Apple Watch review

Apple certainly took its sweet time with this one. After years of rumors Apple Watch finally showed its face on September 9 last year and started to reveal its secrets. And it wasn't until the end of April that actual sales begun and with long waiting times at that. Now we set off to find if it was all worth it.

On paper the Apple Watch polarized opinions. This has always been the way with new Apple products - many love them, others hate them. More often than not however there was enough in the first camp to turn them into raging success.

We've been hearing about an Apple watch for so long that it's feels rather strange that we are only now seeing the first-gen device. When the first rumors surfaced the smart wearable niche was a barren one - now it's brimming with life with Android Wear coming in a dozen flavors and Samsung offering its own Tizen alternative.

Sony Xperia Z3+ preview

The Sony Xperia Z3+ was only recently announced and we're happy it made it to our testing grounds so quickly. While we're already busy working on a full review, we decided to give you an early taste of what it's like.

With all the other major players in the industry already having their flagships on store shelves, and some for quite a while too, it was Sony's turn to take the floor and announce the successor to the Xperia Z3.

The company released its pioneer top-end device, the Xperia Z, back in January 2013 and since then it's been the only company to put out two flagships a year, one in the spring and another in the fall. That strategy has proven two-fold.

While it has meant that the Japanese have had a hot new device to fight with Asian archrivals in the spring and Apple in the fall, Sony has also garnered criticism due to the only marginal updates that such a short update cycle inevitably dictates.

Asus Zenfone Selfie Specifications

NETWORK Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE
LAUNCH Announced Exp. announcement 2015, Q3
Status Rumored. Exp. release 2015, Q3
BODY Dimensions -
Weight -
SIM Dual SIM
DISPLAY Type IPS capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.5 inches
Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels (~401 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection TBC
  - Asus ZenUI

Microsoft Lumia 940 Specifications

Unofficial preliminary specifications
NETWORK Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE
LAUNCH Announced Exp. announcement 2015, Q2
Status Rumored. Exp. release 2015, Q2-Q3
BODY Dimensions -
Weight -
SIM Nano-SIM
DISPLAY Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.2 inches
Resolution 1440 x 2560 pixels (~565 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 4
  - ClearBlack display

Sony Xperia Z3+ dual Specifications

Also known as Sony Xperia Z3 Plus, Xperia Z4, Sony E6533
NETWORK Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE
LAUNCH Announced 2015, May
Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2015, June
BODY Dimensions 146 x 72 x 6.9 mm (5.75 x 2.83 x 0.27 in)
Weight 144 g (5.08 oz)
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
  - IP68 certified - dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes
DISPLAY Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.2 inches (~70.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels (~424 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes, up to 10 fingers
Protection Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
  - Triluminos display
- X-Reality Engine

Asus ZenPad 8 Specifications

Unofficial preliminary specifications
Also known as Asus ZenPad 8 Z380C, Z380KL
NETWORK Technology
GSM / HSPA
LAUNCH Announced Exp. announcement 2015, Q2
Status Rumored. Exp. release 2015, Q2-Q3
BODY Dimensions -
Weight -
SIM Yes
DISPLAY Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 8.0 inches
Resolution 1536 x 2048 pixels (~320 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes

Micromax Q391 Canvas Doodle 4 Specifications

NETWORK Technology
GSM / HSPA
LAUNCH Announced 2015, May
Status Available. Released 2015, May
BODY Dimensions 165.5 x 85.3 x 8.5 mm (6.52 x 3.36 x 0.33 in)
Weight -
SIM Dual SIM
DISPLAY Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 6.0 inches (~70.3% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 720 x 1280 pixels (~245 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Sony Xperia Z3+ Specifications

Also known as Sony Xperia Z3 Plus, Xperia Z4, Sony E6553
NETWORK Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE
LAUNCH Announced 2015, May
Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2015, June
BODY Dimensions 146 x 72 x 6.9 mm (5.75 x 2.83 x 0.27 in)
Weight 144 g (5.08 oz)
SIM Nano-SIM
  - IP68 certified - dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes

Ross Ulbricht, founder of online drug marketplace Silk Road, sentenced to life in prison without parole

Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted in February of creating and operating the online drug marketplace, has been sentenced by a US federal judge to life in prison without parole. He was facing a minimum prison sentence of 20 years.

“It was a carefully planned life’s work. It was your opus. You wanted it to be your legacy—and it is,” said Judge Katherine Forrest. “You are no better a person than any other drug dealer.”

Gmail API gets push notification support

Finally. After a long time, Google has finally added support for push notifications in the Gmail API.

Until now, if an application wanted to add support for Gmail, it would have to resort to polling the service after set intervals to see if there were any new changes. Polling is a bad idea on mobile, as it consumes a lot more power than push notifications, which are pushed directly to the device without it constantly having to check for changes.

The updated API finally brings this functionality, so developers can now update their apps and include this functionality. It will also be easier and cheaper for developers to have this functionality without resorting to using private servers to push emails to you.

‘Leo’s Fortune’ now available on Windows Phone and Windows

Popular 2D side scrolling game Leo’s Fortune is now available on both Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8.1. The game is a universal app and you just have to purchase it once and it will work on either platforms.

Leo’s Fortune won many awards when it came out last year on iOS and Android. It is one of the better looking games on either platform and has good level design with some fun platforming puzzles. Leo, a tiny little furball, also brings a lot of character to the game.

The game is now available on either store for $4.99.

Windows Store • Windows Phone Store

Uber to begin tracking your location even when you’re not actively using its app

Uber has announced that an upcoming update to its privacy policies will allow the company to ask for access to a rider’s location when the app is running in the background, a move the ride-sharing startup claims will “get people on their way more quickly.”

In addition, the changes – which will come into effect starting July 15 – will also allow Uber to ask for access to your contacts data, something which the company says will enable it to “send special offers to riders’ friends or family.”

WhatsApp Calling for Windows Phone devices expected to roll out soon

Popular instant messaging service WhatsApp is quietly testing the WhatsApp Calling feature for the Microsoft Windows Phone platform. Android and iOS users have been using this feature for a couple of months now.

Windows Phone owners should look out for the WhatsApp Calling enabled through the WhatsApp version 2.12.238 beta build. There is no word on when the feature will be rolled out to all Windows Phone users.

Google opens its Inbox email app to everyone, updates it with Trip Bundles and Undo Send features

The Inbox email app, which was launched by Google back in October last year and was invite-only, is now open to everyone. The announcement was made by the Mountain View, California-based company in a blog post.

The company has also updated the app with various new features. Chief among them is a feature dubbed Trip Bundles which, as the name suggests, clubs all emails related a trip into a single bundle. It also makes sure that the most important details (like flight times and hotel reservation numbers) are available the instant you open the app.

Google Maps gets offline search, navigation support

Google Maps for Android has had some sort of offline support for years now, but it’s definitely not good enough for most use cases, in the current iteration at least. At its I/O conference Google has announced that it’s working on bringing better offline support to Maps sometime before the end of this year.

So in the future you’ll be able to start navigating to places while offline. Currently navigation works offline, but you need to be online when you start it. Additionally, Google Maps will allow offline searches for places and points of interest (with autocomplete no less), something which you can’t do right now.

Google Photos launches with free unlimited storage

We knew it was coming, but now it’s official – Google Photos is becoming a separate app. Photos is already available for Android, while an iOS version and web app should be launched later today. It offers free unlimited storage.

It has some very smart way to organize and search your growing photo collections too.

Google Photos can automatically backup photos from your phone, tablet, PC and even camera memory cards (the details on this last one are unclear).

Google makes Android Pay official

Get ready for the third “Pay” program. After Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, Google has today unveiled Android Pay at its annual developer conference. Just like its competitors, Android Pay is all about allowing you to easily make payments with your phone, by using NFC and even fingerprint sensors on devices that have them.

In a similar fashion to the other systems, with Android Pay you add a bank card to an app on your mobile device. When you’re at a merchant that accepts Android Pay, you simply unlock your phone and place it near the NFC terminal. The payment goes through without requiring you to open an app or do any other additional thing.

Lenovo is entering the virtual reality realm with a headset of its own

Lenovo surprised the tech world with yet another peculiar announcement today. After showing off an interesting and slightly quirky smartwatch with a second private screen, the Chinese tech giant decided to move into other unfamiliar territories – virtual reality.

The Lenovo VR Goggles are the company’s response to Samsung, Oculus Rift and the Gear VR. Just like the aforementioned Korean-made headset, the Lenovo VR Goggles are more or less a shell that only works with a compatible phone as a display. At the presentation, the set was used with the Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro, but, the manufacturer has loosely stated that it works with compatible Lenovo phones. This sounds encouraging, but, we are yet to learn which models the VR Goggles support and whether or not the compatibility will extend this to include Lenovo-owned Motorola devices as well.

Project Tango Tablet Development Kit now available on the Google Store

If you remember Project Tango, it was this crazy device that could scan a room using multiple cameras and create a 3D model of it. Google had released a development kit for developers to purchase but it was $1024 and invite only.

The tablet recently got a discount to $512 and Google is now selling it on the Google Store without needing an invite. It’s interesting that this happened just a day before the I/O event, so there might be something related to this at the keynote.

We haven’t heard much about the project since the first time Google demoed it so it remains to be seen which direction it is heading. If you want to try it out, check out the I/O keynote today to see if there’s something interesting before picking one up.

GoPro will launch its first drone in 2016

The leading manufacturer of action cameras GoPro will launch its first quadcopter in about a year. Nick Woodman, the company’s CEO announced that the drone will debut in the first half of 2016.

Woodman calls the upcoming quadcopter “the ultimate GoPro accessory.” There is no word on the price range of the device, though it is expected to be in the range of the currently available drones by Parrot and DJI.

A drone launch by GoPro should hardly catch anyone by surprise. The company’s camera’s often end up attached to flying devices from other makers, so it is only logical for GoPro to make its own.

Android M rumored to bring dedicated app permission controls

The next major iteration of Android will reportedly bring dedicated permission controls to users. Android M is expected to debut tomorrow during Google I/O in San Francisco.

Currently, Android prompts users to accept all permissions an application requires before installing it. In Android M, permission controls will reportedly be accessed and modified within the app, or by going to the device’s settings menu.

Content from iOS apps is now featured in Google search results

Today Google has announced that it’s brought its App Indexing feature from Android to iOS. What this allows is for you to jump straight to a relevant iOS app from Google search results. In the example showcased by the image below, a restaurant reservation is required, and following a Google search tapping on the first result will take you to the OpenTable iOS app that’s installed on the same device. In it you can then make the desired reservation, or go back to the search results with one tap.

The feature exists in both the Google app for iOS as well as Chrome for iOS, as long as you’re signed into your Google account. For now such links to iOS apps will be limited to a short list, with Google having worked with some initial test partners so far.

Google is getting so good that it can answer your questions before you type them

Not many technologies can boast turning into every day, household terms and even the select few that can are nowhere near as revolutionary as Google’s world changing search platform. This one-of-a-kind information hub that drives most of today’s online traffic is constantly getting better at what it does and is receiving a lot of much-deserved care and attention by users and developers alike.

A new update to Google search now delivers answers so fast that it is kind of creepy. The concept is simple enough – if Google can give you a concise and definite answer as you type your question, why wait for you to do so? It does precisely this and quickly appends short answers straight into the suggestion interface as you type.

Xiaomi Mi Band can now sync with Google Fit

Xiaomi’s Mi Fit app has just received a new update. The fitness tracker, specifically designed to work with the company’s inexpensive Mi Band tracker, now has integration with Google’s Fit platform.

This definitely simplifies data tracking on most Android devices. Up until now, the Android Mi Fit app was mostly closed off from data exchange, which is kind of odd, considering the company’s iOS application already has integration with Healthkit. Now, using the Google Fit API, your Mi Band, or rather Mi Fit, can feed information into Google’s platform, so, you can use both without dealing with the hustle of conflicting data.

Pioneer launches AVIC – F970BT CarPlay audio system in India

Pioneer has launched the first Apple CarPlay enabled car audio system in the Indian market. The AVIC – F970BT has a 6.2-inch multi-touch display and can pair with your iPhone 5 and above to access functions such as Siri, voice navigation, music playback, calls, and messaging on your phone through the audio system display.

In case you are not aware, CarPlay is a new standard from Apple for car audio systems that allows them to seamlessly integrate with your iPhone and access the aforementioned functionality through your audio system’s display. All you have to do is plug in your iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, or 6 Plus running iOS 7.1 and above into the system and you’re good to go. You can either use the display on the system or your voice to control the features hands-free while driving.

Apple iOS 9 Transit Maps will only support a few cities at launch

According to a report in 9to5Mac, the previously rumored Transit Maps feature in Apple iOS 9 will have limited availability at launch. The service will allegedly be live in 5-6 cities in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Transit Maps in iOS 9 might go live as early as next month in New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Paris, Berlin, and London. The Cupertino giant might also offer the service for a few cities in China in partnership with AutoNavi. The company is not allowed to source its own data in the country.

New Opera Max version will save you from crowded hotspots, battery hogs

Opera’s headlining trick – compressing the web – is evolving in the time of high-powered smartphones. Opera Max enables a Turbo-like compression for any and all apps on your phone, not just the browser. And now not just mobile data either, Max can now handle your Wi-Fi usage.

“Why?” you may be asking. Simple – public Wi-Fi hotspots often suck worse than mobile data. Also, this allows Opera Max to improve your battery life too.

Huawei forges a partnership with Audi Group for the future on interconnected cars

The internet of things (IoT) has been a buzzword for quite some time. Various gadgets are becoming smarter and more connected, which represents a determined push towards a new interconnected lifestyle, where all of our gadgets can seamlessly interact with one another.

Naturally, the IoT revolution hasn’t skipped our cars. Automobiles have quite a lot to offer in terms of data feedback and making them connected opens up an array of new features. Serious progress is already being made in this area and today, Huawei announced a new prospective partnership with Audi Group, which could yield a lot of new advances in smart auto tech.

Twitter is reportedly interested in acquiring Flipboard

According to a report in Re/code, Twitter is interested in acquiring Flipboard. The social network has reportedly been holding talks with Fipboard since the beginning of this year.

An all-stock deal is said to be valuing Flipboard in excess of $1 billion. Talks between the two companies however, are currently stalled.

Jony Ive becomes Chief Design Officer of Apple

Apple promoted Jony Ive to a Chief Design Officer. The industrial designer’s brand new executive position has been newly created for him.

Jony Ive served as a Senior Vice President of Design over the past few years in Apple. He is credited with penning some of the Cupertino giant’s most successful products.

Instagram is now sending users highlights via email

Instagram began sending out “Highlights” emails to its subscribers. The move is a bid by the now mature social network to keep its300 million users more involved.

The messages contain popular posts from the accounts one follows. The new email feature will help people who follow many Instagram accounts stay on top of good photos they might have otherwise missed.

There is no setting for controlling “Highlights” emails for the time being. We expect this to change in the near future.

Microsoft OneClip app is a cloud-powered, cross-platform clipboard

Evernote is one software that will let you store images, numbers or text and make it available across devices and platforms. While there are other alternatives such as Google Keep or Apple Notes app, Microsoft is also testing a similar virtual clipboard internally.

Microsoft’s OneClip is a cross-platform clipboard app that allows to quickly copy pieces of data such as images, phone numbers or strings of text, then making it available immediately across different platforms.For instance, if you have a meeting and quickly copied the number of your client using your PC, the OneClip will make it appear through its app on any mobile platform – Windows Phone, Android, or iOS.

YU Yuphoria Review

The Yuphoria is the second device to be launched in India by YU, a division of Micromax made in collaboration with Cyanogen Inc. Yuphoria is an entry level smartphone, priced even lower than the Yureka that came before it.

Despite the entry level pricing, the Yuphoria does pack in a lot of features, including a metal body, 720p display, Snapdragon 410 processor, 2GB RAM, and 8 megapixel camera, not to mention Cyanogen OS 12 that comes out of the box. But all of that’s on paper. Let’s see what it’s like in the real world.

Dropbox app gets Material Design and gesture navigation support

An update to Dropbox for Android gave the application a much deserved makeover. Version 2.6 brings the Android 5.0 Lollipop’s Material Design language to the cloud storage app.

The tabbed browsing interface of old has been replaced – users looking for files in photos and favorites will find them in the side menu. Also, the refresh button to make auto-uploaded images visible has been removed.

LG G4 review

Flagships get better with every generation but some of last year's are as good as reborn. The LG G4 improves on the three best features of its predecessor: design, screen, the camera - and does so decisively. It adopts a G Flex curve, but makes it its own with an optional stitched leather back, and has what may as well be the most advanced camera module on a phone yet.

The camera really is the new phone's key feature. LG picked a new 16MP sensor, improved the optical stabilization, gave it a wider aperture lens, added a handful of new software features (including manual mode) and placed a top-notch selfie camera on the front. A complete overhaul of the imaging department.

LG G4 Dual Specifications

Also known as LG G4 Dual-LTE, LG G4 Dual-SIM, LG H818P (Indonesia, Ukraine, Thailand), LG H818N (Hong Kong)
NETWORK Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE
LAUNCH Announced 2015, May
Status Available. Released 2015, May
BODY Dimensions 148.9 x 76.1 x 6.3 - 9.8 mm
Weight 155 g (5.47 oz)
SIM Dual SIM
DISPLAY Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.5 inches (~73.6% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 2560 pixels (~534 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3
  - LG Optimus UX 4.0 UI

Gionee Elife E8 Specifications

Unofficial preliminary specifications
NETWORK Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE
LAUNCH Announced Exp. announcement 2015, Q2
Status Rumored. Exp. release 2015, Q3
BODY Dimensions 164 x 82.3 x 9.6 mm (6.46 x 3.24 x 0.38 in)
Weight 207 g (7.30 oz)
SIM Yes
DISPLAY Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 6.0 inches (~73.5% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 2560 pixels (~490 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection TBC
  - Amigo 3.0 UI

Microsoft is working on Office Now personal assistant for mobile platforms

Microsoft’s Office productivity suite will get its own personal assistant app called Office Now. Currently the application is being tested on Windows and might be released for iOS, Windows 10 Mobile, and Android.

Office Now gives a summary of one’s day at a glance. It lets users organize their routine by easily performing tasks such as schedule meetings, search for relevant emails, join a conference call, and even check Maps for directions to the meeting location.

After Sweden, struggling BlackBerry now announces job cuts across the world

BlackBerry said that it is cutting jobs worldwide. The news arrives nearly a month after the company announced that it is mulling closing its offices in Sweden in a move that put around 100 jobs at stake.

“The company is reallocating resources to capitalize on growth opportunities and achieve profitability across all its business segments,” a company spokesperson said. There was, however, no word on the number of employees that will be affected in the latest wave of job cuts.

The news comes just a day after there were reports that several companies including Microsoft, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Lenovo are interested in acquiring the Canadian company. BlackBerry had a total of 6,225 full-time employees as of February this year.

Google updates Hangouts for Chrome

Google axed its Talk messenger about three months ago and focused its push on Hangouts instead.

Now the search giant has updated the Hangouts app for Chrome browser with the Android’s Material Design language. The new design slices the page in two columns – right one shows current conversation and left side shows a stack of recent conversations.

Mac OS X users can directly download the new Hangouts app for Chrome while the users on Windows, Linux and Chrome OS will have to disable the transparent mode in settings first.

Russia to Google, Twitter, and Facebook: Comply with local laws or face sanctions

US-based technology companies, including Google, Twitter, and Facebook have been warned by Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor against violating the country’s Internet laws.

The agency has sent out letters to the firms asking them to comply with the rules. “In our letters we regularly remind (companies) of the consequences of violating the legislation,” said the agency’s spokesperson Vadim Ampelonsky. He also said that the Russian government could block access to the services being offered by the companies if they do not fall in line.

HTC releases official Mail app for Lollipop devices on Google Play Store

HTC released the official Sense Mail app in the Google Play store. The application functions like any other modern email app – one can read and compose emails, create folders, and manage multiple email accounts using it.

Designed using its own Sense UI language, the HTC Mail app offers useful customizations such as changing the font and its color, highlighting text, and more. Text Reflow feature automatically adjusts the email content to fit the mobile screen.