Zimbabwe government denies carriers’ request to regulate messaging apps

Several years ago before the adoption of smartphones exploded like the plague, carriers in the US used to make major bucks from text messaging plans and minutes while they gave data away in unlimited bundles for Blackberries to sip on, back when the demand for high-speed data was at a minimum.

US carriers noticed the change and gradually began focusing their revenue on data plans with unlimited calls and text messages. Unfortunately for other parts of the world that are starting to adopt smartphone use more and more as the network reliability improves, messaging services are able to easily…

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Here apps will stop working on Windows 10 in June, WP8 apps will get no more updates

Here’s some bad news if you’re using any of the Here apps on Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone 8, or Windows 8. Basically Here will stop developing all of those. What’s worse though is that the Windows 10 Mobile apps will even stop working on June 30.

An actual reason for this hasn’t been given, with the official blog post only mentioning that the apps have so far been made compatible with Windows 10 by using a workaround that will no longer be effective after June 30 – it’s not at all clear why that is, though.

The Here apps will be removed from the Windows 10 store on March 29. The…

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Google Maps adds support for more ride hailing apps

Driving, walking, biking, or taking public transit are no longer going to be your only navigation options when you use Google Maps in iOS or Android. Expanding upon a partnership with Uber that was already in place, Google is adding support for more ride hailing services to Maps.

These will all live in a new tab in the app. When you enter a destination and choose how best to get there, fetching a ride from the likes of Uber (where it’s present), 99Taxis (in Brazil), Ola Cabs (in India), Hailo (in the UK and Spain), mytaxi (in Germany and Spain), or Gett (in the UK) will be an option as…

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The new Razer Blade laptop is lighter, more powerful and cheaper than its predecessor

Today Razer announced its all new Blade gaming laptop and as you could expect, it is now more powerful than ever. However, what you might have not predicted is that it is also cheaper. The compact laptop comes with a 14.0-inch IGZO QHD+ display with LED backlight and capacitive multi-touch. It is encased in a precision cut CNC aluminum chassis that is just 0.71 inches thick. It is also surprisingly light at just 4.25 pounds.

But, as with any Razer product, the real treat is what lies inside. The new Blade is powered by the latest sixth generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor…

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New HTC 10 teaser focuses on the phone’s “world class” cameras

The HTC 10 has leaked an incredible number of times already, and we’ve seen it in countless renders so far. Yet HTC still hasn’t made it official. Not only that, but the Taiwanese company is continuing its teaser campaign for the device without actually showing it – as if we didn’t already know what it looks like.

Anyway, today’s teaser image, which you can see below, is all about the cameras. The power of 10 is a recurring theme in HTC’s teasers for its upcoming flagship, so this time around the cameras are so good that they are actually to the power of 10. Or something like…

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Sulon has a wireless VR headset concept with an entire AMD PC inside

With major players such as Samsung, HTC and Microsoft all investing big, the future of VR seems bright. Devices like the Oculus Rift, Gear VR and HTC Vive are all marching towards the same end goal of ultimate immersion and are really making progress, despite many hurdlesand imperfections in the current state of the technology. These, of course, are all natural growing pains that each new concept in the tech realm has to go through, but we are not exactly sure where this puts Sulon’s new concept.

The company might be on to something and set the tone for a new wave of wireless and…

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Hangouts 8.0 for iOS brings support for 60-sec videos

Hangouts 8.0 started rolling out for Android last week, but the update began hitting the instant messaging app’s iOS client yesterday. And it brought along an iOS-exclusive feature: the ability to send video attachments up to 1 minute.

Yes, Hangouts users on iOS will now be able to record and share videos of up to 60-seconds in length. In case you don’t already know, Hangouts for iOS has had the ability to send 10-sec videos ever since version 2.0 came out, something which happened back in 2014.

Sadly, there’s currently no information on if and when the feature will be available on…

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Amazon Deals: £30 off Fire HD 6, €40 off Paperwhite

Amazon is setting up for Easter with some daily deals on its Kindle stuff. In the UK, the Kindle Fire HD 6 is £30 off, £70 total for the tiny tablet.

In Germany, the bigger Kindle Fire 7 is €10 off, €50. For books, the Kindle Paperwhite is a good €40 off, currently going on €80 (Wi-Fi, special promotions) or €140 (Wi-Fi + 3G, add another €20 if you want to get rid of special promos).

In Italy, the price cut on the Paperwhite is only €20.

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Marshmallow now seeding to HTC One (E8) and One (M8 Eye) as well

After catering to most of the variants of its flagship lineup including the One M9 and M8, HTC seems to be extending its update efforts to mid-rangers with a rather unexpected kick-off on the HTC Desire Eye, which was not part of the original Marshmallow eligibility list.

Now HTC is keeping the ball rolling with a pair of planned releases, as reports are coming in of Marshmallow updates appearing on both the One (E8) and the One (M8 Eye). The former is reportedly only receiving the update in China, at least for now that is. Other variants of the handset should be getting the same…

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Nokia OZO VR camera now available in the US and Canada to buy or rent

If VR peaks your interest then you probably remember the OZO camera, announced last year by Nokia. Despite its long leave of absence from the smartphone scene, the Finnish giant is still innovating at full speed, as evident by the spherical device that came straight from the company’s R&D department in Tampere.

The professional-grade VR camera has been available for purchase straight from Nokia’s website, but with a eye-watering price tag of $60,000, we can’t image it has been enjoying too much popularity. To try and address this, Nokia has now officially announced the names of…

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