Marshmallow update rolling out to Verison LG G3

Looks like Verizon has started rolling out the Android 6.0 update to LG G3 devices on its network. A Reddit user by the name of Jrdnram_98 is claiming to have received the OTA notification on their handset just a few hours ago, and also shared the following screenshot:

As you can see, the update carries the build number MRA58K and bumps the software version to VS98546A. It also includes Google's security patch for January. Going by those who have commented on the Reddit thread so far, no one else seemed to have received the update yet.

Late last month, the LG G3 units in Poland started getting the Android 6.0 update. As you might already know, the small European country has over the time become a sort of test bed for the South Korean company's software updates. Once the roll out is successful there, the update starts hitting devices in other regions worldwide.

Via | Reddit

Android 6.0 coming to Xiaomi Mi Note as soon as Friday

Testing over folks, the Xiaomi Mi Note is getting the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update soon - should be tomorrow!

The Developer Edition already received the update and it’s firmware version MRA58K. The MIUI interface is at version 7, no surprises here.

 
A screenshot of the updated About screen

Keep in mind that this is for the Xiaomi Mi Note, not the Note Pro.

Source (in Chinese) | Via

iPhone 6c live dummy photos, 3D renders suggest a familiar design

The Apple iPhone 6c (or 7c, depending on which rumors you choose to believe) has been in the rumor mill for a while now. Even the analysts from IHS believe the phone is coming in 2016. However, there's no consensus on what design Apple will be basing the iPhone 6c - the iPhone 5s, 5c or 6s.

Well, a leaked set of live photos of a prototype dummy portray a 4" iPhone based on the iPhone 6s.

  
Apple iPhone 6c dummy unit

The specifications of the 4" iPhone are believed to include the A9 chip with 2GB of RAM. Home button with TouchID fingerprint sensor, 16GB of internal storage and 1642 mAh battery. A $400-$500 price ballpark has been quoted too, presumably off contract.

Here's a fancier view of the iPhone 6c thanks to the 3D renders of Ferry Passchier.

   

iPhone 6c renders

Thanks Sung kim for the tip

Source • Source (2)

iPhone 5e now said to be the name of the next 4-inch Apple device

The next 4-inch smartphone made by Apple has been in the rumors for many months now, yet it still hasn't become official. That may change in the next few weeks, however, if we go by some recent speculation.

One thing that's been up for debate so far is what it's going to be called. The oldest rumors have referred to it as the iPhone 6c, then some people started calling it iPhone 7c, and today a Chinese analyst says it will actually be neither of those.

According to this person, Apple will name its new 4-inch device iPhone 5e, where "e" is supposed to roughly stand for "enhanced". This model will apparently be a slightly upgraded iPhone 5s, coming with support for Apple Pay, as well as VoLTE.

The main camera will reportedly be an 8 MP unit, while the SoC running things should be the A8, paired with 1GB of RAM. In China, the iPhone 5e is expected to cost CNY 3,288, which right now means $500 or €459.

Source (in Chinese) | Via

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Hits Antutu

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is the usual state flagships are a month ahead of announcement - constantly leaked and almost entirely revealed. The case of the Galaxy S7 is a bit more interesting, because it remains unclear in what shapes and screen sizes it will be available, but that aside, we now have another confirmation on key specs.

Antutu reports that the SM-G930F has been spotted running the benchmark, and it's the vanilla 5.1-inch version with QHD display resolution (Samsung will reportedly stick to that for 2016 flagships). More importantly, the smartphone is powered by the in-house Exynos 8890 chipset, in this (historically speaking) international F version. That obviously doesn't mean there won't be a Snapdragon 820 version, on the contrary.

RAM is quoted at 4GB and internal storage is 64GB, but that second number seems too generous for a base model. Additionally, the benchmark states that the smartphone does indeed pack a 12MP primary camera, so the move to fewer but larger pixels is happening. On the front, Samsung is sticking with 5MP for another generation.

And we know you were hoping for a score, but alas, there isn't such a number in Antutu's Weibo post. However, with the smartphone being in a pre-production testing phase, the figures wouldn't have been indicative of final devices anyway. So let's just patiently wait it out until MWC, when the Galaxy S7 is set to become official.

Source | Via

Another Xiaomi Mi 5 Leaked and its the white Variant

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 versions.

Via

Asus Pegasus 5000 unveiled in Chinese market

Asus topped up its model lineup, or at least its Chinese section with a new mid-range handset today. Named  the Pegasus 5000, it comes as the latest addition to the Pegasus line, after the Pegasus 2 Plus hit stores in December 2015. To further explore its family tree, the Pegasus 5000 seems to be a successor for the Pegasus X002, when it comes to its internals it basically seems to be a slightly stripped down version of the Pegasus 2 Plus X550.

We initially caught a glimpse of the Pegasus 5000 a few weeks ago in a certification, so the mid-ranger has little to surprise with in terms of hardware. It is powered by an octa-core processor 1.3 GHz Mediatek MT6753 SoC and has a 5.5" FullHD display. The main camera is a 13MP shooter with an LED flash and there is a 5MP selfie one on the front. The Pegasus 5000 is 4G enabled with Cat.4 LTE and has dual-SIM functionality. Local connectivity includes Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. A 4850 mAh battery runs the show.

As for memory options, there is a base model with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage, like the aforementioned certification described. But, there is also a 3GB one, again with 16GB of space. Both versions will be available from China Telecom for CNY 1,299 (about $198) and CNY 1,799 (about $273), respectively.

Source (in Japanese) | Via (in Romanian)

Apple is now pushing iOS 9.2.1

Apple is now pushing iOS 9.2.1 to all supported devices


Today Apple has commenced the rollout of the update to iOS 9.2.1 for all supported iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch units out there. The general release starts today following a beta version of iOS 9.2.1, which went out to eager testers last month. In the meantime, an iOS 9.3 beta has been outed as well for those who are part of Apple's beta testing program.
As its version number implies, iOS 9.2.1 is not a big release. It doesn't come with new features, it only focuses on bug fixes, performance improvements, and reliability enhancements.
Included is a fix for an issue that could prevent the completion of an app's installation when using an MDM server. For now it's unclear if the battery indicator bug that we've reported on yesterday is also fixed in iOS 9.2.1. Surely though some other unnamed improvements are in too.

Today Apple has commenced the rollout of the update to iOS 9.2.1 for all supported iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch units out there. The general release starts today following a beta version of iOS 9.2.1, which went out to eager testers last month. In the meantime, an iOS 9.3 beta has been outed as well for those who are part of Apple's beta testing program.
As its version number implies, iOS 9.2.1 is not a big release. It doesn't come with new features, it only focuses on bug fixes, performance improvements, and reliability enhancements.
Included is a fix for an issue that could prevent the completion of an app's installation when using an MDM server. For now it's unclear if the battery indicator bug that we've reported on yesterday is also fixed in iOS 9.2.1. Surely though some other unnamed improvements are in too.

Galaxy S7 flagship duo rumored to be already under testing at AT&T

According to the usually reliable leakster @evleaks, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is already being tested in the US. Specifically, he said that two variants of the handset (SM-G930A and SM-G935A) - which should be the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge - are under testing at AT&T.

The revelation adds weight to a recent rumor suggesting the flagship device(s) would be announced on February 21 2016 - just a day before next year's Mobile World Congress.

As for the specs, there's not much known at the moment, although there have been rumors that the device would sport a magnesium build, feature a USB Type-C port, and will come with3D Touch-like features. A recent report also suggested that half of the Galaxy S7 units would be powered by the South Korean company's next generation Exynos 8890 chipset, while the other half would feature Snapdragon 820.

Via

Live images of the Samsung Galaxy A5 and A7 successors leaked

Samsung's Galaxy A-series are due for an update, the earlier ones now approaching the ripe old age of 12 months. There have been indications that the next-gen mid-range models with a premium build are in the works, and things have gotten to a point where we're now being treated to a few live photos of the successors to the Galaxy A5 and A7.

The two smartphones have been brought up to check on current upmarket Samsung design, featuring a flat glass rear panel, a lot like the Galaxy S6 generation. Unlike the truly premium handsets, however, the future Galaxy A5 (2016) and A7 (2016) will have nothing but a single-LED flash next to the prominent camera hump. Obviously a heart-rate sensor is out of the question in this segment, but the news is that Samsung has relocated the loudspeaker, likely to the bottom of the devices.

    
Alleged live photos of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) and A7 (2016)

The front sees fewer changes, especially on the smaller A5 model. Apart from the rearrangement of the sensors around the earpiece, the most notable difference is the taller home button, hinting at a fingerprint sensor, which has already made its way to the A-series with the A8 and yet-to-be-released A9. The images appear to show a 2.5D front glass on the face of the Galaxy A7 (2016), but not on the A5 (2016), an odd discrepancy with an older leak.

If the naming is any indication, we'd expect the two models to be released no earlier than January next year - bang on time for the A7 to meet its one-year update deadline, and a couple of months late as far as the A5 is concerned.

Via

Marshmallow to be reaching LG G3 users in mid December

The LG G3 will start getting the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update towards the mid of the next month - between December 16 and 18.

This was revealed by a new report out of Poland, saying that the update is already in the last stage of testing (or is even ready, according to an LG Poland executive, whose tweet was referenced by the report).

The report also notes that just like the LG G4, the Marshmallow update for the G3 will also be first rolled out in Poland, followed by other regions worldwide.  source

 

Samsung Q3 Profits To Remain Weak

Samsung's Q3 2015 profits are expected to remain below market expectations, according to analysts from South Korea, who are putting the blame on the unimpressive performance of the company's mobile unit.

While the unit reported a Q1 and Q2 profit of 2.74 trillion won ($2.34 billion) and 2.76 trillion won ($2.36 billion), respectively, the Q3 profit is expected to remain below 2 trillion won.

Although the South Korean company's mobile shipments have increased in Q3, the drop in profit is being attributed to the slowing demand of Samsung's high-end smartphones, where, of course, the margins are comparatively higher.

Overall, the company's Q3 operating profit is expected to be around 6.61 trillion won, down 6.4% from the 7.06 trillion won figure estimated back in July this year.

One Lucky AT&T Customer Gits It's IPhone 6s Delivered Early

Apple's new flagship phone Iphone 6s and Iphone 6s plus as we all know will become available this Friday, on September 25, but that apparently hasn't stopped the company and its carrier partners from sending out pre-ordered units early.

One lucky AT&T customer in the US was happy to receive her rose gold iPhone 6s today. She shared a few pictures of the phone and its box to prove that what she's saying was infact true.

The front-facing flash are now official for the the Galaxy J7 and J5

The Galaxy J7 and J5 - which have been part of various leaks over the past few weeks - have been officially announced by Samsung in China, where they will go on sale this week.

Specs-wise, the J7 is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, and sports a 5.5-inch display with 720 x 1280 pixels. On the other hand, the J5 is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, and sports a 5-inch 720p display.

They measure 152.2 x 79.1 x 7.9mm and 142 x 73 x 8.5mm, and pack in a 3000 mAh and 2600 mAh battery, respectively.

The rest of the specs are identical: 1.5 GB RAM, 16 GB expandable storage space, and 13 MP rear and 5 MP front cameras. In addition, they offer LTE and dual SIM capabilities, run Android 5.1 Lollipop, and come in black, white, and gold colour options.

It's worth mentioning that these are the South Korean company's first smartphones that come with front-facing LED flash. As for the price, while the J7 carries a price tag of 1,798 CNY ($290), the J5 will set you back 1,398 CNY ($225). It isn't yet clear if and when the handsets will be available outside of China.

New rumors suggests BlackBerry first Android phone might surface in August

A few days ago, there were rumours that the Blackberry's first Android-powered smartphone - codenamed Venice - might arrive in November. However, a new report is suggesting that the Venice might not run Android at all.

As per the report, the Canadian company's debut Android phone will instead be called Prague. Aimed at emerging markets, it will be a low-end, all-touch device, with form factor similar to that of the BlackBerry Z3 (shown in the image above). The handset is expected to be released in August this year, the report notes.

Needless to say, none of this has been officially confirmed by the company, so take it with a pinch of salt.

The most anticipated Galaxy A8 passes TENAA certification

The Samsung Galaxy A8 has been a hot topic lately, with rumors popping out every now and then, and it went as far as appearing in a set of live images. Well, if that isn't enough of a testament to its imminent launch, then it's recent visit to TENAA should clear all doubt.

The Chinese telecommunications governing body has certified a device, bearing a model number SM-A8000, which we know by now is the upcoming Galaxy A8. The pictures show a phone, identical to the one in the previous hands-on photos.

   
Samsung Galaxy A8 at TENAA

The TENAA listing confirms that the Samsung Galaxy A8 will come with a 5.7-inch AMOLED display of FullHD resolution, which a benchmark entry once wrongfully claimed was going to be 5.5 inches in diagonal.

Though the regulator doesn't explicitly name the chipset, the octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and the smartphone's position in the lineup point to a Snapdragon 615 with it's performance cores clocked slightly below Qualcomm's specified maximum of 1.7GHz. There's 2GB of RAM on board, as well as 16GB of internal storage, and the phone can take microSD cards up to 128GB in capacity.

The listing is somewhat ambiguous in stating an 8MP primary camera and putting 16MP in parentheses, but we'd put our money on the higher count, as even the Galaxy A7 has a 13MP main shooter, and a downgrade would be illogical. The new phone comes with a 5MP front camera too.

Number crunchers will be thrilled to know that the Galaxy A8 measures 158 × 76.77 × 5.94 mm, which makes it Samsung's thinnest smartphone. Though it may be a bit on the long end of the 5.7-inch spectrum (the Galaxy Note 4 is 4.5mm shorter), the new phablet is impressively light at only 142g. We don't yet have confirmation on the rumored 3,050mAh battery capacity, but kudos to the engineers if they pulled it off in such a thin and light body.

The LTE-capable smartphone boots Android 5.1 when it launches. It's yet to be revealed when that will happen, but sooner sounds more likely than later.

Android and iOS together account for 96.3% of smartphone market

Android and iOS combined accounted for a whopping 96.3% of all smartphone shipments worldwide in 2014, up from 93.8% in the prior year, according to a latest report from the market research firm IDC.

Individually, Google's mobile operating system captured 81.5% of the market, up from 78.7% in 2013, while Apple's mobile OS claimed 14.8%, down slightly from 15.1% the year prior.

"Many of the same drivers were in play for Android and iOS to tighten their grip on the market," said Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team. "A combination of strong end-user demand, refreshed product portfolios, and the availability of low-cost devices – particularly for Android – drove volumes higher."

As for the rest of the players in the market, Microsoft's Windows Phone had the smallest year-over-year increase among the leading operating systems, growing just 4.2%, while BlackBerry saw its year-on-year growth decline by 69.8%.

Apple to pay $533 million for infringing Smartflash's patents

A US court has ordered Apple to pay $532.9 million in damages after the company was found guilty of infringing three patents owned by Texas-based patent licensing company Smartflash. The patents are related to digital rights management (DRM), data storage, and payment systems.

Smartflash sued Apple alleging that the latter’s iTunes software used these patents without permission, something which the Cupertino-based company rejected by claiming that the patents were invalid.

The patent licensing company also said the iPhone maker intentionally did so given that its executives were already given a briefing on the technology, something which happened more than ten years ago. While Smartflash was seeking damages of $852 million, the iPhone maker said the patents were only worth $4.5 million.

“Smartflash makes no products, has no employees, creates no jobs, has no U.S. presence, and is exploiting our patent system to seek royalties for technology Apple invented,” said an Apple spokesperson. The company is now planning to appeal the decision.

SEE:Alleged live photos of Samsung Galaxy S6 leak out

Purported live photos of Samsung Galaxy S6 made the rounds on the web. The Korean giant’s next flagship smartphone is scheduled to make its debut this Sunday, on March 1 alongside an Edge modelwith curved display.

The photos reveal Samsung’s new design language for the upcoming Galaxy S5 successor. The newcomer appears to sport metal frame with front and back covered by glass. Overall, the device looks like a massive step forward for the company in terms of design and tactility.

If the images are to be believed, Samsung Galaxy S6 will offer non-removable back cover. Its camera will be protruding, with the heart rate sensor sitting on its right side.

The SIM card slot of the smartphone is located on its right side, below the power/lock key. Its 3.5mm audio jack has been moved to the bottom this time around - there is nothing but an IR blaster, microphone pinhole, and antenna strips on top.

We will be covering the launch of Samsung Galaxy S6 launch live. Be sure to tune in to find out everything about the smartphone.

Apple and JDI might team up to build a $1.7 billion screen plant

According to a report in Japanese media, Apple and Japan Display might team up to build a screen production facility The project is said to be worth ¥200 billion (about $1.68 billion).

The facility will be located in Ishikawa, central Japan. It is expected to begin operations at some point in 2016. Unsurprisingly, the plant will will supply screens mainly for the Cupertino giant.

JDI has declined to confirm the report. However, the company acknowledged that its constantly looking to become more competitive, including by building more production capacity.

A display production facility will mark another large-scale investment for Apple. Recently, the company announced that it will invest $2 billion in a data center, and $850 million in a solar farm.