Xiaomi to launch the Redmi 3S in India on August 3

There's good news for Indian consumers who've been waiting for Xiaomi to launch its ultra-affordable smartphone, the Redmi 3S in India. The Chinese smartphone maker is expected to release the Redmi 3S, an upgraded variant of the Redmi 3, which was a successor to the popular Redmi 2, at an official event to be held in New Delhi on August 3.

The Redmi 3S, launched in China last month, came with a few upgrades over the Redmi 3, including a rear fingerprint sensor, Qualcomm's new 64-bit class Snapdragon 430 octa-core SoC and Adreno 505 graphics engine, instead of the Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor and Adreno 405 GPU inside its predecessor.

This aside, both the smartphones share the same specifications, including a full metal body with 5-inch HD screen, 2GB/3GB RAM, 16GB/32GB storage, 13MP/5MP rear/front cameras, and a 4,100mAh battery. But we can't confirm yet if the Redmi 3S released in India will come with the same specifications as its Chinese variant, as Xiaomi had earlier launched the Redmi Note 3 with a SoC which was different from the one powering the China version.

Indian consumers are yet to get thheir hands on the Redmi 3 and Xiaomi's decision to release its upgraded version could come as a surprise to quite a few of its fans in the country. However, during a round-table teardown session of the Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi's vice president for global operations, Hugo Barra had specifically said that it had no plans to launch the Redmi 3 in India anytime soon. The company was apparently concerned that the Redmi 3 could eat into sales of its highly popular Redmi Note 3, which has sold over 60,0000 units in India, as of May 2016. Still, Hugo did mention that it could consider launching an upgraded variant of the Redmi 3 in India.

Xiaomi's decision to release the Redmi 3S in India could have a lot to do with the competition heating up in the country's smartphone market, which has become important for handset makers. The latest data from Counterpoint research shows that Indian shipments of only seven brands managed to cross the one million mark, while Xiaomi's global shipments have declined, though it still remains among the world's top ten smartphone vendors.

Given these facts, it's hardly surprising to see Xiaomi renewing its focus on India this year with the launch of the Redmi Note 3 in April, followed immediately by its flagship Mi 5, and the Mi Max phablet, and making its handsets available on more online platforms.

There's no information about the pricing of the Redmi 3S in India, though what we can tell you is that its Chinese variant costs US$108 (Rs 7,200) for the 2GB RAM/16GB version and US$138 (Rs 9,200) for the 3GB RAM/32GB one. Among the other markets, the Redmi 3S is also available in the US where it is currently being sold by GearBest with free shipping thrown in.

Going by the images of the Redmi 3S on the company's China website, the smartphone seems to have the same look and feel as that of the Redmi Note 3 and could notch up similar sales in India. Of course, Xiaomi's aggressive pricing strategy for the Redmi 3S will be key, but you can count on the feature-rich smartphone giving the Moto G4 series, Lenovo K5 Plus, Samsung Galaxy On5 Pro, and the Galaxy J5 (2016) a run for their money when it hits the Indian market.

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Crowdfunding project of the week: The Superbook turns your smartphone into a laptop

Sunday is upon us and we are ready to feature a brand new 'Crowdfunding project of the week'! In this article series we showcase some of the best crowdfunding campaigns from sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, so let's dig right into the goods.

Other featured crowdfunding campaigns:

• Modobag is a luggage bag you can ride!
• Omnicharge battery pack
• Solos Smart Cycling Glasses

This week we are taking a look at the Superbook, a laptop dock that aims to turn any Android smartphone into a full-fledged computer. But does it? Let's start by saying this computer experience is built on Android, which will be a limitation to many. While Android has plenty of powerful applications, it doesn't really work seamlessly as a desktop PC alternative.

But if you can live with some sacrifices and need a truly mobile laptop, this may be a great option; as long as you're not restricted to certain software and PC capabilities. In a nutshell… it is a nutshell. What I mean is that the Superbook works as a docking station that offers an 11.6-inch HD (768p) display, over 8 hours of battery life (it will charge your phone while connected),  a full keyboard and a multi-touch trackpad. The unit measures 19.3 x 28.7 x 1.8 cm and weighs only 0.9 kg, making it very portable.

When plugged in, the Superbook will pretty much become an extension of your device. You can operate your smartphone through the Superbook and experience a Desktop-like interface (looks similar to Chrome OS). All of your smartphone's files will be accessible through the Superbook, as well as the apps and everything your device has to offer.

There are some things to keep in mind, though. The Superbook does require that your Android phone supports USB-OTG, but most smartphones nowadays do. The manufacturer, Andromium, also recommends you have the following specs.

Smartphone Minimum Requirements

• Android 5.0+
• Dual Core Processor and above
• 1.5 GB RAM or higher
• Type-C or Micro-B phone port
• 25 MB of free storage (100 MB+ recommended)

Sounds pretty interesting, right? It's hard to predict whether the experience will be wonky or not, but chances are the Superbook is worth its price. All early bird specials are gone, but you can still get a Superbook by backing the project with $99.

The Superbook is expected to start shipping on February 2017. It might be worth the wait, though! Are any of you signing up?

Check out the Superbook on Kickstarter

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SwiftKey suspends cloud syncing after data leak

Reddit

Talk about autocorrect fails: most of them are meant to be funny and awkward, but perhaps that's not the case with the recent SwiftKey glitch. Earlier this week, some SwiftKey users started reporting that their keyboard was suggesting random foreign words and even unfamiliar email addresses. Awkward indeed. In response to the leak SwiftKey has suspended cloud syncing temporarily.

Last weekend, a Reddit user posted a series of screenshots showing his SwiftKey keyboard doing something odd: despite being set to English, the keyboard was suggesting random German word predictions as well as a completely unfamiliar email address. Judging by the comments on this thread, this Reddit user wasn't the only one plagued by the glitch.

With personal words and phrases, email addresses, and phone numbers being synced to a stranger's phone half-way across the world, this seemingly harmless bug potentially meant a huge security issue.

See also: The best Android keyboards178

SwiftKey responded to the reports in a short blog post, acknowledging the problems and explaining that only a small fraction of users are affected by the glitch. In the meantime, however, the Microsoft-owned company is temporarily suspending cloud syncing and will be updating its system to remove email predictions.

The company claims that the error is simply due to a bug in the keyboard's synchronization program, which "did not pose a security issue for our customers." Yet when personal information such as contact details are being leaked, it's hard not to see it was a security issue, especially when SwiftKey is used by both Android and iOS users.

While this did not pose a security issue for our customers, we have turned off the cloud sync service and have updated our applications to remove email address predictions.

SwiftKey's leak isn't anything new in the virtual keyboard world: last year, there was a huge kerfuffle over Samsung's keyboard and its security (or the lack thereof). It was estimated that over 600 million devices were affected by the security flaw in Samsung's keyboard. As cloud technology becomes more integrated into our lives, the question of security must also be answered.

With major companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple already offering cloud-based services – and with Samsung's own cloud service allegedly launching with the Galaxy Note7 – it'd be interesting to see how the discourse on security develops as well.

Were you affected by the SwiftKey glitch? Do you see it as a harmless glitch or a security issue? Let us know in the comments below!

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Must read: top 10 Android stories

This week we reviewed the ZTE Axon 7, talked about the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, rounded up the best new Android apps and games, and much more. Here's the news of the week.

Who wants to win a Nexus 6P?

The Nexus 6P is still one of the best Android phones on the market. Here's how you can win one.

10 Android stories we handpicked for you

ZTE Axon 7 review A year after the mysterious Axon Pro, ZTE have launched the Axon 7 with a lot of upgrades and a $400 price tag. Is it the best affordable flagship around?

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BlackBerry DTEK50 hands-on: the Priv minus the keyboard, essentially It's been nearly a year since BlackBerry launched the PRIV running Android and now, they're back again with the DTEK50. Is the phone as lame as its name?

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Moto Mods review: blast, power and project in a snap Modularity is the name of the game and Josh takes a closer look at the Moto Mods – great ways to add more capabilities to the Moto Z range… at a price.

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The most iconic phone from each manufacturer It's easy to get caught up in the current smartphone landscape, but every once in awhile we need to look back and remember our history. Join us as we take a look at the most iconic phones from each OEM.

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I want to develop Android apps – what languages should I learn? Developing Android apps can be rewarding, both personally and financially. Assuming you have a certain level of technical knowledge then it is possible to develop Android apps yourself. But what programming languages do you need to learn?

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10 best new Android games of June 2016 Our own Joe Hindy rounds up the best Android games from June 2016!

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10 best new Android apps of June 2016 Every month we update our list of favorite new apps, and this time Joe Hindy has given us a very neat portfolio of great additions to the Google Play Store. Among them are Bitly, Evie, Expeditions, Discogs and more.

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Cyanogen OS vs Android: what's the difference? If you're at all interested in smartphones, you've probably heard of Cyanogen OS. What is it, and how does it differ from Google's Android? Let's find out.

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Failure to launch: 6 devices we're still waiting for Crowdfunding has kickstarted a number of great products, but for every success there are some failures. Here are six devices that we are still waiting for.

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Lenovo K4 Note review We take a look at one of Lenovo's new mid-range offerings in this in-depth Lenovo K4 Note review!

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You have to watch this

And more: Here are the videos you don't want to miss this week – July 31, 2016

More hot news

• BlackBerry DTEK50 officially announced: Snapdragon 617, FHD display, Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• Full Galaxy Note 7 specs leak along with new Gear VR and renders
• This app notifies you when Pokémon are near without opening Pokémon Go
• Official Galaxy Note 7 commercial reveals several new features
• Galaxy Note 7 and S7 Edge compared in new leak
• Samsung Galaxy S8 codenamed 'Project Dream': 4K display rumored again
• HTC Nexus Sailfish leak reveals 1080p display, MSM8996 chipset
• The Xiaomi laptop is official: Mi Notebook Air announced
• Prisma finally launches on Android
• Samsung releases flagship smartphone battery test video
• Android 7.0 Nougat final release reportedly coming in August
• Pokémon Go update: footprints gone, customizable avatars and more
• T-Mobile CEO slams Verizon and AT&T, announces 16 new Binge On partners
• Nintendo doesn't actually make Pokémon Go: investors freak out, shares plummet
• Xiaomi responds to that whole exploding phone incident

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5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly

Sponsored by: FreeMo

[Price: Free]
This week's episode of the Android Apps Weekly show is brought to you by FreeMo! This is nifty little application that gives you credits that you can then use to lower your monthly cell phone payment. The process is pretty easy. You sign up for an account, engage with the surveys, videos, or other marketing stuff, and then you get credits. Once you earn so many credits, you can cash out and get a voucher for use on your cell phone plan.

The app should work for all cell phone carriers as well as on prepaid and postpaid accounts. Earning credits really isn't that difficult because most of the activities don't require a ton of time. You'll mostly be doing stuff like watching videos, download apps, and taking surveys. It's a free download so give it a shot and show your support for Android Apps Weekly!

Get it now on Google Play!

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Welcome to the 151st episode of the Android Apps Weekly show! Here are the headlines for this week:

• Facebook announced this week that they have over one billion active daily users. That's billion with a "b". Facebook outshines literally everything else on the Internet by a wide margin. Many people have attributed the success to Facebook's continued focus on mobile features, live video, 360-degree content, and more. As a result, you can expect Facebook's focus on these things to continue into the future and their growth should as well.
• Google also announced that the Google Play Store will be getting additional categories in order to help people find apps more easily. This is great news since most apps are available in multiple categories and it's already pretty confusing. There will be eight new categories and a few of them will be Art & Design, Parenting, Dating, and Food & Drink, to give you an idea of what they'll be like.
• Google Play continued its busy week with a new algorithm that's said to help lower the size of updates so that they aren't so hard on your data plan. It does this by allowing the update to only download the changes which are then merged into the existing files on your device. That way you don't have to download the whole app every time an update gets pushed out. This will result in far smaller downloads and less download times.
• Mobius Final Fantasy is coming out on August 3rd, but we were given an APK early so we could try it out first. Our initial impressions were fairly positive. You'll find that the game has better graphics than other freemium Final Fantasy titles. However, it is still a freemium game and you'll find all of the components of one in the game. It'll be interesting, that's for sure and it'll also be out soon.
• The latest Humble Mobile Bundle is now live. This week's run has a bunch of really good games, including Ys Chronicles, Hitman Go, Chameleon Run, The Banner Saga, and others. You can pay $1 to get three games, beat the average to get six games, or pay a flat $6 or more to get every game in the bundle. This is an exceptionally good week, especially if you like RPGs, so don't miss out!

For even more Android apps and games news, you can check out our newsletter by clicking here! There you'll find all kinds of stuff we didn't have time for here, including the latest Pokemon Go news if you wanted to know more about that. If you want to sign up for our newsletter, you can do so by filling out the form below and we'll send it to your inbox every Sunday! Also, don't forget to check out the Android Authority app!

Signup for our newsletter

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• Apps Weekly

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VR Controller

[Price: $3.99]
VR Controller is a fun little app that allows you to transform an old device into a controller for a VR game. Here's how it works. You download the app onto an old device that you're not using. You then pair that device to your current device using Bluetooth. From there, you can use it as a controller while playing VR games. It's compatible with Gear VR, Google Cardboard, and other Android VR headsets. If you're big into VR gaming, this is definitely an app to check out.

Get it now on Google Play!

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Maiden: Legacy of the Beast

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Maiden: Legacy of the Beast is a turn-based combat strategy based on the music of Iron Maiden. The mechanics are fairly simple and you'll have five classes to choose from, dozens of talisman packs to collect, and plenty of bad guys to do combat with. Perhaps the most interesting part of the game is the soundtrack. It will feature many Iron Maiden tracks and some of them are previously unreleased songs or songs that were made specifically for the game. Fans of the band should definitely check it out.

Get it now on Google Play!

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TraffickCam

[Price: Free]
TraffickCam is a unique application that could help track down sex traffickers. The idea is that whenever you stay in a hotel, you open the app and take a few pictures of the room that you're staying in. You then upload it to a database and the proper authorities can use it to match pictures taken by sex traffickers.  It's a completely free download and worth taking with you when you're out traveling about. Every little bit helps, right?

Get it now on Google Play!

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LEGO Star Wars TFA

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
LEGO Star Wars TFA is the latest installment of the LEGO Star Wars franchise and this one is themed after the highly successful The Force Awakens movie. This is an episodic adventure which means you'll have to unlock various segments of the story through in-app purchases. Aside from that, the game features tons of characters and scenarios from the movie for you to play through. It's a fun little game that is also family friendly and you can pick up the beginning of it for free.

Get it now on Google Play!

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Prisma

[Price: Free]
Prisma was released early last week and it's one of the more unique filter apps that we've seen. According to the developers, the app uses neural networks and artificial intelligence to transform your photos. Because of this, you're going to get some unique results when applying filters to your photos. There are a variety of filters that you can use and we assure you that none of them are the kinds of typical stuff you see in other apps. It's completely free so there's no harm in trying it out.

Get it now on Google Play!

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Related best app lists:

• Check out the best VR apps and games on Android!
• You can see more awesome photo editing apps here!

If we missed any of the best Android apps or games news from the last week, tell us about them in the comments!To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.

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Here are the videos you don’t want to miss this week – July 30, 2016

The week is over and you can bet we've been keeping busy. But we know you can't always be on the lookout for new videos, so every weekend we put together a list with the hottest ones.

So what's all new? The Android Authority team has updated the best apps and games lists. In addition, we had the opportunity to review the ZTE Axon 7, BLU R1 HD and even the all-new Segway miniPRO. We even had a chance to check out a brand new BlackBerry phone!

There's a lot to see, so let's jump right in and show you this week's videos.

In the news: Nintendo shares plummet? Note 7 Leaks & Samsung responds to failed S7 Active

Looking to catch up on the news? Jayce has put together a video talking about the hottest topics of the week. Maybe you would like to start there! He covers the craze on Nintendo not making Pokemon Go, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 leaks and more. Sit back and catch up on what matters.

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air: What You Need to Know

Xiaomi is known for making great smartphones at incredible prices, but they are definitely not afraid of stepping into stranger territories. This week they announced the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air, a computer that will definitely catch your eye. It comes with great specs and a price point that will prove to be very hard to beat.

• The Xiaomi laptop is official: Mi Notebook Air announced

Favorite Tech under $50

Want to get some cool tech on a $50 budget? There's plenty of great stuff out there, just like there is a lot of cheap, worthless products. If you need some help finding the right gadgets, our very own Lahn has put together a list with his favorite gadgets below this price point. The list includes speakers, mounts, lighting equipment and more.

• Favorite tech under $50

10 best new Android apps from July 2016!

Every month we update our list of favorite new apps, and this time Joe Hindy has given us a very neat portfolio of great additions to the Google Play Store. Among them are Bitly, Evie, Expeditions, Discogs and more.

• 10 best new Android apps from July 2016!

10 best new Android games from July 2016!

We have an updated list of new games too! And yes… Pokemon Go is in there.

• 10 best new Android games of June 2016!

Reviews and hands-on coverage

ZTE Axon 7 review

This week Bailey Stein got to review the ZTE Axon 7. It is clear that ZTE has put a massive amount of time and effort into the Axon 7, making it one of the best smartphones we've encountered. It's surprisingly similar to popular offerings like the Galaxy S7 and HTC 10, while costing much less. Want to learn all about it? Check out the video or read our full written review.

• ZTE Axon 7 review

BLU R1 HD Review

Need something more affordable? The BLU R1 HD costs only $100 for the base version. That is incredibly affordable, so we know you are asking yourself if it will be good enough to meet your needs. There's definitely a good list of sacrifices that were made, but this phone gets a lot right. It has a solid design, decent performance, a clean software package and an unbeatable price point.

• BLU R1 HD review

Moto Mods review – Blast, power, and project in a snap!

Though few and pricey, Moto Mods have been all over the news, making us wonder if Motorola has finally found the right balance between a modular design and user friendliness. If you have been asking yourself the same, go ahead and check out our Moto Mods review, where we give you a closer look at some of these modules.

• Moto Mods Review: Blast, power, and project in a snap!

Segway miniPRO by Ninebot review

This is not something we would usually cover, but there is an Android app that controls it and the Segway miniPRO happens to be one really awesome product. The Segway miniPRO by Ninebot promises reliable, green and easy to carry transportation. Does it fulfill its promises? Take a look at John Velasco's full review to find out!

• Segway miniPRO by Ninebot review

BlackBerry DTEK50 hands-on

When John Velasco is not riding around in a Segway miniPRO, he is playing around with a BlackBerry DTEK50 (at least this week). Yes, this is BlackBerry's new phone, which is very competitively priced at a mere $299. Now we have your attention, right? Watch the video and read the full review to learn why it's so affordable.

• BlackBerry DTEK50 hands on: The PRIV minus the keyboard, essentially

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Nexus 6P CaliCase International Giveaway!

Welcome to the Sunday Giveaway, the place where we giveaway a new Android phone or tablet each and every Sunday!

A big congratulations to last week's winners of the OnePlus 3 Giveaway: Chris S.  (Greece).

This week we have teamed up with CaliCase to giveaway a Nexus 6P & 25 CaliCase Waterproof pouches!

Phones and water don't mix well together and CaliCase is here to help keep you protected. With CaliCase you get:

• 2x protection – Double protection thanks to the 2 layers of PVC Plastic, most competitors use just 1.
• Floating –  No need to worry about your phone sinking to the bottom of the ocean.
• 16 fun colors –  Including the American Flag, Camo & glow in the dark.

Available exclusively at Amazon you can pickup a CaliCase for $14.95. To celebrate the giveaway CaliCase is offering a 10% off coupon this week only, enter promo code: CALI1010 at checkout.

Buy at Amazon

Enter giveaway

Nexus 6P CaliCase International Giveaway!

Recent Winners

Terms & Conditions

• The giveaway is an international giveaway (Except when we can not ship to your Country.)
• If we can not ship to your country, you will be compensated with an online gift card of equal MSRP value to the prize.
• We are not responsible for lost shipments.
• You must be age of majority in your Country of residence.
• We are not responsible for any duties or import fees that you may incur.
• Only 1 entry per person, do not enter multiple email addresses. We will verify all winners and if we detect multiple email addresses by the same person you will not be eligible to win.
• We reserve all rights to make any changes to this giveaway.
• This giveaway is operated by AndroidAuthority.
• The prize will ship when it is available to purchase.

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