Remember the gorgeous edge-to-edge Xiaomi Mi MIX that was unveiled last month? The phone is quite a monster coming with a huge 6.4-inch display.
But if you don’t particularly like holding a huge device to your ear while you’re in a call, the good news is that Xiaomi seems has a smaller version of the Mi MIX in the works. The phone dubbed the Xiaomi Mi MIX Nano showed up online in a bunch of leaked photographs this week.
A few shadowy images apparently showcasing the size difference between the Mi MIX with the Mi MIX Nano have found their way online. One photo shows the About Phone section on the Mi MIX Nano and judging by it the smaller phone’s spec list is going to be quite similar to the Mi MIX.
In case you don’t remember the Mi MIX made a debut into the wild with a 6.4-inch display with 1080 x 2040 resolution and a Snapdragon 821 clocked at 2.35GHz under the hood working with either 4GB/6GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of internal storage.
The phone features a 16MP/5MP camera couple, a hefty 4,400 mAh battery and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box. In China the prices start from around $517 for the base version, but if you are an international customer and you really want the device, you’ll have to pay as much as you would for a Pixel. Websites like XiaomiDevice sell the 4GB/128GB version for $819 a pop.
Anyway, moving along to the Mi MIX Nano, the phone should arrive with a 5.5-inch display just like the Google Pixel XL (same size, different take on it). The device should feature the same 1080p resolution as the Mi MIX, which fits much better in the picture given the phone’s diagonal.
The Nano will have a Snapdragon 821 clocked at 2.53 GHz (bug?) and only a 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage version. It will probably take advantage of a smaller battery, since it doesn’t have a huge screen to support.
Last but not least, the Nano is shown to be running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but hopefully by the time it’s ready to launch Android 7.0 Nougat will be unboard.
Rumors expect the Mi MIX Nano to launch for approximately $435 in China. Would you be interested?
Qualcomm just introduced its top of the line next-gen chipset Snapdragon 835 earlier this week. Now the company announced a new bug bounty program that invites white hat hackers to identify vulnerabilities in its Snapdragon chips and LTE modems.
Qualcomm is offering prizes up to $15,000 to those who successfully identify a bug (or more). It’s not uncommon for companies to appeal to the community asking for help to identify the weakest points in their products.
The main idea behind bug bounty programs such as this is that hackers get paid by the producing company to identify bugs. When a vulnerability is found they are requested to inform the manufacturer, rather than the world. The company gets to fix the problem before it becomes a serious issue and customers won’t even know about it.
Anyway, Qualcomm says it will honor contributions to the program in either QTI Product Security or the CodeAuroraForum Hall of Fame. It depends on the nature of subscription.
If you think you have what it takes to hunt down bugs for Qualcomm, you can get started already. To find out more about which chipsets are included in the program and what kind of software vulnerabilities are of interest, go ahead and visit the Hacker One website.
For starters, the bounty program will begin as a closed program with only 40 researchers working to identify vulnerabilities. After a while Qualcomm will open the gates and more people are expected to join.
As we told you above, Qualcomm just unveiled the Snapdragon 835 based on Samsung’s 10nm FinFET process. Compared to the previous 14nm Snapdragon 820 and 821, the new silicone piece is 30% smaller and promises 27% increased performance and 40% more energy savings.
The chip is the first to arrive with Quick Charge 4.0 and we can expect to see it arrive in consumer devices like the Samsung Galaxy S8 in 2017.
In the meantime Qualcomm wants to make absolutely sure its current lineup of Snapdragons is bug-free.
Online learning is the future of education and these days more and more people are discovering the benefits of enrolling in online classes. Organizations like Udacity offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) in order to help those who wish to learn acquire a new skill.
Speaking of which, this week Udacity announced a new program called Blitz which aims to connect graduates with professionals seeking software engineers. The new service is meant to act as a bridge between businesses and software&app developers.
Udacity focuses on delivering high quality online courses in diverse fields including entrepreneurship, mobile app development, programing, machine learning, VR and even mathematics.
Here’s how the Blitz program works. Let’s say a business has an idea for an app, so they access the Blitz website and upload their proposal. Udacity will assess the project and provide a budget estimate in no time. A software team is then assembled, complete with a project manager who is in charge of overseeing things.
Businesses are given the freedom to interact with the members of the software team and if everything goes well, even prologue the collaboration further on. If the end results aren’t satisfactory, Udacity Blitz will be refund the business in-full. It’s quite simple.
Udacity also announced it was partnering with 99designs.com for Blitz. The website provides custom app building services and from now one customers will have the ability to choose to work with an Udacity Blitz team, as well.
Companies have already started working with Blitz teams, for example the design agency AJ&Smart, Alphabet Inc’s Sidewalk Labs and LA-based recording studio Sundown Sessions. The company boasts that Blitz engineers who were offered full-time jobs after the initial collaboration are paid between $75,000 and $145,000 on average.
It’s an interesting development of the fast evolving MOOC industry. Udacity is no longer just an online learning website or a place where companies look for new employees, but an aggregate of both.
LeEco is a Chinese company trying to penetrate the US market. Most people might not be familiar with the brand in the US, but in China LeEco is pretty well known for making TVs phones, bicycles and offering a streaming video service akin to Netflix.
With Black Friday being just a week away, LeEco has already announced its list of discounts and promotions. The Chinese tech giant plans to host a sale that will begin on at 12:01 a.m. PT on November 25 and will run until 11:59 p.m. PT on November 28.
In order to access the discounts, interested parties are required to sign up for LeEco’s LeRewards program (don’t worry it’s free of charge). After which the shopping spree can begin.
One of the most notable discounts will be applied on the flagship Le Pro3 smartphone which usually sells for $399. Well during the period outlined above, the handset can be yours for $279. Customers can choose to add a $20 bundle to the purchase which includes a Bluetooth speaker and a power bank. Here’s what phone is all about.
LeEco Le Pro 3
5.5-inch display with 1080 x 1920 resolution
Snapdragon 821 processor
4GB RAM
64GB storage
16MP/8MP camera combo
4070mAh battery
All metal build
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Unlocked for GSM carriers
The lower-end Le S3 which previously sold for $249, will not be going on sale for $129 a pop. The additional gift bundle costs $12 and comes packing a case, screen protector and power bank or Bluetooth speaker.
LeEco Le S3
5.5-inch display with 1080 x 1920 resolution
Snapdragon 652 processor
3GB RAM
32GB storage
16MP/8MP camera combo
3000 mAh battery
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Unlocked for GSM carriers
But if you’re not interested in phones right now, you should know that LeEco also offers a slew of pretty good deals on some of its 4K TVs.
Super4 X65 now $1,099 ($300 off) plus a free Le S3 smartphone
Super4 X55 now $599 ($300 off) plus a free Le S3 smartphone
Super4 X43 Pro now $349 ($300 off)
uMax85 now $3,999 ($1,000 off)
If any of these deals sound good to you, don’t forget to sign up for LeEco’s LeRewards program before 25 November. Happy shopping!
Great news! Republic Wireless now sells the Moto Z and Moto Z Play directly from its store. Republic Wireless offers Wi-Fi calling as its main selling point, which it combines with prepaid phone coverage.
Moto Z Features
Thin premium design
Vibrant 5.5″ Quad HD AMOLED display
Beautiful images with the 13MP large pixel camera
Massive on-board storage (64GB) with 4GB of RAM for blazing fast multitasking
Moto Modsâ„¢
Moto Z Play Features
Massive 3510 mAH battery for over 50 hours of usage with Turbo Charge
Shoot like a pro with a 16MP dual auto-focus technology camera
Fingerprint reader
5.5″ screen and blazing fast processor
Moto Modsâ„¢
Republic Wireless plans start at $15/month, which includes unlimited talk, text and data. Of course, as with any MVNO you can bring your own unlocked phone to the service. But if you’d like to buy a Moto phone from Republic, the carrier is selling the Moto Z for $699, while the Moto Z Play is $449.
Republic Wireless doesn’t work with all phones though. The carrier has a list of approved phones, and doesn’t accept iPhones. Here’s the full list:
Moto G (4th Gen.)
Moto G PLAY (4th Gen.)
Moto G PLUS (4th Gen.)
Moto X Pure Edition
Moto Z
Moto Z Play
Nexus 5X by LG
Nexus 6 by Motorola
Nexus 6P by Huawei
Pixel by Google
Pixel XL by Google
Samsung Galaxy J3
Samsung Galaxy S6
Samsung Galaxy S7
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
If you have one of these phones, or you’d like to buy one from Republic Wireless, give it a try. You can find the main website here, as well as the FAQ here.
Mint SIM is an MVNO carrier that is a spin-off of Ultra Mobile. It first came to market with a unique offer: cheap smartphone plans, but you have to buy a year’s worth of data at a time. But now a new offer is on the table.
Mint SIM is lowering the rates even further, and has a new introductory offer. You can try the service before committing to a full year. New customers can buy three months of Mint service starting at $35, which is $11.67/month.
This is for a plan with unlimited talk and text and 2GB of LTE data. If you use up the 2GB, your data will be throttled for the remainder of the month. But throttling after a set amount of data is standard practice for many carriers offering “unlimited” plans.
Mint Coverage Map
As with other MVNOs (mobile virtual network operator), there is no contract or activation fee. Mint also uses T-Mobile’s network and works with any unlocked GSM phone. If you use your own phone, Mint will send you a free SIM card – you just pay a couple dollars for shipping. If you decide to stick with Mint, you’ll be able to buy other plans 6 – 12 months in advance.
There are a couple things to keep in mind though. Mint doesn’t offer any family plans, and you won’t get a refund if you cancel your service. If you decide to switch, you forfeit the rest of your balance.
FreedomPop today announced it will now sell reconditioned smartphones to customers who live in the US, UK, Mexico, and Spain. Dubbed the FreedomShop, it’s a storefront that will be home to more than 100 different phones.
Thanks to partnerships with more than 200 suppliers, the FreedomShop will offer devices from the likes of Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, and ZTE. Prices are expected to be on the low end but the phones will be certified and come with a 90-day protection against technical problems and a 30-day “no questions asked” return policy.
FreedomPop, which operates as an MVNO in select countries, expects that its prices on these phones will be up to 80% off the original cost. FreedomPop is a Los Angeles-based provider of free mobile services such as voice, text, and data. When not relying on Wi-Fi for connectivity, its devices fall back to Sprint for coverage in the US.
The phones sold in the FreedomShop will include both CDMA and GSM models.
The brand new Google Pixel XL is out and the metal and glass build needs to be protected! Spigen is one of the biggest names in cell phone accessories because it makes some great cases for an affordable price. We’ve featured Spigen several times in our accessory guides and fans always tell us that they love them. We’ve teamed up with Spigen for this look at its lineup for the Google Pixel XL. Take a look.
Crystal Shell
The Crystal Shell case is a really nice option if you want to show off the aesthetics of your Pixel. The clear case gives you full view of your phone. Some have dissed the looks of the Pixel XL, but I personally like it a lot so the Crystal Shell scores high marks for me. The corners have extra large bumpers to help shield the phone from falls, but it does add the tiniest bit of bulk. Most people won’t mind it too much, but if you like your phone as sleek as possible, you may want to find another case.
Not to be confused with the Crystal Shell, the Liquid Crystal is one of the lower profile cases in Spigen’s lineup. This one won’t do much for you in case of falls due to its thin construction, but it will protect the back from scratches and dents and added some much-needed slip protection to an otherwise slippery phone. This is the case I keep on my phone most due to the fact that it is clear and it helps me hold onto my phone. I’ve found that I don’t need that much impact protection if I know my phone isn’t going anywhere.
The Neo Hybrid is one of the most popular Spigen cases and it’s easy to see why. The case protects the phone with a soft case and a hard bumper to absorb those falls and looks good doing it. Spigen sent over the case with a blue accent and I think it looks great. One of the really nice things about the Neo Hybrid is that you never have to worry about wiping off smudges or fingerprints. Some small dirt can get stuck in the pattern at the top, but it’s normally pretty easily dealt with.
The Rugged Armor is the case I see the most in the wild. People really love the case for its slim design and smooth feel. You still get the added grip that you would expect from a case, but the Rugged Armor feels great in the hand too. Nothing will beat the industrial design of a phone for me, but I do love the looks of the Rugged Armor as much as any case I’ve ever seen. You will get some impact protection from the Rugged Armor, but don’t let the name fool you- if you want serious OtterBox-like construction, you may have to look elsewhere.
The Slim Armor case is… not that slim. Actually, I think if Spigen had to do it all over again, I think it might switch the name of the Rugged Armor and Slim Armor cases. The Slim Armor is much more of a sturdy case built to take falls from higher distances and hold up well over time. This isn’t a flimsy case that you slip on and off like a fashion accessory. If you’re looking for a step up in protection, the Slim Armor may have what you’re looking for, just be prepared for a little more bulk.
Now THIS is the bad boy of protection in Spigen’s lineup. This thing eats at the same table as the OtterBox Defender lineup and does it for about half the price. I love how big and bulky this thing is because I know my phone is safe inside. If I were walking around downtown doing touristy things and taking a bunch of pictures and using maps for walking directions, this is the case I’d use. If my phone is going to be in and out of wherever I’m keeping it, I want the protection in case of falls.
The Tough Armor also comes with a kickstand so you can turn your phone to the side and watch media without using any hands to hold it up. Like I said, this thing is big and bulky so if that’s not your thing, pass on this one. But, if you want serious protection, check the Tough Armor out.
The Ultra Hybrid is a happy medium between the bulky protection of the Crystal Shell and the more flimsy Liquid Crystal. The Ultra Hybrid is another clear case, but this one has a sturdy Polycarbonate back to give it a little more strength while retaining the TPU bumpers that feel a little more pliable. I like the compromise here because my phone feels pretty secure in the case and it adds the grippy sides I like too. The bulk is about the same as the Liquid Crystal so it feels slim and light too.
Time to purchase a new smartphone? Is this an upgrade from an existing device? We want to help you out either way.
To save you money, we’ve gathered up all of the promotions we could find from Sprint. Regardless of where you’re thinking of going for service, or what phone you are looking to pick up, you owe it to yourself to check below.
What follows is a mix of phone, rate plan, and accessory promotions worth checking out. It might not be an exhaustive list, but it’s a good collection of what’s currently offered through Sprint.
Although we’ve listed known expiration dates, we have no idea how long some of these other deals will last.
It’s amusing to know that, even with the rise of e-books, tablets, and Amazon’s Kindle services and devices, recent studies show that Americans are reading less than in previous years. The media probably blames millennials, as they always do, but what are you going to do? I figure people can’t stop scrolling through their Facebook timelines in search of memes.
Books are easier to get and read than ever, thanks to improved channels of distribution and the ubiquity of connected devices. For those who want to read but are on a budget, there are several free alternatives in the Play Store ready for your reading pleasure. One of these options is Oodles, which offers quality e-books and audiobooks for the always-welcome price of zero. Nada!
The main screen gives you quick access to the available e-books and audiobooks, while also allowing you to access your library.
When you first open the app, it asks you to create an account. Fortunately, for those of us who don’t like to create accounts, especially when the only account creation methods are Google and Facebook, there’s a “Sign-in later” option. It makes you wonder why the app asks you to create an account so early in the first place, especially if it isn’t required at all for the app to work properly. After this, you’re ready to use the app.
Overview
The main screen of Oodles shows two carousel-style sections: one for free e-books and another one for free audiobooks. Clicking on either will yield a grid (or list, it depends on the screen) with the available options. You’ll also have the option to swipe between different views, such as Categories, Top Books, and Top Authors. Think of the way the Play Store is organized and you’ll get an idea of what you will find here. Everything looks neat and works quickly enough.
When you choose a specific book, you’ll be directed to the book’s detail page. This will show the cover at the top, along with detailed information about the book and the option to download it. There’s also suggestions at the bottom, based on the book you chose. Since the available books here are probably not well-known, this is a crucial option and it’s nice that the developer decided to add it.
You can also browse your library of e-books and audiobooks, all neatly organized and with a percentage bar that shows you your current progress on that specific book. You can also import books you already own but are stored in your SD card or internal memory.
E-books
There’s a lot to say about this part of the app, so much that it merits a section of its own. When you finally download your books and are ready to consume them, you are treated with the reading screen.
I have mixed feelings regarding this specific activity, since some things work so well but, on the other hand, it looks outdated and out of place in a world where Android apps have gotten much more beautiful than they were just a couple of years ago.
Gingerbread called. It wanted its interface back.
The screen has a top and a bottom bar, each one with different controls and options. The problem is that these icons look like they were brought in a time machine right from the days of Gingerbread.
Some buttons even have a gradient color, something that is frowned upon in today’s design. Actually making things worse is the fact that not all of them are gradients. There’s no consistency between design languages here.
Anyways, regarding the functionality of the buttons themselves, they all work more or less like you would expect. At the top, you’ll find a list button which will let you browse the chapters of your book and jump to any of them directly. There’s also a button to save bookmarks (actual bookmarks, you know, not the browser-related ones).
Next to it you’ll find a search function that works rather well. There’s also an overflow menu for getting to the app’s settings (I will come back to this later), book information, and increase/decrease font size (even though there’s a dedicated button for that at the bottom).
At the bottom you’ll find more useful stuff, such as brightness control, toggle between day and night modes (awesome), rotation lock, and the aforementioned font size changer. There’s also a slider to move between pages, and a button to return to the page you were reading before acting on this slider.
The book part is invisibly divided in three columns. Hitting the center part will toggle the top and bottom bars, leaving more screen state for reading your book. Touching the right side will take you to the next page, while the left region will take you to the previous page. Swiping will also move you through the pages. These gestures and tap recognitions work swiftly enough, although swiping too fast generates a wonky animation.
Specific book information is available in one click. There’s also the option of browsing similar books.
Just as a Lannister always pays his debts, I am fulfilling my promise of coming back to the settings section. The options available here are actually richer than the options for the app itself. There’s options for changing appearance, margins, page turning, dictionary, colors, text, etc. Possibly every aspect that can be configured has some kind of entry. That’s really cool, but what’s with the design? If the icons weren’t Gingerbread enough, this settings app looks completely out of date.
The whole reading screen looks (and probably is) a library written by other developer and integrated to this app. There’s nothing wrong with that, but at least some additional work could have been made in order to avoid such an inconsistent experience.
Audiobooks
You can download your audiobooks in different parts (as opposed to a single big file) to make it lighter for your internet connection. The player for audiobooks works exactly as expected, with the book cover front and center, and then your regular buttons to play, pause, rewind, and similar events that you expect. There’s very little to say about it other than it works and audio quality is decent enough for an audiobook.
Ads
Being a free app by an independent developer, ads are expected. These come in two different flavors: a banner at the bottom of the screen, and a full-screen ad when you leave the reader screen.
I never hide my hate for full-screen ads, and I won’t start today. It’s really unfortunate that user experience has to be interrupted in such an abrupt manner in order to get the revenue to pay the bills. That’s the way the current market is, however, and there’s nothing in the near future that will change this. At least I haven’t seen a full-screen video ad yet.
Options
Here’s the option screen, where you can configure the two of them.
Touching the gear button at the top of the main screen will take you to the app’s settings screen. Even though it seems full, it’s probably the settings screen with the least amount of options I’ve ever seen.
You can change your language, although it’s limited to English and another language that I can’t understand (sorry for the ignorance).
A kind of cool feature comes in the form of reminders. You can ask the app to remind you at a specific time that you need to stop being lazy and read those books you downloaded. These can be configured for any time of the day, any day of the week.
There’s also the option to remove ads (thankfully) and share the app with your friends. Other than that, there’s no noteworthy aspects to analyze further.
Conclusion
Oodles does a good job in categorizing and providing a nice one-stop place to download e-books and audiobooks. The problems start to show up when you’re reading the books themselves, with a really outdated library to handle the situation.
If you can ignore the fact that the reading interface looks like the apps you used on your Samsung Galaxy S2 back in 2011, then you can use Oodles to satisfy your reading needs.