Microsoft Corporation Hints At Surface Phone

Microsoft has been a company which has had an incredible year when it comes to 2015. The company has been very busy, right from the starting of the year. Microsoft Corporation faced good times as well as troubling issues over the years, and the company emerged quite strong in all the situations. The company has been coming out with some of the best changes in the world of technology, and their focus has especially been towards the hardware in the last quarter of the year. While most of the year, Microsoft was busy crafting the Windows 10 OS and releasing it smoothly, the final few months were dedicated to hardware. The Surface Phone has been around the rumor mills for several months now, and for the first time ever, the company has hinted about it.

While Microsoft is traditionally known to maintain a tight secret around most of their upcoming releases, the Chief Marketing Officer of the company this time around took a different route, as after months of speculation, a first hint has been given towards a ‘breakthrough’ device, which would be the ‘spiritual equivalent’ of a surface phone, as per an interview by Chris Capossela.

Chris was asked a number of questions on the latest episode of Windows Weekly, a podcast managed by Microsoft Corporation themselves. He commented there on the Windows 10 OS preparing a ‘base’ for the Windows Mobiles to take off. He said –
“The more we get a big install base for Windows 10, the better off our phone is… getting 110 million people to upgrade in the first 10 weeks… and in the New Year we’ll probably have more to share on the latest numbers… Just getting the install base to be really large is so critical to getting back to writing windows apps, and it’s really our best shot at phone apps… That is the strategy to getting our developers back in the fold.”

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Apple’s iPhone 7 could be thinnest and strongest yet

Even before Apple is set to unveil its much-anticipated update to its line-up of iPhones, the rumors started to fly, suggesting that the technology pioneer is now focusing on producing a thinner, stronger and waterproof iPhone 7.

One of the biggest rumors about the new iPhone 7 is that Apple is planning to remove the device's headphone jack and will instead allow headphones to connect either via a lightning port or Bluetooth in order to make the device thinner than ever.

A lightning port for the iPhone headphones has been speculated since 2012, so users may finally see the rumor come true.

Some reports also suggest that the company is currently negotiating with LG and Samsung, Apple's provider of screens, to make a switch from liquid crystal display (LCD) technology currently used on iPhones, to OLED, leaning on manufacturers such as LG Display.

The iPhone 7 release date is rumored to be in September or October next year, so the company has enough time to work on it.

Another change to the new iPhone is said to be waterproof technology rivals like like Sony, Samsung and other smart phone giants already have waterproof products in the market, Apple simply cannot afford not having its new iPhone waterproofed.

The rumors say that the new iPhone 7 could be waterproofed to IP68 standards. Normally the available smartphones are waterproofed to IP67 standards that means they can resist water for up to 30 minutes and if submerged within a depth of 1 meter only.

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Another pirated app service uses Apple enterprise license to distribute stolen software

Word of a fairly well known pirated app service called vShare hit mainstream media outlets on Wednesday as part of a CNNMoney feature, which said the nefarious firm leverages Apple's own enterprise tools to distribute free versions of top paid iOS titles without requiring a jailbreak.

Thought to be run by Chinese owners located in Shanghai, the vShare App Market has officially been in operation since 2011 and is recognized in some jailbreaking circles as a go-to source for free apps. The service recently gained notoriety for compatibility with non-jailbroken iPhones and iPads running iOS 8 and above.

Like other recent pirated app services, vShare is built on Apple's enterprise licensing technology. Designed for corporations or other entities with large iOS device deployments, Apple Developer Enterprise certificates allow license holders to provision their own apps for internal distribution and download.

In the case of vShare, the service used purchased certificates to create a trusted app, available for download via the Web, that acts as a its own illegitimate app store. Security researchers at Proofpoint told CNNMoney that vShare obtained four Apple Developer Enterprise certificates to accomplish the task. Proofpoint has informed Apple of its findings.

As of this writing, attempts to install the vShare app on devices running iOS 8 or iOS 9 proved unsuccessful, suggesting Apple has revoked one or all of vShare's provisioned certificates.

vShare's impact on legitimate app sales is unknown, but today's report notes popular titles like Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Geometry Dash have been "liked" by more than 1.4 million downloaders.

Interestingly, vShare's terms of use includes a disclaimer regarding intellectual property rights, which notes the service will remove any app found to be in infringement of owned properties if provided with appropriate documentation. The terms also state, however, that vShare "assumes no responsibility for monitoring the Service."

 

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Motorola Moto X 2016 news: Device to adopt heat pipe to prevent overheating, fingerprint scanner

Even before 2015 closes, Motorola fans who were impressed by the company's 2015 releases Moto X Play and Moto X Style are already anticipating the launch of the tech giant's newest device.

According to early rumors reported by GSM Arena, the Motorola Moto X 2016 could feature a heat pipe that could maintain the coolness of the chipset even while its operating on full power.

This feature may have been inspired by the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL and the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, which had issues with the overheating of the Snapdragon 810 SoC.

Based on the report, the adoption of the heat pipe may be a precaution against the possible overheating of Qualcomm's next gen chipset the Snapdragon 820, which the new device could use. This will also ensure that there will be no issues that will arise on this front.

It has also been reported by Phandroid that the device will feature a fingerprint scanner which comes at the best time for Motorola.

It can be recalled that the fingerprint scanner was already being considered by the company prior to the development of the Nexus 6. However, it had to forego the idea since at that time, it did not have the framework for the feature.

With the Android 6.0 Marshmallow supporting an API for the fingerprint scanner, it would be more practical for Motorola to adopt the feature. Moreover, it will be easier for users to maximize its use.

The fingerprint scanner is considered a standard feature among the recent waves of smartphones with the advent of Android Pay.

Meanwhile, leaked images of the prototype have indicated that aside from the metal unibody for the Motorola Moto X 2016, there is a redesigned camera housing that is protected by glass. There is also a dual tone flash included.

 

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New Galaxy S7 Leak Confirms Samsung's Design Decisions

The latest news around the Samsung Galaxy S7 comes from case manufacturer DHGate, who are offering a number of low-cost Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Plus cases. The cases are wrapped around (presumably) dummy S7 handsets, and the images match up with
previous leaks around Samsung’s flagship device.


The cases may be listed at under two dollars per unit for wholesale distribution, but the tooling and manufacturing required for these cases does not come cheap. Building cases for unreleased smartphones early is a gamble that the physical information is correct – get it right and you’ll be one of the cases available at launch when people go looking. Get it wrong and you’re left with a lot of stock that not only doesn’t fit the new handset, but rarely fits any existing handset either.

The fact that the case design tallies up with the leaked design schematics that allowed CGI renders of the Galaxy S7 to be created (see Gordon Kelly previously on Forbes) lends more credibility to that previous leak. It would be unlikely that DHGate would commit to tool-making on the basis of a single source of information.

It also confirms that the Galaxy S7 family will continue to follow Samsung’s current design language of strengthened glass on the front and rear of the smartphone, with thin metal edging carrying the buttons and ports around the sides. The plans and the case show the S7 family using microUSB for connectivity and not USB-C, and do not feature any flaps or gaps that would suggest a return of microSD for expansion (although with a number of manufacturers adding microSD cards into the SIM tray in a piggyback arrangement that’s not a definite indicator).

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HTC One X9

HTC One X9 is the next device from HTC that is expected to be announced next year. HTC One X9 has already got the TENAA certification last month revealing the brief specifications and images from the device. Now, some real renders from the devices have been leaked that shows the design of the HTC One X9.

See Video

HTC One X9 was spotted on the Chinese certification website TENAA with a 5.5-inches IPS display with 1920 × 1080 pixel resolution and is powered by a 2.2 GHz octa-core processor which is expected to be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset. It has 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of inbuilt storage with up to 1TB expandable storage slot. It runs on android 5.0.2 OS out of the box. It features a 13-megapixel rear camera with a 5-megapixel front facing camera.

HTC One X9 was listed on TENAA in the silver gray color and comes with connectivity options such as Bluetooth, USB, GPS, GSM, TD-SCDMA, TD-LTE, 4G LTE FDD, WCDMA etc with a 3000mAh battery. It weights 174 g and measures 153.2×75.9×7.99 mm.

So, what do you think of these leaked renders from HTC One X9. Will you buy one when it will be official? Share with us via comments below.

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iPhone 8 Rumors: Apple Inc. To Develop Micro-LED Display Technology

Welcome to the iPhone 8 hype cycle. That phone, likely two years away, could get a new screen technology a leap ahead of OLED screens that currently grace the Apple Watch and are expected for the iPhone 7 next year. It's called micro-LED and as the name implies, it uses pixels smaller than those found on traditional LCD and LED-backlit displays.

Apple is expected to focus on developing the technology for its devices in its research and development facility located in Taiwan, according to Digitimes.

The technology also has a number of other benefits such as improved color range, lower power consumption and more pixels packed into the same footprint of a similar sized LCD display, according to Digitimes Research analyst Jessie Lin. Like OLED technology, micro-LED screens don’t require an additional backlight, which can help Apple save room in its iPhones for other technologies or make its devices even thinner. The drawback is it’s difficult to manufacture at the high yield rates needed for mass production.

By developing micro-LED displays, Apple likely will tap the intellectual property and manufacturing knowledge it obtained when it purchased LuxVue Technology in 2014 for an undisclosed sum, according to TechCrunch. It’s not known exactly when it plans to put Micro-LEDs in an iOS device. In the meantime, Apple may also tap Japan Display and Samsung to manufacture OLED screens for its smartphones sometime between 2017 and 2018.

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Apple Inc to Incorporate 3D Touch Technology in Upcoming iDevices

The iPhone 6s series saw Apple introduce 3D Touch technology, which has made waves in the smartphone industry already. Although Apple had already introduced a similar display in its Apple Watch, many were unsure whether the technology would be taken forward onto products supporting larger displays. According to Apple Insider, the tech giant wants to alleviate this uncertainty.

The introduction of 3D Touch in the iPhone has done wonders for the company. It has resulted in massive revenues and opened the doors for developers to introduce more feature-rich applications. More so, it has given an edge to Apple, such that its competitors may need a month or two to catch up.

Following the success of this feature, it would be fair to say that Apple would bolster its other product lines with this technology too. In line with such perceptions, reports indicate that the company plans to introduce 3D Touch technology or something similar for its iPad series. However, sources believe that even though the displays are under development, they might not be ready in time to be introduced in the iPad Air 3 rumored to arrive in March next year.

According to inside sources, the company has pondered over the possibility of introducing 3D Touch technology within large displays. However, it hasn’t produced any fruitful results as yet. This time around, Apple may introduce similar or comparable technology to that which is integrated in the latest iPhones. This may keep the larger iOS running devices in the limelight.

The iPad Pro, which is the largest iOS running device, was introduced back in September. The 12.9-inch tablet doesn’t incorporate Force Touch technology. The same goes for the iPad Mini 4, which too, lacks the innovation. Apple however, is yet to reveal its plans about its most popular iPad series, the iPad Air. The iPad Air 2 has been around for quite some time and is in need for a much needed refresh. The company could take the tablet industry by storm if it introduces a pressure-sensitive display in the rumored iPad Air 3. Such a feature in the iPad might just help ignite consistently declining tablet sales.

However, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will not be able to introduce pressure-sensitive displays in the upcoming iPad Air 3, because of widespread production issues with the new iPad.

Since the introduction of 3D Touch in the iPhone 6s series, Apple has introduced significant pressure-based gesture controls in its OS. The company has marketed this technology as “the future of multi-touch” and it is only inevitable that it will expand such features onto other products too.

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The new Apple iPhone 7 with ios 10

The new Apple iPhone 7 come with:

- Retina 3 Display

- Hexa-core Processor 64bit

- 24MP Camera with Manual Mode

- Integrated SimCard

- 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB ROM

- 3GB RAM

- 3000mAH battery

- Fingerprint Sensor ( Touch ID 3 ) integrated on the logo

- iWidgets ( Works with 3D Touch feature )

- Lenses for the camera

See Video 

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Microsoft Band updated to include music controls and inactivity alerts

Just a few months after the new Microsoft Band came out, the company is adding functionality with a small software update. The two biggest features of this update—music controls and inactivity alerts—contribute to the band's identity as part smartwatch and part fitness tracker.

According to Microsoft's blog, you'll be able to control music playback on your smartphone from the Microsoft Band. The touchscreen will display the song's title and icons to play, pause, and skip tracks, as well as adjust volume levels. Microsoft calls out Spotify in its blog post, but you'll be able to control playback from any music app that connects with your smartphone's Bluetooth features. While some higher-end fitness trackers have music controls, it's a feature more often found on smartwatches.

To get up to speed with even the most basic activity trackers, Microsoft added customizable inactivity alerts to the band as well. We can only assume these will come in the form of band vibrations and display flashes when you've been inactive for too long. Microsoft explains that you'll be able to set days and times for when you want the inactivity alerts to jolt you, so the band shouldn't rudely wake you from sleep.

Finally, Microsoft has improved the band's Exercise tile and is adding a "What's New" tile. It appears you'll be able to choose from a few different workouts through the Exercise tile on the band; once chosen, the band will track duration, calorie burn, and heart rate in real time. You can then log on to Microsoft Health to review your activities, and they will be organized by exercise type so they're easier to find and manage. As far as the "What's New" tile goes, it will appear on your band when there are new updates available from Microsoft.

Ever since the first edition of the Microsoft Band, the company has updated it incrementally with minor features such as an on-screen keyboard for composing short messages. Introducing this tile could mean the company plans on updating the band more regularly.

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Yahoo's Video Guide Makes It Easy to Find Stuff Across Streaming Services

Yahoo's new "Video Guide" app for mobile devices would make it easier for users to find content from across a long list of competitive video services and networks.

The app allows users to search from one place and then offers links to buy or start streaming the content in other apps like iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, HBO GO, and many others, Engadget reported.

For instance, you want to watch a TV show and searched Netflix only to find it was not available on the service. Next, you tried Hulu. No success. Then you find it on Amazon, where you had to rent the video because it was not in free library.

Rather than waste time hunting for what you are after, Yahoo's Video Guide app searches across a host of streaming services, in addition to iTunes and Google Play, to find the content you are looking for.

Simply search for the show or movie you want to watch, and the app will let you know all of the places it's available.

After you select your preference, Video Guide will send you over to the appropriate streaming library in a flash.

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Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition first impressions

  Design and Built

 As with every other Motorola smartphone that has launched this year, the design is again pretty similar to its predecessors. But the Moto G Turbo Edition does feel a bit special and you will notice this once you pick up the phone. It certainly does not feel cheap and nothing like the Moto G models of the past.

This one feels heavy and premium and the frame that is designed in a typical Motorola fashion is actually made of plastic. On the front we have a Gorilla Glass 3 panel protecting the HD display beneath which has the earpiece on the top and a loudspeaker below.

At the back is a grippy fingerprint like texture that lets you grip the smartphone very easily, no matter how you are holding it. The back panel can be removed to reveal the dual SIM set up and the slot for the microSD card. Also visible on the back is the capsule like layout for the Motorola logo (with the typical dimple for support) and camera set up that includes a dual LED flash.

Display

The 5-inch TFT LCD display is indeed a sharp one. Motorola has packed in an HD (1280 x 720 pixels) screen that delivers a pixel density of 294 ppi. While the display seemed perfect for the hardware at first glance we did notice the pentile matrix pattern in the areas that lit up in white. Still then, it is a great display that is bright enough both indoors and outdoors.

RAM and Storage

There is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset with an Adreno 403 GPU that is coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. As mentioned earlier Motorola has added its now standard microSD card slot that supports cards up to 32GB, which seems a bit limited.

Camera

The Moto G Turbo Edition packs in a 13MP, AF, f/2.0 primary camera with a 76 degree field of view (FOV) and also packs in a dual tone, dual-LED flash. The camera supports 4X digital zoom, and is capable of shooting 1080p Full HD video at 30 fps, slow motion video, iHDR Video, Auto HDR and even offers video stabilisation. A 5MP Fixed Focus unit sits on the front that sports an f/2.2 aperture with a 72 degree FOV. 

Battery 

Given the price tag, you pretty much get a bang for your buck when it comes to battery life. The device packs in a 2470mAh battery and the smartphone supports Motorola’s TurboPower charging tech that delivers up to 6 hours of use from just 15 minutes charging. Motorola claims that the battery is designed to last a full day.

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Tumblr 5.0 For iOS Supports 3D Touch And Live Photos

Live Photos, a feature that Apple introduced in iOS 9.1 for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, allows users to create moving images that capture the moments, including movements and sound, right before and after a 12MP photo.

Apple has opened the feature to support the sharing of Live Photos to developers, and it seems that Tumblr is the first one among all major social networks to take advantage of it with Tumblr 5.0 for iOS, which was just released.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus users that would like to share their Live Photos on Tumblr will simply have to update the app's latest version and make sure that they are signed in, with the app given permission to access the device's photos. When composing a new post with a picture, Live Photos can be shared similar to how users share standard pictures, and users can determine which images in their photo library are Live Photos through the special icon displayed over the pictures.

As users browse through Tumblr, the shared Live Photos can be determined through the same special icon, which will be displayed in the corner of the images. Users on the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus can then use 3D Touch, meaning pressing on the images firmly, to see the image's animation and hear the picture's captured audio. For iOS devices that do not have 3D Touch features, users can tap and hold the Live Photo icon to be able to play and listen to the picture.

In addition to playing back Live Photos, Tumblr 5.0 for iOS also adds other uses for 3D Touch. Users can now use the feature on the app icon to initiate a search across Tumblr, and using 3D Touch on a Tumblr user name or avatar will show a preview of the account through a Peek and access the account through a Pop. Swiping upwards while doing a Peek will initiate a message to be sent to that Tumblr account.


Facebook has said that it is planning to update its app to support the sharing of Live Photos within the year. More social networks supporting the sharing of Live Photos will be a good thing for Apple's new picture format, as the only other options for sharing them aside from Tumblr are through iMessage, iCloud Photo Sharing and AirDrop.


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Google Wallet Will Soon Allow You To Send Money To Anyone In Your Contact List

An update coming to the Google Wallet app for both Android and iOS will allow users to send money through the phone numbers of people in their contact list. The recipient will be able to receive the money within minutes.
(Photo : Google Commerce)

In an update that is coming to the Google Wallet app for both Android and iOS, Google will be giving users the ability to send money to any person in their contact list through their phone numbers.

Users can get the new feature by updating to the latest version of the Google Wallet app through the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

The update, announced through the Google Commerce Blog, gives users the choice to send money to a certain phone number in their contacts. The recipient then will get a text message that contains a secure link. Upon accessing the link, the recipient will be asked to enter their debit card details to claim the money that was sent. The money will arrive at the recipient's bank account only within minutes.

Android news website Android Police confirmed with Google that for now, the feature will only be for users in the United States.

Previously, users sending money through Google Wallet did so through e-mail addresses. The expansion of the app's features to also include phone numbers as a possible channel increases the options for both sender and recipient. Another good thing about the new option is that the recipient does not need to have the Google Wallet app installed, as the secure link that confirms the transaction is sent through SMS.

The previous update for Google Wallet added improvements to contact suggestions, a security feature that allows users to lock the app with just a tap of a button, and the option to link the app to a second bank account.

Google Wallet should not be confused with the newly launched Android Pay. While Android Pay is a mobile payment system, Google Wallet has been refocused as a peer-to-peer payments app.

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Gmail support added to Yahoo Mail app, plus split screen for Apple iPad

Yahoo's young Yahoo Mail app is looking to get a bump in user numbers after adding support for Gmail.

The company launched its password-killer Yahoo Mail app this October, but one glaring omission was a lack of support for Google's Gmail and its roughly 900 million users.

That changed on Thursday with an update to the Android and iOS versions of the app. The update adds IMAP support for Gmail in Yahoo Mail, allowing users to manage Google's web mail service alongside already-supported Yahoo, Outlook, Hotmail and AOL Mail.

With this update, Yahoo Mail joins dozens of other email apps that already support Gmail, including Google's own Gmail app, Inbox by Gmail, Outlook from Microsoft, Cloud Magic and so on.

Despite the lack of support for Gmail, Yahoo Mail has nonetheless proved popular among Android users.

According to Google Play statistics, Yahoo Mail has gained between 100 million and 500 million installs, which is far more than Microsoft's Outlook app or Inbox for Android, which both currently have between 10 million and 50 million installs. Gmail has at least one billion installs.

Yahoo boasting its app will allow you to, "Search across your entire history of emails, from day one, for all connected mailboxes" and "Not just your most recent emails, which is how it's done in many apps today."

It's also put the Xobni email analytics startup it acquired in 2013 to work in the Mail app as its intelligent contact manager, which presents contact information in summary cards.

There are a few differences in the way the Yahoo Mail app handles swipe actions for Gmail compared with other web mail accounts. For example, when managing Outlook and Yahoo email from the app, a left swipe will delete the email. For Gmail, the same action moves it to archive, which can be retrieved from the "All Mail" folder available in Gmail. That action is common across the iOS and Android apps.

Unrelated to its additional support for Gmail, Yahoo has also added split view support for iOS 9 on the iPad and introduced a new slide over action.

"If your iPad has iOS 9 installed, you can now open Yahoo Mail in a small sidebar by sliding it over from the right side of the screen. This is handy when you want to just quickly check for new messages or reference one particular message without leaving the app you're already using. And for the recent iPads (iPad Pro, iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2), you'll be able to use Yahoo Mail side-by-side with other apps at the same time," it notes.

Yahoo Mail users on iOS also should see a noticeable speed improvement in the app's response to opening push notifications.

For Android, Yahoo has implemented a few design changes to make email more readable than its previous version by darkening text in message and conversion lists.

Also, it's collapsed settings to a single page, aiming for simpler navigation, and made it easier to see where to sign out. Other improvements include larger touch targets for the sidebar and back buttons, and introduced "patches to reduce data usage on mobile networks".

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iPhone 7 Waterproof Rumors: Apple Inc. Invents Port Covers That Can Self-Heal

The biggest problem in making a smartphone waterproof are the ports. Manufacturers typically add rubber flaps or gaskets to protect the openings people plug into on a daily basis for data, headphones and more. But a new invention from Apple suggests a future iPhone -- perhaps an iPhone 7 -- could come with covers that wouldn’t need to be removed, aiding in its efforts to better protect the smartphone from moisture.

An Apple Inc. patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Thursday, titled “Electronic Device With Hidden Connector,” details a gadget that comes with a layer of self-healing elastomer applied over one or more of its external connectors. This can be a number of ports such as the Lightning port, or the 3.5mm headphone jack. The elastomer cover would allow temporary penetration of a probe found on a cable. But after the cable is removed, the cover could then reform and "heal" itself.

While Apple uses a smartphone as an example for the use of the invention, it also notes that it could be used for a number of its devices such as Apple Watches, MacBooks, iMacs and Apple TV.

Officially, Apple doesn’t say its iPhone is waterproof or even water-resistant. But several tests have shown that in some situations its smartphone could survive a quick dip into the drink. A teardown from repair website iFixit has also revealed the addition of additional rubber gaskets in the iPhone 6S. Apple also has additional patents pointing to a process that protects the iPhone’s internals through the use of a hydrophobic coating and a method to eject water from speaker ports.

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‘Max Payne’ Could Be Re-Released For PlayStation 4 As Game Receives ESRB Rating

A rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board for Max Payne has surfaced over the Internet, suggesting that this PlayStation 2 classic could land on PlayStation 4 anytime soon.

Based on the listing ESRB recently pushed out, Max Payne received an M or Mature rating for blood and violence and it is only listed for PlayStation 4.

Sony revealed a list of games which are slated to arrive from PS2 to PS4. The list consists of Rockstar Games's Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. This implies that more of the publisher's games, including Max Payne, are set to come over from PS2 to Sony's latest machine.

It is unclear, though, if Rockstar Games is presently working on a reboot or the PS2 version of Max Payne is making its way to PS4. It seems that the latter is more plausible. Either way, Sony has yet to make its official announcement to confirm the veracity of this news.

Max Payne was created by Remedy Entertainment and published by Rockstar Games way back in 2001. Sequels were also made initially in 2003 and in 2012. The original was re-released on Android and iOS in 2012. Upon its release, the game was well-received by fans and critics across the globe.

Other PS2 games re-released for PS4 include Dark Cloud, Rogue Galaxy, The Mark of Kri, War of the Monsters, and Twisted Metal: Black, all of which were developed by SCE Worldwide Studios. Since these games are considered re-released, PS4 users need to pay for them. These games are priced between £7.99 ($12) and £11.99 ($18). Also, these have been updated to 1080p and provide support for different PS4 features, including Remote Play, trophies and Second Screen support.

In the meantime, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been silently added on Sony's PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3. This title was originally released back in 2014 for PS2 and in the following year, it was published for Xbox and Microsoft Windows. This video game has a price of $14.99 at the store. It needs to be clarified, though, if the new PS3 port is one of the mobile version.

Reports: New Apple Watch Coming in 2016 Could Have Additional Health Tracking Sensors

Apple, Cupertino, California, is planning a March 2016 event to unveil the second generation of its Apple Watch, according to 9to5Mac, citing sources with knowledge of the plans.

The second generation Apple Watch may feature smart bands to add additional health tracking sensors to the device, Europe-based news website letemsvetemapplem.eu reported in August. The bands, which would attach to the watch hardware around the wrist, could feature a blood oxygen sensor, respiratory rate sensor, blood pressure sensor and temperature sensor, according to the report, citing sources.

The first-generation Apple Watch uses LED sensors built into the watch hardware to monitor blood flow and measure the user's heart rate. However, Apple's website says that many factors can lead to inconsistent readings with the current heart rate sensor, including skin perfusion, the type of activity or changes to the skin.

Now there's a pair of Lightning headphones more expensive than the iPhone

Rumors of the 3.5mm headphone jack's demise on the iPhone may be premature, but the expanding use of that phone's Lightning connector for audio purposes is definitely growing into a trend. Started off by Philips with its Fidelio series, today the Lightning headphones game has gone upmarket in a significant way with the introduction of the $799.95 Audeze EL-8 Titanium. This is a closed-back variant of the $699 EL-8 launched at CES at the start of this year, only it now has a digital signal processor, digital-to-analog converter, and an amplifier all built into its so-called Cypher cable.

For Audeze, a boutique audiophile manufacturer whose headphones are usually priced in four figures, the EL-8 lineup actually represents its most affordable products. The Cypher cable does inflate the price by $100, but it adds meaningful benefit to the user in ensuring that the headphones are properly powered. I've listened to the open-back EL-8 set with an iPhone 6S Plus and, while they sound crisp and clear, the iPhone is never really able to push them to their limits. Even at max volume, it sounds only moderately loud — now that Audeze has built its own amp and processing into the cable, its headphones can really show off their mighty sound while used with a mobile device.


The EL-8 Titanium headphones have an in-line microphone and remote control, and their processing is also used when conducting phone calls or sending voice instructions to Siri — if that's the sort of perverse way you want to use them. They are a peculiar hybrid beast: combining the huge price and dimensions of a high-end headphone with the basic conveniences of a portable set. In their shipping configuration, they're only compatible with Apple's Lightning connector, but for an extra $49 you can buy additional balanced cables that allow you to plug in traditional 3.5mm outputs. The Audeze EL-8 Titanium headphones are available from Apple's online store and in a selection of US and Canadian retail Apple Stores now.

Trick to speed up your iphone

 If you've got an iPhone and you occasionally find it running slower than you'd like, here's a handy tip to get it running faster.

The trick was discovered by self-confessed Apple fan Marc Forrest, whose tweet from November has picked up a huge amount of interest over the past few days:

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

1. Unlock your iPhone so you're viewing the home screen.

2. Hold down the power button to activate the ‘Slide to Power Off’ message.

3. Release the power button, then press the Home button for five seconds.

These steps will refresh your phone’s RAM, killing off processes that might be slowing your phone down.

The Nexus 6P: A New Dawn For Nexus Flagships

The Nexus 6P is Google’s flagship, the handset designed to do battle with the iPhone 6s, Samsung Galaxy S6 and LG G4. Like the Nexus 6, the Nexus 6P features a 5.7in AMOLED WQHD display,
meaning you’re looking at a rather awesome 2560 x 1440 pixel panel with a pixel density of 518ppi.

“Huawei is very excited to collaborate with Google and deliver a premium Nexus experience for the global market,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group. “We value the way consumers embrace mobile technology in all parts of their lives and have created a smartphone with great design, performance and seamless integration of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the latest Android release.”

“We're excited to partner with Huawei to introduce customers to Nexus 6P, our most premium phone yet and Android 6.0, Marshmallow, our most polished and highest-performing OS ever." Said Hiroshi Lockheimer, VP Android, Chromecast and Chrome OS at Google.

Unlike the Nexus 5X, the Nexus 6P uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 CPU. This is 64-bit chipset and has it has proven time and time again its pedigree inside some of Android’s best handsets so far this year. The Nexus 6P also features 3GB of RAM, dual front-facing stereo speakers, a Micro USB Type-C port, a 12.3MP main camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing selfie camera, a massive 3,450 battery and either 16GB, 64GB or 128GB of storage.

 

Google is done selling the Nexus 6

Google has said a quiet goodbye to the Nexus 6: as of today, you're no longer able to buy it from the Play Store. The decision appears to mark the end of the road for the 6-inch handset now that both the Nexus 5X and its successor, the Nexus 6P, are up for sale. If you're still itching to get your hands on one — though we can't think of a reason you'd want to — Amazon is still selling a 32GB version for $349.99. Google was not immediately available for comment on whether the phone has been permanently discontinued.

The Nexus 6 arrived at an interesting transition period for Google's stock Android phone program. The Motorola-made device was Google’s largest phone to date, and the company decided not to include a 5-inch version last year that would act as a successor to the popular Nexus 5. That left the Nexus 6 in the odd position of catering to the select few smartphone customers comfortable with a phablet of that size. And until September, it was also the only device capable of running Google's experimental Project Fi mobile internet service. Now Fi works with both the 5X and 6P, so there's no reason to keep the Nexus 6 around anymore.

Mozilla has a new ad-blocker called Focus by Firefox for iOS users

Mozilla has launched a free content blocker for Safari users on Apple’s iOS 9 operating system.

“Focus by Firefox puts users in control of their privacy by allowing them to block categories of trackers such as those used for ads, analytics and social media. Focus by Firefox may also increase performance and reduce mobile data usage by blocking Web fonts,” Firefox said in a blog post.

You can install Focus by going to the iOS Apple Store. Simply run the app and configure it to banish ads on Safari. Focus only works on Safari and not Firefox, Mozilla’s own browser, on iOS, but the company says that it couldn’t help it -- Apple doesn’t make content blocking available to third-party browsers on iOS.

To block or not to block?

The launch of Focus has revived the debate about ad blockers affecting publishers’ revenues.

In September, a popular ad-blocker called Peace was pulled down from the App Store by developer Marco Arment. Among the reasons that he cited for taking down the app, Arment said that it “harmed the online ecosystem.”

According to a Washington Post report , the debate over ad-blocking has spiraled into a much larger conversation about the future of blogs, newspapers and other online media. Ad blockers give users more control over their internet experience, but at the risk of undermining the very sites they depend on for information and entertainment.

“We believe content blockers need to be transparent with publishers and other content providers,” Denelle Dixon-Thayer, a Mozilla executive, was quoted as saying to The Post “rather than placing certain content in a permanent penalty box.”

Firefox OS is dead

Mozilla also canned its smartphone experiment by discontinuing Firefox OS, although the company will still continue to experiment on how it might work on other connected devices and Internet of Things networks.

Firefox OS was first unveiled in 2013, with the aim of targeting the developing world and late adopters with low-cost handsets. Several Indian manufacturers like Intex and Spice had joined hands to bring out these smartphones. (Firefox)

“We are proud of the benefits Firefox OS added to the Web platform and will continue to experiment with the user experience across connected devices. We will build everything we do as a genuine open source project, focused on user experience first and build tools to enable the ecosystem to grow,” TechCrunch quoted Ari Jaaksi, Mozilla’s SVP of Connected Devices, as saying.

Firefox OS was first unveiled in 2013, with the aim of targeting the developing world and late adopters with low-cost handsets. Several Indian manufacturers like Intex and Spice had joined hands to bring out these smartphones.

Google Pixel C With Android 6.0 Marshmallow Now Available In US For $499

Following the trend of humongous display clad 2-in-1 slates like the Apple iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface Pro, Google’s Pixel C also comes with a killer display. This tablet was introduced alongside the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X smartphones. Now, the Pixel C can be purchased in the U.S.

The Google Pixel C runs on the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. The device offers premium-look thanks to the anodized aluminum build and it comes packed with cutting-edge configurations. The search giant is now selling this device via Google Play Store pertaining to the following countries -- the U.S., Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K.

Speaking of price, the 32 GB variant of the slate will set the buyers back by $499, whereas the 64 GB model can be availed for $599. In case, buyers would like to convert this slate into a laptop, Google is now selling the detachable/optional keyboard for $150. 

As far as the specifications go, the Google Pixel C features a killer 10.2-inch display, aided by 2,560 x 1,800 pixels screen resolution. To top it off, according to Phone Arena, the device comes with an aspect ratio of 1:√2, which is closer to the Microsoft Surface series’ 3:2 ratio. This metric clearly said the Pixel C is more of a laptop than a typical slate with an average ratio of 16:10.

Under the hood, the tablet comes powered by an Nvidia Tegra K1 chip. Not to forget, the Tegra K1 is reportedly world's first chipset guaranteed to give console-level performance for mobile devices. This chip also scored a phenomenal 75,000 points in AnTuTu benchmark test. Aiding the entire processor unit is a solid 3 GB of RAM configuration.

When it comes to memory specification, the device comes equipped with either 32 GB or 64 GB of built-in storage space. It goes without saying that being a Google device, the Pixel C will get all the major and minor software updates and security patches without fail. Similar to recently released devices, this slate also comes with an USB Type-C port.

The Gamevice MFi Controller for iPhone 6 Devices is Now Available

The world of MFi controllers is still struggling to find its way more than two years after being introduced to iOS. There are quite a few controller options available nowadays, some quite good, some that are pretty terrible, and none that are absolute stand-out, must-own devices. However, one of the better MFi solutions to come along is the Gamevice from Wikipad.

Originally announced in June of last year as an iPad mini-only controller, the Gamevice underwent a redesign and some development hurdles before finally seeing wide release this past summer. Our own Carter Dotson reviewed the iPad mini Gamevice and liked it a lot, noting its quality feel and great functionality as positives, with its high price and ability to only work with the iPad mini model being the biggest negatives.

Well starting today a version of the Gamevice has started rolling out for all models of the iPhone 6. That includes the original iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as the newer iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. It weighs in at the same $99.95 price point as the iPad mini model and obviously has a similar limitation as it'll only work with iPhone 6 devices. However, if all you're interested in is having a controller for your iPhone and you're cool with spending a hundred bucks on it, the Gamevice sounds like it'll be a winner.

Apple launches Smart Battery case for iPhone 6 and 6s

Apple has quietly launched a Smart Battery case for the iPhone 6 and 6s, which it says can offer up to 25 hours of increased talk time.

The case also extends the devices’ battery life up to 18 hours for Internet use on LTE networks and up to 20 hours for video playback, according to Apple’s online store. “With the Smart Battery Case on, the intelligent battery status is displayed on the iPhone Lock screen and in Notification Center, so you know exactly how much charge you have left,” the tech giant explained.

The case spells good news for users desperate to extend their battery life but unwilling to purchase Apple’s large-screen iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus, which offer up to 24 hours of 3G talk time.

Without the Smart Battery case, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s offer up to 14 hours of talk time on 3G networks, up to 10 hours of Internet use on 3G and LTE, and up to 11 hours of Internet use on Wi‑Fi. HD video playback is up to 11 hours.

The case is priced at $99 and is available in Charcoal Gray and White.

HTC’s Vive Headset Delayed Until April Of Next Year

After many a delay, the Vive virtual reality headset from Taiwanese tech company HTC, is set to see a commercial rollout in April of next year, according to the latest post on the official HTC blog. The company has also mentioned that prior to the device’s commercial launch, as many as 7,000 developer kits will be made available in the first quarter of next year. Of course, the company was originally looking to launch the device commercially in the fourth quarter of this year, but that date was initially pushed back to the first quarter of next year. As it turns out now, even that was a goal too far for HTC, even as companies like Samsung started rolling out its Gear VR headsets as early as last year.

For the uninitiated, the HTC Vive is a head-mounted virtual reality display which is currently under development. It is a collaboration between Taiwanese technology company HTC and the world’s largest digital video game distribution company, Valve Corporation. The device will compete in the marketplace with other, similar offerings from companies like Sony with its PlayStation VR, (originally codenamed Project Morpheus), Oculus VR, with its upcoming Oculus Rift and of course, Samsung, whose Gear VR headsets which are already available for purchase. As for HTC’s upcoming contender in the segment, now that the company has officially set April, 2016 as the launch date, VR fans worldwide will be hoping that the company will finally be able to go through with the launch within the mentioned timeframe.

Coming to HTC’s announcement, the company says that it will “remain committed to delivering the HTC Vive to a broader group of content creators and partners, and remain focused on delivering the very best experience possible for a consumer release”. The company also says that it will host a developer conference in Beijing on December 18th and launch the second generation of the HTC Vive Developer Kit at the CES 2016 trade show to be held at Las Vegas, Nevada. It remains to be seen whether the company can deliver on its promise this time around, but with losses mounting up by the day, the company’s management, employees and well-wishers will be hoping that HTC will be able to turn the corner with the launch of the Vive headset.

GoPro's Hero4 Session camera drops to a more reasonable $199

When GoPro launched its cube-shaped Hero4 Session camera, we wouldn't have blamed you for giving it a pass. Why pay $399 (eventually $349) for an action cam whose main selling point is its size? There won't be any confusion from now on, though. GoPro has dropped the price of the Session to a far more palatable $199 -- that's equivalent to the lower-end Hero+ model. You still aren't getting 4K video or an LCD, but those nice-to-have features may not matter nearly as much when you're saving this much cash.

Xbox One had a big showing on Black Friday, says Microsoft

In the world of gaming, it sounds like pretty much everyone had a good Black Friday this year. We, the gamers, of course, got tons of games for cheap. Market studies are showing PlayStation as the overall victor. Target sold tons of Wii U consoles – more than any other item, it says. As for Microsoft, the Xbox One is selling faster than ever and the variety of deals on offer made for the second biggest Black Friday in Xbox history, including record-setting Xbox One sales.

The Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Xbox One bundle was the most popular of Microsoft’s many, many bundles. The Xbox One overall saw a 22 percent jump in sales in the week of Black Friday (November 21 – 27). Xbox Live subscriptions jumped 40 percent for the time frame, and Xbox One and Xbox 360 sales, including hardware, games, and accessories, jumped by 57 percent.

While some of those systems are surely hiding in the backs of parents cars and under spouses stairwells as Christmas and holiday gifts, quite a few of them went right onto owners’ shelves where they used them to put in 325 million hours of game time last week, jumping playtime up by 196 percent over last year.

The Xbox Store’s sales look to have been a success too, with the number of unique paying users jumping by 55 percent on the Xbox platform and 88 percent on the Xbox One alone.

Along with all this information were a few other interesting tidbits. Games have logged 4 million hours of time playing emulated Xbox 360 games on their Xbox Ones, and in November gamers streamed 5 million hours of Xbox One games to their Windows 10 PCs, with Fallout 4 being the most popular. Windows 10 gaming exceeded Windows 10 for the first time ever in November. The Windows 10 platform saw its market share on non-mobile devices nearly double over the last three months, and nearly 30 percent of all Steam users are on Windows 10. Microsoft adds that there were six times more gamers playing on Windows 10 than on OSX and Linux combined. That’s punching down a bit, isn’t it, Microsoft?

While Sony’s monstrous momentum might be too much for Microsoft to slow down right now, it sounds like the Xbox platform is doing just fine for the company.

Google introduces Cardboard Camera app to create 3D VR images

Google has released a new app for the Cardboard. The app called Cardboard Camera lets you create 360 degrees panoramic photos in virtual reality. Android users can download the app via Google Play Store.

To take a panoramic photo using cardboard, the user has to move 360 degree in a circle. It will also record audio and the images when seen using the Cardboard will appear to be 3D. This means when you place the smartphone inside a Cardboard and view to view VR images, they will appear 3D.

Google says VR photos are three-dimensional panoramas that come with slightly different views for each eye. Near things look near and far things look far, and one can look around to explore the image in all directions.

“With Cardboard Camera, anyone can create their own VR experience. So revisit the mountaintop that took hours to hike, or the zoo where you saw (and heard) the monkeys, or your birthday party with the cake out and candles still lit. Capture the moments that matter to you and relive them anytime, from anywhere,” Google further explains in a blogpost.

In September, there were reports about Microsoft also working on a Google Cardboard-rival called VR Kit. Microsoft Hololens has definitely earned some praise in the market and it is possible that the company is using the cardboard kit as a means to lower the barrier and encourage VR developer interest, the report added.

Yahoo Messenger is Re-Introduced to a World

Yahoo Messenger is back and attempting to do its best Adele impression. In a re-introduction of sorts, Yahoo wants you to say “Hello” to a revamped Yahoo Messenger, except unlike fans of the artist who just broke week one sales records after spending a few years away, you likely moved on years ago from Messenger and weren’t exactly counting the days to its comeback.

The new Yahoo Messenger was built with a focus on group chatting, but Yahoo included features like “Unsend” to kill off those late night drunk texts (or something along those lines), as well. It also has quick photo sharing, GIF support, “liking” messages and photos, and an offline mode that will share things you attempted to post once you get back online.

Overall, it sounds and looks like a decent messaging app. But was anyone asking for another messaging app? Millions upon millions are using WhatsApp. Who knows how many more are using Facebook Messenger. And don’t even think about ignoring Google Hangouts and Apple’s iMessage. All of those apps are great in their own right, plus all of your friends already use them, which is why you are probably using one of them.

Does anyone want to go through the pain of getting everyone to make the switch to Yahoo Messenger? I don’t. I can’t tell you how hard it was to get everyone I know to switch to Hangouts. Going through that all over again for Yahoo just doesn’t seem worth it.

If you make the switch, please sell me on it.

Here is Yahoo Messenger’s list of features

   ►Chat one-on-one or in groups
   ►Yes, take backs! Tap “Unsend” to remove photos and messages from a conversation
   ►Instantly share lots of high-resolution photos at once
   ►Swipe to view photos beautifully displayed in a carousel
   ►Express yourself with animated GIFs
   ►“Like” messages and photos in the conversation
   ►Offline/low connectivity mode—anything you share will be posted once you’re back online
   ►Optimized for use with TalkBack

You won’t need an invite to buy the OnePlus 2 starting this Friday

If you've been interested in getting a OnePlus 2 but didn't have an invite, your wait is coming to an end. As part of its second anniversary celebration, OnePlus is permanently making its $329 flagship phone available invite-free on at midnight on December 5th.

There's no indication if the invite system will alleviate the long lead times on the OnePlus 2, as the company said it is "taking risks to push ourselves" by dropping the invitation system on its most popular product. OnePlus is currently sold out of the 16GB OnePlus 2, but stock is available for the 64GB edition, which sells for $389.

If you're in the market for the lower-end OnePlus X, you'll also be able to purchase it without an invite, but only from December 5th to December 7th. OnePlus is also putting a number of accessories on sale during the two-day period.

Google Pixel C tablet could launch December 8th

It’s been a few months since Google unveiled a premium Android tablet called the Google Pixel C and promised it’d be available in time for the holidays. Well, the holiday shopping season traditionally kicks off on Black Friday, which has come and gone… but where’s the Pixel C?


The Dutch website says that’s when the tablet will be available in the Netherlands. It’s not clear if it’ll be available at the same time in other markets, but if the report is accurate, it seems highly unlikely that the tablet would only be available in the Netherlands at launch.

In case you need a refresher, the Pixel C is a tablet with a 10.2 inch, 2560 x 1800 pixel display,  an NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, 3GB of RAM, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow software.

Like Google’s Pixel notebooks, it has an LED light bar on the back, and like other Pixel devices the new tablet ain’t cheap: a 32GB model will sell for $499 and a 64GB version is priced at $599.

One of the most unusual things about the Pixel C is the optional keyboard dock. It has full-sized keys and the keyboard connects to the tablet via strong magnets, allowing you to adjust the screen angle by up to 135 degrees.

The Bluetooth keyboard offers up to 2 months of battery life, but you should never actually have to go out of your way to charge it because it draws power from the tablet via inductive charging.

The keyboard dock is an optional accessory with a $150 price tag, which means you’ll need to spend about $650 or more to get a Pixel C, making it one of the most expensive Android tablets on the market, although it will also be one of the most powerful.

BlueStacks now lets you run multiple Android apps on Windows at the same time

While Google has been slowly working on bringing Android apps to Chrome OS, another company has had those apps up and running on the desktop for several years now. That company, BlueStacks, is today launching the second version of its Android emulator for Windows, adding in the ability to run multiple apps at the same time.

"BlueStacks says it's been downloaded over 100 million times"

BlueStacks 2 is basically the same product as its predecessor. It's ugly and sometimes awkward to use — I don't have a touchscreen PC, so I had to navigate Android with a mouse — but apps ran surprisingly well in my limited testing. This new version adds a tabbed interface, allowing you to hold multiple apps in the same window; it could previously only run a single app at a time. The update also adds a toolbar that lets you quickly tell the emulator to simulate rotating the screen or to perform other functions, like copying and pasting.

Alongside today's update, BlueStacks is also announcing a new milestone: it's hit 109 million downloads. That's a big number, although it's worth keeping in mind that downloads don't translate directly into recurring users. BlueStacks declined to provide specific information on its active user count, simply saying that it was "healthy." (If you see anyone claiming that BlueStacks' emulator is more widely used than Android devices by some top phone manufacturers, don't believe it.)

BlueStacks' emulator has been around since 2011, primarily sustaining itself off of revenue from developers who pay for placement within its app store (though it also offers access to the Google Play Store). BlueStacks 2 remains free to download and will be available today on Windows. A launch on the Mac will come later.

Android Update With New Emoji Arriving Next Week, Starting With Nexus Phones

Emoji has changed the way that people communicate on mobile devices because it enables the ability to express feelings using a single character and it makes messages livelier. For example, a smiley emoji indicates how happy you are and a thumbs up emoji represents approval. Now it is common for smartphone users to include at least one emoji in every text message that is sent out, which is why software updates that integrate new emoji on mobile devices are highly anticipated.

Hiroshi Lockheimer, the senior vice president of Android, Chrome OS and Chromecast at Google, has announced on Twitter that new emoji will be arriving on Android devices next week, starting with Nexus devices. The new emoji will be included in an updated system image, which also has a new keyboard and font.

  In the screenshot tweeted by Lockheimer above, a unicorn, lion and crab emoji was used, indicating that Unicode 8.0 characters will be applied in the Android software update. Other emoji in Unicode 8.0 includes a hugging face, a thinking face, a nerd face, a face with a thermometer, prayer beads, a turkey, a scorpion, a cheese wedge, a hot dog, a taco, a burrito, popcorn, a bottle with a popping cork, a mosque, a synagogue, a cricket bat and ball, a volleyball, a field hockey stick and ball, a table tennis paddle and ball, a bow and arrow and a middle finger.Unicode 8.0 is the same version that Apple iOS devices received when iOS 9.1 released in October. Currently, Android devices use emoji from Unicode 6.0 so it is two iterations behind iOS. When iOS 9.1 was released with the new emoji, Lockheimer tweeted a teaser about Android getting new emoji too. “So I have a feeling y’all want new emojis? a) Thanks for the feedback, b) We’re on it, and c) Sorry!” said Lockheimer in a tweet on October 22nd.

Even though Lockheimer said the Android system update will start with Nexus devices next week, third party Android OEMs will decide their own update schedules. Usually third party OEMs modify some of the emoji so it may take some time for the changes to be rolled out on Android devices manufactured by Samsung, LG, HTC and Sony devices. When an Android user asked Lockheimer if bug fixes will be included in the system update, he responded by saying “I can’t spoil all the surprises!”

Why do Nexus devices generally receive software updates first? Google directly oversees the development and support of Nexus devices. The current line of Nexus smartphones includes the Nexus 6P (built by Huawei), the Nexus 5X (built by LG) and the Nexus 6 (built by Motorola Mobility).