Wednesday, November 29, 2017

A new ‘Flame Red’ variant of the Honor 7X will launch in China on December 5th

It's been over a month since the Honor 7X was unveiled at an event in China, and now the company has unveiled a new Flame Red color variant which will be launching on December 5th. Coincidentally enough, this will be the same day that the Honor 7X will be unveiled for those interested in a European launch at an event in London.

As a reminder, the Honor 7X comes equipped with a new 5.93-inch FHD display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080, while being powered by Huawei's Kirin 659 SoC and 4GB of RAM. The device also features 3 storage options, which can be expanded up to 256GB.

Finally, the rear of the device features a dual camera setup with a primary 16MP sensor being combined with a 2MP sensor for delivering wide-aperture performance. This will help offer users with a better bokeh effect, which isn't found too often on devices today.

The best part of this device is that it's priced at just $200 for the base 32GB model, although pricing may end up being a bit different if the Honor 7X is, in fact, released in Europe and the US. As for this new Flame Red variant, there has been no mention as to whether we'll be seeing this option for the non-Chinese variant of the device.

Let us know what you think about the Honor 7X and if you're hoping to see this released here in the States at some point in time.

[DealnTech]



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Google’s next Chromebook might feature an auto-adjusting hinge

Google's newest Pixelbook is a hard product to recommend since it's hard to imagine someone willingly spending $1K on a device that features ChromeOS and a questionable design, even if it is a Google Product. Google's premium Chromebook efforts have always felt a little overpriced and under-delivered, but a new patent discovered could be changing that soon.

The folks over at Patently Mobile discovered the patent at the USPTO and it appears to showcase a hinge that is capable of moving the lid between open and closed positions at different angles.

A variety of sensors in the laptop determine whether the user is at the correct distance for the top to pop open and appears to rely on face detection in order to adjust the angle to the proper viewing angle when a user is nearby and interacting with the device. Touching a specific part of the Chromebook will close the lid automatically, which seems ripe for abuse.

So how does it do all that when the lid is already closed? The patent filing suggests the computer might include a rear camera and proximity sensor for detecting when you're close to interacting with the device. People already put tape over their laptop cameras when they're open so I can't imagine privacy nuts feeling okay with a rear-facing camera that is capable of capturing images.

What do you think?



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Snapchat is introducing a completely overhauled design for its mobile app

Snapchat hasn't been in the best place as of late, as its parent company is suffering from financial losses, which stem from lost users to Instagram Stories, as well as whatever is going on with Snapchat Spectacles. Today, Snap Inc. has announced that a newly redesigned application is on its way which will give you more focus on your friends.

With the current version of the Snapchat application, the left of the main camera provides you with all of your private Snap conversations, while swiping to the right not only is the home for your friends Snapchat Stories, but also for any brand stories that are available. With this new update, your friends Snapchat Stories will be moved to the same left panel as your private conversations, leaving the right panel free for advertisers to have a field day with trying to give you stories that you may or may not care about.

The new Snapchat separates the social from the media. This means that the Chats and Stories from your friends are on the left side of Snapchat, and the Stories from publishers, creators, and the community are on the right.

The new "Discover" page will also include the ability to subscribe (or unsubscribe) from the brands and companies that you don't care about. These new changes should help create a less-confusing interface for users, while also bringing better performance for those of us who are sick and tired of a subpar Android application.

Unfortunately, there's no mention as to when the update will begin rolling out, but we are expecting to see the rollout in the coming days/weeks. Be sure to let us know what you think about this update in the comments below.



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Samsung rolls out new Oreo beta for Galaxy S8 users in U.S.

Samsung has rolled out its third Android 8.0 Oreo beta for Galaxy S8 users in the United States. It comes just one week after the updated was released to users in the U.K., and it includes a long list of bug fixes.

If you've already been running Oreo on your Galaxy S8, you won't notice any obvious changes in Samsung's third release. Samsung has focused on fixing problems and improving stability, rather than adding any new features. That's good news if you've been running into issues.

If you're new to Oreo on the Galaxy S8, you can look forward to enhancements to the video player, always-on display, Samsung DeX, notifications, and lots more. Samsung has also added new edge lighting effects, better app shortcuts, and an improved keyboard.

It's thought many of the fixes are for handsets powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chip, rather than those with Samsung's own Exynos processor. If you're already enrolled in the Galaxy S8 Beta Program, you can download it over-the-air right now.



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We’ve got the OnePlus 5T! [Q&A]

After a wonderfully long weekend, we're back and with a new toy landing on our desk. As you already guessed, it's the OnePlus 5T. For the most part, it's nearly identical to the OnePlus 5 that launched only 5 months ago, only with a few notable improvements. The OnePlus 5T now features a gorgeous, 6-inch display with a stretched out 18:9 aspect ratio.

On the back you'll find the same blazing fast fingerprint sensor (by the far the quickest you'll find on a smartphone to date) and new camera hardware. OnePlus has traded in the previous 5's telephoto zoom lens for a 20MP shooter with larger 1.0 micron pixels for better low light shots. Why they don't use this camera primarily (for well-lit and low light conditions) we'll never know, but we'll be sure to test it out in the real world to see if it lives up to the hype.

In the meantime, we'll be giving you guys tons of great OnePlus 5T content but first things first: let's see what's inside the box. Here's what we found:

What's in the OnePlus 5T box:

  • OnePlus 5T (pre-screen protected)
  • Paperwork
  • Sim removal tool (much longer than your typical SIM tool)
  • USB-A to USB-C cable (required for Dash Charge)
  • Dash Charge wall adapter
  • Complimentary TPU case

Ask us anything!

Now it's time for audience participation. We want to hear from you guys. Any questions, comments, or concerns you have about the OnePlus 5T — we want to hear them. Let us now by leaving a comment down below and we'll do our best to answer them in future guides and videos. Don't forget you can also check out the OnePlus 5T forums to further the conversation and talk with other new (or potential) OnePlus 5T owners. Here are some threads to get you started:

Interested in picking up a OnePlus 5T for yourself? You can get a full $20 off any accessory (cases, screen protectors, chargers, or bundles.) by using our referral link below. Cheers.

Buy OnePlus 5T


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Samsung reportedly testing Android Oreo on the Galaxy S9

We're starting to see more and more rumors and leaks surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S9, and the latest comes regarding the software for the upcoming device. According to a report by Galaxy Club, Samsung has started testing Android 8.0 Oreo on the Galaxy S9, but unfortunately, it seems that there's no definitive proof like a leaked set of benchmark results.

The other disappointing problem with this latest leak is that we aren't sure of the specs that the Galaxy S9 will be equipped with, but we can expect to see a similar device to that of its predecessor. Finally, it seems that Samsung has not started testing Android 8.1 Oreo, but that doesn't come as too much of a surprise considering the fact that this is still in beta for Pixel devices.

As for other expectations for the Galaxy S9, we are hoping to see an embedded fingerprint scanner beneath the display, along with a dual-camera setup similar to that of the Galaxy Note 8. The unannounced Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 will likely be at the helm with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and at least 64GB of expandable storage. It's also likely that the Galaxy S9 comes with an improved Infinity Display, continuing the trend of bezel-less devices that has made its way to more and more devices.

Let us know what you think about this latest rumor in the comments below, and what you think the Galaxy S9 will feature.



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The Xiaomi Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus will be launching on December 7th

Over the last few months, we have been hearing rumors and seeing leaks about the latest Xiaomi device with the Redmi branding, and it seems that the wait is finally almost over. Xiaomi has published the official invitation over at Weibo, revealing the launch date for both the Xiaomi Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus as December 7th.

In the invitation, you can see the device being held up by different members of the band SNH48. In these images, you can see that the device comes equipped with a new 18:9 display, while the rear of the device comes equipped with a single camera sensor and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Other rumored specs for the device include one option powered by the Snapdragon 625 SoC and 3GB of RAM, while the other is powered by the Snapdragon 630 SoC and 4GB of RAM. Storage for the former will come in either 16GB or 32GB and the latter will come with "only" 64GB, both of which are expected to include a microSD card slot.

Pricing for the Xiaomi Redmi 5 is expected to start at around $126, while the high-end will be priced around $162. We don't know what to expect for pricing for the Redmi 5 Plus, other than that it will be priced north of $200.



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