Deal: Galaxy S6 edge+ for just $359.99

It's Galaxy Note 7 day and that means Samsung's other curvy large screened competition has got to go. Over on eBay right now you can pick up the dual-curved 5.7-inch Galaxy S6 edge+ for just $359.99 – that's less than half of what the new Note 7 will cost you.

See also: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 – everything you need to know

The phone is an unlocked SM-G928V (Verizon) model in the original packaging but it works just fine on other GSM carriers including T-Mobile and AT&T. There are limited quantities available, so there's no telling how long this deal might be good for. But with the Note 7 hitting shelves soon, you can bet the S6 range and Note 5 will continue to be discounted.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ has a 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display, Exynos 7420 chipset clocked at 2.1 GHz and 1.5 GHz, 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB ROM (remember that the S6 series doesn't include a microSD card slot). It also has a 16 MP/5 MP f/1.9 camera combo with OIS and 4K video on the back, a 3,000 mAh battery and fingerprint scanner (but no IP rating).

What is your favorite sized Samsung phone of the last few years? Pumped for the Note 7?

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Get the new Nexus launcher look with this simple Nova recipe

It will probably only take the Nova team a few days to incorporate the new Nexus launcher into their app proper, but if you're simply dying to have it right now, you can. Using Nova Launcher, a couple widgets and an icon pack, you can pretty effectively recreate the new Google launcher right now on your very own device, even if it isn't a Nexus.

Industrious Nova user and XDA contributor Corey Zonin came up with the recipe. It uses:

• Nova Launcher
• Zooper Widgets Pro ($2.99)
• Google button and date widget for Zooper
• Polycon icon pack

How to build the Nexus launcher in Nova

To get things setup you'll need to first install Nova as your default launcher as you normally would. Then install Polycon icon pack, install Zooper Widgets Pro and download the two Nexus launcher widgets. Move these .zw files to sdcard/ZooperWidget/Templates

Long press on your home screen to add a 4×1 Zooper Widget right up top. Tap it and choose configure > select SD Card > select nexus_launcher_top to get the Google button and date widget. Resize as necessary.

Back on the home screen, add another Zooper Widget, this time a 1×1 which you should center right above the dock icons. Tap it and locate the other .zw file on your SD card: nexus_launcher_drawer and back out of Zooper to finalize.

Now, in Nova settings (just long-press the home screen and choose settings), apply the following settings and values:

Desktop

• Width padding > None
• Persistent search bar disabled
• Page indicator > None

App & widget drawers

• App drawer style > Vertical
• Card background disabled
• Background > White at 10% transparency
• Enable fast scrollbar enabled
• Scroll accent color > teal
• Transition animation > Slide up

Dock

• Dock Background:
  • Shape > Rectangle
  • Content > Tint > White
  • Transparency > 90%
• Dock icons > 5

Folders

• Folder preview > Grid
• Folder background > N Preview

Gestures & inputs

• Swipe up > App Drawer

You'll now access Google Now by tapping the Google button and Calendar by tapping the date. You can swipe up from anywhere on the home screen to launch the app drawer, but tapping the little arrow on top of the dock will achieve the same. If you don't really like this feature you can always just leave it out of the steps above. You can grab the leaked 2016 Nexus wallpapers to complete the look.

Seems those rumors of Android 7.0 doing away with the Android app drawer weren't entirely incorrect after all.

What do you think of the new Nexus launcher? Do you prefer this app drawer method to the current one?

Don't miss: Download the leaked Galaxy Note 7 wallpapers here

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Niantic explains why they blocked third-party Pokemon Go apps

Pokémon Go has been nothing short of a phenomenon, with its daily active users exceeding that of Twitter. The game had people flocking around in the outdoors to catch all the Pokémon, but along with the game, one could also witness a rise of parallel services that aimed at helping the gamers. Much to the furore of the players however, a recent app update has blocked the access to third party services like PokeVision.

The makers of the game released an official statement on their Facebook page which said that the services were "interfering with our ability to maintain the quality of service for our users and to bring Pokémon Go to users around the World." Additionally, the company also said that it removed the "3-step" Pokémon detection legend in a bid to "improve the underlying design." That being said the 3-Step feature is still a work in progress and will return to the app in the future. Furthermore, Niantic also rendered an apology for not tweeting often and assured that they will try to communicate in a better way.

Pokémon Go is no stranger to backlash, as only last week the users were aghast after their progress was erased, and they found themselves back at level 1, after an update. Despite the fact that the number of daily active users is decreasing, the Pokémon fad is far from over. Also, the removal of footprint tracking systems is bound to upset players for the time being since it makes it that much harder.

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The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is the world’s top-selling smartphone so far in 2016

 Samsung seems to only be getting bigger and better. Not only does it now account for the three top-selling Android smartphone models shipped worldwide, but its Galaxy S7 Edge was also the world's top-selling Android smartphone model in the first half of 2016, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics.

Samsung has done a killer job with their Galaxy S7 Edge, which has achieved monumental success. The S7 Edge is currently the world's most popular Android smartphone, thanks to its attractive curved display design combined with an easy to use Edge features, which users find extremely appealing.

Not surprisingly then, Samsung shipped 13.3 million units of the Galaxy S7 Edge in H1 2016, accounting for a share of 2 percent of all Android smartphones shipped worldwide. The world's second most popular Android smartphone was the Galaxy J2, which shipped 13.0 million units, followed by the Galaxy S7 at the third position with shipments of 11.8 million units during H1 2016.

The research brought more good news for Samsung as it reported that global Android smartphone shipments increased by 5 percent from 552.2 million units in H1 2015 to 577.3 million units in H1 2016. The report, however, failed to bring any cheer for Apple, which is seeing declining iPhone sales, as the research found that the Android smartphone category was outgrowing Apple iOS. According to the report, global smartphone shipments of Apple iOS fell 16 percent from 108.7 million in H1 2015 to 91.6 million in H1 2016.

Even as the South Korean smartphone maker continues to increase its dominance in the mobile market, the report warns that Samsung cannot afford to sit back and relax, as sales of other models being offered by its emerging rivals, such as the Huawei P9, OPPO R9, and Vivo X7, are fast beginning to catch up.

Data from Strategy Analytics for Q2 2016 shows that Samsung's global smartphone shipments increased to 77.6 million from 71.9 million in Q2 2015, while Chinese smartphone maker, Oppo more than doubled its sales from 7.6 million units to 18 million units over the same period.

Let us know in the comments below if you think that the Android smartphone category will continue to outgrow Apple iOS and Samsung will remain the king of the Android mobile landscape!

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Is this the Xiaomi Redmi Pro Mini?

Above: The newly announced Redmi Pro

Not even a week has passed since Xiaomi launched its new Redmi Pro smartphone in China. Now a new leak suggests that a smaller Redmi Pro Mini could be on the way, but with some slightly different specifications compared to its bigger brother. These details, which we'll treat with some scepticism for now, come courtesy of Chinese leaker Kjuma, who posted the specs and a sketch of the phone to Weibo.

According to the report, the Redmi Pro Mini will be a 5.2-inch rather than 5.5-inch handset, but it will retain the same 1080p OLED display as Xiaomi's latest. The processor inside the Mini variant is said to be an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 rather than the deca-core MediaTek Helio X25. Although the selection of 3GB and 4GB RAM options with 32GB or 128GB of internal storage looks set to remain the same.

A much more pronounced change on the leaked specsheet is the absence of the dual rear camera configuration. Unfortunately, the leak doesn't mention anything regarding camera resolution or other specifications. Instead it does tell us that the handset will come with a 4,000mAh battery, a fingerprint scanner located in the home button, 9V/2A fast charging, and the same 2.5D curved glass design.

Prices for the Redmi Pro Mini are expected to start at CNY 1,499 (Rs. 15,050 / $225), reaching up to CNY 1,899 (Rs. 19,070 / $285) for the largest storage option. If this handset turns out to be the real deal, we will likely hear a little more about it soon. Stay tuned.

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Is this the future of multi-touch on mobile?

Multi-touch was a true breakthrough for mobile and for smartphones in particular. But beyond the familiar swipe, pinch, zoom and rotation, there are some that think we've barely begun to tap the massive potential multi-touch has to offer. Take this multi-touch offering called TouchTools that allows you to virtually pull up all manner of different on-screen tools with intuitive gestures.

qeexo See also: Qeexo showcases actual 3D touch technology16

Mountain View-based Qeexo developed the software to enhance existing hardware. That means these gestures work on the current crop of devices and don't require expensive upgrades or brand new technology. That alone is a big deal for manufacturers (and users for that matter). But it's the awesomeness of the tools themselves that really make TouchTools stand out.

TouchTools uses a range of natural gestures, typically related to how you would use the object in real life. The software layer recognizes the touchscreen gesture and brings up the relevant on-screen tool. Tools include things as handy as a ruler or tape measure, magnifying glass or camera and even a mouse or eraser. It's pretty crazy to watch, mostly because it works so well it looks like the on-screen element is actually there in the user's hands.

But it's not just as simple as recognizing where the fingers are located on the screen. TouchTools uses machine learning to understand the orientation of the hand and rotation of the fingertips to accurately recognize the gesture. In case this all sounds like pie-in-the-sky stuff, Qeexo is also the company responsible for FingerSense, the technology behind Huawei's Knuckle Sense gestures.

TouchTools are already available to manufacturers and developers and are not just restricted to tablets either. Qeexo also sees potential for digital signage, virtual whiteboards and vehicular applications. With Project Soli hopefully making it into real world applications this year too, we'll soon have a number of entirely new ways to interact with our devices.

Would do you think of TouchTools? How do you see the future of device interaction?

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ASUS ZenPad 3 8.0 arrives with a 2K display

ASUS is back with another entry for the tablet market, this time peeling the Verizon sticker off of its ZenPad Z8 that was released back last June. Just like before, the now renamed ZenPad 3 8.0 is targeted at the higher-end of the market, but with a couple of hardware changes. The tablet boasts a sleek looking design and a 2K display that is sure to look sharp in this 7.9-inch form factor.

Starting with the display, the ASUS ZenPad 3 8.0 features a 7.9-inch IPS LED display that boasts a stonking 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution, resulting in 324 pixels per inch. This is backed up by the company's Tru2Life+ software, which claims to add notable boosts to image contrast, sharpness and detail.

The tablet includes a decent processing package too. The main chip is a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650, which packs in two high performance Cortex-A72 cores, four low power Cortex-A53s, and an Adreno 510 GPU. This is paired up with your choice of either 2GB or 4GB of RAM, an upgrade from the 2GB limit with the Z8, which also determines whether the tablet comes with 16GB or 32GB of internal memory. Either way, you'll also have access to a microSD card slot for extra space, as well as 5GB of ASUS web-storage for life and 100GB Google Drive space free for two years.

ASUS has packed in some tempting extras with this tablet too. There's a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfers, DTS HD Premium Audio speakers, and a large 4,680mAh battery that boasts 11 hours of use time. The tablet also has an 8 megapixel rear and 2 megapixel front facing camera, along with a SIM card slot if you want 3G or 4G data on the go. The ASUS ZenPad 3 8.0 also comes with the usual 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 connections.

ASUS hasn't officially announced prices for the ZenPad 3 8.0 yet, but we can't imagine that it will be priced much differently than the ZenPad Z8. Prices for the Z8 start at just $149.99 when you sign up two a two-year contract with Verizon. Alternatively, you can pay $249.99 if you just want the tablet outright.

For a closer look at the tablet, why not check out our review of the ZenPad Z8.

This article first appeared on our sister site TabTimes.com

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