Chinese company LeTV has revealed that it has managed to sell nearly 3 million Le 1s units in over a couple of months. The revelation was made by the firm’s Senior VP Feng Xing.

While that’s no doubt impressive, what makes it even more significant is that it comes from a company that first entered the smartphone market less than a year ago. LeTV recently revealed that it sold a total of 4 million smartphones last year, which effectively means that the Le 1s was the company’s best seller.

The Chinese firm is all set to enter the Indian smartphone market with the Le Max, which has 6.33-inch display and 4GB RAM. The Pro variant of the device, which is powered by SD820, was also recently shown off at the CES.

Source (Chinese) |…

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In the wake of recent reports that a Dutch forensic team managed to decrypt emails on some of the BlackBerry’s most secure smartphones, the Canadian company has issued a formal statement saying they don’t have any information related to the method used as well as the phones involved, and adding that their “devices remain as secure and private as they have always been.”

“BlackBerry does not have any details on the specific device or the way that it was configured, managed or otherwise protected, nor do we have details on the nature of the communications that are claimed to have been decrypted,” the company said.

However, the company didn’t refute the decryption claims, saying that factors such as user consent, an insecure third party application, or deficient security behavior of the user could have facilitated the…

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BlackBerry has expanded the availability of its Priv smartphone to more retailers in the UK. The Android-powered device can now also be purchased from online retailer Unlocked Mobiles, which selling it for £545 (including taxes).

Aside from the company’s official UK ShopBlackBerry store, the BlackBerry Priv has only been available through Carphone Warehouse, but the exclusivity has now come to an end. A quick look at the retailer’s website reveals that it’s now offering the smartphone for £530 – a £30 discount on its regular price.

For those planning to purchase the Priv directly from BlackBerry, the device is listed on the company’s UK site for £559.

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If you are planning to purchase the Microsoft Band 2 and already own a smart wearable, here is some good news: the company is offering up to $250 off the Band successor if you are ready to trade-in your old smartwatch or fitness tracker.

Specifically, the $250 discount will be available if you trade-in a working version of the Apple Watch (38mm) with stainless steel case and Milanese loop.

As you can see in the screenshot above, the list of eligible devices also includes some other Apple Watch models as well as certain Fitbit fitness trackers, but the trade-in price keeps getting lower. If you trade-in the original Microsoft Band, you’ll get a discount of $35.

The promotions runs through February 7. Those trading in their old wearable device will receive a coupon code via email which has to be used by March 15 for purchasing the Band 2 at the Microsoft Store site.

Source 1…

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Sometimes, files can be messy in a folder, drive, or cloud service, and you have to resort to searching for something every time. Google Drive is helping users make the most of a limited storage space by allowing you to organize files directly from the search results, or from the file preview window.

You can also choose to “move” files when you are in the preview window. From here, a little window will pop up with all your folders where you can place files. You can also create a new folder within another folder to better organize your files.

Another new feature is the drag and drop to the sidebar. You can drag and drop files directly from the search results, making for an easy way to finally know where that one spreadsheet is. As you start to drag the files, the sidebar on the left changes to show your folder structure where you can place the file.

Google Drive has been improving little by little offering better file management to compete with other cloud storage services. Last month, Google added an advanced search feature which allowed users to search for files by extension and date modified, much like Windows’ advanced search for files.

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Verizon has added a new smartphone to its newly simplified prepaid roster. The LG Optimus Zone 3 got leaked in December as it was being prepared for launch, and now it’s finally official.

You can pick one up on Verizon’s prepaid plans for just $69.99. Obviously for that amount of cash you’re not getting a high-end flagship, rather an entry-level device.

The LG Optimus Zone 3 has a 4.5-inch touchscreen, a 1.1 GHz quad-core processor, a 5 MP rear camera, a 2 MP selfie shooter, and 32GB of expandable storage. It runs Android Lollipop, and since the exact version isn’t mentioned we assume that’s 5.0 and not 5.1.

The phone can be paired with the new prepaid plans from Big Red. For $30 per month you get unlimited talk and text, while $45 nets you 1GB of data as well and $60 means you’ll receive 3GB of traffic.

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Last week’s CES 2016 was a melting pot of the latest tech creations by companies from all over the world. We covered the mobile announcements from the spot extensively, but we figured you may also like to see on video on what it looks like to visit the venue.

Check out our video below where we mention the mobile highlights of CES, trending technologies, and the new products you may have missed from our CES coverage page.

For me personally, it was the first big industry event that I’ve attended and I was ecstatic to take part in this weeklong mishmash of meeting people, seeing new tech, convention center food, and lugging equipment around the show floor for hours on end. Check out my personal account of the experience, in case you’ve missed it.

As far as mobile announcements are concerned, I think it was obvious that CES 2016 underdelivered. It’s clear we’re all looking forward to the upcoming MWC in Barcelona next…

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Today Apple has released the first public beta version of iOS 9.3. As expected, this comes mere days after the developer-focused rollout from the beginning of this week.

It’s the exact same software, so it comes with the exact same new features that we’ve covered at length in the article regarding the developer release.

iOS 9.3 has a multi-user mode for iPads (but which is limited to educational settings for now), even more education-friendly features, Night Shift, secure notes, improvements to apps such as News and Health, as well as more stuff accessible in CarPlay (such as additional sections from Apple Music and Maps).

Also in are 3D Touch quick actions for Weather, Settings, Compass, Health, App Store, and iTunes Store. Since this is a big iOS version with so many new things in it, we assume there will be additional betas coming in the…

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As if the repeated price cuts weren’t enough, Microsoft is throwing in yet another incentive for you to become the owner of one of its latest flagship smartphones. If you buy a Lumia 950 or Lumia 950 XL (or if you already have one of them), then you are entitled to receive a free one-year Office 365 Personal subscription.

This is a $69.99 value, and will let you use the latest Office apps (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint of course) on a PC or Mac and a tablet as well as your smartphone. But that’s not all – also included is 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage.

To take advantage of the deal, you need to use the Lumia Offers app on your 950 or 950 XL, after you’ve downloaded it from the Windows Store. Then you just choose the Office 365 subscription from the list, enter your email address, and follow the instructions.

Do note however that this is only available in the US, UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The offer expires on June…

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There have been a lot of rumors floating around lately of a planned move to OLED panes for future iPhones. The switch is said to take place in 2018, but when we are talking about production on the iPhone scale, preparations definitely need to already be under way.

In its current state the OLED market has only a few major players that can hope to even come close to the order volumes Cupertino would require, which is why speculations have involved Samsung as a primary supplier. The two giant’s polarized business relationship has also led to some speculations about enlisting Japan Display Inc. for future iPhone display orders, but that seems less likely after a new wave of interesting contracts was unearthed.

No official information has been shared on the subject yet by any of the involved parties, but industry sources claim that a contract between Apple and Samsung has already been signed. We can only imagine the severe non-disclosure clauses such a document may have, but in an effort to bring some more believability to the rumor, leaksters have backed it up with a few numbers.

Allegedly, Samsung is planning to invest $6.64 billion to $7.47 billion in its display business. This would go towards equipment, plant improvements and staff to enable increased production loads. Allegedly, the investment will be broken down into an initial $2.49B to $3.32B this year to ensure the production of 30 000 to 45 000 OLED sheets per month, followed by an additional $4.17 billion in 2017 for another 45 000 sheets monthly.

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