface is a lot more Android-like. Amazon has added a few tabs to its launcher, which allow you to easily go from Home to Books to Videos to Games and so on, presumably by swiping right or left.

No specs have been leaked complementing the picture, so for now this is all we have to go on. Look for more details to hopefully arrive through future leaks and…

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Xiaomi Mi 4c will finally be unveiled on September 22

The Xiaomi Mi 4c has been leaked and rumored a lot over the past few weeks, and in just a few days it will finally become official. The Chinese smartphone maker has announced that it’s holding an event on September 22, during which it will introduce the Mi 4c to the world. This exact date was already mentioned in a past leak.

The handset has been rumored to arrive as a slightly beefed up version of the Mi 4i that launched in India earlier this year. So far we’ve heard that the Mi 4c will be sold only in China, but that may change in the future.

According to the TENAA certification that it’s already received, the Mi 4c will be identical in looks to the Mi 4i, and it will have the same dimensions too. The new things it brings to the table are thus all under the hood.

The Mi 4c is expected to sport Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 SoC with a hexa-core CPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, or 3GB of RAM paired with 32GB of storage. There will also apparently be a 64GB model, but it’s unclear how much RAM it will have.

Otherwise the Mi 4c sports the same internals as the Mi 4i. It has a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera with dual-LED flash, a 5 MP selfie snapper, LTE support, and a 3,120 mAh battery. Unlike the Mi 4i however, the Mi 4c will ship running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop underneath Xiaomi’s own MIUI 7 layer.

The Xiaomi Mi 4c will apparently start at CNY 1,499, which is about $235 or €207 at the current exchange rates.

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Metal-clad LG Class phablet to become official on September 21

Yesterday a previously unknown LG phablet was spotted in a benchmark’s database, rocking mid-range specs and a 5.7-inch touchscreen. Back then it was known only by its model number, H740, but today more information about it has leaked.

It’s supposedly going to be released as the LG Class, and the Korean company is already teasing its announcement through its social media channels. As you can see from the teaser image to the left, the Class is set to become official on September 21, which is next Monday.

Interestingly, LG has opted for a fully metallic construction of the smartphone, despite the fact that it’s not a premium offering (thus somewhat mirroring what Samsung’s been doing with its Galaxy A series).

The trademark back-mounted buttons are where you’d expect them to be, yet the whole design is more blocky than LG’s past products. The LG Class (or H740) is expected to come with a 5.7-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 12 or 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 5 MP selfie cam, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of (probably expandable) storage, all the usual connectivity options, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 615 chipset at the helm. It will run Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

LG’s also holding an event in New York City on October 1, yet that may be reserved for the company’s future flagship device.

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New LG Nexus 5 leaks in mint attire

The bulk of leaks we’ve been seeing recently has revolved around Google’s upcoming device launches, the pair of them. The LG Nexus 5 and the Huawei Nexus 6 take turns appearing in the hands of insiders, and this time it’s the former.

The angle here is that the smaller Nexus will be available in a third Mint color option, in addition to the already seen White and Black. The picture shows a very gentle tint and if it weren’t for the source to testify that it is indeed mint, one could have just assumed it’s white, and the camera messed up the white balance.

Not much else gets revealed this time around and we’re left with previously rumored specs, which point to a 5.2-inch FullHD display, Snapdragon 808 chipset, 3GB of RAM and a 12.3MP/5MP camera combo. Pioneering Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the LG Nexus 5 (2015), or maybe Nexus 5X, is rumored to be unveiled on September 29 alongside the higher-end Huawei Nexus 6 (2015,…

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Want actual gold-plated iPhone 6s? You can have it for $400

Apple might be all out of announcements for the year after its grand September 9 event, but with the new iPhone 6s duo still on its way to stores, it is the time for any company in the business of accessorizing or customizing Cupertino’s tech to strike.

One such party is Karalux from Vietnam, which offers a veritable portfolio of items it will more than happily cover in gold for you. Well, it comes as no surprise that if you want a gold-covered iPhone 6s, they can help, but so can the Helsinki-based jewelers from Legend, as we have reported earlier, as well as many other companies in the business. What is interesting about Karalux’s offer is its angle.

As usual Apple mades sure to throw in a new color accent to the 6s mix, so your new shiny phone can’t ever be mistaken for last year’s model. This time around the said color is rose gold.

Karalux now promises prospective customers that if they send in their current iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, it will make it almost indistinguishable from the upcoming rose gold ones. You will also have the added benefit of owning a true gold-plated gadget, if that is your thing.

Naturally, the company is willing to do the same with a iPhone 6s once you get yours. The site does also mention some sort of “redesign” to the back of your phone iPhone 6 to make it:

.the same parameters of iPhone 6s and 6s plus, which any hardly find out whether it is iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s, except checking its configuration.

We can’t quite figure out what that would entail, so if you plan on going through with the process, you should probably ask. The process itself takes 3-4 hours and can be done with 24K gold, as well as the already mentioned rose gold option. These cost VND 9 million (about $400), and VND 12 million (about $550), respectively for local Vietnam customers with an additional 1 to 3 million when international shipping is…

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Google introduces Google Play gift cards in India

Google is bringing Google Play gift cards to the Indian market. The company will be selling them online through Snapdeal and offline through Vijay Sales, Spice Hotspot, and other retail chains.

The company introduced prepaid vouchers in India back in June with limited availability.

As part of launch, Google is also offering a limited selection of apps, games, movies, and some godawful books for a discounted price, which appear in a new section in the Play…

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Patents reveals designs for foldable Samsung smartphones

We heard some rumors about a foldable smartphone from Samsung, but now it’s time for a more behind-the-scenes look at things. A patent filed in the latter half of 2014 shows just how such a smartphone can be constructed (it’s one of several patent applications).

The foldable screen is the key and from the patent illustrations it seems that it will sit on top of a textile-like material. Tensile springs along with some additional mechanisms keep the bendy screen taut when the clamshell is open. The central hinge is an important part of that too.

A design for a foldable smartphone

The other patent application shows that the device may be opened in a laptop-like configuration, instead of opened flat. This design looks like it uses a different hinge mechanism and an “elastic unit” to keep the screen taut.

A tablet with laptop mode

So, Samsung is exploring several avenues – the first one seems aimed at clamshell smartphones, while the other can make tablets that bend into a laptop position. Here’s a 3D render from a patent filed in Korea that shows what such a device might look like.

The patents are from a year ago, the actual devices are expected as early as January, if rumors are to be believed.

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