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Huawei unveils Honor Band A2 priced at $29
Huawei has unveiled its latest smart band - the Honor Band A2, the successor to the Band A1, announced last year.
The biggest changes, compared to the last year's model, are an OLED screen and a heart rate sensor.
Fitness tracking functions include a pedometer, exercise tracker, sedentary reminder, and sleep tracker. The Honor Band A2 has an IP67 rating, meaning it's water resistant.
Continue reading: Huawei unveils Honor Band A2 priced at $29 (full post)
The Note8 to have a fingerprint sensor under the display
We know that Samsung is working on the Galaxy Note8. This was confirmed earlier this year by DJ Koh, Samsung's Mobile Chief. The Note8 will likely debut this fall, but the first leaks have already been revealed.
The Note8 is rumored to have a rear dual setup, and the newest images, taken from Weibo, confirm this. The photos of a Note8 dummy have appeared on Weibo showing a vertically aligned dual camera setup.
What's even more interesting, there's no fingerprint sensor on the back or the front of the device, meaning that Samsung might have finally fixed the problem that prevented them from embedding the biometric fingerprint reader under the phone display.
Continue reading: The Note8 to have a fingerprint sensor under the display (full post)
OnePlus teases the OnePlus 5 color options
As we reported earlier, it seems that OnePlus intends to skip the OnePlus 4, since the number 4 is considered unlucky in China, and name their new flagship OnePlus 5. The phone is confirmed to be unveiled in the summer, with no exact date of the launch yet.
We know that the device will be powered by Snapdragon 835, and it should come with dual rear camera setup, but other specs are still a bit vague at this point.
Read also: OnePlus 5 prototype caught on camera
Continue reading: OnePlus teases the OnePlus 5 color options (full post)
ISS crew on an urgent spacewalk after equipment failure
NASA's astronauts have successfully completed an emergency spacewalk after a key equipment failure on the ISS. The Expedition 51 astronauts had to fix a problem after a computer failure on ISS over the weekend.
Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA had to change out a multiplexer-demultiplexer (MDM) data relay box on the S0 truss that failed on Saturday morning. The cause of the MDM failure is not known. The data relay box is one of two fully redundant systems housed in the truss that controls the functionality of radiators, solar arrays, cooling loops and other station hardware. The other MDM in the truss is functioning perfectly, providing uninterrupted telemetry routing to the station's systems.
NASA pointed out that the crew was never in any danger.
Continue reading: ISS crew on an urgent spacewalk after equipment failure (full post)
Far Cry 5 may have exclusive content on PS4
Sony may have secured rights for a marketing deal with Ubisoft for Far Cry 5, and if so, we could see PS4 get exclusive content.
Sony has scooped up marketing deals for a swath of high-profile multi-platform games including Red Dead Redemption 2 and Destiny 2. It appears Far Cry 5 could be another triple-A game pulled over to the PS4's sphere of influence, meaning E3 2017 might be a massacre in terms of showcased third-party games. However, Ubisoft's deal for Far Cry 5 may only be for Europe.
Today Ubisoft officially released multiple teaser trailers for Far Cry 5, confirming the game is set in modern-day Montana. Interestingly enough, three out of the four released Far Cry 5 trailers aren't available in the United States...but that hasn't stopped uploaders from capturing and re-uploading them. Far Cry 5's official European trailers clearly show PS4 and PS4 Pro as the available platforms, but the single trailer released in North America doesn't list any platforms.
Continue reading: Far Cry 5 may have exclusive content on PS4 (full post)
Meizu launches new mid-range smartphone - the M5c
Meizu has launched a new mid-range smartphone - the M5c.
The phone is powered by unspecified quad-core 1.3GHz processor and comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, expandable with a microSD card up to 128GB.
The Meizu M5c features a 5-inch 720p display. The main camera has 8MP while the front shooter comes with a 5MP.
Continue reading: Meizu launches new mid-range smartphone - the M5c (full post)
Carl Pei hints that OnePlus 5 might keep headphone jack
There have been numerous reports recently questioning the presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack on the upcoming OnePlus 5. Early rumors, based on leaked prototype images, claimed that the company decided to ditch the headphone jack.
Carl Pei, one of the company's co-founders, commented this on Twitter. When he asked his followers what should he tweet about today, one follower replied: "About where the headphone jack went." Pei responded with a cryptic message "Why did the headphone jack cross the road?".
Continue reading: Carl Pei hints that OnePlus 5 might keep headphone jack (full post)
Borderlands 3 teased for 2018 release
Red Dead Redemption 2 and Borderlands 3 may both release in 2018, significantly driving up Take-Two's earnings.
After announcing last year's earnings, Take-Two Interactive delivered a forecast for the next fiscal year and possibly teased the release of Borderlands 3. The company expects a massive net sales revenue spike of $2.5 billion for Fiscal Year 2019 (April 2018 - March 2019) thanks to Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2, which was just delayed to Spring 2018, and a "highly anticipated new title from one of 2K's biggest franchises." We're betting that the mystery 2K franchise is Borderlands 3.
Take-Two Interactive confirmed that its current year roadmap (Fiscal Year 2018) will be quite sparse thanks to the delay of Red Dead Redemption 2, which was originally slated to release in Fall 2017. The company plans to fall back on its massively lucrative digital monetization strategies via Grand Theft Auto Online and NBA 2K while key developers work on the big triple-A hits. Given the current light release slate, Take-Two releasing Red Dead Redemption 2 and Borderlands 3 in the same fiscal year makes sense as the company will want to return to big hit sales--and both Red Dead Redemption 2 and Borderlands 3 should have in-game microtransaction monetization paths to ensure continued revenue streams.
Continue reading: Borderlands 3 teased for 2018 release (full post)
Red Dead Redemption 2 to release after April 2018
Rockstar Games recently confirmed that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be delayed to Spring 2018, and now the studio's parent company Take-Two Interactive iterates the sequel will be part of its Fiscal Year 2019 roadmap.
Red Dead Redemption 2 will no longer be part of the company's current Fiscal Year 2018 roadmap, and has instead been delayed into FY2019, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick today confirmed. This means the highly anticipated western sequel will not launch before the company's 2018 fiscal year ends on March 31, 2018, and will instead release from April 1, 2018 onward. We originally predicted the game would release in February or March 2018 to round out Take-Two's Q4 earnings, but the company has confirmed this isn't the case--much to shareholder's and investor's frustrations.
"As announced yesterday, Rockstar Games has decided to move the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 to Spring 2018. As Rockstar stated, Red Dead Redemption 2 will be their first game created from the ground up for the latest generation of console hardware, and some extra time is necessary to ensure that they deliver the best experience possible. Such decisions are not made lightly, and are driven by our team's unwavering commitment to unparalleled quality," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said in the company's fiscal earnings call.
Continue reading: Red Dead Redemption 2 to release after April 2018 (full post)
Samsung has 3.5-inch 120Hz OLED: next-gen VR panels
Samsung has been teasing its new 1.96-inch 4K LCD, but its next-gen 3.5-inch OLED sounds much more appealing because it's closer than the super-small 1.96-inch LCDs.
The new 3.5-inch display comes in at 858 PPI, and has been "optimized for VR devices, 120Hz for wearable and tablet OLED products are displayed for smooth picture quality". Samsung is making the new 120Hz display with an OLED panel and HDR support, with Samsung also touting low power consumption on the 3.5-inch OLED.
The wording here could indicate that these new panels are not 120Hz for VR, as Samsung says: "3.5-inch size, 858ppi optimized for VR devices, 120Hz for wearable and tablet OLED products are displayed for smooth picture quality". It is a translation, so we could expect VR at a different refresh rate - but I really doubt that. The next jump for VR from 90Hz will be 120Hz, at least.
Continue reading: Samsung has 3.5-inch 120Hz OLED: next-gen VR panels (full post)
Samsung teases prototype 1.96-inch 4K LCD for VR HMDs
The current-gen VR headsets are plagued with the screen door effect (SDE), with it being one of the last technological barriers for VR headsets before they really leap forward in quality, with Samsung teasing what could end up as the future of LCDs for VR headsets.
Samsung recently showed off a prototype 1.96-inch LCD with a native 4K resolution, and with the super-small 1.96-inch size it has an astounding 2250 pixels per inch, compared to 500 PPI average on a high-end smartphone display. We've been hearing about 4K per eye VR headsets for a while now, so this could be what Samsung has been working on in order to provide them to the likes of Oculus, HTC, Sony or even itself - with a next-gen standalone Samung Gear VR headset.
Continue reading: Samsung teases prototype 1.96-inch 4K LCD for VR HMDs (full post)
Exploding Beats headphones aren't Apple's fault
The world went a little crazy when Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 smartphone was exploding last year over faulty batteries, and now its main competitor is experiencing similar exploding products.
Beats, which is owned by Apple, has been in the news with an Australian woman waking up on a flight between Adelaide, South Australia and Hong Kong by the sound of an explosion, and a burning sensation on her face. Adelaide Now reports: "The woman, whose face, hands and hair were burned, had sought to be reimbursed to replace her headphones and several items of ruined clothing".
Continue reading: Exploding Beats headphones aren't Apple's fault (full post)
Samsung: Galaxy S8 is 2-for-1 in the US only right now
If you've been waiting on pulling the trigger on Samsung's aweosme new Galaxy S8 smartphone, well... your time has come. If you're based in the US, you will be able to activate two Galaxy S8 smartphones through T-Mobile, with one of them ending up free.
How does it work? Samsung will send a $750 refund to you for the second smartphone after you've paid for it, which will take 7-10 business days. You'll need to opt in on the website, and that's all. Samsung is also giving away its Entertainment Kit, which includes a Clear View stand, 64GB microSD card, and a 6-month Netflix subscription.
The total for the two Galaxy S8 smartphones comes to $1608.76, so with Samsung providing $750 back after you've registered one of them with T-Mobile, that means the total price for both Galaxy S8 handsets drops to $858.76, or just $429.38 after tax. This is an amazing deal from Samsung, absolutely amazing.
Continue reading: Samsung: Galaxy S8 is 2-for-1 in the US only right now (full post)
NVIDIA's purported Volta-based TITAN Xv spotted
NVIDIA unveiled its next-gen Volta-based Tesla V100 at GTC 2017 a couple of weeks ago, but now we could be looking at their new Volta-based TITAN Xv graphics card.
There was an image posted to Facebook from a NVIDIA intern, but there's nothing else known about the card. We don't know if it's real or not, with the image posted over at Overclock3D.net forums. If it's a real card, take note of the lack of SLI connector and instead, the purported TITAN Xv has NVLink connectors.
I don't think this is the TITAN Xv, but at the end of the day it could be... and NVIDIA could be preparing TITAN Xv to combat AMD's upcoming Radeon RX Vega. What do you think?
Continue reading: NVIDIA's purported Volta-based TITAN Xv spotted (full post)
Joss Wheddon taking over 'Justice League' directing duty
While principal photography on Zack Snyder's 'Justice League' has been completed, the director, alongside his producer wife Deborah have announced they are stepping down from the production after the death of their daughter Autumn. Warner Bros have announced that 'The Avengers' director Joss Whedon will step in to complete the film which will hit cinemas at the end of the year.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Whedon will complete post-production and limited reshoots on the film although studio president Toby Emmerich is adamant that the film won't deviate too far from the tone set by Snyder, saying "We're not introducing any new characters. It's the same characters in some new scenes. He's handing the baton to Joss, but the course has really been set by Zack". Tragically, the Synder's lost their 20 year old daughter to suicide in March.
Featuring Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), the Flash (Ezra Miller), Superman (Henry Cavill), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa), 'Justice League' is set to be the DC comics version of 'The Avengers', which the studio is hoping will bring in the huge revenue that eluded last summer's 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'. 'Justice League' is set to still hit it's previously announced release on 3D, 2D and IMAX cinema worldwide from November 2017.
Continue reading: Joss Wheddon taking over 'Justice League' directing duty (full post)
Red Dead Redemption 2 delay causes stock dive
Rockstar Games today announced Red Dead Redemption 2 would be delayed to Spring 2018, and investors and shareholders aren't too happy about the delay.
The stock value of Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, recently dived by 8.75% in after-hours trading following the announcement of Red Dead Redemption 2's delay. The parent company recently reassured investors that Red Dead Redemption 2 would release Fall 2017, and now shareholders are understandably frustrated. Just three days ago Take-Two stock surged to a near-record high.
Take-Two promised that Red Dead Redemption 2 will release during its Fiscal Year 2018 timeline, and it's still technically possible that the game will meet these promises, as the sequel has been delayed to Spring 2018. Rockstar Games is pressured to ensure the game launches before the company's fiscal year ends in March.
Continue reading: Red Dead Redemption 2 delay causes stock dive (full post)
Destiny 2 on PC: no dedicated servers
For the first time ever, Destiny is coming to PC with its new sequel. Although Bungie is doing their best to ensure the game properly taps the raw power of the PC platform, Destiny 2 is missing something quite big: dedicated servers.
Bungie has officially confirmed that Destiny 2 won't use dedicated servers on PC, despite the fact that it'll have online 4v4 multiplayer PVP modes on the platform. When asked if Destiny 2 features P2P servers or dedicated servers, Bungie's Luke Smith said "It is a complicated typology. We do not have dedicated servers for Destiny 2 on PC," Smith said in a recent interview with PC Gamer.
The studio has already confirmed that Destiny 2's PC version will be exclusive to Blizzard's Battle.net client, but Bungie will maintain the game's online shared-worlds shooter's servers. Blizzard's Battle.net will just be used for "login and social services."
Continue reading: Destiny 2 on PC: no dedicated servers (full post)
Red Dead Redemption 2 delayed to Spring 2018
Rockstar today confirmed that Red Dead Redemption 2 has been delayed to Spring 2018 on PS4 and Xbox One.
Rockstar Games says that they need the extra time to ensure Red Dead Redemption 2 delivers the best possible experience. "This outlaw epic set across the vast and unforgiving American heartland will be the first Rockstar game created from the ground up for the latest generation of console hardware, and some extra time is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best experience possible for our fans," the studio said.
"We are very sorry for any disappointment this delay causes, but we are firm believers in delivering a game only when it is ready. We are really excited to bring you more details about the game this summer."
Continue reading: Red Dead Redemption 2 delayed to Spring 2018 (full post)
FF14: Stormblood's job level-up potions cost $25
Final Fantasy XIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida today confirmed the prices for the new job-class boosting items that will be rolled out in the game's new Stormblood expansion.
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood will feature specific convenience items that let users skip key parts of the game as well as single-boost potions that instantly raise a single job to max level. These conveniences items are labled as "Tales of Adventure" and will be sold on the game's Mog Station storefront, which allows players to buy in-game cosmetics for real money. These new job potions represent the first step in selling items that have a clear affect on the game.
The game's new job-level boost items, called Tales of Adventure, will cost $25, will be released on Jun 16, and can only be used to increase a single job to level 60. Yoshi-P confirms that there will be different Tales of Adventure for each job, so you'll have to buy them individually at $25 a pop to level up all your jobs to max level (if you wanted to skip the game, of course). But that doesn't matter because players will only be able to buy one Tales of Adventure job-boost per account until Patch 4.1 rolls out.
Continue reading: FF14: Stormblood's job level-up potions cost $25 (full post)
LG announces rugged smartphone - X Venture
LG has announced its second X-line smartphone - the X Venture. The rugged phone has an IP68 water and dust protection, and 14 MIL-STD 810G certification for extreme temperatures, shock, and water as well as multiple immersions up to 1.5 meters deep.
The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 435 and comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable with a microSD card.
The X Venture comes with a 5.2-inch display and runs Android 7.0 Nougat. The phone features a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front shooter.
Continue reading: LG announces rugged smartphone - X Venture (full post)






















