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T-Mobile has a new BOGO deal for the LG G6 and V20

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The LG V30 launch event is just around the corner, but if you wouldn’t mind grabbing the LG G6 or LG V20, T-Mobile has a special promotion called “One for you, one for me” on these phones.

For a limited time, customers can grab the LG G6 or V20 on T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan. Once you add a new line, the carrier will throw in an additional LG G6 or LG 20 free after rebate.

LG G6

Currently, the LG G6 is available with the carrier for $20 down and $20/month or for $500 outright. As for the LG V20, you can pick it up for $0 down and $20/month with a full retail price of $480.

So with the deal, you’ll be able to save up to $500, depending on which smartphone you choose to purchase.

LG V20

After you’ve placed an order for either the LG G6 or LG V20, you will be required to register with T-Mobile’s Promotions Hub in order to receive your rebate in the form of a MasterCard loaded up with up to $500. Keep in mind it could take up to eight weeks for it to arrive.

In order to take advantage of the promotion, customers are invited to head out to the nearest T-Mobile brick and mortar store or go online to the carrier’s website.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 makes a premature appearance

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The U.S unlocked Galaxy Note 8 will be announced to the world next week. Purposely avoiding the word revealed since leaked renders have given a view of almost every angle of the device. Despite not officially being available until next week, Samsung have listed the device in its online store.

Model UZKAXAA, consistent with the U.S. unlocked Galaxy S8, was listed on the Samsung online store despite the link being dead. The listing has since been pulled so it seems another blunder on Samsung’s part to add to the massive plethora of leaks already clocked up for the Note 8.

Don’t MissSamsung Galaxy Note 8 final specs leaked

The listing didn’t show a price but did reveal that the device would ship with 64GB of internal storage in the base model lending suggestion that the other leaks that have hinted at the Note 8 specs can be fairly accurate.

Having a placeholder on the Samsung website for the unlocked version of the Note 8 could indicate that the unlocked model may ship at the same time as the carrier versions. For reference, the unlocked Galaxy S8 model shipped around a month later in the US than the carrier models. Having all models available to ship at the same time would certainly offer the consumer better choice and that is fantastic news.

ASUS announces five ZenFone 4 variants: Original, Pro, Max Pro, Selfie, and Selfie Pro

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ASUS has announced the ZenFone 4. While the number “4” for 4 variants would’ve been ideal marketing (ASUS had 3 variants for the ZenFone 3), the Taiwanese Android OEM has emerged with five ZenFone 4 variants: ZenFone 4 (Original), ZenFone 4 Pro, ZenFone 4 Max Pro, ZenFone 4 Selfie, and ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro.

All ZenFone 4 variants come with 5.5-inch displays with either HD (720p) or Full HD (1080p) screen resolutions, though you do get an AMOLED panel on the Pro. Dual cameras come on all ZenFone 4 variants, though the Selfie and Selfie Pro both feature dual front-facing cameras while the Original, Pro, and Max Pro feature dual rear cameras. Dual Pixel phase detection autofocus (PDAF), a camera bragging right first inaugurated on the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge last year, is now a standard of the entire ZenFone 4 series.

64GB of storage is present on the Original, Pro, Selfie, and Selfie Pro, but the Max Pro disappoints in this regard (it only features 32GB of internal storage). MicroSD card slots and fingerprint readers are present on all five variants, too, so perhaps the Max Pro won’t prove underwhelming in the storage department.

The monster differences between all five ZenFone 4 variants can be found in the processor, RAM, battery, and charging specs. The Pro model packs Qualcomm’s premium octa-core Snapdragon 835 SoC; the Max Pro and the Selfie pack the Snapdragon 430, the Selfie Pro the Snapdragon 625, and the Original the Snapdragon 630 or 660. In RAM capacity, the Max Pro offers the smallest amount of the pack, with 2GB or 3GB of RAM max; the Selfie Pro offers 3GB or 4GB of RAM, the Selfie 4GB, Original up to 6GB, and the Pro offers 6GB of RAM as its standard.

As for batteries, the Selfie and Selfie Pro offer 3,000mAh batteries, the Original a 3,300mAh battery, the Pro a 3,600mAh battery, and the Max Pro a whopping 5,000mAh battery (matching the ZenFone 3 Zoom’s battery capacity). The Original and Pro offer USB Type-C charging while the Max Pro, Selfie, and Selfie Pro feature the dated microUSB standard out of the box.

All five ZenFone 4 variants come with Android Nougat, but ASUS has said it will update them to Android 8.0 (or Android O) after Google’s update release. The ZenFone 4, ZenFone 4 Pro, ZenFone 4 Max Pro, ZenFone 4 Selfie, and ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro will be available first in Asia, then globally.

Google using the eclipse to launch Android O

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Google thinks the eclipse is a pretty big deal, so much so that the company is using the event to launch the next version of Android O.

At 2:40PM ET August 21st at an event in New York City, Google will show off Android O and finally reveal the name of the latest version of the OS.

The naming for Android O has gravitated towards the traditional sweet dessert items as has been the case with previous versions. However, some suggest that Android O may see Google transition away from the standard with something a little different.

Worth noting that the Eclipse page on Google’s website does say “Android O is touching down to earth with the total solar eclipse, bringing some super (sweet) new powers!” Read into that however you like. What’s clear is that we really have no idea of the name for Android O or if this is just one big troll.

Whatever Google has in store for us on August 21st has me super excited and I cannot wait.

What do you think Google will name Android O? Final bets on the table…

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 gets revealed by designer, looks stunning

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French designer Phillippe Starck partnered up with Chinese company Xiaomi to design the Mi MIX smartphone last year. The almost bezeless smartphone impressed mobile fans across the globe with its bold aesthetics and this year we expect to see Xiaomi launch a successor.

Actually, the original Xiaomi Mi MIX was announced in November, so we expect to see the next-generation model make an appearance on the market around the same time period.

This theory gains more weight taking into consideration Phillippe Starck recently posted a concept video for the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 and we believe there’s a very good chance this is how the phone will actually look like when it makes a debut a few months from now.

As you can see in the clip, this year Xiaomi and Starck have been taking cues from the Samsung Galaxy S8 design, so the new phone will feature extremely thin bezels on the sides, but also on top and bottom.

We also notice the same rounded corners of the Galaxy S8, but the Mi MIX 2 appears to be less narrow than Samsung’s current flagship.

Oh, and a few images showing the same phone showed up on Weibo, further confirming the device will probably look as we see in the video.

Previous rumors would have us believe that the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 will feature a screen-to-body ratio of almost 95%, as well as an in-screen fingerprint scanner. The phone could also arrive with a 6-inch display, Snapdragon 835 processor, 12-megapixel Sony IMX386 primary camera and 3,400 mAh battery.

According to the concept video, the phone also appears to sport a pair of external speakers at the bottom, as well as the USB-C port.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is shaping out to be pretty glorious. What do you think?

Review: Samsung’s official ultra thin and translucent Clear Cover for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

Phone protection is extremely important. While some prefer to use their phone bare (I can’t blame you, I used to be one of you), I now find myself wanting something to protect my $850 pocket computer. But, the problem for me is that I LOVE slim phones and premium materials. That’s why I’ve kind of been in love with Samsung’s phones since it redesigned them in 2015. The combination of glass and metal is just a dream.

So, I’m constantly on the hunt for super thin cases or something with a niche. A cool material on the back, an ultrathin design, a really cool, bright color. It’s can’t be the standard $20 case from Amazon if I’m going to use it long term. That’s where Samsung’s Clear Cover case comes in.

I normally avoid first party accessories because they’re always overpriced. Seriously, $50 for a case is absurd but our friends over at MobileFun sent over the $22 slim case ($18 for the Galaxy S8 version) for me to check out and I’ve so far been impressed.

The Clear Cover is one of the thinnest I’ve ever used. The polycarbonate construction means that the case can be incredibly thin but still pretty strong. It’s also more flexible instead of rigid which is what you want so it can absorb the impact of falls. While I don’t think the Clear Cover is going to provide a ton of protection in case of falls, it’s better than having nothing on the phone. The S8 and S8 Plus are incredibly fragile phones and I’d rather have some bumper protection on the sides of the device, especially since it has that curved display, than send it in for a very expensive repair.

There are cut-outs around the power, volume, and Bixby buttons instead of covering them. This was a great design choice since Samsung phones are notorious for their excellent, clicky buttons. The small lip of the case will protect your display if you are for some reason placing it face down on a table, but it’s actually not raised over the glass screen protector I have on the phone.

One thing that Samsung has seemed to figure out that other case manufacturers haven’t is the lip on the bottom of the phone. If you have a sharp lip where the phone sits on your pinky, it can be incredibly frustrating if you hold your phone for any period of time. The soft material, light phone, and ultralight case all add up for a good experience. I noticed no pain in my pinky beyond what I’d normally have after long browsing sessions.

I really like the Clear Cover by Samsung. The company markets it as an ultra thin case and it truly delivers there. The translucent but tinted case also looks excellent too. You can see the awesome design Samsung put into the S8 Plus but add a bit of tint to it too. The Black version that I have blends perfectly with the Black S8 Plus I own but you can also grab it in Violet, Silver, Blue, Gold, and Pink. These aren’t going to be show-stoppers, but they are going to add just a little bit of design flair to an already excellently looking phone.

Do buy this case if: You’re looking for some slight scratch protection, a case that doesn’t add any bulk or cover up the industrial design of the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

Do not buy this case if: You’re looking for serious OtterBox-like protection or want the cheapest case possible.

If you’re interested in the Samsung Official Clear Cover, head on over to our friends at MobileFun and grab one for the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus.

Google’s Instant Apps are now supported on over 500 million Android devices

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Back in May, Google opened up Instant Apps for all developers. Instant Apps, which were introduced during last year’s Google I/O 2017, allow people to use apps on their Android devices without installation.

They’re basically smaller subsets of your app that allow single pages or features of the app to be downloaded and accessed on demand. And ever since their launch these lightweight versions have attracted more and more tablet and smartphone users.

Case in point, Google this week announced that more than 500 million Android users now have access to Instant Apps across in markets where Google Play is available.

The Alphabet-owned company noted in an official blog post that a number of companies have already started to see the positive effect of Instant Apps.

For example, video platform Vimeo increased session duration by 130% thanks to their Instant app, while Jet, a shopping service saw its conversation rate increase with 127%.

Other app developers who jumped on board with Google’s Instant Apps initiative and thrived are the NYTimes with its Crosswords app which provides users with crossword puzzles as printed in the New York Times daily newspaper, dotloop which is a real estate transaction platform which facilitates connections between real estate professionals and home buyers/sellers, as well as Onefootball, a Berlin-based startup whose app delivers news, live fixtures, results, tables and stats and Realtor.com – a leading online real estate portal.

Are you using any Instant Apps yourself? If so, let us know in the comment section below.

YouTube TV is now available in 14 more cities across the US

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YouTube TV – Google’s live TV service that lets users access live and recorded content from major networks typically found on cable – is expanding its availability to include 14 more markets in the US.

Previously available in several areas in the US including Los Angeles and NYC, YouTube TV is now live for users in Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati and more (here’s the complete list of covered areas).

Google’s live TV streaming service – which costs $35/month to subscribe – also adds national news network Newsy, as well as the Tennis Channel and Boston’s NESN to its portfolio of 50+ existing channels. On top of that, Google plans to add My TV and CW networks in select markets in the near future.

Unlike the competition, YouTube TV focuses on providing access to major broadcast stations like ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX.

Part of the growing number of options now available for cord cutters, YouTube TV is now available to half of the households in the US.

The service competes with the likes of AT&T’s DirecTV Now, Hulu’s Live TV, the PlayStation Vue and Sling TV, as it streams on-demand TV over the internet on TVs, as well as phones and computers – no contracts involved.

Google’s live streaming service officially launched on April 5 in five cities: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco. A few months later, Google is expanding its availability at full force.

E FUN and NOOK now offer free reading material on Nextbook tablets

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Consumer mobile electronics designer, E FUN announced this week it has partnered up with Barnes&Nobles in order to provide owners of the Nextbook Ares 8A, Ares 10A and Ares 11A with free reading materials.

Users will have to access the pre-installed NOOK Reading app on their device and set up a NOOK account in order to start reading publications such as WeightWatchers, Men’s Health, Shape, Reader’s Digest, Rachel Ray every day and Better Homes & Gardens.

The offer expires on September 30, so if you too are holding on to one of these tablets you best head on over to the NOOK Reading app and create your own NOOK account.

For those of you who don’t remember, let us refresh your memory about the specs these tablets bring to the table:

Nextbook Ares 8A

•    8-inch IPS display with 1280 x 800 resolution
•    Quad-core Intel Atom clocked at 1.92GHz
•    1GB of RAM
•    16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB)
•    2MP/0.3MP camera combo
•    Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Nextbook Ares 10A

•    10-inch IPS display with 1280 x 800 resolution
•    Quad-core Intel Atom Z8350 clocked at 1.92GHz
•    1GB of RAM
•    32GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB)
•    2MP/2MP camera combo
•    Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Nextbook Ares 11A

•    11.6-inch IPS display with 1366 x 768 resolution
•    Quad-core Intel Atom Z8350 clocked at 1.92GHz
•    2GB of RAM
•    64GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB)
•    2MP/2MP camera combo
•    Android 6.0 Marshmallow
•    Backlit keyboard with two standard 2.0 USB ports

You can grab any of them from the Nextbook website (via Walmart).

Check out these intriguing 3D case designs for the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

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Want to give your Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ a makeover? Dutch accessory maker, Freshfiber just announced a new lineup of phone cases called Full Color Textural which makes use of high definition 3D color technology to create an intriguing aesthetic.

The new Freshfiber cases take inspiration from the natural world with their high depth textures and rich colors. What’s more, customers can personalize their phone cases even more by adding a text, a favorite quote, wish or logo on the back or sides of the case.

All cases in the Full Color Textural lineup offer shock, bump and scratch protection, but also act as style boosters.

Interested parties have a variety of case options to choose from including Anemone, Dragonstone (for Game of Thrones fans), Geo, Glacier, Tide and Kaleido.

Each of these cases (either for the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+) costs €32,99 ($38). If you want Freshfiber to add a text for further personalization, you’ll have to pay €42.99 ($50).

The company ships from the Netherlands worldwide and we’re told the custom-made accessories will arrive at your doorsteps within 2 weeks of placing an order.

We should note the Full Color Textural cases are also compatible with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.