Here's why you should be excited about Apple's push towards AR

With a sixth developer beta already out and an expected release in September this year, iOS 11 is practically here already. Besides the new UI, smarter Siri assistant and the myriad of other end-user improvements this major update to Apple's mobile OS marks a clear push towards more open and convenient developer APIs. One new "Kit" in particular might have gone by mostly unnoticed by the general public, but we think it could hold a lot of promise for the future. The augmented reality future all us geeks have dream for ages might just be around the corner. Without giving anything else...

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Google Home can now stream to Bluetooth devices and connect to free Spotify accounts

If you thought Google would sit around and wait for competitors like Spotify, Apple and Amazon to carve up the multimedia market one way or the other, think again. The web giant is constantly improving and restructuring its offers, services and platforms and the intentions and plans are finally starting to shine through big time. Google Home might have been a bit tardy to the new home automation/multimedia hub party kicked off (in a way) by the Amazon Echo, but it is quickly catching up. Besides the company's own Play Music service and Spotify Premium, to name a few, Google Home now...

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Newly-announced Asus ZenFone 4 and ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro getting updates

Asus has started pushing out updates to the newly-unveiled ZenFone 4 and ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro smartphones. For the former, the update improves WiFi connectivity as well as brings along a couple of fixes. On the other hand, the Selfie Pro update includes changes like image quality improvement and overall camera quality enhancement. Both these devices haven't launched yet, so those purchasing should see notification for these updates out of the box. Source 1 2 | Via

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T-Mobile launches buy one, get one "free-ish" deal for LG flagships

You can potentially save up to $500 with T-Mobile's new summer promotion and end up with a pair of LG flagships. Unfortunately, it's a little bit more complicated that just paying for one and getting another free unit to gracefully share with a significant other. To get the deal, you need to sign up for an Equipment Installment Plan, which is basically a 24 month commitment, that guarantees T-Mobile you won't just grab a pair of LG's and then run off to another carrier (Not without salty penalties, that is). After you get the contrast, you can opt for an LG G6 ($20 down and...

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Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) gets TENAA certified

After appearing in benchmark listings and getting WiFi certification from the WiFi Alliance (WFA), the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) has been spotted on the website of China's TENAA. The listed unit carries a model number of SM-T385C. Sadly, the TENAA listing for the tablet doesn't reveal any specifications. From what we've collected so far, the device is powered by an SoC with quad-core, 1.4GHz processor, and sports an 8-inch screen with 1200x800 display resolution. Memory configuration is 2GB/16GB, while camera combo is 8MP/5MP. The tablet runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box....

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Deal: Best Buy 50-hour sales event

Best Buy is no stranger to price-slashing events. It is currently hosting a 50-hour long one, which is apparently inspired by the similarly titled shopping spree, the company had last year to celebrate its 50th anniversary. This time, there is no apparent reason for the promotion, other than the reported success of the first installment, but you won't hear us complaining any time soon. The sale kicked off at 8pm PT on Friday, August 18th and will last until until 9:59pm PT on Sunday, August 20. Most deals are available both online and offline as well, until supplies last, that is....

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Dedicated Micro-SD slot and front camera flash confirmed for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A

Xiaomi made quite a splash in the smartphone realm with its Redmi Note 4 value offer. Naturally, the upcoming generation of Redmi Note devices has been basking is a surplus of fan attention, especially the cheaper Redmi Note 5A model. The unveiling event is already scheduled and only a few days away - August 21. There are still some questions to answer regarding specs and variants, but thankfully Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun hit up Weibo today to clear up a couple of things. For one, the Redmi Note 5A will be the first Redmi device with two dedicated SIM slots and a separate microSD one, for...

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Samsung Galaxy Note8 US pre-orders to start on August 24. Sales on September 15

Following rumors that the Samsung Galaxy Note8 will be available in the US a day after its unveiling, the usually reliable tipster @evleaks has confirmed August 24 as the date when pre-orders for the device will go live. Sales, on the other hand, he says will kick off as early as September 15. Note8 pre-orders from Samsung (starting 8/24) come with a 256GB microSD card plus choice of convertible wireless charger or 360 cam.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 18, 2017 Moving on, the tweet also confirmed that the South Korean tech giant is including a couple of freebies with the phone: a...

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Samsung Bixby's global launch process begins

Samsung has started rolling out updates to Bixby apps - including Bixby, Bixby PLM, Bixby Wakeup, Bixby Dictation and Bixby Global Action - in several markets around the world. Users from regions like the UK, South Africa, India, the Netherlands, and Germany are reporting about the updates. So it's fair to assume that Bixby's global launch process has begun. However, it's worth mentioning that the company is yet to enable Bixby for most of these regions (a server-side change is pending, perhaps). Fresh reports from Germany are suggesting that the dictation feature is working...

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