Acer kicked off the IFA 2015 press conferences and definitely went all out. The OEM unveiled an avalanche of new devices across most of its product branches, ranging from PC’s and gaming hardware all the way to Android and Windows mobiles. The amount of new tech was so overwhelming that we are still catching up with our hands-on experiences.

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Lenovo balanced practical devices with forward-looking ones. The Lenovo Vibe S1 follows the current trend of selfie photography with two cameras above its screen.

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Sony’s back, and it returns with aplomb. The company has brought us an entire Xperia Z5 family of smartphones ranging from the Xperia Z5 Compact for small pockets to the 5.5-inch Xperia Z5 Premium with the industry’s first 4K display in a production smartphone.

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A rumor was started earlier this year, that the G4 might not be the company’s true flagship for 2015. A metal-clad super high-end model was mentioned six months ago, and then resurfaced in rumors a few months later, but is yet to materialize. Both the G4 Pro and G4 Note monikers have been heard, depending on who you ask.

A new report out of Korea has made its way to us despite the ongoing expo craze at IFA and aims to refute some of the previously available info, but also adds a few new details. Most notably, it’s said that the metal build has been abandoned, in favor of a plastic one. Apparently, the all-metal body clashes with the user-replaceable battery, and now it has become top priority, thus overriding the initial design.

LG seems to be the only big-name manufacturer who is sticking to user-replaceable batteries for its top models, now that Samsung has gone for sealed cells even on the Galaxy Note5. It makes for good PR statements to be the only one offering a feature, any feature. LG arguably has the most important one, so it’s understandable to exploit it to the fullest.

The company’s characteristic rear control layout will reportedly make its way to the G4 Pro, though. Certain sources have pointed to its demise, but now it’s back on the table.

You should have in mind that all of the above is strictly word of mouth with no tangible evidence to support iшs, so the potential LG G4 Pro remains a mystery.

Source |…

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SEAT’s new Full Link claims to be the first car infotainment system that supports the three major smartphone-to-head unit technologies – Apple Car Play, Android Auto and MirrorLink. The new SEAT Ibiza (launched in May in Barcelona) and the upcoming Alhambra support the new tech, with more cors to come in 2016.

Full Link comes as standard on Connect (SEAT’s infotainment system) and is a £385 ($590) addon for SE models and above. It sports a 6.5″ touchscreen that supports gesture control (e.g. swipe to call).

Apple Car Play and Android Auto have strict rules about which apps are allowed (to ensure no distractions while driving), but Apple and Google Maps can handle navigation duties, Spotify can substitute radio and so on. MirrorLink has fewer restrictions about allowed apps.

SEAT is also developing DriveApp, which will remind you to check tire pressure, will show the nearest SEAT dealers if something needs fixing and will alert you to traffic jam. The Challenger feature encourages green competition – it gamifies driving efficiently. It can even measure your pulse while you drive (with compatible phones) though that sounds more like a racing feature rather than a green one.

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Besides the Ibiza and Alhambra, the Leon and Toledo 2016 models will also support Full Link.

By the way, Volkswagen has announced that its 2016 models will also support the three technologies, SEAT is just the first to make it to the market. And before you ask, Windows Phone does not support MirrorLink. Symbian did, but not Windows…

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Gionee announced a new Pro version of its successful Elife S5.1 smartphone from last year. It brings a bigger display, a better GPU, more RAM, higher resolution cameras and a microSD slot. Oddly, according to the sources, the Elife moniker is missing from the S5.1 Pro.

The new Gionee S5.1 Pro packs a 5″ 720p AMOLED display with 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4 and runs on the MediaTek MT6753 chipset. The SoC offers an octa-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A53, Mali-720MP3 GPU and 2GB of RAM. It also supports LTE Cat.4 connectivity.

The rest of the specs include 16GB storage expandable via a microSD card, a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie snapper, and a 2,400 mAh battery. The S5.1 Pro is just 6.35mm thin and weighs 129 g. Just like its predecessor, the Pro version is quite a looker relying on a dual glass design glued with a metal frame.

The S5.1 Pro is a dual-SIM smartphone and runs on the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop skinned with Amigo 3.0 launcher. It is offered only in while color with gold frame.

The Gionee S5.1 Pro will hit the shelves in China this month for around $300. There is no word on an international availability just yet.

Thanks to everyone, who sent this…

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Lenovo introduced the Vibe P series with two new models – the P1 and P1m. The P stands for power, both handsets features massive batteries and the ability to charge up other devices.

Lenovo Vibe P1

Features a whopping 5,000mAh battery, the P1 promises up to 81 hours of battery life. The charger puts out a ridiculous 24W of power – just below Oppo’s 25W VOOC charger. The Rocket Charge function monitors the battery to prevent overheating and will give you close to 3 hours of talk time in 5 minutes of charging.

The phone can charge various accessories (like a Bluetooth headset) over USB OTG, it has enough juice for phones with smaller capacities too. The Lenovo Vibe P1 is so focused on long battery life that it features a physical switch, the OneKey Power Saver, that activates a low-power mode that doubles the battery endurance.

Lenovo Vibe P1

The phone has an aluminum body with Gorilla Glass 3 on top of a 5.5″ 1080p display (IPS). The Home key below the screen packs a fingerprint reader for added security. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 615 chipset with 2GB of RAM, running ANdorid 4.1.

The Lenovo Vibe P1 features a 13MP camera with phase-detection autofocus on the back and a 5MP selfie camera.

It’s a dual-SIM with LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac (with Wi-Fi boost that allegedly improves range) and Bluetooth 4.1. It also packs. At 189g and 9.9mm thickness it’s a bit chunky, but for that you get up to 30 days of battery life (on a 4G network) and 44-45 hours of talk time (on 3G-4G).

The Lenovo Vibe P1 will launch in October starting at $280.

Lenovo Vibe P1m

The smaller of the two, the P1m features a 5″ 720p screen and 4,000mAh battery. It can power other gadgets over USB OTG and features OneKey Power Saver but not Rocket Charge. Instead it relies on standard Quick Charge – 2 and half hours of talking in 15 minutes, 2 hours and 40 minutes to full battery.

The chipset on the Lenovo Vibe P1m isn’t as fast as that of its big brother either, a MediaTek MT6735P chipset brings a modest 1GHz quad-core processor, but it does keep the 2GB of RAM and runs Android 5.1.

Lenovo Vibe P1m

The body of the phone is made of polycarbonate and the innards have been nano-coated (by P2i), making it splash-proof. It’s thinner and lighter too – 9.3mm and 148g.

The Vibe P1m is still a dual-SIM phone with LTE connectivity, it also offers Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1. You can expect 16 hours of talk time and 20 days on standby on a 4G network (23 on 3G).

The Lenovo P1m will launch earlier than the P1 – mid-September – and will start at…

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If you were on the lookout for a new Android Wear smartwatch, you just have two great options now. The Huawei Watch is finally on sale, and even Motorola announced the new Moto 360 – 2nd Gen, and both are available for pre-order on the Google Store.

You can buy the Huawei Watch only in stainless steel with mesh strap for $399.99. For the other five variants that the watch comes in you’ll have to purchase from Huawei.

The Moto 360 – 2nd Gen meanwhile can be purchased in three variants, men’s in 46mm and 42mm and women’s in 42mm. You get the basic options on Google Store but can customize it further on Moto Maker if you purchase directly from Motorola. The Moto 360 can be purchased starting $299.99.

Moto 360 Men’s • Moto 360 Women’s • Huawei Watch •…

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Following fellow Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi and Gionee, Oppo has said that it’s considering manufacturing smartphones in India, which is the third largest smartphone market in the world.

“India is one of the most important part of our expansion plans around the world… We are exploring options. We are in discussions with Foxconn, its almost in the final stages, we will have more clarity by October,” said Mike Wang, Oppo Mobiles India CEO, adding that the company may also set up its own assembly line in the country.

This comes just over a month after Motorola revealed that it is currently evaluating options to set up a production unit in the country. While Samsung has already begun smartphone production in India, other tech giants like Sony and HTC are also reportedly planning to get on the Make in India…

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Google has updated its Maps app for Android. The update brings improvements to the app’s Explore feature with an aim to make it easy for users to find a nearby restaurant of their choice.

The Explore section in the Maps app now shows a variety of categories like Best lunches or Best dinners. Choose a category and the app will show you in-depth details about each location, including photos, ratings, reviews, as well as other information like whether or not it’s family-friendly.

In addition, the app may also recommend a place that’s popular with other diners who visited a place you’ve been to in the past. Those living in NYC, San Francisco, and London will also get curated recommendations from the app. The update is currently rolling out to Android devices – there’s no word on if and when it will roll out to devices running…

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