Nest releases Hello Doorbell and x Yale Lock

Nest is a hardware company that markets and sells home security cameras. The company was acquired back in 2014 in a $2.3 billion dollar acquisition. The company's newest products are the Hello and x Yale Lock. Nest Hello is a doorbell which can accurately be described as "Nest's version of the Ring Doorbell". The design is certainly less blocky and with more curves. The button's LED lights up as a guest approaches so it's easy to spot. The general concept is otherwise the same. Get an alert when someone is at the door and you can see who it is with an app on your smartphone. "It's...

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Samsung Pay isn't working on some Galaxy S9 and S9+ units in the US

While the official release date for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ is tomorrow, pre-orders have already shipped, so there are quite a few people with the devices in hand. If you're one of them, here's some bad news, provided you bought your phone from the US. Samsung Pay doesn't seem to be working on units purchased unlocked. The Play Store listing for the Samsung Pay app says it's not compatible with your S9 or S9+, and the preloaded version says there's an update but doesn't actually install it no matter how many times you try. A Samsung customer rep has apparently confirmed that some...

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Facebook Lite reaches the US, UK, and other developed countries

The Facebook Lite app for Android has amassed more than 200 million users since its launch in 2015. It was created to provide a better experience on lower-end devices with slow data connections in developing markets, just like Messenger Lite. And also like the company's chat app, Facebook Lite is now headed to some developed markets as well. Expect to see it become available to download in the Play Store today. That is, if you are in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, or New Zealand. "We've seen that even in some developed markets people can have lower...

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Android Wear rebranded to Wear OS by Google

Google has announced that Android Wear will henceforth be called Wear OS by Google. The new branding will show up on some of the watches and the mobile app over the coming weeks. If you were looking for something more meaningful, you won't find it here. Android Wear was a dying platform and a change in branding is not going to save it; it's like renaming the Titanic and hoping it wouldn't sink. Smartwatch sales are dying and the only one anyone interested in buying anymore is the Apple Watch. Even before that Android Wear, née Wear OS by Google devices were plagued with high...

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Apple supplier Wistron accused of using unauthorized components

A report from Taiwan website Commercial Times earlier today claimed Apple had suspended iPhone 8 Plus production at Wistron's plant in Kunshan, China. The reason is using waterproof components from a non-certified supplier. The manufacturer managed to reply by Taiwan Stock Exchange's closing time, dismissing the report and declining to comment. Wistron's shares dropped 5% at the beginning of the day but managed to regain track and close at NT$26.50, just NT$0.45 shy of the opening price. To restore Apple's trust, sources say that Wistron penalized mid- and high-level executives. The...

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Google Assistant now supports Hindi

Google has announced that Google Assistant will now be available in Hindi, the official language of India and the third most spoken language in the world behind Mandarin and English. Google Assistant in Hindi works the same way that it does in other languages. Users can talk to it in Hindi but it is smart enough to parse the occasional English word in the query that is common in most spoken Hindi today. As is usual, the Assistant will get better the more you use it. As of now, the feature is available on Android devices running Android 6.0 and above but will be coming soon to...

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Samsung Galaxy S9+ review

Generation 9 in plus size - this is the Samsung Galaxy S9+. Unlike last year when the S8 and the S8+ had just size setting them apart, in 2018 Samsung's Plus means more than higher battery capacity and larger display diagonal.

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Deal: Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL get deep discounts in the UK

Carphone Warehouse is running a nice promotion on the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. You can get the SIM-free 128GB Pixel 2 for £559. The Kinda Blue model is only 64GB, though, so you'll have to choose between the Just Black or Clearly White. For reference the Google Store lists the 64GB model at £629 for and £729 for the 128GB one. The SIM free Pixel 2 XL is down by £170 as well - £629 for the 64GB model and £729 for the 128GB model. The Google Store in the UK is running its own promotions for that one - the 64GB Pixel 2 XL for £699 (discounted from £799) and the 128GB 2 XL for...

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HTC's upcoming flagship U12+ leaks

HTC may not announce the U12 but rather go straight to the U12+. Earlier it was rumored that HTC will be ready to announce the phone in April, but sources close to the phone's production claim it's going to arrive in May. The specs that go along with the U12+ image are incline with previous leaks - 5.99-inch QHD+ screen, Snapdragon 845 with up to 6GB of RAM, a dual camera on the back (12MP+16MP) and a dual 8MP camera on the front. HTC is expected to premiere Edge Sense 2.0 with the U12+ - the second generation of the tech that makes things happen when you squeeze your...

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Xiaomi launches Mi Body Composition Scale

Xiaomi has launched the Mi Body Composition Scale in India. The device is designed to track various body stats when paired with the Mi Fit app. The Mi Body Composition Scale looks like a standard weighing scale at first glance. The surface is made out of tempered glass with anti-slip finish for use with wet feet. It has a large LED display that lights up when you step on the scale and auto adjusts brightness to ambient light. When paired with the Mi Fit app over Bluetooth (available for Android and iOS), the scale can show you your weight, body mass index, body fat, muscle mass,...

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Authorities to decide on Apple's Shazam acquisition on April 23

Back in December Apple struck a deal to acquire music recognizing service Shazam for $400m but the deal was put on hold by the European Commission, pending an investigation. The concern is that Apple will acquire a lot of user data with Shazam, much of it outside of its ecosystem - UK-based Shazam is a global service. Apple has filled a formal request with the EU Commission on Wednesday for the approval of the deal and a deadline of April 23 has been set. The Commission will either approve the deal or commence an additional investigation that could be up to 4 months...

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Deals: Samsung Galaxy S8 for £475 new, £360 for a refurbished unit

The Galaxy S9 is a fine phone, but it just launched and its price hasn't had time to cool off. The Galaxy S8 is a different story. It's price in the UK is under £500, compared to £740 for the S9. You can find a new unit from Amazon for £475 or from Alternate for £490. It's the G950F model with Exynos 8895 (single SIM). Samsung Galaxy S8 G950F You can go lower than that by getting a seller-refurbished unit from eBay. A Vodafone unit in Pristine condition is £430, the unlocked one is £470, so not really worth it. Note that this is for the Black model, other colors cost more....

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Beta testing ends: Huawei P10 now receiving Oreo

Huawei has some good news for the Philippines - the Oreo update for the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus is ready for download. Chances are that it's a staged rollout and other regions are getting it now or will get it soon. Leave a comment with your region if you got the notification. And if you haven't, head over to Settings, System update to check manually. Facebook comments show that even some people in the Philippines haven't received it yet, so remember that patience is a virtue. Since Huawei didn't provide a new changelog, here's the one from the Beta version released in...

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Samsung Galaxy A6 and A6+ potentially spotted at Geekbench

Samsung's A-series spans the range of smartphone sizes from big to small, but it has gaps - there's an A5 and an A7, but no A6. Or is there? A Samsung SM-A600FN and an SM-A605G showed up on Geekbench. If they follow Samsung's typical naming convention, they will be the Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6+ (hopefully with a year attached, to keep things consistent). It's not a given, though, the Galaxy A8 (2018) is A530. Geekbench scores: Samsung SM-A600FN (Galaxy A6?) • Samsung SM-A605G (A6+?) Anyway, the Galaxy A6 is powered by a Exynos 7870 chipset previously seen in the A3 (2017) and...

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TP-Link launches Neffos N1 with dual cameras

TP-Link is famous for its network solutions, but the Chinese company also has a portfolio of Neffos smartphones and it just added a new device to it. The company announced the Neffos N1 in Malaysia - its first dual-camera smartphone that packs a MediaTek chipset and costs just around €230/$280. Neffos N1 official images The Neffos N1 comes with a 5.5" IPS LCD of Full HD resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top. The camera setup on the back looks similar to Huawei P10, but here we have two 12 MP sensors, coupled with dual-LED flash and a fingerprint scanner. Internally,...

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Android One Moto X4 gets updated to Oreo 8.1

The Android One edition of the Motorola Moto X4 is getting updated to Android 8.1 Oreo as we speak. The firmware is labeled OPW28.46-3 and brings along the March 1 security patch. The standard version of the phone will likely get the 8.1 update soon. The Android One Moto X4 got the 8.0 Oreo update just a week earlier. Oreo 8.1 brings the Pixel 2 launcher look as well as dark and light themes (automatically assigned depending on your wallpaper) and a few minor performance tweaks. Source | Via

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Meizu patents under-display fingerprint scanner technology

Samsung said a fingerprint scanner could not be incorporated in its Galaxy S8 and Apple had no better luck so it had to ditch the authentication option completely with the iPhone X. All we have left is the Chinese giants to propel this trend forward, just like vivo did with the X20 Plus UD, announced in the beginning of 2018. Meizu is the next big company that joins the hype train of the in-screen fingerprint phones, filing a patent to SIPO, the State Intellectual Property Office of China. The scanner will be used both for unlocking the phone and cashless payments, as images from the...

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Xiaomi brings a new Redmi 5A color to India to mark 5 million units sold

Xiaomi has announced a new color variant of its Redmi 5A will go on sale in India this month - Lake Blue. The color joins the Rose Gold which was announced in February and the Grey in which the Redmi 5A was originally announced back in November. Indian buyers can order a Lake Blue (or any other color) Xiaomi Redmi 5A at the phone's next sale, which is set for March 22 at Noon. The prices are INR 5,999 (€75) for the 2GB+16GB model or INR 6,999 (€86) for the 3GB+32GB model. Xiaomi boasted that it has sold more than 5 million Redmi 5A's since the phone launched in November,...

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro arriving in Europe for €230

Last month Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 5 Pro, also known as Redmi Note 5 in China. After its debut in India, the phone is set to arrive in Europe, according to popular Twitter tipster Roland Quand. He revealed the dual-cam midranger is being prepared with all the appropriate LTE bands and should be launched "soon". According to @rquandt, the new phone will cost €230, but there is a catch - this will be a variant with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage that was not announced by Xiaomi India. The 4/64 GB optiomn will go for €270 - notably up from the Indian price of INR13,999...

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