The touchscreen killed the stylus, but the Samsung Galaxy Note made it popular again. Patent filings reveal Samsung has a new function for its S Pen – a kickstand.

The schematics show a stylus that has a hinge at its middle. The idea is you pull out the S Pen half way and bend it to shape a kickstand. This locks the stylus into place. Straightening the stylus unlocks it so it can be put back it or pulled out completely.

The patent was filed in the third quarter of 2015, too late for the Note5, but perhaps the Galaxy Note6 will bring the design to life.

Source | Via (in…

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Huawei has announced that it has shipped over 10 million units of its P8lite smartphone since its launch in spring last year.

The firm also noted that the device – which is expected to get the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update soon – is the first Huawei smartphone which has been relatively more successful in global markets than in China.

The press release also revealed that global sales of all devices in the P8 series – which consists of P8, P8lite, and P8max – has crossed the 16 million mark. It also provided some details on Huawei’s this year’s monthly shipments, saying the company managed to ship over 12 million smartphones last month, which is an year-on-year increase of 93%.

Finally, it was also revealed that Huawei has been shipping more than 10 million smartphone units every month since October 2015. As you might already know, the company shipped a total of over 100 million smartphones last…

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Current luxury phones typically run Android, but Italian jeweler Damiani and Microsoft have partnered up in order to change that. The solution is a replacement cover for the Microsoft Lumia 950.

The cover comes in Black or White leather and features two concentric rings of White or Rose gold respectively. Ten brilliant cut diamonds are studded between those rings.

Only 99 covers will be made – each numbered sequentially. Be prepared to pay €1,950 (£1,500/$2,135) in a Damiani store boutique in Rome or Milan for the diamond-studded covers(soon to be in other stores too).

And while diamonds are forever, smartphones age quickly. When you decide to retire your 950, Damiani will turn the gold and diamonds into a pendant for you.

Source |…

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Amazon has announced that it will no longer be accepting returns for smartphone purchases in India.

From February 7 onwards, Amazon will only allow customers to initiate a replacement for their purchase, and not a return with refund. Those who received a damaged device will get a free replacement but under no circumstances will the phone be taken back for a full refund.

If this sounds bad, it’s important to consider Amazon’s reason for doing this. Buyers often purchase a device, use it for a while within the return period, and then send it back even if there is nothing wrong with the device. The seller would then have to bear the cost of the device, not to mention the two way shipping cost for Amazon. It is for this reason that the company has decided to stop accepting returns. Amazon’s rival in India – Flipkart – has a similar no-return policy, and only does replacements for damaged units.

Unfortunately, those with a genuine reason to return a product after purchase are now left out in the cold due to a few people abusing the…

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After yet another popular generation of Moto X and Moto G , Lenovo seems to have every intention to keep the lineups going for even better financial results and possibly even substantial profits in 2016. This is evident by a fresh set of photos that depict early prototypes of some of the company’s future devices and judging by the design language, they are most definitely from the Moto family.

Despite some easy to spot similarities, the alleged Moto X and Moto G for 2016 look quite different from their current generations. This goes especially for the former, which according to the report will now have a slimmer metal body. The shots appear to confirm this, although it is difficult to get a clear view of the device.

Still, one thing is unmistakably present – the signature “M” logo on the back. Seeing it is rather encouraging in light of the recent confusion that arouse from Lenovo’s announcement that it will be phasing out the Motorola brand on smartphones. Luckily, the issues was later cleared up and it appears Lenovo will go through with its much more sensible plan to simply shift focus towards the more “contemporary” Moto brand.

Back to the shots at hand. The second batch of more colorful units are said to be the new Moto G and the resemblance to the current gen is a lot more apparent this time around. The signature camera module with the Moto dimple is there and so are the curves on the top and bottom of the device. Also, the swatch of back panels in a variety of colors falls in line with the customizability you would expect from the G series.

One small new detail to note is that it would appear the Lenovo logo is now present on the bottom of the back plate as was to be expected.

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If you are in the US and are planning to purchase either the Microsoft Band 2 or the Surface Pro 4, you’ll be glad to know that the Redmond, Washington-based company is currently offering discounts on both devices.

The new Microsoft fitness wearable – the Band 2 – has received a $50 price cut, meaning it’s now available for $200. Announced yesterday, the promotion runs through February 20.

Limited time only. Get the new #MicrosoftBand for $199.99, a savings of $50. Ends 2/20/16. https://t.co/GLARgSL76W http://pic.twitter.com/4bqlufr0g7— Microsoft Band (@microsoftband) February 7, 2016

In addition to the Band 2, the Surface Pro 4 is also currently selling at discounted rates in the US. A quick look at the Microsoft Store listings of the device’s variants reveal that it has received a $100 price cut. Also announced yesterday, the deal ends February 27.

Save $100 on select Surface Pro 4 devices, until 2/27/16. While supplies last. https://t.co/RfaJBhtpmS http://pic.twitter.com/8leY8fqNP8— Surface (@surface) February 7, 2016

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If you are a chess lover who also happens to be a user of Facebook’s Messenger app (which crossed the 800 million active users milestone last month), here’s some thing of your interest – aside from chatting, the mobile messaging app also allows you to play the game with your friends.

The feature was discovered by a Reddit user. While we don’t know when it was first introduced in the app, it has been there for at-least over a month now given that the Reddit thread itself is that much old.

As per the information shared on the thread, you can start playing chess with someone by typing @fbchess play and end it by typing @fbchess resign – head to the Reddit link below for other instructions on how to play the game.

Via |…

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Verizon has started rolling out a new update to Samsung Galaxy Note 4 units on its network. It bumps the software version to LMY47X.N910VVRU2BPA1, and brings along performance-related optimizations as well as latest security patches.

The update, however, doesn’t bump the device’s Android version, which stays at 5.1.1 (Lollipop) – the Android 5.1.1 update for Verizon’s Galaxy Note 4 variants was released only last month, despite being first rolled out by Samsung back in August last year.

Coming back to the new update, like always, you’ll see a notification when the OTA update hits your Galaxy Note 4. However, if you’re feeling impatient, you can also head to your handset’s settings menu and manually check for the…

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Motorola has started pushing a new update to its second-generation Moto 360 smartwatch. The update brings along the usual Android Marshmallow goodies like Doze and new permissions model.

In addition, it also includes support for six new languages, including Mandarin (Taiwan), Cantonese (Hong Kong), Indonesian (Indonesia), Polish (Poland), Dutch (Netherlands), and Thai (Thailand).

Of course, other features – like new wrist gestures – that are there in the latest Android Wear update announced by Google last week are also included, but don’t expect support for built-in speakers given that the wearable device doesn’t pack any.

The update is rolling out in phases, and will hit all Moto 360 (2015) units “over the next few days,” the company says.

Source
, as well as some performance and stability-related improvements are also included in the…

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Sprint has started rolling out the Android 6.0 update for HTC’s One M9 smartphone. Although the process commenced last Friday, not all One M9 units are expected to get the update at the same time given that it may be a staged roll out as the carrier notes on its website.

The update bumps the firmware version to 3.41.651.3 and brings along the usual Marshmallow goodies, including Doze, Google Now on Tap, and redesigned app permissions.

This comes less than a month after the Canadian carrier variants of the handset started receiving the Marshmallow update. Unlocked One M9 units in the US started getting the update back in December last year.

Over in the UK, the update started hitting unlocked units as well as select carrier variants late last…

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