PlaticARM is a functional, natively-flexible 32-bit ARM chipset

Wearable tech is nothing new, though definitely trendy and currently on the rise. Same goes for the broad Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. Even things like smart patches, meant to go on your skin kind of exists, though current implementations tend to use traditional crystalline silicon as their base or substrate for the actual chips. In contrast, natively flexible electronic devices use substrates such as paper, metal foil or as is the case with PlasticARM - plastic. Thin-film transistors (TFTs) are grafted on top of that substrate, resulting in truly flexible chips. The benefits of this...

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Flashback: Sony Ericsson Satio and a look at how far camera phones have come in the last decade

The Satio was Sony Ericsson’s first phone with a 12MP camera. It very nearly became the first 12MP phone ever, but it was beaten by a few months by rival Pixon12 from Samsung. This is a rivalry that we will revisit in just a bit. Even if it couldn’t claim the bragging rights of being first, the Satio produced high quality photographs at the click of a button. And it had plenty of buttons – you’d be forgiven if you mistake the right side of the phone for the top side of a point-and-shoot camera. The rear was very camera-like as well, plus you had a nice big screen with which to frame your...

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Oppo Watch 2 leaked image reveals calling support

The Oppo Watch 2 arriving on July 27 will have calling support, reveals one of the images shared by leakster Evan Blass. But that's hardly a surprise since its predecessor, Oppo Watch, also came with this functionality. It also had eSIM support in China but not in other countries, so it remains to be seen if that will be the case with the Watch 2 as well if it escapes its home country. Another picture shared by Blass shows the Oppo Watch 2 displaying directions on a map, likely hinting at built-in GPS. The first-gen Watch had it, so the Watch 2 may also have a GPS chip...

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MediaTek Dimensity 1300T to potentially be unveiled on July 26, specs suggest a beefed-up Dimensity 1200

Info on a fancy upcoming high-end Honor V7 Pro tablet surfaced yesterday, mostly teasing the design and suggesting a MediaTek Dimensity 1300T chipset at its core. Press release A new source now claims to have a bit more detail on the unannounced Dimensity chip. A photo showing a confidential MediaTek press release document, addressed to Honor definitely lends credibility to the leak as well. We still don't get the full specs sheet for the Dimensity 1300T, but it looks to follow the general trend with the rest of the lineup and is a similar, yet beefed-up derivative of the...

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Samsung Galaxy A80 gets updated with July 2021 Android security patch

Samsung's been busy updating its smartphones across different price segments with the July 2021 Android security patch. The Korean conglomerate recently released one for the Galaxy A51, and now it is the Galaxy A80 that's getting the latest security patch with a new update. The new firmware has version number A805FXXS6DUG3 and is currently seeding in over a dozen countries, including Germany, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and the UK. If you haven't received the update yet, you can check for it...

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You can now block other users on Google Drive

Google Drive excels at many things and convenience is chef among them. Storing, sync and editing of files personally is one thing, but a lot of the platform's true power lies in its collaborative aspects, especially if you use some of Google's paid offers, like Workplace or G Suite Business. For all that power, however, Google Drive's sharing policy has always been rather liberal in that there is no restriction or second layer of confirmation for actually sharing something with another person. All you need to do is enter a valid gmail in the sharing interface and that resource will appear in...

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Poco X3 GT confirmed to feature 67W charging

Poco recently confirmed that the X3 GT arriving on July 28 will be powered by the Dimensity 1100 SoC. Now the company has announced that the smartphone will support 67W Turbo Charging. Poco hasn't detailed the X3 GT's specs sheet yet, but rumors claim this isn't an entirely new device but a rebranded Redmi Note 10 Pro (Chinese variant). The leaked images also suggest the same. Redmi Note 10 Pro (Chinese variant) • Poco X3 GT If that's true, the Poco X3 GT will come with a 6.6" FullHD+ 120Hz LCD display, 5,000 mAh battery, and a side-mounted fingerprint reader. For...

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Poco X2 units start receiving MIUI 12.5 update in India

Hot on the heels of the Poco X3 Pro MIUI 12.5 update, from earlier this month, its Poco X2 predecessor is now joining in on the action as well. The build number to look out for is V12.5.1.0.RGHINXM, which is labeled as "Stable Beta". For the time being, only a limited subset of users are seeing the update. But all hints point to an imminent full rollout. The Xiaomi Redmi K30 already received its MIUI 12.5 update last month and it makes sense for the Poco X2 to follow closely, seeing how the two devices are practically identical. The Poco X2 originally launched with Android 10...

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Nokia 110 4G launched in India

The Nokia 110 4G feature phone announced last month has made its way to India. It comes in Charcoal, Aqua, and Yellow colors, and you can buy one from Nokia's Indian website or Amazon.in for INR2,799 ($40/€30). The Nokia 110 4G, as the name suggests, comes with LTE connectivity and has dual-SIM and 4G VoLTE support. It's powered by the Unisoc T107 chip and has 128MB RAM and 48MB storage onboard. Although it also has a microSD card slot for storage expansion by up to 32GB. The 4G feature phone is built around a 1.8" QVGA display and ships with a 1,020 mAh battery that draws power...

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Samsung 65W PD charger snags another certification

Samsung's ongoing work on a 65W charger has been well documented already. We first was a certificate for an EP-TA865 all the way back in September 2020, followed by some live shots of the brick in January this year. And then another certification in February. Now we have yet another official certificate for the device available, this time courtesy of the Danish UL (Demko) authority. Samsung 65W charger UL (Demko) certificate It pertains to the very same EP-TA865 charger and pretty-much reaffirms all of its specs, already listed by other sources. It comes as no surprise that the...

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OnePlus rolls out Oxygen OS Open Beta 12 for OnePlus 8 series

A new update is now rolling out if you participate in the Oxygen OS Beta program on either the OnePlus 8 or the OnePlus 8 Pro. Although Android 11 rolled out to these devices late last year, the Beta channel lets users try new features before they arrive to the public release channel for the purpose of identifying any possible bugs. This is the 12th Oxygen OS Open Beta build for the OnePlus 8 duo and it arrives with Google’s July security patch. The changelog mentions mostly bug fixes, and the update will also install the OnePlus Store app. Some may consider this bloatware but know that it...

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