Best Phone in India

The Google Pixel is the best phone you can currently buy in India. But if you can’t justify its asking price, there are plenty of options available across segments.

Best overall

Google Pixel

See at Flipkart

The Google Pixel gets the basics absolutely right. The understated metal design is complemented by top-of-the-line hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 821, 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 128GB storage, an astounding camera, and all-day battery life. It is available in two sizes: a 5.0-inch variant with a Full HD display, and a larger 5.5-inch model with a QHD panel.

The Pixel is the ideal device for showcasing Google’s services, including the new Google Assistant. With unlimited photo and video backup, you can take as many photos and 4K videos as you want and never worry about running out of space on Google Drive.

You also get the cleanest Android experience, and the Pixel will be the first to receive new software updates, whether they’re monthly security updates or new platform versions. And because it’s running first-party software, the phone absolutely flies. There isn’t another handset available today that comes close to the Pixel in terms of performance.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for the phone with the most refined software and the best camera, then the Pixel is the device to get.

One more thing: The Pixel is available from thousands of retail stores across the country in addition to Flipkart.

Why the Pixel is the best

After partnering with handset manufacturers over the Nexus line for several years, Google is going at it alone with the Pixel. And in doing so, it has created the phone to beat. Nothing else available on the market — not even the S7 edge — comes close to the software refinement of the Pixel. That’s obvious considering the Pixel is made in-house by Google, but the overall software differs in subtle ways from what we’ve seen on the Nexus.

Whereas the Nexus line carried forth a vision of pure Android, the Pixel is all about what Google envisages for the platform. From the Pixel Launcher to Google Assistant to the weather doodle that changes based on the weather in your area, everything about the Pixel is customized in its own way.

And that’s not even the best part of the Pixel. During its unveil, Google talked about how the phone was the highest-rated handset by DxOMark, and it isn’t hard to understand why. For a pocket shooter, the Pixel takes remarkable images.

Then there’s the added benefit of unlimited photos and video backup. If you’re one to take a lot of photos, the feature makes all the difference in the world. With the Pixel, you’ll be able to transfer all images in original quality over to Google Drive, as well as 4K video, without the media ever getting counted against your storage quota.

Sure, the Pixel isn’t the best value for your money. The S7 edge offers more for less, including water resistance, wireless charging, a dual curved screen, and a more premium design. That said, the Pixel wins out in day-to-day use, primarily on account of the camera and the software experience. For all the advances Samsung made with its user interface in recent years, it does not come close to what’s on offer on the Pixel.

Best mid-range option

OnePlus 3T

See at Amazon India

If you’re in the market for a phone under ₹30,000, the OnePlus 3T is your best option. OnePlus is selling both the OnePlus 3 as well as the newer 3T in the Indian market, and given that there is a minor ₹2,000 difference in the retail price between the two models, it makes sense to get the OnePlus 3T.

You get a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 821 SoC, 64GB/128GB storage options, 6GB of RAM, 16MP front and rear cameras, and a 3400mAh battery.

The OnePlus 3T sports a minimalist aluminium design that gives it an upmarket feel, and the phone has picked up the Nougat update, making it an even more enticing option.

Bottom line: At this price point, there isn’t a phone on the market that offers quite as much as the OnePlus 3T.

One more thing: The OnePlus 3T is available in gunmetal grey and soft gold, with both options exclusive to Amazon India.

Best budget phone

Moto G4 Plus

See at Amazon India

India is the number one market for the Moto G series, for good reason. For ₹13,999, there are few phones that are as reliable as the Moto G4 Plus. This year’s variant offers a Full HD display for the first time, with the panel itself scaled up to 5.5 inches. Internal hardware has also been upgraded to 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, Snapdragon 617, and a 3000mAh battery.

The Moto G4 Plus is also the first in the Moto G series to sport a fingerprint sensor. And this time around, you get a fantastic 16MP camera that’s one of the best in this segment.

One key area where the Moto G4 Plus differs from the competition is when it comes to software. Unlike its Chinese rivals, the Moto G4 Plus offers a clean Android skin, one that’s devoid of any customizations. Motorola does offer some differentiation through Moto Actions, a series if gestures designed that let you open the camera, toggle the flashlight, or enter the new one-handed mode with ease.

Bottom line: While not as powerful as other devices in this segment, the Moto G4 Plus comes out on front when you look at the overall hardware and software experience.

One more thing: Both the Moto G4 and G4 Plus have picked up the Nougat update in India recently, bringing a slew of new features.

More for less

Lenovo Z2 Plus

See at Amazon India

The Z2 Plus comes from Lenovo’s online-only ZUK sub-brand, offering exciting hardware at an affordable price. There aren’t a lot of brands that can go head-to-head with the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus and come out on top, but Lenovo has done just that with the Z2 Plus.

For ₹19,999, the Z2 Plus offers a 5.0-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, 13MP ISOCELL camera, 8MP front shooter, and a 3500mAh battery.

The phone is made out of ceramic, and features a fiberglass frame that’s designed to withstand tumbles. On the software front, you get Lenovo’s own ZUI, which in its current iteration is based on Marshmallow.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Z2 Plus is U-Touch, through which the home button doubles up as an all-in-one replacement for the standard navigation keys. The gesture-enabled system lets you go back, access the multitasking pane, launch apps, and much more with swipe left or right actions on the home button.

Bottom line: The Z2 Plus offers incredible hardware for its price, and it does so in a compact package.

One more thing: Lenovo isn’t the fastest at rolling out updates, and as of now there’s no mention of when the phone will pick up Nougat.

Best entry-level phone

Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime

See at Flipkart

The Redmi 3S Prime is the best phone if you’re on a tight budget. For under ₹10,000, you get a compact 5.0-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 430, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 13MP camera, and battery life that’s unlike any other phone.

Thanks to a huge 4100mAh battery, the phone lasts a day without breaking a sweat, and more often than not you’ll find that it can go on for two days on a single charge.

Bottom line: Although the software situation isn’t ideal, the Redmi 3S Prime has great hardware and astounding battery life.

One more thing: Don’t hold out for the Nougat update. The Redmi Note 3 has started to pick up the Marshmallow update now, so there’s no way of knowing when Nougat will make its way to the Redmi 3S Prime.

Conclusion

There are great phones available at all price points in India. With the country becoming one of the fastest-growing markets for smartphones, competition is only going to intensify, and that’s a good thing for customers. If you want the best available right now, then the Pixel should be at the top of your list.

Best overall

Google Pixel

See at Flipkart

The Google Pixel gets the basics absolutely right. The understated metal design is complemented by top-of-the-line hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 821, 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 128GB storage, an astounding camera, and all-day battery life. It is available in two sizes: a 5.0-inch variant with a Full HD display, and a larger 5.5-inch model with a QHD panel.

The Pixel is the ideal device for showcasing Google’s services, including the new Google Assistant. With unlimited photo and video backup, you can take as many photos and 4K videos as you want and never worry about running out of space on Google Drive.

You also get the cleanest Android experience, and the Pixel will be the first to receive new software updates, whether they’re monthly security updates or new platform versions. And because it’s running first-party software, the phone absolutely flies. There isn’t another handset available today that comes close to the Pixel in terms of performance.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for the phone with the most refined software and the best camera, then the Pixel is the device to get.

One more thing: The Pixel is available from thousands of retail stores across the country in addition to Flipkart.

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 4 is making its way to India on Jan. 19

Get ready for the Redmi Note 4.

Xiaomi is launching the successor to the highly popular Redmi Note 3 next week in India. An invite sent out to the media suggests that the Redmi Note 4 will make its debut in the country on January 19.

The phone was unveiled late last year in China with a MediaTek Helio X20, although the Indian unit is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon SoC. The Redmi Note 3 was one of the top-selling phones last year in India, so Xiaomi has a lot riding on its successor. We’ll know more about the phone next week, so stay tuned.

What would you guys like to see from the Indian variant of the Redmi Note 4?

This could be our first look at the Moto G5 Plus

Photos purporting to be the Moto G5 Plus have appeared on Romanian reselling site OLX, and picked up by Reddit and Phonedog. If you think the design and overall look of the phone seems familiar, it’s because it’s not too dissimilar to the renders of the alleged Moto X (2017) we saw at the end of 2016.

• The next Moto 2017: What’s the story so far?

These new images are leading many to believe that what was expected to be the new Moto X, will in fact be a new Moto G. There are several things that much up with the renders: the round camera housing, microUSB port – something we expect the lower- to mid-range handsets to have, flagships should have USB-C – and 3.5mm headphone jack. Even the oval fingerprint scanner and possible home button looks the same.

While the listing itself may have either finished or have been taken down, Reddit users were able to take note of the specs the seller gave. The phone claimed to have model number XT1685, sport a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 full HD display and have an octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor with 4GB RAM.

OLX

Other specs are said to include 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel rear and front-facing cameras, 32GB of onboard storage, Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box and a 3080mAh battery. The seller was asking 1650 Romanian Leu for the device, which works out to around $390 or £320. That price seems a little high, considering the Moto G4 Plus can be yours from £229 through Motorola’s website.

• Mobile World Congress 2017: Smartphones, smartphones, smartphones to expect

We’re hoping to hear something more official from Motorola soon, with a possible reveal pencilled in for Mobile World Congress at the end of February.

Gear S3 now connects to iPhone, here’s how it works

Samsung’s Gear S smartwatches are finally compatible with the iPhone. We take a dive down in to the app and experience to see whether or not the watch is worth taking over Apple’s own smartwatch. 

The Setup

Before starting, make sure you have a compatible watch and iPhone. It works with the Gear S3, Gear S2 and Gear Fit2 and with any iPhone from iPhone 5 onward as long as it’s running iOS 9.0 or later. 

As with virtually any connected peripheral these days, there’s an app you need to download to make the Gear S3 watch work with your iPhone. It’s called Samsung Gear S and it’s available to grab for free from the App Store now. 

Once it’s downloaded you go through a simple process to connect the watch to the phone. You do this by launching the app, switching on your watch, then searching for the watch through the app.

• Samsung Gear S3 Classic review: Android Wear, beware, this is the smartwatch to beat
• Samsung Gear S3 Frontier vs S3 Classic: What’s the difference?

Your watch should show up on the iPhone’s screen. Tap it, then make sure the numbers displayed on both screens match, before confirming the connection. There are then a few more basic steps, mostly involving agreeing to terms and going through to the next screens.

Unlike the Android app, if you want to use the watch to make and receive calls, you also need to go in to the iPhone settings menu to manually connect to the Gear S by Bluetooth. This essentially means there are two Bluetooth connections at once. One for the app, one for calls. 

The App

Like the Android version, the app is essential to the smartwatch. You need it to download apps and to view your fitness and activity stats. 

Pocket-lint

The app’s first screen is split in to two sections: info and settings. The info side shows you the battery level, gives you access to the S Health part of the app (Samsung’s fitness tracking service) and the Suggested apps card, with a link to download new apps and watch faces. 

While these functions all work, they seem limited compared to their Android counterpart.

Because of Apple’s strict App Store rules about not being able to sell apps/content/downloads from another service through App Store apps, you only get access to the free-to-download watch faces and apps for the Gear S3. That’s a pretty limited list of apps. 

Likewise, the fitness tracking is limited in that – unlike on the Android version of the app – you can’t link your exercises to popular third party services like Strava or Runkeeper. What’s more, S Health’s breakdowns of running/workout sessions aren’t very detailed. You get your distance, pace and time, while the watch also regularly tracks your heart rate. Not much more than that. 

For Apple Health users, you’ll be disappointed to read that this data doesn’t transfer to the Apple Health app either. You’re basically stuck with S Health and – because it doesn’t have a web presence – you can’t log on to a web version to find ways around sharing the data either. 

Pocket-lint

Still, the S Health service is useful for tracking every day activity and it works the same as it would on an Android smartphone. You have a home screen showing your steps, how many floors you’ve climbed, how much sleep you got as well as water and caffeine intake and your heart rate.

For the casual every day person not serious about fitness tracking, it works fine. But for those who want more in depth feedback on runs/workouts, the S3 will feel limited, especially with the iPhone. 

Notifications

Notifications on the watch, when connected to the iPhone, look just like those from Android. If you happen to be looking at the watch when an alert comes through, you’ll see a blue semi circle appear on screen. 

If you’re not looking at your watch, it buzzes and if you look at it immediately you’ll see the notification on the screen, along with an app icon for the application it’s from. Any non-dismissed notifications live to the left of the watch face and are accessed by turning the rotating bezel around the display. 

Pocket-lint

The bad news here, once more, is that you can’t interact with notifications the same way you can with an Android phone. You can clear them, dismiss them and block individual apps but that’s about it. No voice replies and no quick-reply templates or emojis. 

It is worth noting that a lot of these restrictions are because of Apple’s tight control over iOS. We discovered a lot of the same restraints when testing Android Wear’s compatibility with the iPhone and when we tested the Pebble 2 with an iPhone.

• What’s Android Wear really like on iPhone?
• Pebble 2 review: Smart, but not fancy

Thankfully, you can take calls using the Gear S’s built in microphone and loudspeaker. That was one feature that worked well and was genuinely convenient.  

Reliability (or lack of)

Sadly, while all the features are really useful when they’re working, we have had some issues with reliability in a couple of vital areas. 

On the first day after setting up – despite remaining connected – the watch wouldn’t show any new notifications when they came through. Thankfully restarting both devices fixed the issue. 

A few days after getting it working again, the watch just disconnected from the iPhone and wouldn’t reconnect automatically again until – once more – we had to restart the watch, close the iPhone app and launch it again. 

Pocket-lint

Another problem we encountered was when the watch and app tried to install the S Voice app automatically every day. A notification would come up saying installation had failed, then providing no information – and no way to find the information – as to why it hadn’t been successful. Even when trying manually, the progress bar moved at a rate of about one per cent, per minute. Leaving us more than a little frustrated. 

Eventually we did get it installed, and the frustration didn’t stop. The response to every attempt at a voice command was either “I’m unable to process your request. Try again later”, or we’d get a network connection error.

• Apple Watch Series 2 review: Fitness first 

We expect teething issues when connecting a new device to an iPhone, especially when compatibility has only just been implemented. But with 12+ months of development and (presumably) a lot of testing, you’d hope the basics like notifications and connectivity wouldn’t be an issue at launch. 

Let’s hope that future updates bring a more stable and useful experience. On first experience, it’s hard to recommend that any iPhone user buy this instead of an Apple Watch in its current state. It’s limited and a little unreliable.  

‘Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter’ streams on Amazon January 27th

Studio Ghibli fans don’t have too much longer to wait before setting sights on Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter. All 26 episodes of the English dub will debut January 27th on Amazon Prime Video, according to Entertainment Weekly. Based on the trailer below, at least, the voice overs and lip sync don’t seem particularly offensive, but there is a glaring lack of Gillian Anderson’s narration throughout.

Via: io9

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Backpage shutters its adult section before Senate hearing

Backpage, the classified ads website known for hosting escort ads, has shut down its adult section. The company made its move on the eve of its US Senate hearing and just hours after the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations published a 53-page report of what it found out about Backpage’s activities. The report accused the company of knowing that its website facilitated sex and child trafficking, as well as of concealing evidence by editing advertisements.

Its screening practice reportedly scrubs terms from ads involving minors that’ll make it easier for law enforcement to spot them. Those terms include “fresh,” “lolita,” young,” “little girl,” innocent” and “school girl.” Since Backpage doesn’t save the original versions, the report says it wasn’t able to provide the investigators a clear and honest view of its activities. In addition, the investigators discovered that founders Carl Ferrer, James Larkin and Michael Lacey (pictured above) still own and operate the website despite their claims that they’re no longer involved in running it.

When you visit any locale’s adult section on the website, you’ll see that everything’s been marked censored. The company also published a longer statement that says:

“As the direct result of unconstitutional government censorship, Backpage.com has removed its Adult content section from the highly popular classified website, effective immediately. For years, the legal system protecting freedom of speech prevailed, but new government tactics, including pressuring credit card companies to cease doing business with Backpage, have left the company with no other choice but to remove the content in the United States.”

The Congress and the Senate have been investigating Backpage for a couple of years now. In October last year, its executives were arrested and charged with pimping a minor. They were cleared a couple of months later, but California Attorney General Kamala Harris quickly pursued a new set of pimping and money laundering charges. At this point, it’s hard to say how pulling down the adult section will affect Backpage’s Senate hearing. If the company’s $150-million yearly revenue really does come from its adult section like Harris said, though, then it’ll definitely affect its income.

Despite allegations that the website facilitates child trafficking, Dr. Lois Lee, founder of nonprofit Children of the Night that rescues kids from prostitution, came to the company’s defense:

“It’s a sad day for America’s children victimized by prostitution. Backpage.com was a critical investigative tool depended on by America’s vice detectives and agents in the field to locate and recover missing children and to arrest and successfully prosecute the pimps who prostitute children. The ability to search for and track potentially exploited children on a website and have the website bend over backwards to help and cooperate with police the way Backpage did was totally unique. It not only made law enforcement’s job easier, it made them much more effective at rescuing kids and convicting pimps.”

Source: Newsweek, Reuters, Politico, Backpage

Misfit Vapor preview: Designer touchscreen watch in a waterproof package

Misfit has unveiled a designer touchscreen smartwatch with a round screen and waterproofing. But, best of all, it doesn’t have a “flat tyre”.

The Fossil Group-owned company, which is known for making low-power wearables, showed off Vapor at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, and we got the chance to play with on the show floor. To be clear, this is Misfit’s first fully touchscreen watch, and it’s a beaut. It looks like other round-face watches, complete with a stainless steel case and interchangeable straps, but it lacks the “flat tyre” eyesore.

Round watches like the Moto 360 were among the first to burst onto the smartwatch scene, and they were heavily criticised for including a black-out bar in their display design. The 44mm Vapor features a 1.39-inch AMOLED display (326 ppi) that is fully touch. From our brief demo with it, we quickly realised interaction with the product mostly happens on the outside of the screen. To switch  menus, drag your finger around the edge, sort of like Samsung’s twisting bezel. There are transition animations that’ll make the interaction feel smooth.

Some of the interactions have a vaporising effect – hence the name. Vapor also features built-in GPS, optical heart rate sensors, a two-day battery life, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 2100, and 4GB of onboard storage, the latter of which you’ll use for listening to music without a phone. You also get an accelerometer, altimeter, and water resistance up to 50m, meaning you can swim or take a shower with this thing on. 

Pocket-lint

First Impressions

Vapor looks like a slick, minimalist watch. It could be a little slimmer, though it feels pretty light to wear. It’s a surprisingly full-featured, advanced offering, especially given the company’s history of making passive activity trackers for the wrist. It’s not the first connected watch to come from Misfit since it was acquired by Fossil, which sells other high-end luxury watches from the likes of Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and other designers, but it is a drastic departure from Misfit’s typical analog-style, touch-less watches.

From what we can tell, Vapor runs a forked version of Android Wear. The company won’t reveal specifics on the software, so it could be something Misfit/Fossil developed in-house just for this device.

Misfit Vapor smartwatch is expected to ship in late 2017 and will cost $199. The case itself is available in black and gold.

Ford is bringing Chariot’s on-demand shuttles to 8 cities in 2017

When Ford bought up San Francisco-based public transit alternative Chariot last year, the automaker promised to roll its private commuter shuttle service out to even more cities in 2017. Today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford CEO Mark Fields stepped up that goal to include eight new cities in 2017, plus one outside the US.

Fields didn’t specify yet which cities Chariot’s Ford Transit shuttles would be popping up in, but as he told TechCrunch the company plans to analyze the needs of each market before adding service. As the newest piece of Ford’s Smart Mobility subsidiary, Chariot currently operates in San Francisco and Austin, running along popular morning and evening commute routes. The service falls somewhere between ridesharing and public transit — riders use a smartphone app to secure seats, but they still have to catch the bus at a certain time along the prescribed route. In San Francisco, at least, the company started with one line and added more as demand increased and the company is currently running a test program to get people around Lake Tahoe.

While a new ridesharing option might be a godsend for many weary commuters in the short term, in the long term Ford hopes to improve infrastructure as a whole through closer partnerships between cities and transportation providers. And with the goal of launching autonomous ridesharing by 2021, those Chariots could be driving themselves in the next five years.

Via: TechCrunch

Mario and pals are coming back to UK Happy Meals this week

The most famous Italian plumber, well… ever has been unexpectedly popping up all over the place lately. But skateboard shoes, late-night TV and smartphones were just the beginning. Now Mario is sliding back into Happy Meals from McDonald’s according to Nintendo Life. His appearance is flawlessly timed ahead of this week’s big livestream for the Wii U successor, Switch, too.

Officially starting the day of said broadcast, January 11th in the UK (sorry fellow Yanks, we’re getting left out this time), there will be two new toys in each meal a week, for four weeks. Mario and Yoshi are the first offerings, with Princess Peach and a red shell on offer for week two. Bowser and a star block with bricks are on tap for the third week while Luigi and a Piranha Plant round out the collection.

As VG247 writes, these toys have become something of an annual UK tradition since their first appearance in 2014. Nintendo’s timing for 2017, however, is almost assuredly intentional here. After all, stopping by McDonald’s after your Switch demo and bringing home a Nintendo-themed keepsake seems too perfect to be an accident.

< dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>@nintendolife picked up an early Mario Happy Meal toy today, here’s what else to look out for: pic.twitter.com/gyw3a3a8ZO— John Galley (@johngalleyuk) January 6, 2017

Via: Nintendo Life

Source: John Galley (Twitter)

BlackBerry Mercury wins big at CES 2017

Now that CES 2017 has wrapped up, folks are looking back on everything that was announced in Las Vegas and handing out awards for what they feel was the ‘Best Of CES.’ Unsurprisingly, one of the items that continues to appear on several lists is the BlackBerry Mercury, which TCL offered a sneak peek of at CES.

The last phone designed by BlackBerry has managed to grab a lot of attention in the past few days and a new post from Ralph Pini, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager, Mobility Solutions, at BlackBerry, highlights that even further. Mercury wasn’t the only winner, though, the DTEK50 scored some love at CES as well taking home an Innovation Award.

We took a peek at the BlackBerry Mercury during CES and even though we don’t know the whole story, we like what we’ve seen so far.

We’re very excited about the coming BlackBerry branded “Mercury” smartphone. It’s the last phone that we designed and engineered in-house. Our global licensing partner TCL will be manufacturing Mercury and bringing it to market in many countries around the world.

Providing state-of-the-art security software is what we’ve delivered since day one to our customers, and what we will continue to do. BlackBerry is 100 percent focused on software solutions, providing the embedded intelligence to secure the Enterprise of Things so that the Internet of Things can thrive. As part of this strategy, we are now leveraging third parties for the development, distribution, and marketing of BlackBerry handsets, while we continue to own the BlackBerry brand.

The agreement with TCL Communication is BlackBerry’s second licensing agreement. TCL is a global top ten smartphone provider best-known for its Alcatel-branded devices. BlackBerry’s brand recognition and security and software expertise, along with TCL’s hardware and distribution prowess, are a powerful combination.

During CES, TCL gave a sneak peek of Mercury, a secure Android, keyboard-equipped device.

More details about the smartphone, including its official name, will be coming at the Mobile World Congress show in February.

The reception to Mercury was strong. The publications Android Central, Phone Scoop and Android Police all gave BlackBerry Mercury “Best of CES” awards. TechCrunch praised its “solid feel coupled with a modernized version of the iconic BlackBerry design.” Mercury was also a finalist in Engadget’s BEST of CES awards (we should also mention DTEK50 won an Innovation Award from the CES organizer itself).The

We also expect BlackBerry branded phones from BB Merah Putih to come out in Indonesia soon. As our CEO John Chen noted at a press event during CES: “There’s going to be more BlackBerry phones out there because now I have multiple parties creating and distributing and I have local partners to compete in the local space.” We are starting to gain great momentum with our licensing strategy. Look for us to continue pursuing additional licensing partners to bring Mercury as well as other new smartphones to the rest of the world.