Lenovo’s ZUK 2 Pro offers Snapdragon 820, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage for $420

Lenovo’s mobile-only sub-brand ZUK hasn’t garnered much attention, but that’s about to change with its latest offering, the ZUK 2 Pro. Unveiled in China earlier today, the phone features a 2.15GHz Snapdragon 820 SoC, 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 128GB UFS 2.0 storage, USB Type-C (3.1), Bluetooth 4.2, and a 3100mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.

The spec madness continues with the 13MP ISOCELL camera with an f/1.8 lens, PDAF, OIS, dual-tone LED flash and a pixel size of 1.34um, and a front 8MP camera with larger 1.4um pixels. There’s a heart rate sensor at the back, which can also measure oxygen saturation. The 5.2-inch Super AMOLED Full HD display sounds mundane compared to the rest of the specs on offer, but it does go up to 500 nits, and down all the way to 1 nit, allowing you to read in the night. It also sports 100 percent NTSC and sRGB color gamut. When it comes to the software, you get Marshmallow out of the box with ZUK’s custom UI.

You also get a fingerprint sensor at the front, and the phone features a shock-absorbing layer between the glass back and the metallic frame that’s designed to protect the device when it takes the inevitable tumble. The only thing that’s missing from the phone is NFC.

The price, you ask? The variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage is set to retail for ¥2,699, which comes out to $420. No mention if the phone will be available in global markets, although a spokesperson revealed to Engadget that sales will continue in the Middle East and European markets.

Amazon expands its Fire tablet lineup with new colors and storage options

Amazon has updated its line of low-cost Fire tablets, adding three new colors and a new storage option. The company is also expanding its line of kid-friendly tablets, the Fire Kids Edition, with one new color and storage option.

The standard Fire tablet now comes in blue, magenta, and tangerine colors, with a 16GB storage option. You can grab the 16GB Fire in any of its new colors for $69.99. The new colors are also available in the Fire’s 8GB configuration for $49.99. The Fire Kids Edition now comes with a green kid-proof case, with the new 16GB version priced at $119.99.

You can find the newer versions of both products at Amazon right now.

• See Fire at Amazon
• See Fire Kids Edition at Amazon

Eve: Valkyrie will support cross-platform play on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR

Eve: Valkyrie, a space combat simulator and one of the more prominent launch titles for the Oculus Rift, has been previously revealed to also be coming to the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. Now, developer CCP has revealed that the game will feature cross-platform play. This means that you’ll be able to fly through space with those that own either of the other two.

From Polygon:

“What we haven’t said before, and will for the first time here on stage is cross-platform play.” Eve: Valkyrie executive producer Owen O’Brien told the cheering crowd at Fanfest in Reykjavik, Iceland.

“Valkyrie from the outset was made as a VR game, and we want people irrespective of the platform they’re playing on to be able to flight together and die together.” he said. “So that’s a big important thing for us. That everyone can play together and we break down the barriers.”

CCP hasn’t announced when cross-platform support will arrive for the game, but it’s good to known that no matter which headset you prefer, or are able to get your hands on, there will be plenty of people flying alongside you.

Don’t be fooled by Canada’s latest push into ‘unlimited’ data

Don’t be fooled by the word “unlimited”.

This week, Canadian operator Rogers’ flanker brand chatr introduced a new promotional plan that purportedly offers unlimited data, along with Canada-wide talk and text, for a meagre $40 per month. In a market where it’s not unheard of to spend upwards of $100 for a couple of gigabytes of data, such a deal is worth taking a closer look at.

This so-called unlimited deal is full of caveats

But this so-called unlimited deal is full of caveats in its terms and conditions, which are admittedly bared plain on the company’s website. First, like many other chatr initiatives, it is limited to artificially carved-out “zones” that outline many of Canada’s largest cities — in this case the Greater Toronto Area, Edmonton and Calgary. When chatr began, its mandate was to compete with new entrants, Mobilicity and Wind Mobile, mimicking their real-world infrastructure limitations. Subsequently, Mobilicity was purchased by chatr’s parent company, Rogers, and Wind Mobile was snapped up last year by Shaw Communications.

These zones are not egregious since they hew to a business model the company has established for years. Instead, chatr’s new plan baffles by imposing a 1-gigabyte bandwidth limit on an unlimited plan, which is explained in the terms and conditions thusly:

If your in-zone data usage in a month exceeds your 3G data allotment in accordance with your plan, your data usage remains unlimited but data speeds will be reduced from up to 3 Mbps to up to 64 kilobits per second (for both download and upload) until your Anniversary Date. Many applications that do not require high bandwidth (such as email and web browsing) should not be affected by this speed reduction. Applications that will likely be affected by this speed reduction are those that demand higher bandwidths (for example video streaming).

Not only is the unlimited data limited to just 1 gigabyte at 3G speeds, but those so-called “premium” speeds are capped at just 3Mbps, dropping to a measly 64kbps after exceeding the allotted bandwidth. This way, chatr gets away with claiming its plan has unlimited data without skirting the rather myopic view of the Wireless Code of Conduct.

Such a move wouldn’t ordinarily be construed as dishonest but for one important factor: chatr runs on Rogers’ network, which is technically capable of 3G speeds upwards of 42Mbps. That its limited 3G speeds are constrained to just 3Mbps is for one reason: to mimic Wind Mobile’s real network constraints.

This is a race that Rogers doesn’t want to win; it just wants to maintain the status quo.

One could argue there is nothing wrong with Rogers’ practice of crippling its own network so as better compete with a company most Canadians wouldn’t even consider for its mediocre infrastructure. And that chatr, even at a paltry 3Mbps, has considerably better network coverage than Wind given its more mature network, is a cause for celebration. But this is evidently a race that Rogers doesn’t want to win; it just wants to maintain the status quo.

Such a practice could also set a precedent in the Canadian wireless market, justifying the use of speed-based caps in addition to the monthly bandwidth limits we are already used to.

The good news is that for customers with low-bandwidth smartphone needs in the three qualifying cities, this is actually a pretty good deal. But behind the veneer is a punitive practice from a company that has no reason to do so. By artificially limiting its network speed, Rogers raises — or lowers, depending on how you look at it — the bar for discount carriers throughout the country.

Why an HTC Nexus phone in 2016 makes perfect sense

New Nexus phones would be a natural fit for HTC as it looks to secure the future of its smartphone business.

Google’s Nexus phones don’t have the instant recognition of a Samsung or LG handset, but they do play an important role in the Android ecosystem. As such, they draw a special kind of attention from Android enthusiasts. Each year sees a fresh cycle of rumors, speculation and leaks as a new generation of Android device, showcasing the latest the OS has to offer, comes into focus.

This year, many of the most credible rumors surrounding the 2016 Nexus phone (or phones) points to HTC being the manufacturer of choice. And aside from just how likely these individual reports are, there are plenty of logical business reasons why HTC might want to hop onboard the Nexus train. Let’s take a look at why it almost makes too much sense to not happen.

HTC is becoming ever more partner-focused. For VR, it’s Valve. For fitness, it’s UA. And for phones, it’s Google.

Firstly, HTC has been moving towards a partner-centric approach across all its business areas — in effect, returning to its roots as an ODM (original device manufacturer), but with much more input into the end product, and a more visible consumer-facing brand. Vive, HTC’s VR endeavor, sees it partnering with PC gaming giant Valve. In connected devices, it’s Under Armour. And in phones, increasingly, it’s Google. It’s a natural response to the company’s precarious financial position.

This new, closer partnership with Google began with the HTC One A9, and was more visible than ever in the recently announced HTC 10. At a meeting ahead of that phone’s launch, HTC’s Head of Global Product Marketing, Darren Sng, told Android Central that the company’s close relationship with Google was “non-exclusive,” implying that it wasn’t getting any special treatment. Nevertheless, the Google partnership has been a major pillar of the last two big HTC releases. That’s not something you could say about a Samsung, LG or Huawei.

And in contrast to those major players in the Android world, there’s far more highly visible Google stuff on HTC’s recent phones. HTC Sense now looks and feels more like Google’s OS than ever before. And the company leans more and more on Google’s app and service ecosystems, with HTC’s own apps being gradually phased out.

A Nexus collaboration would be a natural extension of this partnership, bringing the full Google software experience to an HTC-made phone, and strengthening that relationship for a possible “HTC 11” and beyond.

Unlike an HTC-branded phone, getting involved with the Nexus program would allow HTC to piggyback on Google’s marketing machinery, and potentially have a large, influential partner backing them in any carrier negotiations. Sure, the Nexus series’ success within the global carrier system is mixed, especially within the United States. But consider that HTC’s flagship for the 2016 will be available on just two of the big four UK operators, and just one carrier in Canada. Meanwhile the HTC 10 will miss out on valuable AT&T shelf space in the U.S. There’s only one way to read that: carriers are losing confidence in HTC.

Nexus is a niche brand, but increasingly so is HTC.

Nexus is admittedly a niche brand. But at this point that statement increasingly applies to HTC as well. Google could help it break out of this rut in a couple of ways. Firstly, by building brand value for HTC through its logo appearing alongside one of the world’s most valuable brands in Google-funded advertisements. And secondly, simply by getting HTC-made phones on store shelves, particularly outside the U.S. There’s an undeniable halo effect involved with Nexus for a manufacturer wanting to grow (or in HTC’s case, re-grow) its phone business.

Nexus phones tend to be more affordable (and thus less profitable) than the average Android flagship. But we’re past the point where these were shipped online-only at bargain bin prices. Take the Nexus 6P, which sold for $499 in the U.S. and £449 in the UK. It’s not iPhone money, but nor is it a trivial amount of cash — there’s money to be made there.

Google also has good reason to prop up HTC in its time of need.

What about Google, then? Why might this mobile giant want to partner with a phone maker that has certainly seen better days? Well, Google benefits by keeping HTC in the game, and by the diversity it continues to bring to the Android ecosystem. With HTC around and competing — even in a small way — it’s just a bit harder for the likes of Samsung grow too big to handle.

What’s more, the current partnership for HTC 10 by its nature gives Google valuable control over the services and apps used by HTC customers. Why wouldn’t Google want to strengthen the maker of products over which it has such influence? Awarding this year’s Nexus to HTC means Google can help prop up the company, so it can continue making its own phones where Google apps and services take center stage.

As for one of the wackier rumors going around — that HTC has secured exclusive rights to make Nexus phones for the next three years — it would certainly be unprecedented, and contrary to how the Nexus bidding process has worked in years past. It’s unlikely, but not impossible, especially if Google cares about the longterm viability of HTC’s phone business.

Time will tell whether HTC’s new, closer relationship with Google will spawn the rumored duo of Nexus phones later in the year. Many Android enthusiasts have fond memories of the original HTC Nexus One, and an updated Nexus phone from the Taiwanese firm could be something for fans to get excited about — as well as making business sense for HTC and Google.

Would you buy an HTC-built Nexus phone? What would do you want to see from the next Google-branded handsets? Shout out in the comments and let us know!

New Amazon Fire tablet options added, 16GB for just £60

Amazon is expanding its line-up of super cheap tablets with new versions of its entry level device being added from 28 April.

The Amazon Fire tablet impressed us greatly ahead of Christmas last year as it offers a lot of bang for your buck. At just £50 it is great value for money considering the mid-range specifications.

The tablet comes with a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 2-megapixel rear camera and up to seven hours of battery life.

Now Amazon is introducing a version with more storage for £60. You can still buy the existing tablet, which comes with 8GB of on-board storage, but the enhanced edition comes with 16GB for just a tenner more.

Both come with a microSD card slot to expand that by up to a further 128GB.

READ: Amazon Fire tablet review: Who needs Hudl when there’s this for £50?

In addition, Amazon is launching new colours. The original was only available in black, but you will soon be able to buy one in orange (tangerine), blue or pink (magenta) too.

Pre-orders for the new colours and increased storage options are available on Amazon.co.uk now.

Amazon has also improved its Fire Kids Edition tablet. That now comes with 16GB of storage as standard. It retails for £99 and is accompanied by Amazon’s worry-free returns guarantee. If your child breaks it in its first two years, it will be replaced with no questions asked.

It also comes with a one-year subscription to Fire for Kids Unlimited, which provides unlimited access to kids content, including apps with no extra purchases required, eBooks and kids videos on Amazon Video.

CE China: East meets West in consumer tech fest

Messe Berlin, the organisers behind consumer electronic show IFA that takes place annually in Berlin in September, has launched a new event in Shenzhen called CE China.

First thoughts? God help us, not another consumer electronics show. Second thoughts? Chinese companies have been making some serious waves over the last couple of years in the western world. Offering an IFA-like show in the country responsible for a lot of the manufacturing within consumer electronics makes, well, sense. It puts western companies on the eastern radar, eastern companies are on the western radar and that’s only fair right?

Companies like Huawei have made it crystal clear that they too have plenty to offer and that China isn’t just about assembling devices for the likes of Apple, Sony and Motorola. CE China might be starting small, with 150 exhibitors in comparison to IFA’s thousands, but it could mark the start of a closer and stronger partnership between east and west.

The idea behind the new show is to replicate the “quality of IFA in China”. IFA has seen huge success over the last few years, growing significantly in importance every year as it has become the platform for numerous big announcements from the first few Samsung Galaxy Note smartphones to the beginning and end of the Sony Xperia Z line. It’s a show that is essential to pay attention to, especially if you want to know what devices you should put on your Christmas list.

CE China opened its doors for the first time on 20 April, offering visitors in Shenzhen three days to see what’s on offer from Chinese companies and western companies alike. It is by no means IFA yet, with the entire hall almost the same size as one of the main stands at IFA, but Messe Berlin claims it is in it for the long haul. If IFA is anything to go by, we could see some exciting things from CE China in the coming years.

Exhibitors at CE China included a range of Chinese companies, including Dlodlo, the company responsible for the portable VR glasses set to launch later this year, as well as the likes of brands including Bosch and Siemens.

We didn’t see any new flagship smartphones kicking around but we did find a Hello Kitty washing machine and a connected cycling helmet that allows wearers to indicate so watch this space. 

Apple famously writes designed in California, assembled in China on its devices. With the growing rise of Chinese companies globally, we’re likely to see more designed in Beijing, assembled in China.

‘Metroid Prime: Federation Force’ launches August 19th

It’s been eight years since the last Metroid Prime game came out for the Wii, but a successor was finally announced for the New 3DS handheld system at the game conference E3. Today, Nintendo announced that Metroid Prime: Federation Force will be released on August 19th in the US and September 2nd in the UK, but players can get a hands-on demo at PAX East this weekend.

Instead of series protagonist Samus, the teaser trailer for Federation Force featured a foursome of bright, blocky-armored mech soldiers. Since the gameplay hinges on co-op multiplayer, faceless Federation grunts made better in-game sense than having four Samuses, Nintendo’s Kensuke Tanabe said. The main story mode has players roam around shooting enemies and solving puzzles a la Four Swords Adventures, while Metroid Prime: Blast Ball acts as a fun, sportsy semi-tutorial.

While many fans clamored for a Metroid on current-gen consoles, Tanabe told Engadget last year that Nintendo considered a Wii U version but decided against devoting a team to its development. The New 3DS’ omnidirectional C-stick was intriguing enough to build Federation Force for the mobile system. Developers changed the game’s look to fit the smaller screen, shrinking players to bright, stocky chibi soldiers.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force launches for #3DS on 8/19, but you can be one of the first to play it at #PAXEast! pic.twitter.com/P14vQ373bo

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 20, 2016

Source: Nintendo of America

Don’t bank on Volkswagen paying you $5,000 just yet

Well, this is awkward. Yesterday, German newspaper Die Welt claimed that every American with one of Volkswagen’s dodgy diesels would receive $5,000 in compensation. Today, Reuters is offering up a contradictory report saying that the terms of the proposed settlement are substantially different. According to sources, VW’s as-yet-confidential deal with regulators means it’ll buy back 500,000 of the vehicles that cheated emissions tests. In addition, $1 billion is being set aside as an apology fund for affected owners who will need to buy a new ride. Simple division means that you’d be getting your money back on the car, plus an extra two grand as a mea culpa.

Since the terms of the deal haven’t yet been made public, there’s no way to tell which set of leaky officials are correct. If it’s whoever leaked the story to Reuters, then the agreement only currently covers smaller cars like the Audi A3, Jetta sedan and Golf compact. Larger VW vehicles with three-plus liter engines like the Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg will, presumably, be dealt with in a separate deal further down the line. The news wire goes on to say that the German car company is still working on that long-promised fix for the engines, and will offer them to owners in lieu of a buyback should the EPA and others consent.

Source: Reuters

HBO Now comes to the Xbox One

It’s already available on all of the devices that cord cutters like to shove under their TVs, but HBO Now was underrepresented in the console stakes. Now, however, that’s set to change after the Game of Thrones maker announced that its on-demand platform has come to the Xbox One. Much like the other platforms the service has already come to, users can pay $14.99 and get all of that premium TV content from John Oliver through to Veep without a cable subscription. And look, HBO made the announcement just in time for that show everyone loves (to pirate) comes back.

Via: NeoGAF

Source: Microsoft