Oppomart lists the Zuk Z2 for $299 well ahead of launch

The ZUK Z2 was just announced and one of the first retailers to list it is oppomart.com who has it for a price of $299. Though the listing details all the specs and product photos, the item is shown as "out of stock". The ZUK Z2 features the latest Qualcomm CPU Snapdragon 820 with 4GB of RAM, a 5 inch LCD 1080p screen, Android Marshmallow out of the box with ZUI 2.0, fingerprint scanner, 3,500mAh battery, Adreno 530 graphics, 13MP rear camera with a Samsung ISOCELL sensor with phase detection AF, an 8PM front camera, 4K video, and an impressive 960fps slow motion video...

Jawbone refutes rumors, says not exiting fitness wearable market

Late last week, there were reports that Jawbone has stopped producing its UP line of fitness bands, triggering rumors that the company is exiting the fitness wearable market. Now, the firm has issued a statement refuting all such rumors. Here's the complete statement: Speculation that Jawbone is exiting the wearables business or going out of business altogether is false. This speculation appears to emanate from wrongful insinuations made in a blog post in which the reporter has since posted a "Correction." Unfortunately, other media picked it up before the reporter posted a...

LG Stylus 2 Plus launched, global availability details revealed

The LG Stylus 2 Plus - which was spotted listed on TENAA and locally unveiled by the company in Taiwan last month - has now been officially launched. Specs-wise, the device is powered by a 1.4GHz octa-core processor, and sports a 5.7-inch full HD display. It comes in 2GB/3GB RAM and 16GB/32GB internal memory options as well as 13MP/5MP or 16MP/8MP camera configuration. The exact memory and camera configuration will vary depending on the region where the device is being sold. Moving on, the Stylus 2 Plus comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box, and packs in a 3,000mAh...

Rumor says three new Oppo devices (including a flagship) coming in June

According to a new rumor out of China, Oppo will announce a total of three new phones this month, including a flagship. Promo images of these handsets have also been leaked, but they don't reveal much as devices are blurred. The rumor also reveals the unveiling dates - two devices will be made official on June 2 (tomorrow), while one will be announced on June 6. One of the Oppo devices that's already said to be launching in June is the Find 9. Its rumored spec-sheet reads Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4K-capable display, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. It is also rumored to feature the...

T-Mobile sells most smartphones of any other carrier in the US in Q1

This is a big deal because just over three years ago, T-Mobile was the number 4 carrier in the US. Nobody even wanted to deal with switching carriers because every carrier, including T-Mobile, had stopped offering unlimited data and their plans become so unclear. While Sprint was the only carrier at the time that offered unlimited data, its network was so bad in some areas, there wasn't even contest. T-Mobile has beaten the US largest wireless carrier: Verizon, in the number of smartphones sold in Q1 of the US mobile market. Metro PCS and T-Mobile, combined, sold 22.9% of smartphones while...

vivo X7 leaks in images, said to replace Xshot

The vivo Xshot was announced way back in 2014. While there have been a few rumors/reports about a successor to the device, those were mostly in 2015. Now, a new report out of China seems to have some fresh information on the matter. The report claims that there won't be a direct successor, and the Xshot will be replaced by a new device dubbed vivo X7. Not only this, it also contains a leaked image of the latter. Sadly, there's no information on the specs, although the report does say that the X7 will be made official by vivo by the end of this month. So, if that's the case, expect...

New Periscope update brings comment moderation

A new update is being rolled out to Twitter-owned live video streaming service Periscope that brings a new comment moderation feature. Aimed at fighting spam and abuse, the feature lets viewers report and then vote on reported comments. The way it works is simple: if you find a comment offensive (or think it's a spam), you can report it. While you will no longer see messages from that commenter for the remainder of the broadcast, a few randomly selected viewers will be asked to vote whether or not the reported comment is abusive/spam. If majority votes yes, "the commenter will be...

Xiaomi devices to come with Microsoft Office and Skype pre-installed; companies strike patent cross-licensing deal as well

Chinese smartphone market leader Xiaomi and software giant Microsoft has signed a new deal that will see the companies cross-licensing patents. This was announced by Xiaomi's VP Hugo Barra on Twitter. Expanding the Xiaomi-Microsoft partnership: new deal for Office & Skype pre-install, IP cross-license and patent transfer agreement— Hugo Barra (@hbarra) June 1, 2016 As part of the deal, Xiaomi will also ship Microsoft Office and Skype on a number of its Android handsets starting September 2016. The device list includes the Mi 5, Mi Max, Mi 4s, Redmi Note 3, and Redmi 3. "We are...

Google Home will be powered by Chromecast hardware, says report

Google has decided to enter the smart home market with its not-so-recent acquisition of Nest and most recently at Google I/O with the announcement of Google Home. A new report from The Information says that Google has forgotten to mention one detail about Google's new home assistant. The report claims that one of the developers of the product has direct knowledge that the device is actually an enclosure with lots of components: microphones, a speaker, and LED lights that are all built around the hardware of a Chromecast. The Chromecast's micro computing capabilities proved to be...

US pre-orders of Sony Xperia X are live. Free 128GB microSD card with pre-order

The Sony Xperia X lineup is getting more attention. Especially with the US launch weeks away. Sony details in a press release that only pre-orders for the Xperia X are live today with Best Buy, Amazon, B&H, and Reagan Wireless. You can begin to pre-order the other 3 Xperia devices starting on June 17. Customers who pre-order either the Xperia X ($550) or Xperia X Performance ($700) will receive a free 128GB micro SD card. Customers who pre-order the Xperia XA Ultra ($370) will also get a free 64GB SD card and those who'd like to preorder the Xperia XA ($280) will get a free...

Weeview's $35 Eye-Plug goes into your Android phone's USB Type-C port, lets you shoot 3D videos

A neat accessory currently being showcased at Computex in Taipei, Taiwan is Weeview's Eye-Plug. This is essentially a camera on a stick. You plug it into the USB Type-C port of your Android smartphone, and it lets you shoot 3D videos. It does the 3D capture thing by using both its own camera as well as your handset's, working together to record footage you can then view in a Google Cardboard headset. And because it goes into the USB Type-C port, you can plug it in either facing the front of the phone or its rear. So yes, you can do 3D selfie videos too if you want to. Additionally,...

Big iPhone redesigns will only happen once every three years from now on, report claims

According to a new report out of Asia, Apple is going to make a change in its iPhones' lifecycles. Up until now, the company sort of emulated Intel's tick-tock model - one year we'd see a new design, and then the next year's models would only feature refined innards, keeping the looks. This has most recently been the case with the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, of course - keeping the design of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus while sporting better hardware on the inside. So you might have expected the iPhone 7 to bring with it a big redesign, but all the rumors and leaks we've seen about it so far...

Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter cables spotted at Computex might confirm iPhone 7 ditching the headphone jack

Computex is currently in full swing in Taipei, Taiwan, and some enterprising folks have spotted an intriguing accessory on display there. As portrayed in the image below, it's an adapter cable that's meant to plug into Apple's Lightning port, and it features a good old analog 3.5mm headset jack at the other end. It has a three-button remote control, and apparently comes with a built-in amplifier too. The company that's showing this product, Tama, has already listed a similar accessory on its website - that one has the buttons on the same end as the headset jack. The fact that...

OnePlus devices to be officially available at Amazon, OnePlus 2 is first up in the UK

Those dreaded invites have long been history for both the OnePlus 2 and the OnePlus X, as you've been able to order either device from the Chinese company's own online store at any point in the past few months. But what if you love Amazon so much that you must make all of your purchases there? Thankfully OnePlus is now happy to serve you too. In a first, the company will officially start selling all of its devices through the mega-retailer. This is an unprecedented move from OnePlus, but it's one that's sure to make grabbing one of its products easier for a lot of people. At the...

Mophie launches new iPhone battery cases with wireless charging

Always dreamt of wireless charging your iPhone even though Apple hasn't built in the necessary tech yet? Well then, this is for you. Battery case experts Mophie have now launched a new range of such accessories for Apple's smartphones - and they have wireless charging support. They're anything but cheap though. If you get both the battery case and the wireless charging base for the iPhone 6 or 6s, for example, you need to pay $99.95, while the amount goes up to $129.95 if you have the iPhone 6 Plus or 6s Plus. You can also purchase a vent-mounted wireless charging plate for your car, or a...

Alleged rose gold iPhone 7 rear case leaks showing single camera, new antenna lines

The latest iPhone 7 leak comes from China (as do most of them really). A picture showing what is purported to be the handset's rear casing has been leaked, and you can see it to the left. This is the shell for the rose gold color version of the upcoming iPhone, which means Apple won't give up on the pinkish hue this year. You can see the revised antenna lines on the leaked case. The position of these lines up with what basically every single leak and rumor about the iPhone 7's design has said so far, so at this point it's hard not to believe that this is what Apple is going for with...

Facebook Messenger is getting optional end-to-end encryption soon, rumor says

One of the Facebook-owned messaging apps already offers end-to-end encryption to all of its users - we're talking about WhatsApp. However, the social network's other such service, namely Facebook Messenger, has yet to make that step. But according to a new rumor, it's only a matter of time. Facebook apparently plans on adding an opt-in end-to-end encryption feature to Messenger at some point "in the coming months", three people close to the project have said. Facebook Messenger may not have the reach of WhatsApp, but it's still used by more than 900 million people, so this move will...

Meizu Blue Charm Metal 2 swings by TENAA with a Helio P10 chip

Meizu is preparing to launch the Blue Charm Metal 2 (or internationally Meizu Metal 2) and is one step closer as the phone has passed TENAA certification. As it's usually the case, some of the Metal 2's specifications have also appeared along the way. The phone sports a Helio P10 chip with an 1.8GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The phone will have a second version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. At the back, there's a 13MP camera with dual-LED flash, teamed with a 5MP front-facing camera. Inside the all-metal body, Meizu has fitted a 4,000mAh...

Sony Xperia X Performance hands-on: First look

If you were upset that the Xperia X "only has a Snapdragon 650" and "the Xperia X isn't water resistant anymore", as many of our readers have, fear no more. The Sony Xperia X Performance is here to cover all of these bases in the same compact footprint.

TENAA now lists 6GB RAM version for the OnePlus 3

The OnePlus 3 - third installment of the self-proclaimed "flagship killer" is now close to an official release. Even if the suggested June 14 unveiling doesn't doesn't take place, one is imminent, considering OnePlus's recent search for 30 early reviewers. Regardless of the exact date, the OnePlus 3 is coming, well, at least, its announcement is and thanks to numerous leaks and certifications from both TENAA and the FCC, we already have a pretty good idea what to expect. In a new development, fans might still be treated to a 6GB RAM option for the phone, as was originally believed...

LG X Power with 4,100mAh battery and X Style quietly unveiled

It's been a busy day today with multiple phone launches, which now include two additions to LG's X family. The LG X Power and LG X Style were quietly unveiled in Ukraine. LG X Power This phone gets its name from the sizeable battery - with 4,100mAh in the tank, you can go a long time between charges. The LG X Power features a 5.3" IPS screen with 720p resolution (277ppi). It has a modest processing power, though, a MediaTek MT6735 chipset (quad Cortex-A53 at 1.14GHz, Mali-T720) with 2GB of RAM. There's 16GB of built-in storage, expandable via microSD cards. LG X Power The...

Samsung Gear Fit 2 specs confirmed, expected this June

It seems like such a long time ago now, but back in 2014, when Samsung unveiled the original Gear Fit smart wearable, its 1.84-inch was kind of a mind-blowing experience with its smooth and slick curve. The device did decently in the market and ever since, fans have been looking forward to another fitness-oriented Samsung tracker to follow in its steps. The Gear Fit 2 definitely fits the bill and it has been popping up in various leaks and renders lately. Now, a fresh batch of info on the wearable finally reveals its hardware specs and even offers a new glimpse at its design and...

Sony Xperia X Performance comes to the US on July 17 at $700, other X's too

Sony has detailed the availability and pricing of its new X lineup for the US. Breaking up with the carrier model, the smartphones will be sold by major retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H, instead. Sony Xperia X Performance The Xperia X will be the one to pave the way, with a release date set for June 26, and a price tag of $550. If you want to go on either side of the X, you'd need to wait until July 17, when the Xperia XA and Xperia X Performance will become available, at $280 and $700, respectively. And then a whole month after the pioneer, the Xperia XA phablet will...

Marshmallow update starts hitting Verizon Galaxy S5

Verizon has started rolling out the Marshmallow update to Samsung Galaxy S5 units on its network. The update brings Android version 6.0 and bumps the software version to MMB29M.G900VVRU2DPD1. Aside from the usual Marshmallow goodies - including Doze, Google Now on Tap, and redesigned app permissions - the update also brings along Wi-Fi calling, update to app icons, Ultra High Quality Audio and Android for Work. The carrier has published a list of pre-loaded apps with their version numbers - head to the Source link below to take a look. Other major carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint...

Edge version of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 appears in import listing

The Galaxy Note6 (or perhaps Note7) is the next big thing we're expecting from Samsung, likely some time in August. A couple of versions are rumored to be in development and we now have some tangible (sort of) proof of the potential curved-screen version, courtesy of a customs import listing on the Zauba website. Mind you, it's not the actual phone that's entered India, but a metal mask for mobile phone production line, whatever that may be. It is the quoted model name that gives grounds for interpretation - SM-N935G. Samsung Galaxy Note5 The current Galaxy Note5 carries a model...

Intel announces the 10-core i7-6950X Extreme Edition CPU

Intel announced today at Computex its first 10-core CPU. The Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition runs at 3GHz, but can boost up to 3.5GHz and has 25MB of cache. The boost is controlled by the company's new Turbo Boost 3.0 technology. To put it in perspective, Intel says the new CPU is 35% faster than the last-gen Core i7-5960X and twice as fast in 3D rendering than the quad-core i7 6700K. Naturally all of this goodness will cost you an arm and a leg. The fastest CPU that Intel has ever made in the company's own words carries a price tag of $1,723. Source

ZUK Z2 brings great power and battery, ISOCELL camera too

The ZUK Z2 arrives tactfully late after the Z2 Pro. It has a metal frame and a honking big battery, Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a Snapdragon 820 chipset, all served up at CNY 1,800 ($275/€245). The ZUK Z2 has a slightly smaller screen than the Pro version - 5" 1080p - which is covered with 2.5D Curved glass. The phone is slightly thicker, 8.5mm vs. 7.5mm, but comes with a bigger battery, 3,500mAh vs. 3,100mAh. Quick Charge 3.0 is supported over the USB Type-C port (80% in 1 hour), but you can also grab a wireless charging pad for CNY 300. ZUK Z2 The Z2 is powered by a...

Xiaomi creates Warcraft theme for Mi phones right on time for the movie launch

Blizzard is stirring up nostalgia for Warcraft fans who finally got their wish - Blizz cinematics extended to a feature-length film. Xiaomi can help you get in the mood for the film with a theme for your Mi phone. The theme swaps app icons with items from the movie, a lockscreen with a greeting by Durotan and a "punch" unlock sound and many other details from Warcraft lore. via GIPHY You can download the Theme from Xiaomi's Mi Store. The Warcraft movie officially premiered last week but is still expanding globally. You can check IMDb for a premiere date in your country. Source

Sony Xperia E5 goes official with 5" 720p display

After undergoing the thorough leak treatment, the Sony Xperia E5 was just made official today, without too much fuss. The handset can now be found on the company's website, along with a confirmation of its previously rumored specs. Just as expected, the Sony Xperia E5 is equipped with a 5-inch 720p display and powered by Mediatek's MTK6735 with four 1.3GHz Cortex-A53 cores. There's 1.5GB of RAM, plus 16GB of expandable storage to finish the picture of an entry-level device. On the physical side of things, the Xperia E5 measures 144 x 69 x 8.2 mm and weighs in at 147g, which...

Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon Wear 1100 chipset with rich connectivity

Yesterday Qualcomm painted a picture of what chipsets mid-range phones will use in the future, now here's what smartwatches will use. The Snapdragon Wear 1100 will be used in smart wearables that don't need the full power of the Wear 2100 that was unveiled in February. The new chipset has every connectivity option a smart watch or band may possibly need. There's LTE and 3G with global band support (Cat. 1), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the iZat location engine for multi-system global positioning, cell-ID positioning with geo-fencing. The Snapdragon Wear 1100 chipset supports Power Save...

YU Yunicon launched in India, priced at $193

YU has launched its newest smartphone in India, the Yunicorn. The Yunicorn is a mid-range smartphone that will compete against the Redmi Note 3, and even manages to look a lot like it. The phone has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, MediaTek Helio P10 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB expandable storage, 13 megapixel rear camera with PDAF, 5 megapixel front camera, fingerprint sensor, and a 4000mAh battery. The phone also comes with a new software layer that YU calls Android On Steroids (AOS), that is more or less stock Android Lollipop but with a handful of features added on top. This...

W6.0 Pro 2 is a Windows 10-powered phone with SD617 SoC, 6-inch display, and Continuum support

Remember Funker? The Spanish company that launched Win10-powered W5.5 Pro back in February this year. Well, the firm is reportedly all set to launch another Windows 10 phone - dubbed W6.0 Pro 2. The W6.0 Pro 2 is powered by Snapdragon 617 chipset, and sports a 6-inch full HD display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory, and packs in a large 3,900mAh battery. The camera department offers a 13MP/5MP combo. Measuring 160 x 82.3 x 7.9mm and weighing in at 176g, the handset comes with Continuum as well as 4G LTE support. There's currently no...

BlackBerry Priv starts getting June security update

BlackBerry's debut Android smartphone Priv has started receiving the Android security update for the month of June. Carrying AAF153 build number, the update is currently rolling out to units purchased from ShopBlackBerry and Amazon. Aside from the latest security patches, the update - which weighs in at around 1805 MB - also includes fixes for various bugs, including those related to SIM, Bluetooth connection, and bug reporter. It also aims to solve overheating problems. A full public roll-out of the update is expected in the first week of June. Via

Pink Gold Galaxy S7 and S7 edge land in Finland as well

Shortly after it was revealed that the new Pink Gold color variant of Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones will be available in the Netherlands, the South Korean company has introduced the devices in Finland as well. Esittelemme uusimman lisäyksen #GalaxyS7-sarjaan - Pink Gold https://t.co/Ujc7phEtfE http://pic.twitter.com/L9zsMYJeyG— Samsung Suomi (@SamsungSuomi) May 30, 2016 Samsung Finland now has the new color listed on its official website, and it's available to order from third-party retailers such as Sonera, which is selling it for €849, the same price at which other color...

Officially arriving on June 8, LeEco Le 2 already up for grabs in India

As you might already know, the LeEco Le 2 and Le Max 2 are expected to launch in India next week (June 8 to be precise). However, turns out, the former is already available for purchase in the country - it's being sold on eBay India. The handset carries a price tag of INR 22,999, which translates into around $340 at current exchange rates. The official price of the device isn't currently known, and likely won't be revealed by the company before launch. While shipping is free, only one unit is left in the stock (a total of two were up for grabs anyway). So, if you want to make a...

Samsung quits Australian camera market

After Germany and the UK, Samsung has now pulled out of the camera market in Australia. "Due to changing market conditions, Samsung will reduce its focus on sales and marketing for its range of digital imaging products in this country," the tech giant said. Most Australian retailers have already stopped stocking Samsung cameras, and are - quite understandably - focusing on clearing the existing inventory. An important point worth mentioning here is that Samsung's exit from Australian smartphone market will not impact the launch of its Gear 360 camera there. This comes just a few weeks...

YU outs Yunicorn video teaser ahead of unveiling today

Micromax subsidiary YU Televentures has outed a video teaser of its upcoming Yunicorn flagship smartphone, giving us a glimpse of the device's design as well as revealing that it'll be a Flipkart exclusive at launch. The phone is set to be unveiled today (May 31). It was originally scheduled to be announced on May 19, but the announcement was deliberately delayed by the company after May 19 was declared as "vote counting day" by the Election Commission of India. As for specs, rumors say the device is powered by a MediaTek Helio X10 SoC and comes with 4GB of RAM. Thanks for the...

Marshmallow update starts hitting Rogers Galaxy Note 4

Inline with its updated schedule, Canadian carrier Rogers has finally started rolling out the Marshmallow update to Samsung Galaxy Note 4 units on its network. The update, which weighs in at around 1.5GB, brings along Android version 6.0.1. It's worth mentioning that other major carriers in Canada, including Bell, Telus, Wind, and SaskTel have already pushed out the update to Note 4 units on their networks. Given the fact that the update has just started rolling out, it may take some time before the update notification pops up on your device's screen. Meanwhile, if you feel...

YouTube app for Android will get more filter options in search results

Although you can't argue that YouTube's Android app is bad or lacking essential functionality, there oddly still are quite a few glaring omissions in it when compared to the service's website. Not huge things, mind you, rather small features here and there that have the potential of improving the experience for users. Thankfully it looks like at least one of these will be rectified in the near future, which is great considering that over half of all YouTube views now come from mobile devices. The enterprising folks over at XDA went digging through the APK for the latest version of the app...

Samsung will start showing ads on its smart TVs in Europe this year

According to a new report quoting "people familiar with the matter", Samsung is going to make a pretty unpopular move in Europe in the next few months. The Korean company will begin showing ads on its smart TVs in Europe, following a similar rollout that happened in the US in June of last year. The tile ads will just suddenly appear in the main menu bar of the company's newest smart TVs. Samsung will use software updates to activate the tile ads on older smart TVs. As for when this will happen, unfortunately there's no more precise timeline to speak of at the moment than "in the coming...

Asus Zenfone Max review: Tanking up

It may not be the fastest ride - and it sure ain't the hottest - but it comes with a full tank and mileage to spare. 5,000 milliamp-hours... That's more juice than many tablets get and enough to charge 3 iPhone 6's. The Asus Zenfone Max is no joke when it gets to battery backup. But it's a smartphone in its own right - an affordable midranger at that.

Google offers free Chromecast to some YouTube Red subscribers

Google is feeling very generous these days, it seems. As you may know, if you already have a Chromecast, you can get three months of YouTube Red for just $1. But what if you don't own the bestselling streaming dongle? Not to worry, for Google's apparently got you covered even then. If you subscribe to YouTube Red you might actually receive a Chromecast for free, courtesy of Google. The company has started sending out an email to some YouTube Red subscribers letting them know that they can claim a free Chromecast, by way of a special link to the Google store. This link is part of the email...

Xiaomi tops China market share chart in April, sells three times more phones than Apple

Xiaomi is once again the leader of the Chinese smartphone market, which incidentally is also the biggest in the world. Not only that, but Xiaomi has managed to achieve a record-breaking 26% market share in April, according to research conducted by a local firm. This result was proudly shared on Weibo by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. The second best selling brand in China is Honor with 15.7% of the market, though if we count it together with parent brand Huawei that jumps to 23.7%, so pretty close to the No.1. Coming in third is LeEco, which has climbed to 10.5% of the market in record time...

OnePlus wants 30 of you to review the OnePlus 3 before anyone else

The Lab is a new initiative by OnePlus through which it wants to receive feedback about its next smartphone from people interested in reviewing a OnePlus 3 before anyone else. Sound interesting to you? Well then, all you need to do is go to this page and register. Then keep your fingers crossed. OnePlus will select 30 people from those who sign up, and will send them a OnePlus 3 each. This isn't going to be a random draw however, those 30 people will be carefully selected by the OnePlus team. In the application form, there's a 500 word field that you can use to explain why you should be...

Honor 8 reportedly coming soon as the most beautiful smartphone from Huawei's sub-brand

The latest rumor from China states that a new Honor-branded device is coming soon. This will apparently complement the recently unveiled Honor V8 in Huawei's portfolio, sporting a smaller screen. The Honor 8 could thus be the successor to the Honor 7 from last year. It will reportedly come with a 5.2-inch display, Huawei's Kirin 950 or Kirin 955 chipset, 4GB of RAM, a 12 MP dual camera setup on the rear, and a USB Type-C port. Wireless charging will be supported, and the phone will have an IR blaster and a battery capacity north of 3,000 mAh. Its back will be covered by 2.5D curved...

Galaxy S7 gets the Putinphone do-over, costs up to $27,000

The Russian phone customization experts at Caviar are at it again, revealing the newest Putinphone. This one's based on Samsung's Galaxy S7, and like all other Putinphones before it comes with President Putin's face engraved on the back. And, to give your handset that extra shot of bling it so desperately needed, one version of the S7-based Putinphone features 190 actual rubies around Putin's face (as seen in the image below). Everything else on the back is gold, and only three of these "Caviar Samsung Supremo Putin Rubino" models will be made. You can be the lucky owner of one for the...

Asus has a VR headset of its own, with leather straps no less

Today is a big day for Asus, as the Taiwanese company has unveiled three new smartphones, a MacBook killer, and a few Surface Pro competitors. There is however another product that it's working on, but which hasn't been officially announced for whatever reason. And yes, it's a VR headset. Recently we've seen a lot of smartphone makers also showing VR headsets - ZTE did so just last week, for example. So it looks like Asus simply couldn't miss bringing its own take to this nascent market. Unfortunately no official details about the headset are known at this point, even if it was...

The Netherlands will get Pink Gold Galaxy S7 and S7 edge via T-Mobile

Samsung unveiled new Pink Gold options for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge a few days ago. The two new flavors are available for purchase in South Korea, but Samsung promised other "select" markets to get them soon. The first of those markets will be the Netherlands. T-Mobile will be offering both Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in Pink Gold on June 23. You can pre-order them now, and you will receive a free 64GB microSD card. There is no info if this color will be a T-Mobile exclusive for the Netherlands but it's highly unlikely. The other carriers should be offering the Pink...

Samsung releases updates for Game Tools and Game Launcher

The Game Tools and Game Launcher apps was introduced with the TouchWiz version inside the Galaxy S7 series. Samsung Game Launcher is a new app/service, which groups all of your games at one place. It has a few powerful tricks, some of them a must have for avid games. It offers power-saving modes, DND mode, and option to turn on/off the Game Tools transparent key. The Game Tools can lock your capacitive keys, capture videos with in-game audio or external sound, among others. Today Samsung released updates for both apps and we bet all of their fans will find the updates very...

MediaTek Pump Express 3.0 battery charging tech goes 0 to 70% in 20 minutes

MediaTek showcased its latest battery charging tech dubbed Pump Express 3.0 at Computex 2016. The new fast charging method promises to juice up your phone's battery from 0 to 70% in just 20 minutes. Mere 5 minutes of charging will give you an hour of talk time, too. The company says its latest charging tech has higher charging speeds as well as efficiency resulting in lower phone temperatures during charging. The way it manages this is through bypassing the charging circuit inside the phone and routes the electrical current from the adapter directly to the battery. While this does...