Amazon acquires Ring - the company behind the video doorbell

Today, Amazon has agreed to acquire Ring - the company behind the Ring Doorbell, an internet-connected doorbell that offers a live visual and audible feeds at your home's front door. Likewise, you can intercom with guests who arrive at your home via the Ring app. An agreement was made to the tune of over $1 billion, though this is an estimated number based on reports. Specific terms of the deal haven't been made known just yet, but we don't expect the Ring brand to go anywhere. Amazon will keep Ring's core business intact as a daughter company while Amazon sprinkles its name and Prime...

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Our Nokia 7 plus video hands-on is up

Nokia is having a blast at MWC this year, having announced both a new flagship (the Nokia 8 Sirocco) as well as the Nokia 7 plus, perhaps the most intriguing device in its current roster. It's a premium midranger powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 660, in theory promising to give you most of the performance of a phone powered by an 8-series chip, but for a fraction of the price. The Nokia 7 plus will cost €399 when it hits the streets, and you get plenty of hardware for that amount. An 18:9 screen, Nokia's first? Check. A dual rear camera setup with 2x optical zoom? Check. An interesting...

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Asus Zenfone Max (M1) has a 4,000 mAh battery, 18:9 slim-bezel display

Late last year Asus unveiled the Zenfone Max Plus (M1), and today at MWC the company took the wraps off its slightly smaller sibling, the Zenfone Max (M1). This model comes with a 5.5-inch 1,440x720 18:9 IPS display capable of up to 400 nits of brightness. The phone has an 83% screen-to-body ratio thanks to its slim bezels. It's powered by either the Snapdragon 425 or the Snapdragon 430, depending on which variation you happen to buy. Similarly, you can get it with up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, but there may be some lower-end options in some markets. The Zenfone Max (M1)...

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Asus Zenfone 5 is full of AI, has a smaller notch than the "Fruit Phone X"

After introducing the entry-level Zenfone 5 Lite, Asus got to the main event of its MWC press conference. That is, of course, the Zenfone 5. And the higher-end Zenfone 5z. These models are almost identical, save for the chipset used, and the amount of RAM and storage you can get them with. They are both filled to the brims with AI: AI Boost (for more power when gaming), AI Photography (with scene detection, photo learning, portrait mode and beautification), AI Display (stays on while you're looking at it and has automatic color temperature adjustment), and even AI Ringtone (which...

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Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ to launch in India on March 6

Samsung will be launching the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones in India on March 6 at an event in New Delhi. The company has started sending out invitations to the media for the same. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are already up for pre-ordering on Samsung's website. Both devices are available in a choice of 64GB or 256GB in either Lilac Purple, Midnight Black or Coral Blue. Samsung is currently accepting INR 2000 as booking amount and the rest will have to be paid when the devices launch next week. Earlier today, we saw the Indian prices of both the models and its variants leak. If...

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Asus Zenfone 5 Lite packs four cameras, two of them wide-angle

At its press conference at MWC today, Asus unveiled three new smartphones, the first being the Zenfone 5 Lite. This is going to be the entry-level model in the Zenfone 5 family. It packs four cameras, two of them with a 120-degree wide-angle field-of-view, one on each side. The main rear camera is a 16 MP unit, while the main selfie snapper is a 20 MP part using the Sony IMX376 sensor. The phone has a 6-inch 2,160x1,080 display, and an 80.3% screen-to-body ratio, which is commendable for a "lite" version. At least two variants will be made available, one powered by the Qualcomm...

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It's Pokemon Day - Go celebrates, Alexa and Google Home talk Pikachu

Today is the Pokemon Day - it's the date the original Pokemon game was released back in 1996. And there are different happenings right now to celebrate the birth of the worldwide phenomenon. Niantic is celebrating the day by adding a Pikachu with a party hat just for today. This is not the first occurrence of the party creature, but the ones caught today will come with a special new Present move. Triple stardust will come with each Pikachu you capture on this day, too. Niantic has also partnered with Snapchat for special Pokemon lenses made of the starter creatures, and Bulbasaur...

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The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ can measure your blood pressure

When we read Samsung's patent about measuring blood pressure with an optical sensor, we imagined it will be used on smartwatches in the future. So imagine our surprise to find out that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ have just such a sensor. Besides blood pressure, the phone can measure your stress levels as well. Samsung also plans to expand Bixbi's skills to allow it to judge the calories of a meal just by looking at it through the camera. This tech was co-developed with the University of California San Francisco in a collaboration dubbed My BP Lab. Users can opt into a three-week UCFS...

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Recently announced Nokia 1, Nokia 6 and Nokia 7 may come to the US in Q2

HMD Global's CEO, Florian Seiche, may have confirmed that the new batch of products isn't headed stateside. "It's not a core focus for this year, but certainly it is on our roadmap", but a new report suggests that the Nokia 1, Nokia 6(2018) and Nokia 7 Plus may be heading to the US in Q2 after all - unlocked. While not available through any US carriers, it's possible to buy selected Nokia phones through retailers. Amazon, for example, currently list the Nokia 2, Nokia 6 (old model) and the 3310 3G among others. This is likely to continue with sources suggesting that the Nokia 1 and the...

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Sony details how the Xperia XZ2's Dynamic Vibration System works

The new Sony Xperia XZ2 features a Dynamic Vibration System - a more powerful, more advanced haptic feedback system that enhances music, movies and games. The first step, is a much larger vibration motor - check out the size difference, this is the reason the smaller XZ2 Compact lacks this feature. Next up is software magic - it analyzes sound and activates the vibration in sync. It doesn't just track the base, it also listens to the higher frequencies to determine when vibration will enhance the experience. Sony's new Dynamic Vibration System is larger and more capable than a...

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Check out our Nokia 8 Sirocco video hands-on from MWC 2018

Nokia gave new life to the Sirocco brand with the latest version of the Nokia 8, announced at MWC 2018. It comes with P-OLED screen and 6 GB RAM while keeping the mighty power-efficient Snapdragon 835 chipset. The Nokia 8 Sirocco also looks amazing with a new glossy back and a fingerprint scanner on the back, right below the dual cam setup that is now a wide-angle + telephoto lens combo. So what are our first impressions of the phone and how is it more special than the regular Nokia 8? Check out in our video below. We already posted camera samples from Barcelona along with initial...

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Samsung Galaxy S9+ vs. Apple iPhone X camera comparison

Samsung announced the highly anticipated Galaxy S9+ on Sunday with dual cameras - the first having a variable aperture for different scenes, the other being the well-known telephoto shooter from the Galaxy Note8. While in Barcelona, we decided to put the Samsung flagship against the most powerful Apple phone - the iPhone X. From a technical standpoint, the primary cam can go either f/1.5 or f/2.4 and nowhere in between. It is 12 MP with a 1/2.55" sensor size and with the already familiar DualPixel technology for bright and vivid images. The second one has the same amount of megapixels but...

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Cat S61 hands-on: the multitool smartphone

Smartphones have revolutionized software, but when they need to interact with the real world, they usually rely on external accessories. The Cat S61 is unique in that it's a venerable toolbox that can be used in a variety of professions. Going in, we had no idea just how many uses this phone has. The Cat S61 is the toughest, most-capable phone The thermal camera is the key draw. It can be used by handymen working on the insulation on your house or for checking for hidden leaks. Or it could be used by vets, e.g. it can be used to spot the extra heat of an infected area or the lack of...

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Watch the Asus MWC unveiling event live here at 19:30 CET

The MWC 2018 official proceeding are not over quite yet! Asus has its even scheduled for 7:30PM CET today and, naturally, we'll be on location, to keep you up to date with all the announcements. If you want to tune in and watch, the below embed should have you covered, or just hit up the source link. As a quick refresh, Asus is expected to unveil the Zenfone 5 - maybe even three of them, Zenfone 5, Zenfone 5 Lite and 5 Max. Hence, the "#BACKTO05" slogan. Going through various leaks and the press materials for the event, we also found Qualcomm's logo, as well as quite a few references...

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This might the OnePlus 6 and it has a notch in the screen

The OnePlus 5 (unveiled June last year) brought a dual camera, the OnePlus 5T (November) moved to an 18:9 screen. So, what will the OnePlus 6 be like? If these photos are to be believed, it will be part iPhone X, part Galaxy S9+. The front shows a notch in the screen, big enough to hold the earpiece and selfie camera. Note the Android version (8.1) and OxygenOS version (5.1), they are ahead of what's currently available for the 5T. The back is a different story - a vertically-oriented dual camera with rectangular fingerprint reader below it. When OnePlus moved the fingerprint reader to...

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Land Rover Explore hands-on: Modular rugged phone with extra battery

Land Rover is a brand mostly popular with its 4WD vehicles that tend to go places unreachable by ordinary cars. Inspired by this idea, Bullitt Group, more famous with the CAT phones, bought the name rights from Jaguar for the latest phone, called Land Rover Explore. Already introduced at ISPO - an outdoor and sports trade show in Munich, we got our hands on the phone at the company's booth in Barcelona, part of MWC 2018. Official press images of Land Rover Explore The Land Rover Explore sounds premium and even might fool some people that it is indeed a premium device by...

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Sony announces A7 III full-frame mirrorless camera

Sony has announced the new A7 III, which includes a whole host of new features and improvements that brings it in line with the more prolific members of the A7 series, such as the A7R III and the A9. The A7 III features a brand new full-frame 24.2MP backside illuminated EXMOR R CMOS sensor and an updated BIONZ X image processor. The ISO range has been expanded to ISO 100 - 51200. The dynamic range has been expanded to 15-stop but no one really knows what that means. The camera can shoot full resolution images at 10fps with continuous AF/AE for up to 177 JPEGs, 80 compressed RAWs and 40...

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LG just patented a full screen display module of its own

It's pretty clear the full screen display trend isn't going away any time soon. And since staying relevant is essential in the mobile realm, it should come as no surprise that LG Display is working on some designs of its own. A recently published patent filing shows an entire display module, in a distinctive rounded-off shape - more than likely a take on the full screen display concept. LG Display full screen module LG's particular approach seems to involve a hole near the top of the panel, which will probably house the earpiece and, as some have speculated, might have room...

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The Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact have 6GB of RAM in Hong Kong and Taiwan

Only a few short hours have passed since Sony's official unveiling for the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact flagship, yet the pair has already stirred up an relentless avalanche of mixed responses and media and fan attention alike. The "there's no such thing as bad press" logic seems to apply here. But regardless which side of the barricade you find yourself on, Sony might have just sprinkled another interesting development in the mix. As per a pair of specs listings for the Xperia XZ2, its H8296 variant, intended for Hong Kong and Taiwan will be equipped with 6GB of RAM, instead of the...

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Xiaomi Mi 7 may support wireless charging

Xiaomi's upcoming Mi 7 flagship may support wireless charging. Speculation was high following Xiaomi's enrollment in the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) in Sept '17 that it's Mi 7 flagship would support wireless charging utilizing the Qi standard. Its expected to feature a glass back which allows wireless charging. Sources further claim that the Mi 7 will support charging up to 7.5W, identical to Apple's latest iPhones following a firmware update post-launch. Reports suggest that Xiaomi may feature the same Broadcom chip and NXP transmitter as Apple to ensure quality and supply. If...

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Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 700 series chipsets with a focus on AI

In the electronics world, artificial intelligence has become a "do or die" proposition. All chipset makers have their own solutions and Qualcomm just kicked off the price race - AI isn't just for flagships anymore. The company announced a new Snapdragon 700 line of chipsets that will bring the advanced AI capabilities of the 800 series into a more affordable package. We don't know the exact specs yet, but the new chip will use Kryo CPU cores and an Adreno GPU (plus Spectra ISP and the Hexagon vector processor). The 700 chips will be twice as fast in AI tasks compared to a Snapdragon...

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Leagoo S9 with Notch Display priced at $150

If you're hankering after a smartphone with a 'notch' and for it to have S9 in its name then Leagoo has you covered. And all for $150. At the Mobile World Conference this week Leagoo released more details about its upcoming Leagoo S9 smartphone, proudly carrying the slogan 'World's First Android Notch Display Smartphone'. Image courtesy of Leagoo In addition to a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor the 'notch' houses the technology to enable a "Face Access" feature unlocking the phone in under 0.1 seconds. In further homage to the iPhone X, the S9's user interface also features...

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Vivo's APEX concept phone said to get official announcement event on March 5

The vivo APEX is definitely one of the highlights of MWC 2018. A large, 5.99-inch, nearly bezel-free OLED panel, complete with a world-first, half-screen fingerprint scanner, a vibrating display speaker and a periscope style, pop-up selfie camera, all make for an impressively futuristic and exciting package. If you haven't done so already, we urge you to check out our hands-on impressions for a closer look. The only real downside to all this was the entirely concept state of the demo unit, gathering gazes at the Barcelona venue. A new leak, however, sounds quite promising for all...

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Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ pricing for India leaks out

You can already pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in India but until now, we didn't know the official prices. An alleged official listing clears things up, and details just how pricey Samsung's new flagship duo will be. According to the list prices the Galaxy S9 starts at around €780 for the 64GB and tops out at nearly €900. The Galaxy S9+ is almost €900 for the base 64GB model and stops just shy of €1000 for the 256 gig one. Samsung Galaxy S9 64GB INR 62,500 €780 Samsung Galaxy S9 256GB INR 71,000 €887 Samsung Galaxy...

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Actions on Google Assistant now understand 7 new languages

Google is also present at MWC 2018 to unveil new technology. The company just announced major improvements in the Actions department, responsible for booking tickets and adding reminders on Google Assistant. Starting this week, Actions can be built in seven new languages, bringing the total to 16 - Hindi, Thai, Indonesian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Dutch. They join English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian and Russian. The 16 supported languages can be used for developing localized apps for the regions where the languages are spoken. From...

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February update for Samsung Galaxy Note8 starts rolling out in US, Galaxy S7 gets it as well

After Italy, the United States has become the latest market where the February update has started rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy Note8. Arriving as build number N950USQS3BRB1, the update is currently hitting Verizon units in the region. Moving on, the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge smartphones have also started getting the latest security patch. The update - arriving as G930FXXU2DRB7 and G930FXXU2DRB7 - is currently rolling out in multiple markets, including Panama, Bolivia, Colombia, and Trinidad and Tobago. And finally, the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) duo has also started receiving the...

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