The mobile realm is definitely a hard environment to survive in, but despite the fierce competition, the market is still expanding rapidly. The situation is direr on the PC front. Due to a complex combination of trends, mobile devices being a bigger part of the overall mix, shares for the more traditional part of the industry are shrinking and only the strongest, fittest and most versatile are posed to survive.

This is why it is particularly strange to see new players trying to make their way into the realm. The latest such rumor however, says that Huawei might be making the unlikely move.

While the tech giant is far from a complete stranger to PC tech, its involvement has pertained mostly to network solutions and primarily on the enterprise side. Industry sources now claim that the OEM is planning to try its hand at a consumer PC. Most of the speculation stem from a recently filed trademark claim for the “MateBook” moniker.

Not much else is known about the alleged venture, but some have speculated that the device or perhaps even family line may use an Intel processor and employ the 2-in-1 form factor. This would, effectively, pit it up against established competitors, such as the Microsoft Surface. Of course, the name could just as easily be attributed to a standard laptop product, with a less than subtle reference to Apple’s legendary MacBook series.

Currently, we can’t really say how much truth this rumor holds, but it is worth noting that Xiaomi – another major Chinese OEM that has been on the rise lately has been involved in a similar laptop affair for well over a year now and an actual product is yet to materialize. We’ll just let you be the judge, so be sure share your opinion in the comment section…

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A couple of images seemingly of media invites for an upcoming Meizu launch event have surfaced online. While the images do not reveal anything about the product being launched, reports say they are for the company’s MX6 flagship smartphone.

The MX6 has been the subject of little to no rumors or leaks so far. However, its launch is said to be just a few weeks away – sometime around March to be more specific. It is said to feature ultra-thin bezels with metal frame + glass design.

The device was spotted on AnTuTu last week, revealing that it is powered by a MediaTek Helio X20 SoC with 10-core CPU and Mali-T880 MP4 GPU, and sports a FHD display. RAM is 3GB, while internal memory is 32GB.

In terms of camera, the MX6 is rumored to feature a 20.7MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. Running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the device is also said to pack in a large 4,000mAh battery.

Aside from the MX6, we’ve also been hearing about a mini variant of the company’s Pro 5 smartphone. Reports, however, indicate an April launch for the device, i.e, after the MX6. Needless to say, none of this has been officially confirmed, so take it with a pinch of salt.

Via 1…

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Samsung’s refreshed 2016 “J” series is really shaping up nicely. A few days ago, we saw the Galaxy J1 (2016) quietly go on sale in Dubai and shortly after, the new J5 (2016) made an appearance with a full specs reveal on GFXBench. Naturally, it didn’t take too long for the Galaxy J7 (2016) to follow.

It made a quick visit to GFXBench as well, so we now have a full rundown of its hardware. The RAM has been doubled and now stands at the respectable 3GB. The screen diagonal has been preserved at 5.5 inches, but the resolution is now FullHD. The chipset looks to be unchanged and is still the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615.

The same goes for the camera setup, at least on paper that is. The new J7 has a 13MP main shooter and a 5MP selfie one. Onboard storage is reported as 16GB, also consistent with its predecessor.

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Continuum – probably the most coveted Windows 10 feature is now expanding its reach. Currently it is reserved only for the OEM’s latest and greatest tech, namely the Lumia 950 XL and Lumia 950, but now the US giant has decided it will lower the hardware requirements just a bit. However, before you get too excited and start asking questions about a myriad of legacy devices, the support is expanded only slightly to include Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 617 chipset.

The mid-range silicon utilizes a total of eight ARM Cortex A53 cores, clocked at up to 1.5 GHz. It does lack any of the new high-end A72 chips of many of its higher end siblings, but one thing it does support is video output. This is undoubtedly the definitive requirement for Continuum to function and we are sure that Microsoft would have lowered chipset requirements even further, but neither the Snapdragon 616 nor the 615 can output to an external screen.

Taking into consideration this new processor requirement, the minimum specs for any future Windows 10 phone to support Continuum seem to include the aforementioned Snapdragon 617, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and at least 720p resolution. This new guideline does open the door to a lot of potential future offers, but it is hard to say if, when and from whom we might see such devices in the future, considering the current state of the Lumia brand, as well as the anticipated return of Nokia to the smartphone market.

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LeEco, formerly LeTV, has announced the Le Max and the Le 1s smartphones in the Indian market.

The Le Max is the company’s flagship device with a massive 6.33-inch Quad HD display, Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB RAM, and 64/128GB storage. The phone has the Sony IMX230 21 megapixel camera on the back and 4 megapixel camera on the front. There’s also a fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C connector, and a 3400mAh battery. The phone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop.

The Le Max is priced at INR 32,999 ($485) for the 64GB model, and will be available soon.

The Le 1s is the company’s budget offering but still packs in a lot. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, MediaTek Helio X10 processor, 3GB RAM, and 32GB storage. The phone also has a 13 megapixel camera on the back and 5 megapixel camera on the back. Also worth noting are the metal body, fingerprint sensor, LTE support, USB Type-C with Quick Charge, and the 3000mAh battery.

The Le 1s is priced at just INR 10,999 ($161) and available on Flipkart. Registrations are now open and the phone will be available through a flash sale starting February 2, 12:00PM.

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Just over a week after its black variant leaked online, another image of the Xiaomi Mi 5 has surfaced, showing off the white-colored model this time. The new image was posted by someone on Weibo (China’s Twitter), and the device in it has design similar to the one revealed in last month’s leaked renders.

The upcoming flagship device has already been the subject of several leaks and rumors until now. What’s been confirmed so far is that the handset is powered by Qualcomm’s latest SD820 chipset, and will be launched after the Chinese Spring Festival (which falls on February 8 this year).

Its rumored specs include 5.2-inch QHD screen, 4GB RAM with 16GB as well as 64GB internal memory options, 16MP/8MP camera combo, and 3,600mAh battery. The phone is also said to have a fingerprint scanner, and come in two different…

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Huawei will soon begin beta testing the Android 6.0 update for its P8lite smartphone in Europe. In a Facebook post a couple of days ago, the Chinese company’s Romanian unit said that it’s looking for 100 beta testers to test the update.

However, apparently, only those with an unlocked unit of the handset will be able to participate, as the company clearly stated in the post that P8lite devices with custom software from a mobile operator aren’t welcome.

While there was no word on when the final update would be rolled out, the company’s Poland unit – in a Facebook reply to a user – revealed that they’ve stopped working on the Android 5.1.1 update and that the Marshmallow update will be released sometime this quarter.

Thanks for the tip Ady!!

Via 1 (Romanian)…

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Apple has filed an application with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) of India to open its own chain of retail stores in India, according to the DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant speaking to The Times of India.

“We have just received Apple’s proposal. We are examining it,” said Kant. He also confirmed that Apple is seeking the government’s approval to sell its products through its own online store.

Apple had previously tried to go down this route of selling its products directly in India through online and offline retail stores but back then the Indian Government’s FDI policy mandated that any foreign company investing more than 51% should source 30% of its products from within the country and also did not allow foreign single-brand retailers from opening their own online stores. Since November of last year, these restrictions have been relaxed, which means companies like Apple can now finally go ahead with their plans.

All this time, Apple has been selling its products through a network of franchisee-owned stores, such as Croma. With the relaxation of the rules, Apple can now apply to open its own retail stores in India, the way they have in several countries worldwide. The current Apple ‘stores’ in India are designed to mimic the look of official Apple stores everywhere else but aren’t quite the same. But if Apple ends up opening its own stores then customers in India will finally get to experience the proper Apple sales and service…

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If you are planning to purchase either the Droid Turbo 2 or the Droid Maxx 2 (both Verizon-exclusives), here is some good news: the carrier is currently running a promotion that allows you to purchase a unit and get 50% off on the second one.

Specifically, purchasing a Droid Turbo 2 will get you 50% off a second unit of the device or the Maxx 2. On the other hand, if you purchase the Droid Maxx 2, you can only get the discount on the second unit – no discount on the Turbo 2 in this case.

For those who aren’t in the know, both Droid Turbo 2 and Maxx 2 were launched in October last year, carrying a price tag of $624 and $384, respectively.

Although Verizon hasn’t specified when the promotion ends, the deal is apparently aimed at couples, and with Valentines Day just a few weeks away, it should presumably extend till February 14…

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Looks like Motorola will soon start rolling out the Marshmallow update to its second-generation Moto G smartphone. The company has posted Android 6.0 update release notes for the device on its India support website.

The handset was launched in September 2014 running Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) out-of-the-box. Although it started receiving the Android 5.0 Lollipop update in January 2015, Android 5.1 hasn’t hit the device yet. So, turns out the phone will directly jump from Android 5.0 to Marshmallow.

This comes just a day after the Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition started receiving the Android 6.0 update in India.

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