ZTE’s Axon 7 flagship gets Nougat, Daydream support

The ZTE Axon 7 is set to receive Android 7.0 Nougat, and users of the popular unlocked flagship are in for a Daydream upgrade! 🎉

Nougat is an elusive piece of software for many smartphone owners, including those with the world’s most popular Android phones on earth, the Galaxy S7.

But China’s ZTE, which claims to be the fourth largest manufacturer by sales volume in the U.S., and second in the unlocked space, can now claim that its flagship is among those few beneficiaries of Google’s latest features, including improved notifications, more advanced Doze, and proper multi-window support. The company’s Axon 7 flagship is set to receive Android 7.0 Nougat beginning February 7, bringing Daydream support along with it.

As part of the release, ZTE says that users will see a simplified interface that doesn’t detract from Google’s original intentions, along with numerous bug fixes and performance improvements in its so-called MiFavor interface. The company is also teaming up with Hiya, a platform that helps weed out spam and robocalls before they come through to the user. Available as a third-party app to all Android users, Hiya will be integrated directly into ZTE’s dialler app, a first for both companies.

Like most big software updates, the ZTE Axon 7 will take a few weeks to complete its full rollout. Let us know if you’ve received it on your device!

LG G6 invite teases bezel-less ‘Full Vision’ display

Get ready for a Full Vision display.

LG has been teasing the launch of the LG G6 by revealing details of the device ahead of its unveil at Mobile World Congress on February 26. In the press invite for the launch event, LG is touting the bezel-less nature of the 5.7-inch display with the tagline, “Big Screen That Fits.”

The LG G6 will feature a 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 2880 x 1440 and an 18:9 screen ratio that LG calls Full Vision. The wireframe image of the device on the right shows that the display will fill up the entire front of the phone, which should make it easy to use the phone one-handed.

LG is also adding water resistance to the G6, and while the phone isn’t going to run the latest Qualcomm SoC, it will retain the dual camera setup. We’ll know more about the LG G6 later this month in Barcelona, so stay tuned for all the details.

Samsung Gear 360 is down to $225 for Amazon Prime subscribers

Samsung’s 360-degree camera is available for $125 off for Prime subscribers.

If you’re looking to get into the world of 360-degree photography, Samsung’s Gear 360 is a good place to start. The camera made its debut last year for $349, but you’ll be able to pick one up on Amazon for $225 as long as you’re a Prime subscriber. The Gear 360 features two 15MP wide-angle lenses that stitch images together to create a 360-degree photo. The 1350mAh battery allows you to take images for two hours on a full charge, and as there’s no internal storage, you’ll need a microSD card to save images.

More: Samsung Gear 360 review

The Gear 360 can also take videos at a maximum resolution of 3840 x 1920, and you can control the device wirelessly from the Galaxy S7, S7 edge, and the Galaxy Note 5. If you’re interested, head to Amazon from the link below to pick up the Gear 360. As noted previously, the deal is limited to Prime subscribers in the U.S.

See at Amazon

ASUS launches ZenFone 3s Max in India with 5000mAh battery

The ZenFone 3s Max doubles up as a power bank.

ASUS launched the ZenFone 3 Max in India last November, and is now rolling out an updated variant dubbed the ZenFone 3s Max (ZC521TL) with a larger 5000mAh battery and Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. The phone retails for ₹14,999 ($220), and will be available online and offline stores starting today in Black and Sand Gold color options.

The ZenFone 3s Max offers a 5.2-inch 720p display, MediaTek MT6750 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 13MP camera at the back, 8MP front camera, Wi-Fi ac, and 4G connectivity. The phone’s main selling point is the 5000mAh battery, which can be used to charge up other devices should the need arise. Nougat is also a welcome addition, but the phone loses out to the likes of the Redmi Note 4 and Honor 6X when it comes to value for money.

See at Flipkart

Mobile World Congress 2017: The Android Central preview

The biggest phone show of the year is about to kick off in Barcelona. Here’s what to expect…

Mobile World Congress, held each February (or sometimes early March) in Barcelona, Spain, is usually the event which kicks off flagship phone launch season. For the past two years, Samsung has unveiled its new flagship Galaxy S phone ahead of MWC, and although we’ll need to wait a few more months for this year’s Galaxy S8, there’s still a ton of Android goodness to look forward to.

The show itself takes place at the purpose-built Fira Barcelona in the south of the city, however this is preceded by a couple of days of action-packed launch events around Barcelona. This year the Android Central, Windows Central and CrackBerry teams will be on the ground from Thursday, February 23. Most of the big press events take place on February 25 and 26. And the show officially kicks off on February 27, running until March 2.

In addition to tapas, cervezas and some unmatched scenery, we can predict the following for Mobile World Congress 2017…

Samsung — Galaxy Tab S3 and probably not much else

Samsung’s holding a press conference on the evening of February 26, where we’re expecting tablet-shaped announcements. According to the rumors, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 should give the company’s high-end Android tablet line a much-needed upgrade, with current internals and a familiar slim frame.

We don’t know exactly what the Tab S3 will look like yet, but the previous generation’s Tab S2 can probably provide some clues. Regardless, the rumor mill has provided a few tantalizing clues about the hardware lurking within:

• LTE and Wi-Fi-only models
• 9.6-inch 2048×1536 display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• 4GB of RAM
• 12-megapixel camera
• Android 7.0 Nougat
• 5.6mm thickness

Look for a $600 price tag and a March launch date in Samsung’s home market of Korea.

The biggest Samsung announcement might be the announcement of its next announcement.

Of course, the elephant in the room will be the Galaxy S8, rumored for a March 29 announcement in New York City. The Korea Herald claims that the GS8 will be briefly teased on-stage in Barcelona, a move which would be entirely in character for Samsung. The company has previously dropped details of upcoming events and devices at the end of press conferences, and with the GS8 announcement expected just a month later, the timing would be right.

LG — G6, G6, G6

LG’s two new Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches should have emerged long before MWC, and so the company’s MWC presence should focus almost singularly on the LG G6. After the flop of the LG G5, the G6 needs to be a resounding success.

Expect fewer gimmicks for LG this year, as it looks to get out ahead of the GS8.

Thanks to a wealth of pre-release leaks, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the G6. The ill-fated modular design of the G5 is (unsurprisingly) going away, to make way for a more attractive metal construction. (Check out the leaked shot above.) The display is set to grow a few millimeters, using a new, taller “18:9” aspect ratio Quad HD+ display that’s supposed cover more of the front face. Water resistance is also confirmed, as is a dual camera setup around the back that’ll let you “capture it all at once” — whatever that might mean.

But one area where LG may be at disadvantage compared to local rival Samsung is in the processor stakes. Reports suggest that the Galaxy S8 will have first dibs on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 835, with the G6 instead settling for its predecessor, the 821. That’s not a huge deal — the 821 remains a fine chip. But it’s an important psychological (and marketing) advantage for Samsung among enthusiasts.

On the software side, we’d naturally expect Android Nougat — likely version 7.1.1 — to ship on the G6. It’s also rumored to be the first non-Pixel phone with Google Assistant — part of the ongoing trend towards AI in high-end phones.

More: Latest LG G6 leaks

Other possibilities?… LG Rolling Bot 2? We’ll just have to wait and see. LG’s presser takes place on the afternoon of February 26.

Huawei — P10, P10 Plus, maybe Huawei Watch 2?

Huawei is a bit of a wildcard. The Chinese company has only just got its new “phablet” device, the Mate 9, onto store shelves. Yet already it’s looking likely that the Huawei P10, the manufacturer’s next non-massive handset, could break cover in Barcelona. In fact, Huawei promises its “next flagship device” will arrive at a press conference on February 26.

Chinese social media leaks have already give us a glimpse possible Huawei P10 and P10 Plus designs. Essentially, it seems we’re looking at a cross between an iPhone 7 and a Mate 9 Pro in terms of design.

The front-facing fingerprint scanner and capacitive keys make a return, along with a curved screen and a gentle slope to the metal back. P-series design cues make a return, with a glass-backed “visor” housing a re-vamped Leica camera array. The branding behind that glass section points to an f/2.0 lens being used, which would be an upgrade from the Mate 9’s f/2.2 lens. (It’s unknown if there’ll be any more substantial camera changes compared to the Mate 9.)

How will Huawei improve upon the Mate 9 for its next small phone?

On the inside, look for Huawei’s latest Kirin 960 (or possibly Kirin 965, if Huawei bumps up the clock speeds and rebrands), along with various storage + RAM configurations. SKUs ranging from 32GB + 4GB to 128GB + 6GB have been reported, which would allow Huawei to target a variety of price points across different markets.

And hey, just pointing this out. We’re long overdue a successor to the venerable Huawei Watch. With Android Wear 2.0 expected to be out in the wild by MWC, there’s every chance Huawei will showcase new wearables alongside its latest phones.

BlackBerry — Mercury

The BlackBerry Mercury New BlackBerry should be officially unveiled at the BlackBerry Mobile presser on February 25, and we’re in the unusual position of having fondled it at CES, while not knowing a darn thing about what’s powering the device, nor what its final marketing name will be.

According to CrackBerry, benchmarks have uncovered a Snapdragon 625 chip, 3GB of RAM and Android Nougat, along with a 3,400mAh battery. But we’ll just have to wait and see.

Here’s what AC’s Andrew Martonik thought after a brief time with “Mercury” in Las Vegas last month:

The biggest thing that stands out about the Mercury is how decidedly BlackBerry the whole design is. After seeing somewhat simple repurposed hardware designs in the DTEK50 and DTEK60, it’s refreshing to see an altogether fresh — yet entirely familiar to BlackBerry fans — hardware design. The phone has a proper heft to it, the keyboard has a trademark clickiness and when you see it on a table you couldn’t mistake it for a phone from any other company.

More: BlackBerry Mercury hands-on

Lenovorola — Moto G5

Lenovo’s Moto division has a new phone coming in Barcelona, with an event scheduled for — you guessed it, February 26. The phone is rumored to be an updated Moto G model, the Moto G5, which should also come in a higher-end G5 Plus variant.

The Moto G series — or at least the good Moto G phones — have always been defined by their balance of performance, software features and price. Aside from some rumors on RAM and internal storage, there’s not much reliable info out there concerning specs, but we agree with the rumor mill, which says Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 is a good bet. And with competitors like Honor bringing the heat to Moto with rivals like the 6X, it could be time for Moto to adopt more whizbang features into what’s generally been a “meat and potatoes” entry-level series.

As for the non-Moto part of Lenovo, there’s always the possibility of new tablets spicing things up in Barcelona.

Others

• Sony fielded a bunch of decent but entirely forgettable phones in 2016, and according to which rumors you believe it’ll either unveil five new handsets, including a new flagship, or nothing at all. Indeed, with the Snapdragon 835 not arriving outside of the GS8 until later in the spring, we wouldn’t be surprised if Sony held off the big announcements for later in 2017. New mid-range stuff from Sony? Entirely possible, but not particularly exciting.

• Nokia has a press conference scheduled for February 26, where hopefully we’ll here what it’s bringing to the table besides brand recognition and nostalgia. The China-only Nokia 6 should give you some idea of what to expect.

• Niantic will be bringing special Pokemon Go stuff to MWC. We can neither confirm nor deny that we will be attempting to catch them all on La Rambla after dark.

What are you most looking forward to at Mobile World Congress this year? Share your hopes (and fears) down in the comments!

Logitech Brio is the world’s first 4K webcam

We haven’t reviewed an external webcam here at Pocket-lint since 2013, but Logitech believes there’s still a market for them. If you’re someone who does still use one, whether it be for live-streaming videos, vloggers, YouTube or the like, then Logitech’s latest may peak your interest. The Brio is the world’s first 4K external webcam with Logitech’s own RightLight 3 with HDR and 5x digital zoom, and supports Windows Hello facial recognition secure login.

• Best laptops 2017: The best laptops you can buy today

The HDR capabilities of the Brio allow the camera to adjust itself depending on lighting conditions, whether they be low or bright, to deliver the best possible performance. You can also choose between 65, 78 and 90 degree fields of view to “ensure the camera is focused only on the area you want others to see” – interpret that as you will – and the lens technology inside the camera promises to offer fast autofocus and precise colour balance and detail

With BRIO, our goal was to create an elegantly designed, feature-packed webcam that anyone who is the slightest bit serious about video quality will want,” said Scott Wharton, vice president and general manager of Logitech Video Collaboration. “Logitech BRIO takes webcams to an entirely new level. It’s truly an unparalleled webcam experience, whether you’re using it for business video collaboration, streaming a live event, or recording professional-quality video in 4K.”

The Logitech Brio 4K webcam is available now for £209.

The Morning After: Tuesday, February 7th, 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Did you watch the Super Bowl on a Vizio TV? There’s a chance it may have been watching you too, while LG drops some more G6 hints and Google keeps tweaking Maps.

If you have a Vizio TV, it’s probably snitching on what you watchFTC fines Vizio for not telling customers it’s tracking what they watch

About a year and a half ago, Vizio revealed the existence of Inscape, a program that uses technology embedded in its TVs to monitors what’s on screen and phone home the data. It sold the data to third parties, who could use the owner’s IP address to track activity across devices and gather other personal details.

Now, the FTC is fining the company $2.2 million because it didn’t explain to customers that the tech was in their new TVs, and pushed it to older sets without properly informing their owners either. If you have a Vizio TV, go into its settings and make sure “smart interactivity” is disabled so that you’re opted out of its scheme.

More tidbitsLG promises a ‘Big Screen’ for its upcoming G6

Next month we’ll meet LG’s new flagship phone. With the Samsung Galaxy S8 delayed, maybe the G6 has more of an opportunity to take off. The invite to its event does even more to hint at an extreme lack of bezels, but we’ll find out everything February 26th.

There’s always something newNew Google Maps tabs flip between driving directions, restaurant info and bus stops

The latest tweak for Google Maps brings shortcuts for some common activities. Just hit the correct icon at the bottom and it’s ready to help you deal with traffic, catch a bus or find somewhere to eat. That pretty much covers it, right?

Hurry, before the copyright police arriveAn entire ‘Pokemon’ game is playable inside ‘Minecraft’

This Minecraft add-on recreates the Pokémon experience with incredible detail. It apparently took 31 months to build, and the effort looks like it was worth it. Even if you’re not a Minecraft player, there’s a video so you can see how much is possible.

S-1What Snap’s IPO tells us about Spectacles’ future

Filing to go public can reveal a lot about a company (see Vizio above). In the case of Snap Inc., it reveals that those slick Spectacles are a long way from becoming a profitable product. That’s not a surprise, given their limited availability, but if you’re thinking about investing (with a stock purchase or by putting a couple of hundred bucks into an accessory), then it’s important to check out the details.

But wait, there’s more…

• Lenovo’s Yoga A12 runs Android, starts at $299 and could replace your laptop
• Lenovo’s new pro laptops include one built for VR
• Super Bowl LI tech commercials
• Japan’s space junk collection experiment ends in failure
• Scientists may have discovered a lost continent
• Appliance giant Electrolux buys out sous vide cooking startup Anova

Man’s pacemaker data leads to arson and insurance fraud charges

Authorities from Ohio arrested a man named Ross Compton and charged him with arson and insurance fraud based on his pacemaker data. Compton told the police that when he saw his house burning on September 19th last year, he packed his suitcases, threw them out his bedroom window and carried them to his car. However, since has a serious heart condition and other medical issues that would have made it extremely difficult for him to do all those, the cops were able to secure a search warrant for his pacemaker data.

According to court documents, a cardiologist who reviewed his heart rate, pacer demand and cardiac rhythms before, during and after the fire said:

“…it is highly improbable Mr. Compton would have been able to collect, pack and remove the number of items from the house, exit his bedroom window and carry numerous large and heavy items to the front of his residence during the short period of time he has indicated due to his medical conditions.”

That data became a key piece of evidence that allowed law enforcement to indict the accused, though they also detected gasoline on his shoes and clothing. The fire ended up causing $400,000 in damages. Whether or not Compton is truly guilty, Electronic Frontier Foundation staff lawyer Stephanie Lacambra told SC Magazine that cases like this “could be the canary in the coal mine concerning the larger privacy implications of using a person’s medical data.”

She explained:

“Americans shouldn’t have to make a choice between health and privacy. We as a society value our rights to maintain privacy over personal and medical information, and compelling citizens to turn over protected health data to law enforcement erodes those rights.”

Source: AP News, Journal-News, SC Magazine

Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service Smart Device Support Extended to U.K. and Germany

Amazon has announced it is extending third-party support for its Alexa Voice Service (AVS) internationally, with rollout beginning today across the U.K. and Germany (via TechCrunch).

First launched in the U.S. in 2015, AVS is the voice-interaction software that powers the company’s Echo family of smart speakers as well as a range of supporting third-party smart home connected devices, such as thermostats, lamps, fans, wall switches, and more.

The support will mean owners of supported devices can voice-interact with additional services, such as TuneIn Radio and local Skills – Amazon’s other API that lets developers build bespoke services to work with Alexa – although users should note that some services like iHeartRadio and Kindle currently only work in the U.S.

The expansion of AVS into Germany and the U.K. follows the launch of the Echo and Echo Dot in those countries last year. Amazon has yet to expand its Alexa-powered range to other markets outside the U.S., but with plans to shift 10 million units in 2017, the company is expected to speed up rollout soon.

Amazon’s simple certification process has led to over 250 smart home products being certified to work with Alexa. By contrast, Apple has certified approximately 100 devices to support its HomeKit platform. Alexa-enabled devices also enjoyed strong holiday sales, with an estimated 10 million units already sold.

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Apple’s ‘Fanatical’ Attention to Detail Revealed in Apple Campus 2 Report

Reuters on Tuesday published a revealing insider report on the Steve Jobs-approved design and ongoing construction of Apple’s new “spaceship” campus in Cupertino, California, which is expected to be finished this Spring.

The write-up draws from interviews with nearly two dozen current and former workers on the $5 billion project, and focuses on the “fanatical” attention to detail demanded by Apple managers throughout the development that is said to have delayed the original 2016 completion date.

According to the report, the Apple Campus 2 in-house construction team enforced many strict rules. For instance, no vents or pipes could be reflected in the surrounding structures, regardless of the fact that the campus is home to the world’s largest single pane of curved glass.

In another example of the stringent demands that construction workers were subject to, the guidelines for the special wood used frequently throughout the building is said to have ran to some 30 pages.

Tolerances, the distance materials may deviate from desired measurements, were a particular focus. On many projects, the standard is 1/8 of an inch at best; Apple often demanded far less, even for hidden surfaces.

The company’s keen design sense enhanced the project, but its expectations sometimes clashed with construction realities, a former architect said.

“With phones, you can build to very, very minute tolerances,” he said. “You would never design to that level of tolerance on a building. Your doors would jam.”

According to architect German de la Torre, who worked on the project, many of the building’s proportions were directly inspired by Apple products, from the curve of a rounded corner, to the elevator buttons, which struck some workers as resembling the iPhone’s home button.

One of the most vexing features was the doorways, which Apple wanted to be perfectly flat, with no threshold. The construction team pushed back, but Apple held firm.

The rationale? If engineers had to adjust their gait while entering the building, they risked distraction from their work, according to a former construction manager.

“We spent months trying not to do that because that’s time, money and stuff that’s never been done before,” the former construction manager said.

This obsession with minute features is said to have set back other parts of the project. For example, Apple wanted all the building’s signage to reflect a sleek minimal aesthetic, but the emergency services had to ensure the property could be easily navigated if they were called to an incident. Discussions on the topic are said to have extended to 15 meetings with fire department representatives.

The article ends with an anecdote about the back and forth between construction workers and Apple managers over the design of a door handle. Discussions apparently went on for a year and a half – the door handle is reportedly still unfinished to this day.

You can read the full Reuters report here, and be sure to check out the recent drone footage of the Apple Campus 2 construction site we featured late last month.

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