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Dropped Xiaomi Mi MIX reveals just how fragile the edgeless phone is

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Not so long ago Chinese smartphone maker, unveiled a stunning handset concept called the Mi MIX. Actually the Mi MIX is more than just a concept, with the first batch sale hitting the market as soon as this week in China.

While the phone hasn’t yet been released, some test units have been given out to a lucky few (most likely Xiaomi employees) for testing purposes. Now a new report coming out from Xiaomi Today shows us just how frail this stunning edge-to-edge phone really is.

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Apparently someone at the Xiaomi store dropped the phone by accident and the results aren’t pretty. As you can see in the image, not only is the glass damaged but the display panel itself. That’s what you get for not including Corning Gorilla Glass Protection into the mix. What’s more, the ceramic frame seems to have been separated from the phone.

It’s not really a surprise that the Xiaomi Mi MAX is super sensible. After all, we’re dealing with a 91.3% screen-to-body ratio phone with a full ceramic body and buttons. Nevertheless, the Mi MAX is a device you can’t just turn your back on.

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The phone features an extra-spacious 6.4-inch edgeless display with Snapdragon 821, 4GB of RAM with 128GB internal storage. A Pro version with even more 6GB of RAM and 256GB storage will also be made available.

In the photo department, we have a 16MP main camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus (or PDAF) and a 5MP selfie camera. The device also takes advantage of a 4,400 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support, NFC and USB Type-C port. It runs Xiaomi’s MIUI 8.

The Mi MIX is an atypical phone because it comes without the typical earpiece hole. Instead the phone utilizes a process to transmit an electric signal from the Digital to Analog Converter to a piece of piezoelectronic ceramic which turns the electric signal to mechanical energy that reaches to phone’s frame and makes it vibrate. The sound produced will finally reach the human ear.

The new ultrasonic proximity sensor hidden behind the display uses ultrasound to detect proximity. It replaces the usual IR sensor which would have otherwise taken a lot of space.

Given that it will be pretty hard for consumers to ignore the Xiaomi Mi MIX, we recommend buyers also invest in a protective case accessory. Xiaomi also provides users with official accident insurance for $36.9. Make sure you don’t skip it if you’re getting the Mi MIX.

Samsung Gear S3 listed at BestBuy for $349, coming soon

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Earlier this week, ASUS’ new ZenWatch 3 was finally made available for purchase in the US for $299 a pop. But if for some reason you don’t like ASUS, you’ll be happy to know you have an alternative when shopping for circular watches.

Retailer BestBuy appears to be gearing up to accept orders for Samsung’s latest Gear S3 smartwatch, which is listed at “Coming Soon”. Customers can have their pick between Classic and Frontier models for $349.99 a pop. As you can see Samsung’s wearable is a bit more expensive that ASUS’.

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But is it worth it? Samsung certainly does seem to think so. In case you don’t remember, we’ll remind you that Samsung introduced the Gear 3 back at IFA 2016 in Berlin. The watch features a round 1.3-inch circular AMOLED display with the iconic rotating bezel which makes app navigation and messaging a lot easier. The display boasts 360 x 360 pixel resolution and is powered by a dual-core 1GHz chipset.

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The watch is water-resistant and embeds a GPS monitor and a heart-rate monitor. It’s also capable of making contactless payment via Samsung Pay support.

Samsung has upgraded the battery inside the S3, so compared to last year’s model, the wearable features a 50% larger battery (380 mAh). It also boast 50% more RAM power (768MB). We should also note the Gear S3 runs Samsung’s own Tizen OS, so it’s not your “regular” Android Wear wearable.

To give you an idea of how the Samsung Gear 3 compares to the recent ASUS ZenWatch 3, we’ll remind you that the wearable of 1.39-inch AMOLED display with 400 x 400 resolution.

There’s a Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset under the hood with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 340 mAh battery. The watch runs Android Wear out of the box, but there’s no mention of Android Pay working on the device. Note this watch doesn’t have a heart rate sensor or GPS, but it’s water resistant nevertheless.

PBS launches its own kid-friendly tablet, the Playtime Pad

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Device makers aren’t flocking to release tablets like they used to. However, there are still companies who consider that launching a tablet might be beneficial for their business. Like PSB Kids, a subsidiary of American public broadcaster and television program distributor PBS, which just unveiled its first kid-centric tablet computer.

The new Playtime Pad has been designed with the specific purpose in mind of bringing children’s television programming to those kids who prefer the tablet instead of to the good old TV.

The Playtime Pad is technically produced by Ematic and comes pre-loaded with PBS Kids’ entertainment which includes a host of games, videos and more. The company’s own set of applications including PBS Kids Video, PBS Kids Scratch Jr. and PBS Parents Play and Learn, will also come pre-installed. Parents and kids can access new content via the PBS apps which are constantly updated.

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When it comes to specifications, don’t expect anything mind-blowing. The Playtime Pad is pretty average in this department coming in with a 7-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor with 16GB of internal storage (microSD card slot available for memory expansion). A front and back camera are also provided, although we’re not given any specifics about their sensors.

The Playtime Pad runs a customized version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. But don’t expect Android 7.0 Nougat to make it out on this tablet anytime soon.

Like any self-respecting tablet for kids, the Playtime Pad offers intuitive parental controls. Adults will be allowed to select the content they allow their children to view by being able to approve or block certain videos, online games and installed apps. They will also be able to set up usage limits.

While the PBS tablet isn’t the only kiddie friendly tablet out there (the Amazon Fire Kids Edition is a great example of what the competition is offering) it’s bright design and colorful set of wallpapers might capture the hearts of young users.

The tablet is pretty affordable. Starting November 6, parents will be able to get their hands on it for $79.99 from Best Buy, Walmart and PBS Kids’ own web shop.

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To compare, the Amazon Fire Kids Edition takes advantage of a 7-inch display with 1024 x 600 pixel-resolution and a 1.3GHz quad-core processor on the inside. The tablet packs 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB via microSD card slot).

It runs Amazon’s own customized Fire OS and offers unlimited, free access to 10,000 kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, and educational apps.

The Amazon Fire Kids Edition it’s a bit more expensive than the PBS Playtime Pad, costing parents $99.

Master & Dynamic releases the ultra premium MW50 Wireless On-Ear Headphones

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Master & Dynamic has made a name for itself as being one of the most premium audio accessory makers in the world. It prides itself on designing products to last by using high-end materials such as stainless steel, lambskin and other premium leathers while others default to plastic and silicone.

M&D spends countless hours perfecting its audio products and doesn’t distract its purpose with other products outside of audio. Its first premium MW60 Wireless Over Ear Headphones are a hit with its users as they appreciate the build, sound quality and attention to detail. WIRED even named the MW60 Wireless Over Ear Headphones the “Best Bluetooth Headphones of 2015.”

As a follow up to the MW60 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones, Master & Dynamic released a smaller and cheaper MW50 Wireless On-Ear Headphones.

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The next generation headphones are built with 40mm beryllium diaphragms, weigh 240g, and are truly wireless with Bluetooth 4.1 and aptX. The battery is rated at a ridiculous 16 hours, and is one of the very few headphones that uses USB C which is only found on the most current smartphones and laptops. USB C is not only reversible, but it charges at a faster rate than the older generation microUSB.

Following the Master & Dynamic tradition of superior build quality, the MW50 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones are made with cowhide and lambskin leathers, and stainless steel and aluminum. They look incredible but feel even better. M&D is one of the few companies who has learned to command form and function.

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If you’ve ever owned a German automobile like a BMW, Mercedes or Porsche, you know the attention to detail is superior to all others. Sure you pay more, but for those who appreciate quality and functionality, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better.

The MW50 Wireless On-Ear Headphones are available now at www.masterdynamic.com for $449.99 and come in black and brown. If you love audio and haven’t tried out Master & Dynamic, you have no idea what you are missing.

Google Assistant may not work with VPNs

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If you use a VPN, and you really should, you might run into issues with the Assistant. (Disclosure: I write for LiquidVPN).

XDA reports that some people have noticed issues. If you use a VPN on Android, you might notice that Google Assistant only works in offline mode. It doesn’t matter what device you have, or how you got Assistant (getting a Pixel, build.prop edits or Xposed module).

The bug seems to be annoying, but benign in nature. Although Google warns you that the Assistant is offline, other features work just like normal. Apparently, some people that use VPN-based ad blocking apps have said that Assistant doesn’t work at  all for them, but so far no one has been able to replicate and/or confirm that issue.

Image credit: XDA
Image credit: XDA

To recreate the original bug, you just need to connect to a VPN, then open the Assistant. Personally, I’ve even had trouble in the past trying to use Google search with a VPN on a mobile device. It only happened once in a while, so it probably wasn’t a bug.

In any case, it doesn’t seem like too big of an issue. Hopefully Google will fix this, but it seems like only a small percentage of users will be affected. The way I see it, the most common use of VPNs is to protect your privacy and stay (relatively) anonymous. So if you’re concerned about privacy, you probably wouldn’t use the Assistant in the first place.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve had issues like this with VPNs and Assistant.

Google considers an update for Nexus phones to add fingerprint gestures

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Google is reportedly “considering” a firmware update for the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. This will allow users to have a fingerprint gesture that users of the Pixel and Pixel XL currently enjoy.

The gesture is a simple “swipe”. You swipe your finger down on the fingerprint scanner to access the notification shade on the device. Although a feature of Android 7.1, it wasn’t brought to the 5X and 6P due to a firmware issue with the scanner.

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The Pixel models use the same fingerprint hardware as the two previous Nexus models, but Google says the firmware version of the Nexus scanners was incompatible. According to AndroidPolice, Google gave a short reply to suggest that the team is “evaluating” a firmware update to the 5X and 6P.

So it’s not for certain, but Google is considering it. There is no details about when a possible update would arrive, but Google said to “stay tuned.”

With its unprecedented advertising campaign, Google is pushing the Pixel phones as hard as it can. Some features, like the Assistant and these fingerprint gestures, are Pixel-exclusive. Our own Derrick Miyao said he would consider the Nexus 6P to be a solid choice, even after a year later. So it’s definitely worthwhile for Google to keep Nexus users happy.

Omaker 3-in-1 Universal Car Phone Mount review

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We’ve got a question for you today. When you get in the car to drive somewhere, where do you put your phone? Please tell us you don’t put it in a cup holder or some sort of cubbyhole. If that thing comes out of your pocket, it needs to go somewhere handy and practical. Your phone deserves a mount of some sort.

We have reviewed a number of car mount accessories over the years, some of which suction to the dash or window. Others that have come across our path can be placed in an air vent. Up for review today is a kit that bundles together three different types of mounts in one package; we looked at Omaker 3-in-1 Universal Car Phone Mount and would like to share our impressions.

omaker_1Packed neatly in a small little box, the Omaker kit includes a number of pieces which can be assembled to your liking. If you’d like to mount your phone on the dashboard, there’s a sticky base that grabs hold tightly and ensures your handset doesn’t go anywhere.

Prefer to put your phone up a little higher or in the windshield itself? Opt for the different mount which offers up a flexible yet strong arm that bends to your exact placement. And, if you’re the type of person who would rather stick their device somewhere a little different, you might like the air vent mount.

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Taken as a whole, there are seemingly endless places you can place your phone with the Omaker 3-in-1 Universal Car Phone Mount kit. And, lest you worry that you’re stuck with any one placement, the universal bracket screws and unscrews with minimal effort. It’s a breeze to go from one mount to another. The only downside we saw was that the dashboard one’s sticky bottom doesn’t seem as if it would be as strong if you got in the habit of moving it around.

The bracket itself has a nice foam padding to it on the rear as well as the side arms and bottom. Once snugged up, the phone is protected on nearly all sides with material that ensures your phone doesn’t get scratched. The bottom leaves the center of your phone clear so you can plug in a charger.

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Because of its design, the Omaker 3-in-1 Universal Car Phone Mount lets you change the orientation of your phone at a moment’s notice. Heading out on a long trip and need to use the GPS or navigation function of your phone? Turn the bracket 90 degrees in whatever direction you want and get going.

When it’s time to take your phone out of the mount, there’s a button on the rear near the bottom. It is intuitively placed and lets you loosen the side arms; they slowly expand while you hold the button down.

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We thoroughly enjoy the Omaker 3-in-1 Universal Car Phone Mount as it’s one of the most user-friendly products of its kind. Moreover, it’s flexible and highly customizable to suit needs. At only $14 on Amazon, it also happens to be an incredible bargain. Note that the price was discounted at the time of publication and is subject to rise without notice. With that said, we feel comfortable recommending this one even at $30-$35.

T-Mobile now offers 50% Pixel refunds to Simple Choice Unlimited users

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Recently T-Mobile made a pretty interesting offer to Google Pixel users. While the carrier isn’t actually selling the phones per-se, T-Mobile invited Pixel owners (only 32GB version) to jump onboard with its One plan and receive $325 credit in return. That’s half the value of a Pixel.

Granted, the $325 is to be awarded in the form of bill credit on a monthly basis ($13.55 credit/month) for 24 months, but it’s still pretty neat.

But there was a caveat included into this promo. T-Mobile offered Pixel users only the possibility of signing up for its highly controversial ONE plan. But a few days later, the magenta carrier seems to have had a change of heart and issued an update saying that Simple Choice Unlimited customers are also eligible for the Pixel promotion.

That’s pretty good news, considering a lot of customers might be skittish to jump on the “unlimited” ONE plan bandwagon. But why is that?

Buyer’s Guide: T-Mobile

In theory, T-Mobile’s ONE plan sounds great.  For $70 per month, customers get unlimited LTE data, talk and text as well as free roaming in Canada and Mexico. Sounds pretty nice, doesn’t it?

Not so much. In reality, the plan comes with unlimited tethering, at 2G speeds. In today’s era that’s pretty barbaric. If customers want LTE tethering, they are invited pay an extra $15 per month. And let’s face it, who would need LTE tethering today?

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Do you like watching videos all day long? Well you better get used to 480p resolution, because on the ONE plan that’s all you’ll be able to get. If you want to enjoy 720p, 1080 or 4K video, you’ll need to pay another extra $25 per month.

As you can see these are pretty good reasons for customers to stay away from T-Mobile’s ONE plan. On the other hand the Simple Choice Plan is a lot more popular. It includes free unlimited streaming, unlimited calls and texts to and from the US, Mexico and Canada plus LTE data.

On top of that all the unused LTE data (20GB / month) will be recycled for the next 12 months, so no data will go to waste.

So T-Mobile’s recent update is very good news for Pixel owners looking to do business with the carrier.

OnePlus 4 tipped to launch with Snapdragon 830 in June/July

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According to the rumor mill, OnePlus is currently gearing up to release an OnePlus 3 variant dubbed the OnePlus 3T. It seems that OnePlus is faced with a shortage of AMOLED panels, so the upcoming handset is expected to fix this problem by rocking a LCD screen instead.

While we wait for the OnePlus 3T to show its face into the world, information about the upcoming OnePlus 4 has made its way online.

The folks at AndroidPure have been doing a bit of digging on Weibo and unearth a few, exciting info nuggets. According to the report the OnePlus 4 should be released as soon as this summer (June-July) and will make a debut with Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 830 onboard.

It has been speculated around the web that Samsung will be in charge of the Snapdragon 830 production which is based on the 10nm process. The Korean tech giant announced it was starting mass production of its 10nm FinFET chips a few weeks ago, so it makes sense.

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But some whispers claim Samsung has fallen behind schedule, so Qualcomm is looking to switch partners and take its business to TSMC. This theory is a bit problematic given the fact TSMC hasn’t started mass producing its 10nm chips yet. It remains to be seen what Qualcomm will eventually end up choosing.

Coming back to the current rumor, the Snapdragon 830 expected to power the next OnePlus 4 will run at 3.0GHz clock speed and will feature an Adreno 620 GPU inside. The phone will take advantage of the services of a 4,000 mAh battery and will ship out with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

Previous rumors claimed the OnePlus 4 might bundle a whopping 8GB of RAM and a venerable 23MP camera. However, these are just speculations at this point, so you better take the info with a healthy grain of salt.

For the time being, we’re awaiting the release of the OnePlus 3T which should be an improved version of the current OnePlus 3. The phone should launch with a QHD display, Snapdragon 821, 6GB of RAM and a $480 price-tag. This is $80 extra than what users have been paying for the OnePlus 3.

Bringing healthcare to the masses: Practo app is revolutionary

Overview

Created in India in 2009, Practo is a healthcare app that aims to bring healthcare to the masses. The aim of the app is simple: bring healthcare to every patient in the country. The revolutionary app has grown rapidly in the last few years, bringing together 200000 healthcare practitioners, 200000 doctors, 8000 diagnostic centers, 10000 hospitals, and 4000 wellness centers.

practo-3In a country such as India, it is often difficult for every patient to know which doctor to approach, and they often rely on word-of-mouth as a way to find their doctor. This can be an unreliable method and sometimes patients simply don’t have enough information to make an informed decision.

Using Practo, millions of patients can today find a medical professional that is best suited to them using a range of tools that the app offers. In a country with over a billion people, this is certainly a step in the right direction.

A great feature of the Practo app, which makes it stand out in a large country such as India, is the location feature. By turning on the GPS function on your phone, users can allow the Practo app to link to Google maps on their phone, making it possible to show the user all the healthcare practitioners or wellness centers located near them.

Currently available on the iOS and Android platforms, the Practo app can be used in 100 Indian cities. It is also available in a few countries outside India including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and most recently, Brazil. The app hopes to soon be available in more countries in Southeast Asia.

As of 2015, 10 million users in India were using Practo’s search engine to find healthcare providers and two-thirds of the total traffic was coming via smartphone users.

Experience

practo-2The app can be downloaded for free on both the Android and iOS platforms. The idea behind the app is that a user can search for clinics and doctors in their local area and can then book an appointment with the practitioner of their choice.

After logging in, a user within India, for example, will have 100 cities to choose from. Once a user picks a city, they will be shown all the doctors and clinics in that area. The app is very user-friendly and easy to use with three main tabs to choose from on the home screen.

The first tab that the user sees is the Speciality tab. This is a vital feature of the Practo app and since each city has over 200 specialities, the user is spoilt for choice.

Once a speciality has been picked, the user is shown an informative card for every doctor that shows how experienced they are, their consultation fee, the clinic address, and what customer feedback they have received. The feedback feature will help potential patients see how satisfied other patients found a practitioner’s work.

Another field found on every doctor’s card is the ‘like’ button. The ‘like’ button can be seen as a tool that can be used to build a community of patients, similar to the patient feedback section. These are some of the features that show how the Practo app is built to be increasingly centered around the patient.

practo-1The app is helping to bring transparency into the decision-making process, and by looking at the reviews for each doctor or wellness center, a patient is able to make a more informed decision.

When the user clicks on the card of a healthcare practitioner, they will be able to see further details for that doctor. This screen shows each doctor’s appointment timings and free spots that are available for booking. The screen will also inform the user about any other hospitals where the doctor might be practicing.

Personalization

If a user wants to find out more about any clinics or doctors in a particular area, then the second and third tabs allow them to do so. If you have multiple appointments that you need to keep track of, the dashboard can be personalized to do so.

Another great feature of the Practo app is the filter option which gives you truly personalized results. When searching for a healthcare provider or clinic, the user can adjust the search to suit any preferences. For example, if you have a limit on how much you can pay for a consultation, the Practo app even lists doctors who offer free consultations.

For users who have a problem meeting with a doctor during particular days of the week, the search results can be filtered to show specific days of the week when a doctor is available.

The gender of the doctor is also a preference that users can make use of to find a suitable practitioner. Another great filter option is the time of day when a doctor can meet patients. This will be a useful option for users who can only see the doctor early in the day or late in the evening. Some doctors only practice for a few hours a day at their clinic, spending more time at hospitals.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to India now having more Internet users than China or the U.S. and due to the surge in smartphone users in the past few years, apps such as Practo are seeing greater acceptance. The Practo app is an all-encompassing, end-to-end solution provider for patients who are looking to find a suitable healthcare provider and want to find out all the information about a practitioner while also being able to seamlessly book appointments.

Finding a suitable doctor can be a herculean task in countries such as India, and the Practo app is helping to bridge the gap between patient and doctor.

Along with doctors, Practo also helps its users find pharmacies, spas, yoga centers, and gyms. The app has also given a lot of importance to securing patient’s data since it is home to a lot of sensitive medical data. Its data center is hosted on Amazon.com, Inc.’s cloud and complies with the highest global security standards. Investors believe the end-to-end capability of Practo is what will bring it long-term success.