Samsung confirms metal Galaxy S6 design in latest teaser


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Samsung has confirmed a metal Galaxy S6 design is on the way as it teases the eagerly awaited handset ahead of its March 1 unveiling.


With the Korean manufacturer steadily building the hype ahead of its next flagship phone announcement, the company’s latest teaser video has promised a new metal form factor.


A feature long tipped to be bestowed on Samsung’s flagship phone line, the S6’s metal design will likely echo those already handed to the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and oversized Galaxy Note 4.


“Tomorrow, metals will flow. Beauty will be powerful. Boarders will disappear. Reflections will be free. Colours will live. The future will be the present,” the S6 teaser video announces.


As well as making reference to a new metal build, the video offers tantalising glimpses at the upcoming Galaxy S5 follow-on.


The latest video follows a week of official teases, with Samsung having previously promised its upcoming iPhone 6 rival will feature everything from an improved camera and premium styling to a new Exynos processor and faster memory.


Related: Galaxy Note 5 release date


With MWC 2015 set to be held between March 2 and 5, Samsung has confirmed it will hold a dedicated press conference ahead of the show on March 1.


The Galaxy S6 is widely expected to be the star of this show, with the HTC One M9 challenger to feature a new, 5.2-inch QHD display alongside a 64-bit octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM.


Further Galaxy S6 features expected to make an appearance include a 20-megapixel rear-mounted camera, Google’s latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS and a newly refreshed, cleaner TouchWiz UI.




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London Formula E track unveiled ahead of season finale


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London Formula E track



Ahead of June’s season finale, London’s Formula E track has been officially unveiled within the confines of Battersea Park.


The pinnacle of electric car racing, the Formula E series is set to wrap up its debut season in our nation’s capital with two races across June 27 and 28.


Marking the final two rounds of the 11 race series, it has been confirmed the London Formula E track will consist of a 2.92km, 15 turn circuit specially created inside Battersea Park.


According to British Formula E racing driver, Sam Bird, the track “combines fast straights, a couple of high-speed bends, as well as some challenging chicanes and braking zones.”


The world’s first fully electric racing series, Formula E is being used to develop new electric car systems which will one day filter down into the consumer automotive space.


The series has been described as “a vision for the future of the motor industry” and a project that “serves as a framework for R&D around the electric vehicle, accelerating general interest in these cars and promoting clean energy and sustainability”.


Unveiling the London tack plans, Alejandro Agag, Formula E’s CEO, stated: “Having two races in London – the final two of the season – was an option we discussed at length with Wandsworth Council and means that London could well be where the inaugural champion is crowned.”


He added the sport’s presence in London will make “a fantastic spectacle for the city and a great platform to showcase sustainable mobility and clean energy.”


Related: Red Bull Racing: 3D printing is the future of Formula 1


“Formula E is set to be a superb addition to London’s sporting calendar,” Mayor of London, Boris Johnson added. “The atmosphere will quite literally be electric and Battersea, which is already booming with the buzz of regeneration, will be alive with the excitement that this new, world-class event will no doubt spark.”




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Future Tech: Biggest patents and acquisitions of the month


We look back at the biggest patents filed and acquisitions made this month including Apple, Google and Microsoft


Innovation is one of the most important facets of the technology industry. In terms of the day-to-day news that we at TrustedReviews cover, that innovation tends to manifest itself in two main ways: patents and acquisitions.

Whether they’re coming up with a bright idea themselves, or purchasing smaller companies that have had those bright ideas, all the big guns are active in these two key areas. Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung - they’re all at it.


With that in mind, we'll be taking a look back at the most interesting patents and acquisitions launched each month, and how they might impact the services, products, and apps we use each day.


SEE ALSO: Best crowdfunding campaigns we'd invest in this month

Patents 7


Google acquires Odysee


Google has purchased Odysee, an iOS and Android app concerned with the backing up and sharing of photos.

But why would Google need such a company? Its Google+ Photos service already automatically backs up your smartphone photos to the cloud, and obviously sharing these photos is already integral.


Odysee’s capabilities are a little different, though. It allows for full quality photos to be automatically backed up, via the cloud, to your computer. At the same time, Odysee concerns itself with the seamless private sharing of these high quality images.


Also, it’s been rumoured that Google is looking to separate its Photos feature into a stand-alone app. Bulking out its feature-set would be a natural move if the company wants to be able to compete with the other formidable photo-sharing services out there.


Patents 11


Apple buttonless Touch ID patent


We’ve recently heard claims that Apple is set to improve its Touch ID fingerprint recognition system for the next iPhone, but there’s something far more exciting on the horizon.

According to a patent that was recently unveiled, Apple is looking at ways to incorporate Touch ID into the very touchscreen of its devices. The potential for a significantly smaller iPhone is obvious here.


Apple is now making iPhones with significantly bigger displays then before, and it can do so because these phones are slimmer, and the side bezels are thinner. There’s one major area to improve, though, and that’s the top and bottom bezel areas.


Put simply, the iPhone’s signature home button is now limiting how compact Apple can go with its phone design. It will almost certainly be removed in the years to come, and now we know that this won’t come at the expense of Touch ID.


SEE ALSO: Google Chrome Tips and Tricks

Patents 1


Google auto-Incognito Mode patent


Google has just won a patent for a kind of smart Incognito Mode that automatically engages a private web browsing session where appropriate.

Right now, if you want to start a private web browsing session, where no cookies, history, or web caching files are stored locally, you have to do so manually.

Google’s proposal is that this process could be initiated automatically every time you access certain websites - whether they relate to banking, log-in screens, payment inputs, or something a little more risqué.


Given that this patent request was filed back in 2011, it’s quite possible that Google is about ready to roll with this handy feature in a near-future version of Chrome.


Patents 5


Apple iPhone thumbstick home button patent


If we’ve learned anything about patents, it’s that they don’t signify a direction a company is going to take, but rather some of many paths it might take.

For example, while the Apple patent above suggests that the company wants to do away with the home button altogether from its iOS devices, another patent revealed in January points to the company adding even more functionality to it.


This one will be of interest to gamers - yes, even those hardcore gamers who typically turn their nose up at mobile games.


The patent puts forward a technology whereby Apple integrates a pop-out analogue nub into the iPhone’s home button. The whole home button literally pops out of its housing by a millimetre or two, offering full X and Y axis inputs as well as Z axis (so you can still press it in like a button).


Suddenly, the iPhone becomes a proper gaming device (of sorts) with a physical input method. We’re a little dubious that this will ever become a reality - a home button-free future sounds far more likely - but it’s an interesting glimpse at a possible future nonetheless.


Patents 9


Microsoft Sunrise acquisition


Microsoft is on a bit of a productivity app acquisition spree at the moment. Well, okay, this is the second notable productivity app acquisition it’s made in as many months.

But given the rapid turn-around and complete integration of the Accompli email app - now Outlook - we reckon the acquisition of the Sunrise calendar app is worthy of mention.


Especially as Microsoft has confirmed that it wants nothing less than to reinvent the way people use calendars with this acquisition, and that it’s all part of its plan to “rethink the productivity category.”


Sunrise is notable for incorporating multiple third party apps and services into a polished calendar app, thus providing a more comprehensive organisational tool than is usual.


If nothing else, this acquisition shows that Microsoft’s new cross-platform software focus is very real, and that Google probably needs to be a little worried.


Apple VR


Apple VR headset patent


Another Apple patent to round off our selection, but this time it has nothing to do with the iPhone's home button.

The Apple VR headset essentially appears to be Apple’s take on the Samsung Gear VR - that is, a cheap head-mounted dock that turns your smartphone into a virtual reality headset.


The patent, which has been given the snappy name of ‘Head-Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a Portable Electronic Device with Display,’ talks about using an iPhone as the primary screen for a VR experience.


It also mentions a separate remote control that would be used in addition to the headset.


As ever with Apple patents, this is absolutely no guarantee that Apple is planning to enter the VR space. But it’s still interesting to note that the company has been researching virtual reality technology, and that in doing so it came to a very similar conclusion to its great Korean rival.



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SIM card hack opens up a big can of data snooping worms


OPINION: Chris Smith looks at the latest startling developments in the snooping crisis, excitement ahead of the big MWC launches, Pebble’s forthcoming announcement, Jony Ive’s swipe at Moto and Samsung’s efforts to muscle in on mobile payments.


The final nail in privacy’s coffin?

If we had any illusions left of being safe from egregious government surveillance then reports this week brutally murdered them and urinated on the corpse for added emphasis.


The NSA has reportedly been installing spyware in hard drives from top manufacturers like WD, Toshiba and Seagate and, with help from their equally nosey British counterparts at GCHQ, infiltrated the world’s largest SIM card manufacturer and thieved the mobile encryption keys.


The result is a network of millions of computers and potentially billions of SIM cards that read like an open book. These are staggeringly worrying, but wholly unsurprising revelations.


“They use tools that are very complicated and expensive to develop, in order to infect victims, retrieve data and hide activity in an outstandingly professional way, and utilise classic spying techniques to deliver malicious payloads to the victims,” security company Kaspersky said of the hard-drive discovery.


How can we have any faith in tech manufacturers’ ability to keep us safe from this snooping (especially when Lenovo doesn’t seem to know its ass from its elbow)? How can we even expect them to withstand this level of sophistication? Where does this end? Is there ever any going back? None of these questions have encouraging answers right now.


SEE ALSO: Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 hands-on

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+


Samsung’s gets in the contactless payments Loop

Samsung made a pretty smart move this week with the purchase of the mobile payments start-up LoopPay. Rather than start its own initiative from scratch, the firm has gotten itself an existing Apple Pay rival with tons of potential. LoopPay, makes it easier for retailers to take and consumers to make mobile payments. The tech currently exists as a mobile case and an adaptor, which turns existing card machines into NFC readers, is likely to go straight into the Galaxy S6.


SEE ALSO: What is LoopPay? How Samsung will take on Apple Pay

LoopPay


HTC One vs Galaxy S6 showdown is just the way it should be

Speaking of the Galaxy S6, I love the news HTC and Samsung are going mano-a-mano with their new releases on MWC’s ‘Super Sunday’ next weekend. This week it was finally confirmed both firms’ new flagship handsets would be launched on March 1, giving consumers the chance to instantly nail their colours to the mast. No more waiting to see what the other party does before hitting that pre-order button.


SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S6 vs HTC One M9

Samsung MWC 2015 invite


Moto chief right to fire back at Sir Jony

The Jonathan Ive profile in the New Yorker made a few headlines this week, not least for the nugget that suggested he’s behind the new Star Wars lightsaber design that spawned a thousand memes. However, Apple’s design guru also had some harsh words for Moto, accusing them of ‘abdicating design responsibilities’ with its Moto Maker platform.


Moto fired right back and was right to do so. Consumers should absolutely have the right to choose their handset’s colour and build materials and break free from the design homogeny propagated by the IvePhones.


Couple that with Apple’s hawking of the iPhone 5C – essentially an iPhone 5 in a gaudily-coloured plastic case – and the prices it charges for colourful iPhone cases and the multitude of options available for Apple Watch shoppers, Sir Jony’s comments comes across as hypocritical and a little arrogant.


SEE ALSO: Pebble Steel review

Pebble Steel


Pebble has a chance to change the smartwatch conversation

If you’ve read this column before, you’re probably aware of my disdain for smartwatches, but it seems Pebble has something up its sleeve, which could change that. The sector’s pioneer is likely to announce its new devices and software on Tuesday and there are hints it could bring about some much-needed fresh ideas. The new experience is likely to move away from this mini-smartphone-on-your-wrist caper that’s been such a turn off for consumers. Given Pebble must offer something unique to compete with the big names and I’m intrigued to see what these smart and very in-tune folks at Pebble have in store.



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Lenovo CTO admits fault over Superfish software vulnerability


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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 13



Lenovo’s chief technology officer has admitted the firm “messed up” by installing a piece of software on its laptops that leaves consumers vulnerable to attack.


The Chinese company has come under fire for shipping laptops with the Superfish adware, which analyses images users look at when browsing the web in order to push lower-priced products to them in the form of ads.


Because Superfish circumvents websites’ own SSL security certificates, it leaves consumers vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. That could allow users bank details and other sensitive information to be harvested by third-parties when they log on to web accounts.


“We messed up,” Lenovo CTO Peter Hortensius told Recode on Friday. “We should have known that going in that that was the case. We just flat-out missed it on this one, and did not appreciate the problem it was going to create.”


“We are taking our beating like we deserve on this issue,” he added.


Read more: Best laptops 2015


Earlier this week the firm said it had stopped installing the software on its laptops and is has provided instructions for disabling it, but had played down the security fears.


"We have thoroughly investigated this technology and do not find any evidence to substantiate security concerns,” the Chinese company said in a statement earlier this week.


“We are not just curled up in a ball,” Hortensius said. “We are taking real action to make this right with our customers.”




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Virgin to boost UK's 4G service with mini-masts in lampposts


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Virgin Media has announced plans to use small mobile masts in order to boost 4G service in the UK’s towns and cities.


The ‘small cell’ technology will be placed in existing structures like lampposts and CCTV cameras and help out when buildings get in the way of good coverage.


Masts will be put up in 400,000 of these street assets in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford and Southampton and other yet-to-be-named cities.


The partnership with Arqiva will use Virgin’s fixed-line broadband capacity and could be utilised by all of the UK’s major network operators who would fork over cash in order to use them.


The mini-masts are yet to be designed, but the two companies will work together on providing the end-to-end solutions.



Read more: 5G and 4G: The future of mobile networks


Virgin Media Business’ Duncan Higgins said: “Small cell technology is a key way of tackling network capacity in built-up areas for mobile operators. Increasingly people are using their mobile devices to download and stream videos; that’s why services like this are so important. By providing more capacity in city centres where we already have a large-scale fibre presence, we are able to provide a great service.”


The scheme is similar to one being utilised by EE in order to boost its offerings in rural areas.




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Motorola has an ‘exciting announcement’ in a box to share next week


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Motorola has teased an exciting new product is on the way with a cryptic message sent out to the media on Friday.


The Lenovo-owned firm says it will be delivering a mystery box to the tech press on February 25 (next Wednesday) containing whatever it is the firm is bringing to the table.


There’ll be no event and no live stream. Moto has told the media outlets in the US (via The Verge) that "everything you need fits inside one box."


So what is Motorola up to? Given it’s a 'thing' that needs to be delivered in a box rather than a new service, it seems sure to be a hardware of some fashion.


Recent speculation has suggested the firm is working on a new version of the promising, but underwhelming Moto 360 smartwatch. Speculation last year suggested the sequel device would arrive in 'early 2015.' Will V2.0 be in the mystery box?



Read more: Moto 360 review


In terms of smartphones, the company recently refreshed its Moto X, Moto G and Moto E handsets so the prospect of a new edition seems remote.


Or it could be something completely different? Perhaps a new smartphone camera accessory, an action camera, or it could even be joining LG and Samsung in the VR headset game?


As Brad Pitt in so famously asked during the final scenes of Se7en: “What’s in the box? What’s in the box?”


Whatever it is, Moto appears to be getting in there before MWC kicks off on March 1.




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Apple will outsource iOS 9 testing to public, report claims


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Apple is planning to launch its first ever public iOS beta test as soon as March, a new report suggests.


9to5mac reckons Apple will release the upcoming iOS 8.3 software as a public beta next month, with iOS 9 opened up to testing in summer.


This is reportedly so that Apple can avoid a recurrence of the iOS 8 fiasco that saw its initial release littered with bugs, much to the chagrin of everyone involved.


Apple will release the software via the existing AppleSeed program, which is currently used to push out beta software for Mac OS.


Apple began offering Mac OS in beta test form last year, when early access to OS X Yosemite was given to the public ahead of the October launch.


It’s worth noting that only the first million users who registered interest were given access. A similar scheme could be employed with the iOS testing, although 9to5mac expects the number to be closer to 100,000.


iOS 8.3 was first seeded to devs earlier this month, bringing support for Wireless CarPlay, an improved Emoji keyboard, an upgraded Siri voice, and easier Google services log-in.


Related: iPhone 6S release date


These dev previews are nothing new, and often end up on the handsets of normal users eager to get a first look at Apple’s new software.


Apple likely accepts that many users will download the software regardless, so it might as well capitalise on the free testing feedback.


Apple is expected to unveil its iOS 9 software at the WWDC in June, so that’s the likeliest opening for the company to announce that particular public beta.


It’s worth noting that Apple hasn’t actually confirmed this beta scheme, so we’ll report back when (or if) it’s made official.




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Linksys XAC1900 Review


What is the Linksys XAC1900?


The Linksys XAC1900 is something of a rarity when it comes to high-end routers, as it comes with its own modem. This means you can do away with having to buy and set up two separate devices as is often the case with most of the competition.

It’s otherwise the same Linksys EA6900 router we reviewed last year, which given that we rated it 10/10 means the XAC1900 has a lot to live up to.


Linksys XAC1900 – Design


When we say this is the same router as the EA9600 we really do mean it as the modem is in fact a separate unit and the router is the exact same hardware as before.

That means it’s the same smart looking triple-aerialled box with a relatively modest footprint for such a high-end router, measuring 256 x 210mm. Its aerials also only rise to 105mm. This compares to dimensions of 300 x 220 x 200mm for the Netgear X4 R7500. It can also be wall mounted, though oddly enough it hangs sideways.


SEE ALSO: Best Powerline Adapters

LInksys XAC1900


Build quality is decent, though we did find the aerials were prone to working loose more readily than on some competing units. We were also surprised at how few status lights there are on the front.


There’s basically just one light behind the Linksys logo, with nothing to indicate which Ethernet ports are working or that the Wi-Fi or internet is operational. You get Ethernet status lights over the ports themselves around the back, but it’s decidedly less convenient for troubleshooting than front lighting, though it is less dazzling – a key consideration for if it’s being positioned in the living room.


The modem, then, is an inline unit that also incorporates the power supply. In one end you plug the figure-of-eight power cable and the connection to your phone line, while out the other end comes an Ethernet and DC power cable. It’s a little inconvenient that this cable is quite thick and tethered, as it means you can’t easily use your own choice of cable length, or replace them if they get damaged. Thankfully the supplied cable is a plentiful 2m long.


The modem unit is also quite chunky, with dimensions of 145 x 100 x 35mm, but it should be relatively trivial to hide it out of the way behind a desk or suchlike. It doesn't have wall-mounting hooks, though, which is something to bear in mind.


LInksys XAC1900


Linksys EA9600 – Features


The key feature of the XAC1900’s router is its use of AC1900 Wi-Fi. This relatively new tweak to the 802.11ac standard actually provides a boost for older 802.11n 2.4GHz networks. It does this by using AC-level hardware to enable 256-bit modulation – dubbed Turbo-QAM – but on the 2.4GHz frequency. Previously Wi-Fi N was limited to 64-bit modulation.

The result is a boost in theoretical maximum throughput from 450Mbps to 600Mbps. Combined with the 1300MBps maximum of the 5GHz AC channel, you get a router that can achieve a total of 1900MBps. Thus the name.


SEE ALSO: Best Wi-Fi Range Extenders


LInksys XAC1900


Not that you’ll ever achieve 1900Mbps, as you can only access one frequency at a time. Nor indeed will you be able to get close to either maximum figure on most current Wi-Fi receivers, such as those in your laptop, tablet or smartphone. That’s because both maximums require three aerial receivers, which only a handful of devices possess – some MacBook Pros for instance. In fact the boosted 600Mbps Wi-Fi N is only available on one device, which is the Asus PCE-AC68 desktop PC card.


As such, these AC1900 routers are less about getting the absolute maximum speed from 2.4GHz devices and more about having generally high-spec hardware that can offer good overall speeds and range.


In fact, AC1900 has already been superseded by what is variously called AC2350 and AC2400. This adds a speed boost to the 5GHz band (up to 1733Mbps) and uses four aerials to offer multi-user MIMO, for even better handling of many users at the same time. This is only just arriving, though, and no units currently have in-built modems.


LInksys XAC1900


Away from the Wi-Fi side of things the XAC1900 router is fairly typical in its feature set, for a high-end router. It has four Gigabit Ethernet sockets, a USB 2.0 and a USB 3.0 – for creating instant network storage and sharing printers – and a WPS button. There’s also a fifth Ethernet socket that's the modem input. It’s useful to still have this separate, as it means you can easily switch to using a cable or fibre service.


This is a perfectly adequate set of features, although it’s certainly not at the absolute cutting edge. The Netgear X4 R7500 offers two USB 3.0 and an eSATA and includes a dedicated switch for turning off its lights as well as backlit buttons for WPS and turning Wi-Fi on or off.


Internally you’ve got a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor clocked at 800MHz to power things along, with a healthy 256MB of DDR3 RAM and 128MB of flash storage.



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Volvo: 100 self-driving SUVs on public roads by 2017


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Volvo has announced new plans to test its self-driving vehicles out on public roads.


The car manufacturer says it wants to begin trialling 100 ‘highly automated’ SUVs by 2017 (via AutoExpress).


These self-driving vehicles will be tested out on the roads of Gothenburg, Sweden, following successful tests of the autopilot system’s reliability.


Dr Peter Mertens, Volvo’s senior vice president of research and development, said: “Autonomous driving will fundamentally change the way the way we look at driving.”


“In the future, you will be able to choose between autonomous and active driving.”


The Swedish firm has been testing out its Drive Me project since last year. Drive Me is the company’s attempt to make driving completely autonomous.


The Drive Me system sees Volvo vehicles crammed full of long-range sensors, giving the computer systems a 360-degree view around the car.


There’s also a trifocal camera built in, which is used to look out for pedestrians and other road hazards.


Volvo plans to put real-world commuters in its cars for the 2017 trials as part of the test drive scheme.


Related: Driverless Cars: Everything you need to know


On a somewhat related note, the UK government recently promised to fully review the nation’s motoring legislation in 2017.


This would involve changing both the Highway Code and the MOT test to pave the way for the burgeoning driverless tech.


The government also says a code of practice will be unveiled this spring that will outline rules and regulations for autonomous vehicle testing in the UK.




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Here’s the first official look at the Samsung Galaxy S6


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Galaxy S6 tease



Samsung has finally graced our humble retinas with its upcoming Galaxy S6 flagship smartphone.


Yes, the South Korean company finally gave way in its campaign of cellular secrecy and showed off the actual device.


Unfortunately, all we really got to see in Samsung’s latest teaser video was a side-on view of the Galaxy S6.


It also came with the usual (and endlessly frustrating) caption of ‘I am #TheNextGalaxy’.


What does this tell us about the device? Well it looks quite slim when you consider that the device is expected to carry a 5.2-inch display.


It also appears to be made out of metal, or at the very least will sport metallic edging.


This implies we’ll be seeing a much more premium design effort from Samsung this time around, likely reminiscent of its metal-trim Galaxy Alpha handset.


This theory is lent further credence by the fact that the teaser trailer’s disembodied voice says: “I am crafted from the beautiful things I see around me. They shape who I am.”


That quote is overlaid against abstract shots of odd metallic things laid out in what looks like an art gallery.


You can also see that the smartphone’s top and bottom edges also taper downwards from the front bezel to the rear bezel, giving it a distinctly iPad 2-esque profile.


Related: 12 Best Android Phones and Smartphones


Of course, there could be a much more obvious perspective Samsung has tried to subtly hint at. If you tilt your head to the right, you’re looking at a phone as if it were flat on a table.


This means the edges slope down, which implies that this is the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, not its more prosaic Galaxy S6 twin.


Samsung is expected to launch its next Galaxy handset at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on March 1.


We’ll be on hand at the show to bring you all the latest on Samsung’s 2015 smartphone line-up.




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Samsung Galaxy S6 cases already available for pre-order


A collection of Galaxy S6 cases have been made available for pre-order, despite the handset having yet to be formally unveiled.


With Samsung not expected to introduce its latest flagship phone until a pre-MWC press conference on March 1, case maker Spigen has jumped the gun, unveiling a selection of protective covers for the upcoming iPhone 6 rival.


As well as letting avid Samsung fans accessorise their smartphone aspirations, the prematurely unveiled cases have given yet another early look at the S6’s design.


Echoing past appearances, the Galaxy S5 follow-on has been shown to feature a sleek, 6.9mm thick, metal framed body with a protruding rear camera and heavily rounded corners.


A larger, fingerprint scanner incorporating physical home button can be spotted on the front, while an optical heart-rate monitor sits beside the camera around back.


The nine-strong fleet of Galaxy S6 cases are available for pre-order through Spigen’s official website, with the collection covering off everything from tough cases and traditional bumpers – via a leather wallet option.


Prices start at $14.99 (£9.75) for a basic plastic case, rising to $34.99 (£22.76) for more complex, kickstand incorporating options.


Interestingly, the case pre-orders could also offer some insight into when the eagerly awaited Galaxy S6 release date will be held.


With a single case lining up alongside a March 20 shipping date, it has been suggested the HTC One M9 challenger could hit retailers just weeks after its impending unveiling.


The remaining eight cases have all been pegged for shipping on April 1.


Related: iPhone 6S release date


Recent leaks have suggested the Galaxy S6 will play host to a market-leading collection of specs.


With a 64-bit, octa-core Exynos 7420 processor and 20-megapixel, OIS-enhanced camera expected to land, the S6 features list has also been tipped to add a 3GB of RAM, Google’s Android 5.0 Lollipop OS and a newly refined TouchWiz OS.



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Revamped Google Wallet to battle Apple Pay from May?


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Google is readying up a second version of its mobile payments wallet service in hopes of fending off Apple Pay, sources have revealed.


The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is planning to unveil its Google Wallet 2.0 at the annual Google I/O developer conference in May.


Unfortunately, it seems Google is struggling to get third-parties on board. This had reportedly led to the tech firm resorting to offering up greater revenue shares in an effort to woo companies into joining the Google Wallet fold.


The Internet-search giant is trying to marshal an unruly coalition of device makers, wireless carriers, banks, and payment networks to shape a new version of its Google Wallet payment service, in some cases by offering them more revenue,” reads the report.


Related: What is LoopPay? How Samsung will take on Apple Pay


Google launched its Wallet service back in 2011, allowing Android smartphone users in the USA to pay for goods in brick-and-mortar retail outlets with contactless NFC tech.


Apple Pay, meanwhile, launched late last year, and has seen significantly more substantial uptake than its Google-powered rival despite being live for a shorter time.


This is in part due to the fact that Google has found it difficult to get wireless carriers and manufacturers on board with Google Wallet, and has yet to roll out the service worldwide.


That’s thanks to the massive fragmentation of the Android platform, which means Google has significantly less control over the handsets that actually run its OS relative to Apple and its iOS.


What’s more, Samsung has just bought out mobile payments service LoopPay in hopes of developing its own Apple Pay competitor platform.


This service is expected to land alongside next month’s Samsung Galaxy S6 launch, prior to Google’s re-launch of Wallet.


This is likely to throw another spanner in Google's Wallet works, as Samsung is one of the biggest Android smartphone suppliers globally.




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Future iPhone to feature OLED display, new report suggests


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Apple is in talks over funding a new LCD display factory that could one day produce OLED panels for future iPhones, a new report suggests.


Japanese news site Nikkan claims Apple is currently working through a deal with Japan Display that would see the Cupertino-based company provide the capital to set up the factory.


The actual plant would be built in Ishikawa, Japan next year, with the agreement tipped to be valued at around 200 billion yen (£1.09bn).


The factory would initially be used to produce the low-temperature silicon displays currently found on the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus.


The report suggests, however, that Apple could eventually repurpose the factory to build OLED panels.


Apple already uses OLED displays on its Apple Watch, but the iPhone 6 uses comparatively lower quality LCD displays.


Related: iPhone 6S release date


The main advantage of OLED displays is that they produce their own light, meaning they don’t need a backlight.


This means they can turn off individual pixels to display true black. The lack of backlight also means phones can be thinner and lighter, and save more power.


The report does note that the Japan Display factory wouldn’t provide exclusively to Apple, with the deal reportedly allowing the company to retail its wares to competitors.


Apple had a similar deal with GT Advanced Technologies whereby it funded a factory to build sapphire crystal displays for the iPhone 6.


This deal infamously collapsed however, resulting in significant legal complications.




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Is this what the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge will look like?


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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge concept



A concept video has given us our best look yet at what Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 Edge will look like.


The video, produced by 3D artists Ivo Maric and Jermaine Smit, shows off CGI renders of both the Galaxy S6 and its S6 Edge sibling.


The designs are based on the smorgasbord of leaks we’ve seen in recent times, including recently revealed static renders based on case designs.


So what’s notable in the new video? Well for starters, both phones are effectively identical, except that the S6 Edge mimics the Note Edge in terms of display technology.


It’s also interesting to note how far out the camera housing protrudes, much more so than previous Samsung handsets.


This is likely because Samsung has reportedly gone to great efforts to reduce the thickness of its new handsets’ profiles.


Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are also expected to boast optical image stabilisation, which would add further size to the camera module.


There were also four different colour variants on show, namely black, white, cream, and green.


Related: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 release date


The devices are also tipped to carry 5.1-inch Super AMOLED displays with 2560 x 1440 resolution, a custom-built 64-bit Exynos chip, and Android 5.0 Lollipop.


Both phones are expected to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on March 1, as part of Samsung’s Unpacked event.


Check out the video below:




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Toshiba Kira ultrabook updated with new processor and longer battery life


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Toshiba Kira ultrabook updated with new processor and longer battery life



Toshiba has updated its Kira ultrabook to include the latest Intel Broadwell processors, bringing enhanced battery life and processing power.


The update is purely to the internal hardware, with no external tweaks being made. But with battery life jumping from around 10 to 13 hours and performance likely to step up a little, there's still enough here to keep things interesting.


The Kira has a Macbook Air-esque slim aluminium body but packs in a Full HD 1,920 x 1,080 resolution to its 13.3in frame. There's also a PixelPure 2,560 x 1,440 model though that one sees a drop in battery life to 10.45 hours.


SEE ALSO: Toshiba Kira 2014 review


Other internals include 256GB of SSD storage, 8GB of RAM and DTS Studio Sound. As for connectivity, there are three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI, SD card reader and dual-band Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth 4.0.


While we may all be looking forward to the arrival of Windows 10, for now you'll have to make do with Windows 8.1 which comes pre-installed on the Kira, in its 64-bit guise.


As for pricing, the Toshiba Kira 2015 model will retail for the same price as last years model, at £1,299. It'll be hitting shop shelves from the end of February.




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Origibot: the robot butler that can fetch you food from the fridge


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origibot

Come, robo slave




Robot butlers just shuffled a step closer to reality, and offered you a beer. Origibot has an arm with a gripper action, so it can pick up and bring you things. Including beer.


It's built to help those less able to move. Connect to it using your Android, iOS or Windows smartphone, or using your PC, and you can drive it around and make it grab things. It also gives you two-way audio and video, so you can see where you're going, and tell people to get our of your way.


Or you could strike up a conversation with anyone you meet on your travels. Either is good.


Using the arm and gripper you can open doors, pick things up and put them down, and even fill a glass from a water machine. The gripper opens to 7.8cm, which is wide enough to accommodate cans, bottles and cups.


Its tablet mount fits any Android device up to 10 inches, on which you can project your face. So anyone who sees a robot trundling around the house will know who's piloting it.


You control it using the on-screen joystick, plus slider controls for the neck, arm, wrist and gripper. It's like playing a video game.


Read more: Dyson robot vacuum cleaner unveiled


It's fully hackable too, so you can input your own commands and tweak the parameters. Plus the spec for its 3D-printed components will be available to download, so you can make your own parts for repairs or replacements.


It's a third of the way to its $18,000 funding goal, with 38 days left. It will retail for $899 (£585). All being well, it should ship in August.




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Apple Car to enter production by 2020, report claims


Apple is going to start producing its much-mooted electric car as soon as 2020, a new report reveals.


Citing people with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reports the Cupertino, California-based tech firm will make its first foray into the automotive industry in just five years time.


It’s worth noting that a five-year timeframe isn’t atypical for other automotive manufacturers developing a car.


The iCar rumour mill was in overdrive yesterday as a lawsuit revealed Apple was facing allegations over employee-poaching from an electric car battery manufacturer called A123.


According to the company, Apple is guilty of unlawfully nabbing top-level engineers to build its own battery division.


Apple also reportedly attempted to hire battery experts from LG Chem, Samsung, Panasonic, and Toshiba.


What’s more, Apple has also been found to have hired a host of Tesla staff, lending further credence to the suggestion that Apple is working on an electric vehicle.


Related: iPhone 6S release date, rumours, news, specs, and price


But could Apple realistically enter the automotive industry? Well it certainly has the spare capital to try. Last quarter saw the tech giant post a world record profit of $18 billion, while the firm’s cash reserves are known to be in excess of $178 billion.


It’s also important to remember that Apple typically avoids being the first to market for various product categories. Other companies beat Apple to the punch with smartphones, tablets, portable music players, and smartwatches.


This means that Apple could look to rectify mistakes made by Tesla and other electric car manufacturers. Tesla plans to launch a new electric car in 2017.


Apple has already dipped its tow in the automotive market too, having launched its CarPlay dashboard interface. It's likely an actual Apple Car would see this system integrated.



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HTC says something 'HUGE' is coming, could be One M9 Plus


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HTC One M9



HTC has tweeted an enigmatic message claiming that "Something HUGE is coming."


This message from the HTC USA Twitter account might at first glance appear to point to the March 1 launch event for the HTC One M9.


But look again and you might start to wonder why the word HUGE is emphasised. Could this be a hint that the rumoured HTC One M9 Plus is also going to be on display at MWC?


While we've read and seen plenty of leaked information on the vanilla HTC One M9, there have been far fewer tidbits to emerge concerning a possible larger model.


Earlier in February, however, specifications for a larger HTC One M9 appeared to leak. According to those, the HTC One M9 will sport a 5.2-inch QHD display, which would put the 5-inch 1080p HTC One M9 in the shade, somewhat.


Related: HTC Desire Eye review


The other major difference with the HTC One M9 Plus will apparently be the addition of a fingerprint sensor, set to be housed in a dedicated home button, iPhone 6 style.


Internally, it seems as if the HTC One M9 Plus will have the same Snapdragon 810 CPU as its little brother.


The question is, does this latest tweeted hint suggest that the HTC One M9 Plus is closer to release than we thought? Initially it was suspected that it would trail the HTC One M9, but now we're not so sure.




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Kindle (2014) Gadget Review


Amazon Kindle eReader: First Impressions


With the Kindle Voyage covering the top-end and the Kindle Paperwhite now Amazon’s mid-range ereader, the basic Kindle is the entry-level option minus the frills. You don’t get the built-in light or sharper display, but you do now get a touchscreen, access to the core Kindle features and new, more portable design.

It has the same footprint as the Voyage, but lacks the same finesse or attractiveness. The back doesn’t use the same angular design opting for a charcoal grey matte plastic body where the back slopes inwards slightly and it definitely copes much better with those greasy fingerprints. You can still comfortably get one hand around it and weighing in at 191g it’s slightly heavier than the Voyage, but not in way where you would really notice.


At the bottom edge is where you’ll find the micro USB charging port alongside the solitary standby button. The bezel on the front is thicker at the bottom, but other than that this is as plain an eReader you are going to find. For £59, you can’t really complain, though. It's portable and the build quality is solid enough for something you want to sling into your hand luggage or keep in your pocket.


SEE ALSO: Kindle Paperwhite vs Nook GlowLight


Despite having the same size screen as the Voyage and the Paperwhite, sadly it doesn’t use the same innovative display technology. The basic Kindle still relies on the older Pearl e-paper technology, which delivers 167 pixels per inch (ppi) pixel density – considerably less than the 300ppi the top-end Kindle crams in.


While the older screen tech means you have tolerate the page refreshes common with e-ink displays, it’s still a solid display to read on and page ghosting has reduced compared to its predecessor. You won’t get the same levels of sharpness compared to a Carta display or brightness thanks to the lack of a built-in light, but at least you do now get touchscreen support for navigation, which in our brief time with it appeared to be nice and responsive.




Initial Verdict


If you are not all that bothered about reading at night and can live without the sharper display, the entry-level Kindle still holds up well and is a solid dedicated reading device. It’s portable, has access to arguably the most comprehensive store fronts and the screen still holds up well as place to tuck into your favourite ebooks.

Yes, you do miss out on some of the more attractive features of the new more expensive Kindles, but the core experience is still strong. There’s built-in Wi-Fi connectivity so you don’t have to hook it up to a computer to download content, a four-week battery life and there’s the 4GB matching the pricier Kindles for space to save your ebooks.


The Kobo Touch (£59) is its closest rival and there's very little to separate the two. They have very similar designs and both have plenty of storage. If you want that all important ePub file support, you will probably side with the Touch, but other than that the Kindle looks set to be the pick of the budget ereader bunch once again.


Next, read our Amazon Fire TV vs Apple TV comparison



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