mobile

Xiaomi is making a big gamble by holding its event so close to Samsung's own Unpacked event. It isn't however, taking any chances that you'd confused the Mi 9 for the Galaxy S10, as if that were even possible. And so even before it takes the stage, Xiaomi has practically revealed everything there is to know about the Xiaomi Mi 9, including a beefed up Explorer Edition, but, of course, excluding availability details.

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Like it or not, and some definitely don't, Ming Chi-Kuo continues to be one of the most listened to personalities when it comes to making Apple product predictions. Despite leaving KGI Securities for TF International Securities, Kuo keeps on churning insight after insight and tip after tip to keep Apple fans and observers curious about the company's plans. In a research note to clients, the analyst unloaded a ton of information, some of which sound like common sense while others sound more like wishful thinking.

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Who needs tips and leaks when you have LG to do that for you. That is if you're willing to wait at the last minute for those teasers and confirmations. For the past days, LG has done its part in confirming not just the name of the LG G8 ThinQ but two of its features as well. This time, it has not only confirmed the LG V50 ThinQ 5G moniker but that these two flagship phones will be unveiled together for the first time in the company's history.

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This is probably the year of the foldable smartphones, or at least the year that everyone starts talking about real products rather than just ideas. While Samsung and Huawei may be leading the pack, that's not to say others don't have their own say in the matter. TCL, a known brand when it comes to displays, smartphones, and TVs, has some ideas of its own and has, in fact, patented five of them in one swoop. Four of those designs may already look familiar and old to some, but the fifth is somewhat novel in that it wants to put your smartphone directly on your wrist.

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Apple seems to want to expand the speed at which Siri is implemented in 3rd-party products. At least that's what it'd seem, given their acquisition of the group called Pullstring. This group is in the business of assisting with the building and designing of voice apps for physical products. Oh, they've got their own conversational AI, too.

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A new even earlier timing for updating Google apps became apparent this week as Google aims for better security and an overall more consistent mobile experience. Developers received messages notifying them of the testing of this new feature and that it'll be rolling out to users across the planet in the near future. This service will be opt-out, if for whatever reason a user would want to choose to keep their older versions of apps at sign-in.

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This Friday the folks behind ARCore reminded developers that Android is a virtual playground of augmented reality tricks and tools. Evan Hardesty Parker, Software Engineer at Google working with ARCore, revealed a bit about the latest update to ARCore this afternoon. In version 1.7 of ARCore, Hardesty suggests that they are "focused on creative elements like AR selfies and animation" and are aiming to assist developers in improving the "core user experience" in their AR apps.

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Technologist Mahmooda Sultana created the design for a nanomaterial-based detector platform. Because of her work, combined with a next-gen 3D printing program, a new generation in computing may be about to emerge. It all centers on the 2-inch by 3-inch device able to detect minute concentrations of gases, vapor, atmospheric pressure, and temperature.

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Today we've looked at a couple of studies on tech product sales, and there's some good news for mobile users. The good news is for people that already own smartphones: these products last a long time, provided they're taken care of properly. The bad news is for manufacturers: they've got to change something in their methods if they want to continue to increase sales in smartphones.

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We are still very far from that futuristic age where augmented reality almost becomes our reality, where every object or place can hold deeper value than what physical matter can contain. That doesn't mean, however, that we have to limit ourselves to fun but short-lived AR stickers and non-interactive dinosaurs. LEGO, the toy company that always puts itself at the STEM forefront, is showing what else can be down using AR with its new Hidden Side play theme, a ghost-filled experience that keeps one hand on the physical and another on the virtual, literally too.

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Today Google's revealed a Google Play code that'll give users a whole dollar on the app and software store. The Google Play app store also has music and movies and magazines and such, but it would appear that this code only works with apps, and only for apps - not in-app purchases. It would appear that Google's Valentines Day code only works inside the United States right this minute.

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A pair of studies showed how extended exposure to smartphone radiation may be responsible for negative changes in the brain. The study has only been done on lab mice thus far, but the results have some shocking implications for what could also be true of us, the human users of radiation-emitting smartphones aplenty. Your smartphone might be the reason your depression meds just aren't doing the job anymore.

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