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Apple to launch three new iPhone models in 2019: Report

Apple reportedly plans to release three new iPhone models in 2019. These will include the successor to the iPhone XR, while the other two will also be direct successors to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

According to a report by Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to stick with last year’s trend and launch three iPhone models this year as well. All three models will be direct successors to the current-gen iPhone lineup.

However, the report notes that top-end iPhone model will feature a triple rear camera setup, while the other will have dual rear cameras. The report further adds that the company will stick with LCD screens for the iPhone XR successor.

However, come 2020, the report notes that Apple plans to ditch LCD panels entirely. Apart from this, not much is known about Apple’s future plans, but they better be good as current iPhone models aren’t selling like hot cakes like past iPhone models. For one, we can blame the atrocious price tag. Besides, customers still prefer older iPhone models in several markets.

Over the past few months, key sources have also claimed that Apple has had to cut down production orders for its 2018 iPhone lineup due to sluggish demand. Sale of iPhone units falling short of expectations has always been rumored shortly after their official release in September 2018. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, also admitted they have had a severe blow because of weakening sales in China, which has traditionally been one of the biggest overseas market of Apple iPhone after the US.

January 11, 2019
Samsung Galaxy S10 release date confirmed

Samsung has confirmed it plans to launch the Galaxy S10 on Februray 20 at a special Unpacked Event in San Francisco. The company will also livesteam the event on its official website – www.samsung.com/galaxy.

Multiple sources suggest that the Korean manufacturer is expected to launch three different variants of the flagship. These include the Galaxy S10 Lite, the Galaxy S10, and the Galaxy S10+. Sources, however, also indicate that Samsung could unveil two 5G variants of the flagship, both having different specifications.

Galaxy S10 rumored specifications and price

As already mentioned, Samsung is expected to launch three variants of the Galaxy S10. All three models are said to sport a new-generation display, which Samsung calls the ‘Infinity-O’ display. The entry-level offering, the Galaxy S10 Lite, will reportedly sport a flat screen display, however, the high-end Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 would feature a curved screen. Besides, alleged renders of the handset have also shown a hole drilled within the display to accomodate the front camera.

As far as pricing goes, a leak from a major tech retailer suggests that the Galaxy S10 Lite (128GB storage) will get a price tag of around $1020. On the other hand, the Galaxy S10 will be priced around $1275.

More details about the Galaxy S10 are likely to surface as we near its official release. We’ll update you as soon as we hear anything new. Until then, keep checking back for more updates.

January 11, 2019
AMD announces the world’s first 7nm gaming GPUs and CPUs at CES 2019

AMD has announced the Radeon VII, the latest high-end GPU for gamers and developers. Based on the company’s second-gen Radeon Vega architecture, it’s the world’s first dektop GPU built using the 7nm manufacturing process. AMD CEO, Lisa Su, during the ongoing CES 2019, unveiled the high-end GPU during a keynote.

According to Su, the Radeon VII is equipped to deliver performance exceeding 60fps in the latest games while playing on highest settings. The new GPU is promised to deliver 29 percent improved gaming performance compared to the Radeon Vega 64, as well as 36 percent better performance for content creation. For gamers who aren’t playing at 4K resolution, the Radeon VII is claimed to churn out high refresh rates with HDR enabled at 1080p.

Based on AMD’s latest 7nm manufacturing techonolgy, the latest GPU packs more transistors on a smaller chip which boosts performance even at lower power. Compared to the Radeon Vega 64, the latest Radeon VII is said to deliver 35 percent improved performance in Battlefield V, up to 25 percent better in Fortnite, and around 42 percent better in Strange Brigade.

AMD will start shipping the Radeon VII from February 7 for an approximate retail price of $699. It’ll come bundled with three free games: Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry 5, and Tom Clancy’s The Division 2.

Meet the Gen. 3 Ryzen CPU

Elsewhere, AMD also showed off a preview of the forthcoming 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen CPU, slated for a release in the middle of 2019. The upcoming AMD Ryzen CPU will be the first desktop processor for customers built using the 7nm manufacturing process. It also happens to be the world’s first PC platform to support the ultra-fast PCIe 4.0 standard. More details will be revealed during its launch in mid-2019. However, Su did mention that Ryzen III consumed 30 percent less power compared to Intel’s Core i9 CPU processor.

Finally, AMD also teased the EPYC series, a server based processor for data centers, also the world’s first 7nm datacenter CPU. AMD also announced that Google has joined hands with the company to use Radeon graphics chips on its recently announced streaming service, Project Stream.

January 10, 2019
Galaxy S10 Lite shows up on Geekbench with Snapdragon 855, 6GB RAM

The Galaxy S10 series is expected to go official sometime in February. And as expected, there’s been no shortage of leaks about the upcoming flagship from Samsung. The Korean giant is widely expected to launch three variants of the upcoming flaghsip. These are rumored to be the Galaxy S10, the Galaxy S10+, and the Galaxy S10 Lite. The latter, also referred to as the entry-level model, was recently spotted on benchmarking database Geekbench.

According to the listing, the Galaxy S10 Lite will be powerd by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 prcessor bundled with 6GB of RAM. The listing further reveals that the handset will run Android 9 Pie out-of-the-box. As far as scores as concerned, the listing suggests the handset pulled off single and multi core scores of 1986 and 6266 respectively.

Credits: Geekbench

Galaxy S10 Lite rumored Specs and Price

As per earlier leaks, the Galaxy S10 Lite is expected to feature a 5.8-inch Infinity-O display with a resolution of 2280×1080 pixels. Not to mention, key sources also indicate it’ll have a punch hole on the front that’ll house the selfie camera. Besides, credible Samsung insider IceUniverse also shared a concept render of the Galaxy S10 Lite, giving us a fairly good idea about the handset’s design.

Rumor also has it that the Galaxy S10 Lite will pack a 3100mAH battery. While another leak from a major tech retailer suggests that the Galaxy S10 Lite (128GB storage) will get a price tag of around $1020. On the other hand, the Galaxy S10 will be priced around $1275.

Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S10 range during its Galaxy Unpacked event on February 20, just before MWC 2019, while sales are expected to begin on March 8, 2019. More details about the Galaxy S10 are likely to surface as we near its official release. We’ll update you as soon as we hear anything new. Until then, keep checking back for more updates.

January 10, 2019
Google gets rid of 85 malicious apps from the Play Store

Google has removed 85 dangerous apps from the PlayStore, after security experts found such apps to contain adware. According to researchers at TrendMicro, these apps were available on the Play Store as games, TV, and remote control simulator apps.

“This adware is capable of displaying full-screen ads, hiding itself, monitoring a device’s screen unlocking functionality, and running in the mobile device’s background,” explained the researchers at Trend Micro in the blog.

The report further notes that these malicious apps have witnessed over nine million downloads on the Android PlayStore. One of these apps, called ‘Easy Universal TV Remote’, was the most downloaded among the 85 malicious apps, with over 5 million downloads.

It’s also worth noting that these apps showed and shared the same source code, despite coming from different developers and different APK certificates. Once installed, as soon as the user launched these apps, a full-screen pop-up would appear asking users to perpetually press several buttons to continue.

Every button press would then open a new ad page, and this kept on happening until the app finally crashed. That said, they would still run in the background and suddenly show up after every hour or so on the device. For more information, click on the source link below.

Well, this isn’t the first time Google has removed malcious apps from the PlayStore. In November 2018, Google removed 13 malware-infested apps from the PlayStore. Back then, popular malware researcher researcher, Lukas Stefanko, found 13 malicious apps on the Play Store, which tricked users to install malware on their handsets.

Besides, Stefanko also found 29 other malicious apps on the PlayStore between August until early October 2018 in the Google Play store, which also masked themselves as authentic banking apps and used phishing forms to collect a user’s personal banking information.

January 9, 2019
Amazon overtakes Microsoft and Apple to become the most valuable company

Amazon has now become the world’s most valuable company, as it manages to surpass Microsoft, who has enjoyed the top spot since November last year. According to a report by BBC, Amazon has become worth $810 billion, while Microsoft is now valued at $789 billion. The duo are followed by Google’s parent company Alphabet at $752 billion, while Apple is now valued at $702 billion.

The report further notes that Microsoft overtook Apple in late 2018, while Amazon edged past the iPhone-maker in December to take the runner-up spot.

Apple, the once most valued company in the world, keeps going down. Last year, the Cupertino giant became the world’s first trillion dollar company. However, the company has been on a steady decline over the past 6 months.

Now, this is primarily because of low sales of its most popular product – the iPhone. Apple’s latest iPhone-lineup, which was supposed help the company get back at the top, is selling well below expectations. This led to a decline in the value of Apple’s shares. However, CEO Tim Cook asserts Apple is still well positioned in the market as a leader.

“I’m never surprised by the market, to be honest with you, because I think the market is quite emotional in the short term. We sort of look through all of that. We think about the long term. And so when I look at the long-term health of the company, it has never been better. The product pipeline has never been better. The ecosystem has never been stronger. The services are on a tear,” Cook said in an interview with CNBC.

Meanwhile, Amazon has enjoyed a constant growth since early 2017. The company’s Founder, Jeff Bezos, also became the richest person in the world last year at a net worth of $150 billion.

January 9, 2019
WhatsApp working on fingerprint authentication feature for Android

Facebook-owned instant messaging app WhatsApp is reportedly working on a fingerprint authentication feature for chats on Android. The feature is essentially designed to protect users’ chats from being seen by others. Once the authentication is enabled, users will be required to use their fingerprint to access chats.

“After working to implement Face ID and Touch ID features on iOS (that aren’t available yet for development reasons), WhatsApp has finally started to work on the Authentication feature on Android, using your Fingerprint!” said a report by WABetaInfo.

Once the fingerprint feature is activated, your chats will be completely secure from others. The fingerprint authentication feature on WhatsApp can be found under Settings>Account>Privacy.

Image Source: WABetaInfo

“The user will need to authenticate his identity in order to open WhatsApp (from the app icon, from the notification or from external pickers). It will protect the entire app, so it’s not used to lock specific conversations,” further added the report.

The feature is expected to arrive for both Android and iOS users in the near future. In other related news, WhatsApp has also started working on several new features for iOS. Sources indicate that the update would allow users to add stickers in images. Besides, the upcoming update should allow iPhone users to edit a sent image by adding a drawing or emoji.

January 9, 2019
Razer unveils its first gaming monitor, the Razer Raptor
Razer announced its first gaming monitor during CES 2019, dubbed as the Razer Raptor. According to the company, the Raptor will get a price tag of $699.99 MSRP, and will be available ‘later this year’ via the official Razer website in the US and Canada.

“Razer has worked alongside partners in the past to bring the Razer experience to monitors, but the full potential was never fully realized. We have decided to tackle this space on our own and are very excited to expand our presence to include desktop displays,” said Razer Co-Founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan.

The Razer Raptor features a WQHD IPS display which boasts a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. While it does not support 4K resolution, it does offer FreeSync support as well as a refresh rate of 144Hz. Not to mention, it sports extremely thin bezels at just 2.3mm and also comes with RGB lighting.

“The Razer Raptor will display vibrant colors, with its 95 percent DCI-P3 wide color gamut and support for HDR content, providing deep blacks for truly immersive viewing experiences. Color profiles will be programmed into the monitor to address gamer and prosumer demands for optimized gaming, movie and productivity settings,” explained Razer in a press release.

As far as design goes, the Raptor sports a matte-black design with a forged aluminum base. “Its backplate is finished with a blend of fabric and metal to add a touch of elegance. Razer Chroma-powered LED strips illuminate the monitor’s base, which can be customized through the Razer Synapse 3 application to synchronize with other Razer Chroma-enabled hardware,” further added Razer in the press release.

Another nifty feature the Raptor offers is cable management. It has everything neatly organized and folded into the stand for easy I/O ports access.

In terms of connectivity, the Razer Raptor comes with 1 HDMI port, 1 display port, 1 USB Type C port, as well as 2 USB-A 3.1 ports. You can check out the complete specifications of the Razer Raptor below:
- Screen Size: 27 in.
- Resolution: WQHD (2560 x 1440p)
- Panel Type: IPS
- Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
- Response Rate: 4 ms with Overdrive, 1 ms with Motion Blur reduction, 7 ms typical
- Gaming Modes: FPS / Racing / MMO Mode / Streaming
- Viewing Angle: 178 Degrees (H/V)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
- Brightness: up to 420 Nits
- Color Gamut: 95% DCI-P3
- HDR: Yes
- Height Adjustable Stand: Yes, w/ 90-degree tilt for easy port access
- Connectivity: 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DP 1.4, 1 x USB-C (supports DP1.4), 2 x USB 3.0 Pass
- Throughs
  Included Cables: 1 x Power, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Display Port, 1 x USB-C (also supports DP and Power Delivery), 1 x 2 USB-A 3.1
- Dimensions w/ Stand: 24.15″ (613.4 mm) W x 15.29 in. 19.23 in. (388.4 mm – 488.4 mm) H x 7.46 in. (189.4 mm) D
- Weight w/ Stand: 25.4 lbs. (11.5 kg)
January 8, 2019
WhatsApp starts testing new features for iOS

Popular IM app WhatsApp has reportedly started testing several new features for iOS. A recent beta build of the app gives us an idea of what new features are arriving for iPhones.

According to a report by WABetaInfo, these new features and improvements are a part of beta build 2.19.10.21. The build includes a new feature that allows users to add stickers in images, further adds the report.

The upcoming WhatsApp update should allow iPhone users to edit a sent image by adding a drawing or emoji. Besides, starting with this update, sticker support will arrive on iOS for additional customization options.

Another handy addtion is the private reply option in group chats, somethig similar we’ve seen in Android beta builds of the app. With this functionality, users can tap on a messsage from a particluar contact in a group and then choose to reply privately. A private chat window pops up and the message you chose is highlighted so users know from where the conversation started.

The upcoming WhatsApp update will also bring improved 3D Touch support for iPhones, making it possible for users to peek and pop messages in the Status section.

That said, there’s np specifc timeline as to when the update will be available for everyone. However, given that beta testing has already begun, it’s safe to assume that it wouldn’t take too long before the rollout begins.

January 7, 2019
Pandora update for iOS brings offline playback on Apple Watch
Pandora’s latest iOS update brings a rather nifty feature for Apple Watch users. The music streaming service has updated its iOS app which brings offline playback for the smartwatch, most likely due to popular demand. With the new update, users will be able to control music playback or like whatever song is currently playing on Pandora. Now, this essentially negates the need of carrying your iPhone and allows you to play music on your Apple Watch while on-the-go.

“You asked, and we listened! By popular demand, we bring you a brand new, built-from-the-ground-up app that’s seamlessly integrated into the Apple Watch experience”, confirmed Pandora. Here’s what Apple Watch users can look forward with the new update:
- Access remote playback controls.
- Give your favorites a Thumbs Up directly from the Now Playing screen.
- Listen without an internet connection! Pandora Plus & Premium subscribers get access to offline content – no phone required
That said, only Pandora users can enjoy this feature, so you’ll need to subscribe for Pandora Plus or Pandora Premium to listen to offline music on your Apple smartwatch. Not to mention, users need to upgrade to watchOS 5 in order to enjoy offline playback with Pandora.
January 5, 2019
Facebook tracks Android users who don’t even use the app: Report

Lately, Facebook has received a lot of criticism over user privacy and trust. Come 2019, and the social networking giant has been found to routinely track Android users even if they don’t use the app. According to a study by UK-based charity Privacy International, Facebook tracks users, non-users, and even logged out users. The study further found that after Google, the social network giant is the second most prevalent thrid-party tracking app.

“Data from different apps can paint a fine-grained and intimate picture of people’s activities, interests, behaviors and routines, some of which can reveal special category data, including information about people’s health or religion,” the report said.

Privacy International has unearthed a total of 34 Android apps with 10 to 500 million installs. These include apps such as TripAdvisor and Duolingo. The research suggests that app developers share data with the network via Facebook Software Development Kit (SDK). As many as 61 percent of the apps that Privacy International tested automatically transfer data to Facebook as soon as a user opens the app.

“At least 61 percent of the tested apps automatically transfer data to Facebook the moment a user opens the app. This happens whether people have a Facebook account or not, or whether they are logged into Facebook or not,” explained the study.

Facebook says it’s OK to share user data

In response, the network told Privacy Interntaional that sharing data is a common partice for most companies, as it turns out to be useful for both users as well as comapnies.

“This information is important for helping developers understand how to improve their apps and for helping people receive relevant advertising in a privacy-protective way. We do this in a transparent manner by explaining the practice through our Data Policy and Cookies Policy, and by using Google’s advertising identifier, which can be controlled centrally by people using their device settings,” the social networking giant told Independent.

As already mentioned, Facebook has been embroiled in several controversies off late. Last year, it was critcised for harvesting personal data which resulted in election interference. A survey conducted by also Uber found that users trusted Facebook the least with their personal information, followed by Twitter and Amazon.

January 5, 2019
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 starts receiving Android 9 Pie

Samsung has officially started rolling out the latest Android 9 Pie update for the Galaxy Note 9. Reports suggest that the rollout has kicked off in Germany, and there’s a good chance that more Galaxy Note 9 devices in other parts of the globe would follow suit.
The Android 9 Pie update for the Galaxy Note 9 comes as N960FXXU2CRLT. Besides, installing the update also brings the handset to the January 2019 security patch.

For now, Android 9 Pie update for the Galaxy Note 9 doesn’t seem to be available anywhere besides Germany. It’s also worth noting that the availabilty of Android 9 Piw update for the Note 9 could take longer than usual, as Samsung typically takes a long time to make the update available for everyone.

As something similar happened with the Galaxy S9 Android 9 Pie update also. The rollout started in late 2018, however, only limited countries across the world received the Android 9 Pie on the Galaxy S9. The rollout will liley continue throughout 2019.

Samsung is also busy planning the release of the next-gen Galaxy S10 series, which is expected to go official next month with Android 9 Pie out-of-the-box. Besides, Samsung is reportedly prepping Android Pie beta program for the Galaxy S8 as well, but details about that remain slim for the moment.

January 4, 2019
Mad Box console to lock horns against the PS5 and next-gen Xbox

It appears the PS5 and next-gen Xbox won’t be the only major rivals, as there could be another competitor on its way. Developer of Project Cars, Slightly Mad Studios, have announced their in-house console called Mad Box, touting it as the most powerful console ever built.

Slightly Mad Studios CEO, Ian Bell, confirmed the news on Twitter, adding that Mad Box would start shipping globally in around three years. He further added it’ll be a standlone console like the Xbox One and PS4, and would support most VR headsets in the market.

“It will support most major VR headsets and those upcoming and the specs will be equivalent to a very fast PC two years from now. We’re in early talks with manufacturers of components so we can’t say much more right now other than we have the designs specced out in detail,” Bell told Variety.

Mad Box will be priced on par with upcoming consoles

As far as pricing goes, Bell revealed that Mad Box would cost nearly the same as the upcoming PS5 and next-gen Xbox. He also added that Mad Box won’t likely be getting exclusives, as Bell believes there’s clear monoploy in the gaming industry.

“We think the industry is a little too much of a monopoly or a micro oligopoly,” Bell said to Variety Gaming. “We think competition is healthy and we have the required hardware contacts to be able to bring something epic to fruition based on our designs.”

Bell further announced that early design builds for the Mad Box console will be revealed in about four to six weeks. It’ll be interesting to see how worthy of a rival can the Mad Box turn out for the PS5 and next Xbox. More so when both are rumored to pack high-end specifications to supoort 4K gaming.

More details about the Mad Box console are liley to surface in the near future. We’ll update you as soon as we hear anything new. Until then, keep checking back for more.

January 3, 2019
Moto Z4 Play leak indicates waterdrop-styled notch, Moto Mods support

Leaks about the upcoming Moto Z4 Play have finally surfaced on the web. An alleged 360-degree render of the handset is doing rounds on the web, which shows off the handset from all sides. The leak comes via credible tipster OnLeaks, who has collaborated with CompareRaja to give us a good idea about the Moto Z4 Play’s design.

Going by the leaked render, the Moto Z4 Play will feature very slim bezels on all sides, along with a waterdrop-shaped notch on the front. Moving on to the back, we can see a ring shaped single-lens primary camera unit with the Motorola logo sitting right below it, which could also double-up as the fingerprint sensor.

On the right edge, we can see the volume rockers and the power button. While cutout for the speaker grille can be seen on the top edge. Besides, the device can be seen sporting a USB Type C port at the bottom edge, as well as the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Finally, the leaked render shows connecting pins for the Moto Mods at the bottom. Now, this essentially implies that the company isn’t ditching the concept of Moto Mods yet, given the fact Motorola launched only one Moto Mod this year – the Moto stereo speaker. The latest render suggests that new Mods could arrive this year. You can check out the render below:

For now, not much is known about the specifications of the Moto Z4 Play, but rumors indicate it could pack a 6.2-inch display. More details about the handset are likely to surface in the coming weeks. We’ll update you as soon as we hear anyhting new. Until then, keep checking back for more.

In case you missed, a leaked case render of the Moto G7 was also spotted on the web earlier this week.

January 3, 2019
Netflix snubs iTunes for new user subscriptions

Netflix is no longer allowing users to subscribe to the streaming service via iTunes, the streaming giant has officially confirmed. The move will reportedly save the company over $250 million a year, and is going to cost Apple in excess of $250 million a year. With this change, new Netflix users with an iOS device will be required to subscribe for the service by directly visiting their official website.

“We no longer support iTunes as a method of payment for new members. Existing members, however, can continue to use iTunes as a method of payment,” ,” a Netflix spokesperson told VentureBeat.

Apple typically gets a 15 percent share if users pay for an app via the App store. While this may not sound a lot, but if you have thousands of users and subscribers worldwide, this small interest amounts to a lot of money.

It’s also worth noting that active users who’ve subcribed for Netflix through iTunes are not affected by this move. They can carry on using the service as they’ve been until now. It’s only new users, or someone who wants to reactivate their account will have to do so via the official Netflix website.

Netflix did the same thing with Google Play. Back in May, the company stopped allowing users to pay for the service via the Play Store. Interestingly, it’s not just Netflix who’s trying to avoid fees from Apple and Google.

Fortnite Developer Epic Games, has now launched its own dedicated store for PC and Mac users to avoid taxes from Apple. Besides, even music streaming service Spotify has ditched Apple. The music streaming giant now wants users to sign up for the service directly through Spotify, rather through iTunes or the AppStore to avoid fees Apple charges on subscriptions purchased through iOS.

January 2, 2019