£2.3 million iPhone 6 created by Goldgenie

Motorola lets you pick a wood or leather back for the Moto X (2015)? That's cute, Goldgenie lets you pick between diamonds, sapphires, rubies, topaz and emeralds to put on your 24K Gold, Rose gold or Platinum iPhone 6. Of course, those aren’t color names, those are the actual materials. You can top it off with Swarovski crystals on the Apple logo.

The diamonds – white, pink or black – are used to coat the sides of the device, leading to the name Diamond Ecstasy. Goldgenie is kind enough to offer you the option of bigger diamonds, so that you don't get laughed out of the private island club.

  
iPhone 6 Diamond Ecstasy in 24K Gold, Rose Gold or Platinum

The price is unspeakable – a run of the mill Rose Gold or Platinum iPhone 6 costs as little as £1,500 ora limited edition for £2,500. This one though costs £2.3 million ($3.5 million).

That’s the base price, by the way, you can always hop on your private jet and fly out to Goldgenie HQ and take a hands-on approach with the customizations. We don't imagine there's a ceiling on the final price, just try not to disrupt the EU's economy.

Nikon announces D810A for astrophotography

Nikon has launched a modified version of its D810 DSLR, the D810A. This version is targeted specifically at those who do astrophotography and features a modified infrared filter for that.

Most cameras have an IR cut filter that is designed to allow only those wavelengths of light that the human eye can see, so that the resulting image looks similar to what it looks to the human eye. However, the light emitted by far away stars and galaxies are often well beyond our visual range, and in order to capture them properly, you need a camera designed specifically for such application.

Rumor Says Windows 10 RTM will happen in June

According to a new rumor on the matter, Microsoft is targeting June as the month during which Windows 10 will be “released to manufacturing” (RTM). Once it hits RTM, the OS will be finalized, with no additions coming in after that point. The RTM process refers to Microsoft giving the finalized OS bits to its partners – some of which build computers running the software, and others who actually write those Windows DVDs people still apparently buy.

Obviously this is a rumor and nothing more at this point.

Microsoft Office 2016 preview is now available

Microsoft Office 2016 preview is now available for users who are willing to commit to a non-disclosure agreement. The Redmond giant will officially release Office 2016 later this year.

The upcoming Office release is available through Microsoft Connect. The productivity suite features a new, dark theme and a virtual assistant. The latter is rumored to offer Cortana integration.

Interested? Hit the source link below to get your hands on the Office 2016 preview.

Skype for Android updated with support for offline photo sharing

Skype has updated its Android app to version 5.2, bringing some really useful features including offline photo sharing, support for picture-in-picture view, reduced chat loading times, and call quality improvements.

The updated app lets you send photos to your offline contacts, something which wasn’t previously possible.

On Feb.24 64GB Xiaomi Mi 4 will be on sale in India

After quite a few delays, the Xiaomi Mi 4 is due to finally be up for grabs in India starting today, through a series of flash sales. This is the company's normal way of doing business, so nothing out of the ordinary here.

But today you'll only be able to pick up the 16GB white version of the smartphone. If you like the Mi 4 but were hoping for some more built-in space, then you'll have to wait until February 24.

The Chinese company has officially announced that it will start selling the 64GB Mi 4 in India on that day. The 64GB variant will cost INR 23,999, which at the current exchange rates means around $386 or €341.

The 16GB model is going to be offered for INR 19,999, which is about $322 or €284. This is so far only going to be made available in white. It's still unclear whether the higher-storage variation will be in the same situation.

Microsoft schedules MWC press conference for March 2

Following quite a few Android device makers, Microsoft announced yesterday that it too will hold a special press conference during MWC 2015 in Barcelona in March.

Specifically, the software giant will talk to the press on March 2 at 8.30 AM local time. That's one day after Samsung's big event, by the way.

Microsoft hasn't given us any information as to what exactly it will talk about, but it's safe to assume we're going to see some new phones getting unveiled.

iOS 8.3 beta is seeding to registered developers

Apple began seeding iOS 8.3 beta to registered developers. The Cupertino giant launched the new build barely a week after it released iOS 8.2 beta 5, thus indicating that it is hard at work on improving its mobile OS.

The latest iOS build brings a number of new features to the platform headed by wireless CarPlay support. The functionality was previously available only via USB cable.

Google login has been improved as well. A brand new emoji picker is also on board.

Finally, iOS 8.3 code suggests that Apple Pay is headed to China via Union Pay. Access to the vast Chinese market is certain to give Apple’s payment system a massive boost.

It will surely be a while before iOS 8.3 makes its way to end users. Apple is yet to begin seeding iOS 8.2 to its mobile hardware.

The latest iOS beta arrives amid rumors about the next major release of Cupertino’s mobile platform. Apple iOS 9 is tipped to focus on improved optimization and stability.

Apple IOS9 focuses on Bug Fixes and Stability improvments

According to a new report online, Apple’s upcoming iOS 9 will not bring the usual host of new features as its predecessors. Codenamed Monarch, Cupertino’s next major iOS release will focus on bug fixes and overall stability improvements.

Some new features will of course make their way into iOS 9. However, optimizing the OS is going to be the major focus of Apple’s team of engineers - hardly a surprise considering the bevy of issues iOS 8 initially carried.

HTC alleged working on Android tablet based on Nexus 9

After making the Nexus 9 for Google, HTC is allegedly working on its own branded tablet, which will be based on the Nexus 9.

According to upleaks, the tablet will have similar dimensions as the Nexus 9, meaning a 9-inch display, probably with the same 4:3 aspect ratio. However, the hardware specifications will be different.

The tablet is also not expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2015.

HTC hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to tablets. The first tablet, the HTC Flyer, came at a time when Android tablets were trying to get a foothold in the market, and didn’t quite fly with the customers. The second one, the HTC Jetstream, was such a colossal failure most people don’t even know it exists. The Nexus 9 is by far the most successful HTC tablet, which isn’t saying much.

Big, expensive Android tablets are still trying to be relevant in the market, and Samsung seems to be the only one who has had some luck with them. Hopefully, HTC will make a better effort with its upcoming tablet, as the Nexus 9 surely didn’t feel like a premium tablet, despite its price.

Price cuts as Moto E goes on sale in India

Motorola’s entry-level Android smartphone Moto E has received a price cut in India. Originally costing at INR 6,999 ($112), the entry-level Android device is now available at INR 5,999 ($96).

Motorola has launched many other offers too. For example, you can exchange your old phones (select models only) and get discounts of up to INR 4,000 ($64) and INR 6,000 ($96) on the purchase of the second generation Moto G and Moto X respectively.

The company is also offering the Moto Deck Bluetooth speaker worth INR 8,990 ($145) for free with every purchase of the 2nd-gen Moto X. Google’s Nexus 10 tablet is also available with an exchange offer of up to INR 10,000 ($160).

Motorola is celebrating the completion of one year by Moto devices in the Indian market. The offers are valid from February 9 to 15.

Amazons valentine offer on kindle

Amazon, being the symbol of consumerism that it is, has some strange ideas of what constitutes an appropriate – never mind good – gift for Valentine’s Day. 

Jokes aside, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (64GB, Wi-Fi) has been slashed from its normal price of $480 to just $300. That’s not a bad deal for an 8.9″ 2,560 x 1,600px display, Snapdragon 805 and a free Amazon Prime subscription.

Windows 10 update for 512MB phones in the works

Microsoft promised that the Windows 10 update is coming to "most" of the Lumia phones, but that meant some are not getting it. One suggestion was that it will be phones with 512MB RAM that will get the axe as even the lowly Lumia 435 has 1GB of RAM.

But no – Joe Belfiore (VP of Operating Systems) confirmed on Twitter that Microsoft is working on an update for those phones. Note that "working on" is not the same as "will certainly release." Also, Belfiore says that "features may vary," the timing of the update is variable as well.

The Lumia 520 alone makes up 23.8% of the Windows Phone devices worldwide, but most of the others in the Top 10 are also 512MB devices. In short, if 512MB devices miss out on Windows 10 it would have been a major blow to the platform.

It's sill not clear which features will be cut. In fact it's not particularly clear what new features Windows 10 will add to phones, beyond the universal app platform. Limiting features is not a new practice, Apple has been doing it with iOS and older iPhones for years.

This month Microsoft will be releasing the first test build of Windows 10 for phones to the Insiders community that is helping with the beta testing. This will give us a better idea of what the new phone OS will be like.

HTC Desire 626 officially launches in Taiwan And it costs $190

 The HTC Desire 626 is finally official in Taiwan.

The HTC Desire 626 sports a 5" 720p display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset with a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU and 1GB of RAM. Internal storage is 16GB and is expandable through the microSD card slot. At the back, there's a 13MP camera with a BSI sensor and f/2.2 aperture that records 1080p video. A 5MP selfie camera is at the front and it also records 1080p.

The 2,000mAh battery is non-removable and can handle up to 30 hours of 3G talk time and 760 hours of stand-by. Connectivity is handled by Bluetooth 4.0 and single-band Wi-Fi 802.11n with DLNA. The phone supports LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 28.

The HTC Desire 626 is already available for purchase in Taiwan and costs $190 (NT$5990). Color options include dark blue and white.

Samsung Z1 costs USD $90 upon launch in Bangladesh

A few days ago we reported that the Tizen-based Samsung Z1 has just launched in Malaysia, but back then it wasn't clear exactly how much it costs.

New information came through today suggesting the Samsung Z1 is priced at 6,900 Bangladeshi Taka or about USD $90.

The Samsung Z1 recently launched in India too and was off to a flying start there. Pricing is similar, being INR 5,700 or again, around $90.

The Samsung Z1 comes with a 4" WVGA display and runs on a dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 processor with 768MB RAM. It also offers a 3MP rear camera, dual-SIM connectivity with 3G support, FM radio plus a 1,500 mAh battery.

Large investments made by Alibaba Group in miezu

Alibaba Group announced that it will invest $590 million in the smartphone manufacturer Meizu. The Chinese online behemoth will become a minority owner of Meizu Technology Limited.

Meizu and Alibaba “ will collaborate at both strategic and business levels to achieve a deeper integration of Meizu’s hardware and Alibaba Group’s mobile operating system.” Alibaba has its own YunOS smartphone platform, based on Android. A version of Meizu MX 4 with the OS has been available for some time now.

With market value of $213 billion, Alibaba will surely be a welcome partner for Meizu. The latter will help the retail giant promote its mobile OS and will benefit from its vast network of online stores and users.

Alibaba didn’t disclose how much equity it acquired in Meizu for its investment.

Update for Blackberry OS 10.3.1 coming this February 19

BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 update is coming on February 19 for all of the company's current smartphone line-up that's not featuring the latest OS version. Currently, the BlackBerry Classic is the only one to run BlackBerry OS 10.3.1.

The information is unconfirmed by BlackBerry and originates from N4BB.com, who claim to have it from a source within the company. Regardless, the update will be available for the BlackBerry Passport,BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9983, BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10.

The latest BlackBerry OS version will come with an updated virtual assistant that will bring BlackBerry closer to the likes of Siri and Google Now. Additionally, version 10.3.1 will come with notification profiles, enhanced calendar reminder dialogs, task recurrence, mark pictures and videos as hidden. Other novelties include a battery saving mode and the option to restrict apps to run while minimized.

LG Y70 shows up on Zauba

Indian import tracking website Zauba have showed that LG Y70 has entered the country. Actually, LG has imported 22 units on February 5. The phone sports a 4.7" display and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. Upon deeper investigation, MyLGPhones.com reports that the model number of the phone is LG-H422 and that the display is likely to pack 720p resolution screen.

The LG Y70 is believed to be the successor to the LG L70 and as such is a substantial upgrade over its 4.5" WVGA display. Sadly, additional specifications of the phone aren't available at this time.

However, the model names of the phone's market variations are out, too. The phone will be available in Mexico, Brazil and Europe. There's no information if the phone will make it to the US, but Asia is a likely market for the Y70, in spite of not being leaked yet.

official support pages appear for Galaxy s6 and SEdge

It is no secret that everybody seems to be waiting for Samsung's next big flagship device. The highly-anticipated Galaxy S6.

 We today we've got one of those rare occurrences where the Koreans didn't successfully keep their next flagship under wraps.

Samsung said personal information could be scooped up by the Smart TV

Samsung is warning customers to avoid discussing personal information in front of their smart television set.

The warning applies to TV viewers who control their Samsung Smart TV using its voice activation feature.

Such TV sets 'listen' to every conversation held in front of them and may share any details they hear with Samsung or third parties, it said.