Today Boost Mobile, one of Sprint’s prepaid brands, has added a new cheap smartphone to its roster. It’s called LG Tribute 5, but it’s actually just the recently announced K7 with a different name. The new K series is supposed to bring decent design and specs to very low price points according to LG.

The Tribute 5 comes with a 5-inch 480×854 IPS touchscreen, a couple of 5 MP cameras (one on the front, one on the back), Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 210 chipset running the show (with a 1.1 GHz quad-core CPU), 1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage, 4G LTE support, and a 2,125 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop.

You can pick one up straight from Boost Mobile for only $99.99, and since this is a prepaid carrier there’s no need to sign a long-term contract. You can pair it with a plan that gives you unlimited talk and text as well as at least 2GB of data, starting at $30 per…

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Slowly but surely, Huawei keeps working on updates to Android 6.0 Marshmallow for its devices. And now it’s reached the Ascend Mate7 from 2014.

The company is currently looking for eager people to beta test the new software on their Mate7 units. There are some prerequisites before you can apply, though. First off, your Mate7 needs to be either the MT7-L09 model or the MT7-TL10 to qualify. You should also back up all your data before you install the Marshmallow beta, because things can always go wrong in such instances.

If you’re fine with that and are willing to test the upcoming release, you have until January 22 to send an email to mate7betatest1@huawei.com which has to include your phone’s IMEI number (which you can find out by dialing *#06#), as well as your current firmware version (listed in the About phone part of Settings). That’s it. If you’re lucky you’ll be among the chosen ones who will get to play with the Android 6.0 update before it rolls out to everybody.

Thanks for the tip, Muhammad Idrees!

Source (in German) |…

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We’ve known that the BlackBerry Priv would eventually be headed to T-Mobile ever since last month, when a leaked document claimed as much. And today the “un-carrier” has decided to make it official.

Yes, T-Mobile is about to join AT&T in offering BlackBerry’s first Android-running smartphone. The Priv will become available at the magenta carrier starting on January 26.

To grab one, you’ll pay nothing upfront (as is customary at T-Mobile), then followed by 24 monthly payments of $30. Another option is to go with an 18-month lease, which will set you back $34 every 30 days (but at the end of this period you must return the handset in working order or pay it off to keep it). The full retail price of the Priv is…

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Nokia is building up towards its long-awaited return to the smartphone stage, following a no-compete period after the Microsoft acquisition of its original smartphone business. Judging by this latest promo video, we’re nearly there.

The video is mostly filled with inspirational talk, pretty images and brand promotion. It’s easy to dismiss then as just another marketing exercise, but you’d be foolish to do so as you’d miss what appear to be the future Nokia devices.

Coming in at 1:16, there’s a tablet, which looks a lot like the existing N1. Gentle as the model’s hands may be, though, the thing appears more than a little larger that the current product. The power button is also closer to the edge, and there’s a black spot in the middle of the top plate, which isn’t present on the N1. It’s then safe to assume we’re in for a new tablet.

Next comes the smartphone, allegedly named C1, which appears to have a glossy plastic case, contrary to either metal-built leak we’ve seen so far. Camera placement is off compared to these two, but is more in line with renders that have been circulating.

You can check out the entire video below, and look for other visual clues at what to expect from Nokia in 2016.

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Sony announced the Xperia M5 back in the August, 2015, but it’s yet to bring it to Europe. Things are about to change, as the company has expressed its plans to launch its latest midranger there next month.

The Xperia M5 product page is live on Sony Poland and Sony Netherlands websites. Furthermore, T-Mobile Netherlands is offering the device on-preorder for €439.95 SIM-free. Shipping will start on February 2.

For the price you get a 5″ 1080p IPS display, a MediaTek Helio X10 chipset with a 2GHz octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 2,600mAh battery. At the back, there’s a 21.5MP camera with an Exmor RS sensor boasting 0.25-second Hybrid Autofocus.

Expect more information on pricing and availability in due time as the Xperia M5 becomes widely available.

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Dell has updated the Venue 8 Pro tablet bringing its specs more than a notch up. Along with that, the new Venue 8 Pro 5000 Series comes with a price to match, at $449 it’s twice as expensive as some versions of the predecessor.

On the hardware end, the new tablet features an 8-inch FullHD display, or rather WUXGA, as the 16:10 ratio results in 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. That resolution, however, seems to be optional, judging by the product page, so the old and coarse 1,280 x 800 pixels might still be available.

What’s definitely new is the processor, which is the Intel Atom x5-Z8500 at this point, but we may be seeing the Z8300 at a later stage. There’s 4GB of RAM on board, and 64GB of built-in eMMC storage, no other options so far. There is a microSD slot for expansion, though, so storage shouldn’t be an issue. Windows 10 Pro is standard equipment, but you could opt for Home, for $50 less.

Either way, you’re getting a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front unit. More importantly, however, there’s Wi-Fi 802.11ac with 2×2 antennas, and USB 3.0 with Type-C connector. It’s ready for cellular connectivity too, thanks to its microSIM slot, but we gather that will be optional as well. The Dell Active Pen is supported, but not part of the package – it typically goes for an additional $50, but Dell will knock $5 off its price if you buy it with the tablet.

The Dell Venue 8 Pro can be ordered now, but let’s hope you’re in no rush as will ship in 11-14 business days.

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UK-based company Bush has launched a budget smartphone that runs Windows 10 Mobile OS. Dubbed Eluma, the device is powered by a quad-core processor and sports a 5-inch HD IPS display.

The handset has 16GB of internal memory (expandable up to 128GB via microSD slot), although the amount of RAM isn’t yet known. In terms of camera, the Eluma features an 8MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. No official word on the battery capacity, too, although reports say it’s 2,100mAh.

The smartphone offers support for 4G as well as dual-SIM functionality. Measuring 142 x 72 x 8.2mm and weighing in at 152g, the handset carries a price tag of £79.95 (SIM free). It is available for purchase in the UK from online retailer Argos, which is selling the black model and is also offering a white-colored back case free with each purchase.

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Microsoft has recently acquired the MinecraftEdu mod for Minecraft game, which sole purpose was to be used for educational purposes in school and at home. The education potential behind Minecraft was one of the reasons Microsoft acquired the game in the first place.

Now the TeacherGaming team behind MinecraftEdu is part of Microsoft, it can achieve its purpose faster and deliver it much cheaper.

The purpose of the Minecraft Educational Edition is to allow students to explore different places, historical monuments, ancient cities, all recreated accurately, and learn from them.

The game went through minor optimizations, which include better mapping, in-game camera and a scrapbook for screenshots. Everything else is the same – Microsoft says while it wants to make it an educational too, it’s still a game and will be keep the fun factor.

Microsoft is launching a platform, where teachers could submit lessons (Minecraft worlds) and download such. The company won’t be building the places, it wants to rely on a wide contributing community of schools, students and teacher. Hopefully this pans out in time.

The Edu edition of Minecraft will cost $5 per student in school and each registered student will be able to play the game at home as well upon logging with the same account.

You can learn more about the initiative…

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Photos of the upcoming Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM10 have leaked, showing the company’s latest cameraphone. In fact, according to the source of the photos, the phone will be announced some time tomorrow at the CP+ photography and imaging trade show in Japan.

The Lumix DMC-CM10 is a successor to the Luмix DMC-CM1 and if the previous model is any indication, Panasonic will treat the new Lumix DMC-CM10 with relatively high-end components. Sadly, details about the actual parts in unavailable at the moment.

Nevertheless, the Lumix DMC-CM10 looks to be quite nice looking device and as you can see from the photo above, it will rock a Leica camera with f/2.8 aperture. If the rumor turns out to be true, expect more information about Panasonic’s new cameraphone tomorrow.

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HTC Vive VR headset, also known as the Steam headset because the co-development with Valve, is one of the most anticipated devices in the gaming industry this year. It will go on pre-order in the last day of February, but the rumor has the price as high as $1,500.

Meanwhile some reports claimed HTC is prepping to spin-off the VR business into a separate company, which will owned entirely by HTC and its CEO.

As it turns out those rumors are false. HTC has no plans for dividing its businesses and the VR division will stay exactly where it is.

Here is the official company press release to the investors:

“Recent media reports in Taiwan, such as by United Evening News, stating that Cher Wang is planning to spin off HTC’s VR operations into an independent entity that will be wholly owned by Wang is incorrect. HTC will continue to develop our VR business to further maximize value for shareholders.”

So, the VR business should attract more positive attention to HTC and hopefully helps the struggling company. Fingers crossed, then.

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