Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 could get a big graphics boost over 821

Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 835 mobile processor a few weeks ago, but so far the company hasn't offered any official info on its clock speed or graphics performance. However, new online benchmarking results may have provided some early information on those details.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 versus Apple A10 Fusion

5 days ago

The GFXBench site has recorded what appears to be the development board for the Snapdragon 835. Its numbers show that it has an octa-core design with a clock speed of 2.2GHz. However, the numbers for the processor's Adreno 540 GPU may be more impressive. The benchmark indicates 30 percent better performance compared to the Adreno 530 that's part of the current Snapdragon 821 processor.

Keep in mind that these numbers come from an online benchmarking site and, as a result, they may not be completely trustworthy. Also, the stats come from an early development board for the Snapdragon 835, so the final production board could see some performance improvements and final clock speeds could always change.

The Snapdragon 835 processor is expected to start showing up inside select smartphones sometime in early 2017. Unconfirmed rumors claim the first phone with the 835 will be none other than the Samsung Galaxy S8, which could be revealed in late February as part of the Mobile Word Congress 2017 trade show.

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Pebble officially acquired by Fitbit, will refund recent Kickstarter backers

Pebble, one of the first smartwatch companies, has now confirmed previous rumors that it has been acquired by fitness wearable company Fitbit. As a result, Pebble will shut down as a standalone entity and will refund all outstanding backers of its most recent Kickstarter campaign. The specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, but unconfirmed reports claim that Fitbit bought Pebble's assets for between $34-40 million.

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Best smartwatches (November 2016)

4 weeks ago

In a blog post, company founder and CEO Eric Migicovsky stated that while it will no longer be making any new smartwatches or other devices, all current Pebble products will continue to work. He did add that some smartwatch functions could be reduced in the future and that all warranty support has ended. All of the company's Kickstarter backers who have not yet received their awards will get a full refund within four to eight weeks.

Bloomberg reports that Fitbit has sent job offers to about 40 percent of Pebble's team members. Migicovsky will not be one of them; Bloomberg states he will be moving on to startup incubator Y Combinator.

Pebble used the Kickstarter crowdfunding site to raise money for its first smartwatch in 2012 with a $100,000 goal. It ended up with over $10 million by the end of that campaign, blowing away previous records for Kickstarter. However, the company never reached a big enough mainstream audience for its devices, despite more successful Kickstarter campaigns, along with additional venture capital funding.

Are you sad to see the end of Pebble? Or are fitness bands a better option for you?

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NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV refresh expected at CES 2017

NVIDIA is preparing a refresh of its Android TV hardware next year as part of its upcoming lineup of SHIELD products, according an anonymous industry source. The new TV hardware will apparently be unveiled at NVIDIA's yearly CES event, which has typically focused on automotive announcements in the past.

The report suggests that NVIDIA is preparing to make a few important changes to its hardware over its previous generation. The new SHIELD Android TV device is tipped to come with 802.11ac WIFI and MIMO antennas to make the most of faster home WiFi networks. NVIDIA is also expected to mention 4K content integration and support. This should bring support for ultra high definition Google Play Movies releases to the platform, along with other 4K streaming services from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Video.

The company also looks to be making some important changes to its SHIELD Controller. WiFi Direct connectivity looks set to be replaced by Bluetooth  Low Energy, and this change may be applied to the SHIELD Remote too.  This should help keep the accessories powered up for longer without having an impact of device performance or responsiveness, although range may now become an issue.

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NVIDIA Shield Tablet and Tablet K1 updated with Vulkan 1.0.1.0 support

November 3, 2016

We don't know how much NVIDIA is planning to charge for its new SHIELD Android TV device. Hopefully it will be priced at around the same level as the first generation's launch price. We'll likely see the new hardware unveiled at CES 2017 on January 4th.

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Pokémon Go creature reveal due Dec. 12, Sprint stores to become PokéStops and Gyms

Pokémon Go is finally getting close to adding some new Pokémon creatures to the mobile augmented reality game. Developer Niantic Labs has confirmed it will reveal the details about the additions on Monday, Dec. 12.

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October 13, 2016

Rumors about the game adding as many as 100 new creatures have been making the internet rounds for the past few weeks, but it looks like Niantic now has a firm date for when they will be let loose for players to catch em all.

In the meantime, the game has received a new update to version 0.49.1 for Android. That update will allow trainers to transfer multiple Pokémon at a time to Professor Willow by pressing and holding on a Pokémon.

The update also adds Pokémon-type icons to the Gym battle approach and Gym battle screen, and the total Candy count for your Buddy Pokémon has been added to the buddy info screen. Finally, you can check out the total number of kilometers a Buddy Pokémon has walked on that same info screen with this update.

As if that were not enough for fans of Pokémon Go, Niantic Labs and Sprint have announced a partnership that will turn 10,500 Sprint, Boost Mobile and Sprint at RadioShack locations in the U.S. into PokéStops and Gyms. In addition, Sprint stores will feature in-store charging stations for players of the game to keep their smartphone powered up.

Get it at Google Play

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Huawei Enjoy 6s announced with Snapdragon 435, 3 GB of RAM and 13 MP camera

Huawei, the most profitable Android manufacturer in Q3, released the Enjoy 6 smartphone back in October. Despite being on the market for less than two months, the device already has a "successor".

In partnership with China Mobile today, Huawei took the wraps off the slightly improved Enjoy 6s. The device comes with a 5-inch 720p IPS display, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 435 processor clocked at 1.4 GHz and 3 GB of RAM.

It offers double the storage at 32 GB when compared with the original Enjoy 6 and packs a 13 MP primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture. Meanwhile, the front-facing selfie snapper has a 5 MP sensor.

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3 hours ago

Unfortunately, the battery has been downgraded to 3,020 mAh from 4,100 mAh. But then again, the newly announced Enjoy 6s is a bit thinner than its slightly older brother, as its metal body is only 7.6 mm thick. The device also has dual-SIM capabilities and makes sure that your data is safe thanks to the fingerprint scanner located on the back, below the camera.

The Enjoy 6s should soon be available in China, but Huawei has not given an exact time frame as to when this might happen. Available in gold, silver, and white, it will retail for CNY 1,599, which is around $235 or €215. Although not stated specifically by the company, we expect that the device will not be released in Western markets.

Do you like the new Huawei Enjoy 6s? Would you consider buying one if it would be available in your country? Let us know.

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Fourth Galaxy S7/S7 Edge Nougat beta adds Samsung Pass and Note app

Samsung is working hard to get its flagship devices, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, updated to Android 7.0 Nougat. The company has already released a few beta updates to users who have signed up for its Galaxy Beta program in the US and the UK.

Today, the company started rolling out the fourth Nougat beta update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, which brings a few new and interesting features to both devices, including a change of name for TouchWiz which will now be called Samsung Experience.

The first major new feature is Samsung Pass, which offers additional security measures and can act as a master key for mobile banking services. The update also brings Samsung's Note app to the devices, adds the auto brightness button in the Quick Panel, and moves the "Close All" button back to the bottom in the recent apps overview. As with every update, Samsung has also fixed a few bugs and made some stability improvements.

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This is Nougat on the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

1 week ago

However, keep in mind that this is still a beta build, which means it does have a few problems. It looks like Samsung wasn't able to fix the annoying wake-from-sleep issue that was present in the previous beta update, as the screen still might not light up immediately after you wake up the device. But hopefully, the company will be able to sort this issue out with the next update.

If you get your hands on the latest update, which is around 530 MB in size, do let us know what you think of the new features. Would love to hear your thoughts.

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Samsung Experience: the interface formerly known as TouchWiz

Ah TouchWiz, where will we be without you? In a much better-looking place, that's where. Samsung seems to have officially hung TouchWiz out to dry in the latest Nougat beta for the Galaxy S7. The software info page on that update now lists a Samsung Experience version number, reflecting the new refined UI that borrows heavily from the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.

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Samsung brings the Note 7's Always on Display software to the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge

October 16, 2016

The same "new UX" update has also appeared in T-Mobile's Nougat update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge today. We've reached out to Samsung to see if Samsung Experience is a Nougat-only interface update or if it might also be making its way to other Galaxy devices not expected to make the jump to Android 7.0. Don't count on it, but we'll update this post with any further details.

Admittedly, TouchWiz has not been something Samsung has talked much about in years, with the last official mention of it being back on the Galaxy S2. But the name has stuck around around as the appellation of choice for Samsung's UI, all throughout its refinement phase starting with the Galaxy S6 up to the launch interface for the Galaxy S7 family.

In many ways TouchWiz hasn't been TouchWiz for years, so changing the name officially makes a lot of sense.

In many ways TouchWiz hasn't been TouchWiz for years, so changing the name officially makes a lot of sense. The Grace UX found on the Galaxy Note 7 was too good to up in flames with that device, so it's great to see Samsung pushing it out for next-in-line devices. The new Grace UX/Samsung Experience is a lot more streamlined and clean, with loads of white and light blue accents.

The new refined interface sits a lot better with Samsung's recent move to highly polished and brazenly design-oriented devices. Samsung's design language has matured in recent years and its software tastes have matured with it. I don't think I've ever seen a better looking Samsung and interface combo than the S7 Edge with Samsung Experience. Except perhaps, for the Galaxy Note 7, may she rest in peace.

What are your thoughts on the new Samsung UI? Do you hope to get it on your Galaxy, even if you won't get Nougat?

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