Google Assistant gets a new look on mobile, adds touch to the reply cards

Google Assistant is getting a new interface on Android devices that will make it easier to get things done and cut the number of steps as well. Google has announced that it will add touch-interactive elements to replies within Google Assistant for better and quicker interactions with your phone. New Overview look For example, when you ask Google Assistant to dim your lights, it will now show you the relevant slider and will let you adjust the dimmer right from the Google Assistant screen. Ask it to show you photos of something, and you'll get more than just a link with previews -...

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Our iPhone XS video review is now up

The iPhone XS. iPhone X successor, proud notch bearer, today's iOS flagship for people who don't enjoy very big phones. Like every year, Apple promised huge improvements in this model compared to its predecessor, especially when it comes to the rear camera system and overall performance. So do those promises hold up? What's the iPhone XS really like? And is it worth the still very high asking price? Join us as we explore everything you need to know about Apple's newest device in the video embedded below. In under ten minutes you'll learn about its top features, build and screen quality,...

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Wi-Fi is finally getting easy to understand version numbers

The Wi-Fi Alliance has finally figured out that the versioning system it's been using to describe the different generations of the technology is simply not intuitive, or easy to understand by the average consumer. It's amazing that this realization took decades to materialize, but hey, let's focus on the good news. And that's the fact that Wi-Fi generations now have version numbers. So, what was previously known as 802.11n is now Wi-Fi 4. The standard formerly known as 802.11ac will go by Wi-Fi 5, while the upcoming 802.11ax is going to be called Wi-Fi 6. If you're wondering what...

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Sharp Aquos Zero uses an in-house developed curved OLED with a huge notch

Sharp's latest smartphone was unveiled in Japan today. It's the Aquos Zero, which features the company's first OLED panel designed and manufactured in-house. It's a curved 6.2-inch 1440x2992 screen with support for the DCI-P3 color space and Dolby Vision, and as you can see it comes with a huge notch. Not just that, but the parts of the top bezel that are to the left and right of it are pretty substantial too, at least by the usual notched smartphone standards. Oh, and there's also a chin. Anyway, enough about that. Thanks to its magnesium frame and aramid fiber back it weighs...

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iPhone XS Max can't beat the Huawei P20 Pro in DxOMark camera ranking

The iPhone XS Max has a great camera system, but it doesn't best the one featured by the Huawei P20 Pro. At least that's the case in DxOMark's testing. The firm put Apple's latest and greatest smartphone through its usual process, and its overall score is 105. That's a very good result, but still falls short of the P20 Pro's 109. So what makes the iPhone XS Max the second best smartphone for snapping pictures and shooting videos in DxOMark's ranking? Well, for starters the overall score is calculated from the photo and video sub-scores, which are 100 and 96, respectively. In the photo...

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Here's the LG V40 ThinQ price, there are pre-order deals too

The LG V40 ThinQ will be available in the US from October 18 (Thursday two weeks from now). Check out the US prices below (AT&T price is still TBD). Do keep reading after that, there are some pre-order goodies. Carrier Price US Cellular $900 T-Mobile $920 Sprint $960 Verizon $980 If you pre-order a V40, you'll get a DJI Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal along with a 256GB microSD card. That package has a retail value of $258, $139 + $119, respectively. If you miss the pre-order window, you'll only get the...

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The LG Watch W7 marries Wear OS features to a classic analog watch movement

Progress and tradition rarely go hand in hand - you can have either a feature-packed digital smartwatch or the classic beauty of an analog watch. The LG Watch W7 aims to offer the best of both worlds. LG Watch W7 It's a fully fledged Wear OS watch with a 1.2" LCD touchscreen (360 x 360px). But poking through that screen are the hands of a watch mechanism that was developed in collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Soprod SA. The smart side of things is handled by the fairly old Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip. It's paired with 768MB of RAM and 4GB of built-in storage. But if you...

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LG V40 ThinQ hands-on review

Someone was inevitably going to do it, and it makes all the sense in the world for it to be LG - the V40 ThinQ is the first phone with both an ultra wide-angle and a telephoto cam on its back. Of course, there's a 'regular' one in between them, for a total of three actual distinct self-sufficient modules unlike. previous triple-cam setups.

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LG V40 ThinQ goes official with regular, ultra wide and telephoto cameras

The LG V40 ThinQ is the first phone in the world that lets you take an ultra wide-angle shot or zoom in, thanks to the three cameras on its back. From the 107° ultra wide lens, through the 78° main lens to the 45° telephoto lens, the new flagship covers 3x worth of optical zoom (the lenses are 16-25-50mm in 35mm equivalent). The main camera features a 12MP sensor with 1.4µm pixels, significantly larger than the 1.0µm pixels of the LG G7 and V35. It comes paired with a brighter f/1.5 lens and Optical Image Stabilization, so low-light performance should be much improved. This is the first LG...

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Sony Xperia XA3 Ultra renders and video show small bezels for its 6.5-inch display

Yesterday two unannounced Sony devices got leaked CAD-based renders and videos, namely the Xperia XA3 and L3. Now the exact same thing has happened for the Xperia XA3 Ultra. Like the name implies, this is likely to launch alongside the XA3 as its bigger sibling. And it's definitely going to be large, sporting a 6.5-inch touchscreen with 1080x2160 resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The bezels are uncharacteristically small on all sides for a Sony handset, and that's refreshing to (finally) see, even if this will be nothing more than a mid-ranger. The XA3 Ultra is said to measure...

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New Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K gets Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for under $50

Amazon has announced the new Fire TV Stick 4K, an upgraded version of its compact and popular Fire TV Stick that, as the name suggests, now supports 4K resolution. It's more than just basic 4K, however. The Fire TV Stick 4K supports all the latest and greatest HDR standards, including HDR-10, HDR-10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision. Audio isn't forgotten, and you now get full Dolby Atmos support. All of this is powered by a new quad-core CPU and a faster 802.11ac wireless connection using a new antenna system. The Fire TV Stick 4K also comes with a new Alexa Voice Remote, which...

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Analyst expects global tablet sales will keep declining, iPad won't be affected

Unsurprisingly for most, the tablet shipments will continue to fall each year, according Digitimes's market research. In 2019, the forecast is 141 million units sold while in 2021-2023, vendors will ship just around 120 million units. One of the biggest culprits is the ever-growing screen size of modern smartphones, which cannibalize the sales of small tablets. It's easy to find handsets with screens just shy of the 7" mark. The decline is expected to be by 2-3% per year. OEMs' current strategy will remain - low prices in attempt of battling the so-called white-box tablets. The...

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Android Pie files hint at the foldable Galaxy phone and Snapdragon 8150 chipset

An investigative member of xda-Developers obtained some revealing core files buried deep in the Android 9.0 Pie update coming with the Samsung Experience 10 UI for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. They mention four Galaxy S10 models and an additional one codenamed "Winner." The foldable Galaxy handset is no secret, especially when Samsung confirmed that it's looking to release the innovative phone before the end of 2018. So with just three months to go, it's only logical for the company to have already begun its development of the device's software. Unfortunately, though, there...

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Consumer Reports: the iPhone XS & XS Max are great but the Note9 is still better

Consumer Reports just published its comprehensive reviews and ratings of the recently launched iPhone XS and XS Max and concluded that the new duo is better in almost every way compared to last year's iPhone X. We are talking battery life, camera performance and overall day-to-day performance. According to the review, the new iPhone XS and XS Max handsets deliver considerably better battery life, slight camera improvements and snappier OS navigation. And as for the battery life, we assume the new 7nm A12 Bionic chipset is the one to blame here as the battery capacity of the iPhone...

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WhatsApp for Android brings PIP mode for third-party videos

WhatsApp introduced picture-in-picture mode for its iOS users previously and now the feature has arrived to Android as well. The Beta version is already letting you play third-party videos from major platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram in a floating window while scrolling up or down the chats. Screenshots of WhatsApp Beta According to Android Police who first spotted the new feature, not all videos act the same. For example, Twitter still opens in a new window, while videos shared directly over WhatsApp play inside the platform. Not only this, but since it is...

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Nokia posts a cryptic teaser ahead of its event tomorrow

Tomorrow we are about to see a new Nokia smartphone at an event HMD Global is hosting in London. The Twitter account of Nokia Mobile does not want to reveal what to expect but has just released a 23-second cryptic teaser that ends with an outline of a smartphone. Want an exclusive look at our next launch and get close to the action? Like this Tweet to find out more! It's in your hands... #Nokiamobilelive pic.twitter.com/jIru50HYTH— Nokia Mobile (@NokiaMobile) October 2, 2018 Nokia says "this is your story" and that "you choose how to tell it," with a nudge for all interested Twitter...

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 could be unveiled on October 15

While other companies were unveiling their new phones, Xiaomi tried to keep your interest by teasing the Mi Mix 3 - its full-screen slider-based design and its 5G support and then things got quiet. There was some evidence that the new flagship might be unveiled on September 15, but that obviously didn't happen, so now we have a new date - October 15. The date comes from the image on the left and has not been officially confirmed. It also mentions the Nanjing Youth Olympics, presumably the event will be held in one of the venues used back in 2014. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 will allegedly be...

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Google mocks Pixel Ultra rumors with a Pixel Mini sketch

Some of you might have heard that rumor going around claiming that Google is preparing a Pixel Ultra smartphone and the company will announce a trio of smartphones instead of the expected Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. There's also a second variation of this rumor and it sounds like it's coming straight from an Alex Jones conspiracy theory. Well, Google just shut down those rumors with humor and a pinch of sarcasm. Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 3 in black According to some unnamed sources, the Pixel Ultra was going to feature a nearly bezel-less display with little chin and no notch at the top....

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Deals: Samsung Galaxy Note9 discounted, accessories bundle too

After a couple of eBay deals on the Galaxy Note9, it's now Amazon's turn to slash some prices. The latest offer also brings some friends over as Samsung is throwing the wireless charging stand and free 2018 Gear Icon X Bluetooth earbuds too. The asking price for the Ocean Blue color with 128GB of storage is $1,136 with all the accessories included while the Lavender Blue sells for a little less - $1,096. Understandably, not all of you are looking for extras and if you are in for the handset alone, Samsung is offering the Note9 in Lavender Purple with US warranty for just $918. The...

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Honor 8X to arrive in India on October 16

Huawei's subbrand Honor introduced the 8X a month ago in China, and the phone is now ready to begin its global rollout. Yesterday launches took place in Dubai and Madrid yesterday, while the Central and Eastern Europe event is in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 11. According to the global page of the Honor Store, India will see the device on October 16 after an event in New Delhi. Other launch dates for different countries include October 9 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 10 in Moscow, Russia, and October 24 in Bangkok, Thailand. The info on the landing page does not mantion the...

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Google introduces Voice Access for hands-free operation of your smartphone

After two years in Beta mode, Google is finally releasing Voice Access on the Play Store. The app enables hands-free usage of your smartphone and is mostly designed for people with disabilities who have a hard time to do simple stuff like take a picture or send a text, but is freely downloadable for everyone. The service allows you to navigate through apps, compose and edit text, and talk to Google Assistant. It offers a deeper integration with the OS and the control of apps, allowing you to "tap" buttons with the application itself. You can say "Scroll forward" or "Tap Go Back"...

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Nokia 7.1 specs, press renders, release date and price leaked ahead of launch

Nokia's new phone, which is supposed to be announced tomorrow or during its second event for the month on October 11, has just leaked in full. We have a strong feeling that the Nokia 7.1 is going to be in the spotlight on at least one of the two dates and ahead of the launch, some juicy details popped up including pricing, availability and key specs garnished with revealing renders. Right off the bat, we see that the Nokia 7.1 will come with a notch, which is rather disappointing as the Nokia 7.1 Plus was believed to be the one carrying the infamous screen cutout. The report also...

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