Apple Unveils iPhone 7 & 7 Plus, Pre-Orders Start Sept. 9th

Apple just unveiled the new iPhone 7 & 7 Plus today. Below you'll find the rundown on specs, features, pricing and availability…

Specs/Features:

• Redesigned Home button with Taptic engine
• A10 Fusion four-core CPU
• Water and dust resistant enclosure
• 12 Megapixel cameras with new quad-led True Tone flash
• Dual-camera system for enhanced zoom on Plus models
• Optical image stabilization in all iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models
• Lightning Earpods + Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in box
• Color options: New glossy “Jet black”, second “black” finish with black logo, silver, gold, and rose gold
• Repositioned antennas

Apple has confirmed that iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will get new cameras, water-resistance improvements, stereo speakers, longer battery life and more.

The new iPhones feature a 12 megapixel camera, optical image stabilization now available in all models, a f/1/8 aperture, six-element lens, new high-speed sensor, and a redesigned quad-LED True Tone flash. The iPhone 7 Plus model offers high-res optical zoom at 2x using built-in dual-cameras. 

The iPhone 7 features a redesigned Home button that uses a “Taptic Engine” like Apple uses in the Apple Watch to provide tactile feedback for various functions. iPhone 7 and 7 Plus also include new stereo speakers, and both iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models will be water and dust resistant.

The new iPhones also receive a big performance bump courtesy of the new A10 Fusion four-core CPU. Apple said it’s 40% faster than the A9 in previous generation iPhones and includes a 6-core graphics chip that’s 50% faster than A9. Since the iPhone 7 will be Apple’s first iPhone without a headphone jack, all iPhone 7 models come with Lightning EarPods and a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone adapter.

Availability: 

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be available to pre-order starting September 9th with retail availability beginning on September 16th.

Source: Apple

Google Stock Contacts App Gains Lollipop and Marshmallow Support (APK Link)

Google has recently updated the Google Contacts application for select Android devices to made it easier to edit contact details. The most significant change Google expanded the app's availability from just Marshmallow to Lollipop. 

The app is still limited to Nexus, Android One, and Google Play Edition devices. Users running Lollipop on these devices can now add and edit contact data points such as name, number, and email allowing users to save to their Google account, fix duplicates, and call or message from the contact card. Google Contacts is free to download from the Google Play Store by folling the link below.

*Update* I was successfully able to download the APK (APK link below) install and run the new Google Contacts app on my Moto Z, Moto Z Force, and LG G5. Please comment below if you are able to install and run the new Google Contacts app on your non Nexus, Android One, or Google Play Edition phone.


Source: Google Play Store, Direct APK link

Google Officially Releases Android 7.0 Nougat

Google has made the final version of Android 7.0 Nougat available to developers, phone makers, and select devices. Google released the first developer build of Nougat earlier this year and has been refining the platform ever since. Today Android 7.0 Nougat official moves out of beta. 

The next generation mobile operating system includes support for Vulkan to improve graphics performance for games, and also improves the Android runtime to speedier daily use. 

Nougat introduces file based encryption to better isolate and protect individual users. Android 7.0 Nougat offers seamless security updates that happen automatically in the background with no user action required. 

Google made improvements to the multitasking with multi window mode. Android 7.0 Nougat now shows the most recent seven apps and moves the "clear all" tool to the top of the screen to prevent accidental closings. 

Nougat overhauls notifications providing direct control over silencing certain types of notifications. The platform adds Unicode 9.0 for an expanded set of emoji. Last but certainly not least Android 7.0 Nougat adds direct support for virtual reality. 

Android 7.0 Nougat is available to the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, and Pixel C devices.


Source: Android

Google Launches Video Calling App Duo For Android And iOS

Google has released Duo the video chatting app for Android and iOS. Duo doesn't require a separate account users need only their phone number to get started. 

Google says it built the app to function well even across poor network connections. The app will change the resolution to match the connection speed in order to keep the call going, and can seamlessly switch from wifi to cellular. 

A feature called Knock Knock gives people a preview video of the person calling so they can see what's up before answering the video call. Duo is free to download from the Google Play Store and iTunes App Store.

Source: Google Duo, Google Play Store, Apple App Store

Google Is Quietly Developing A New OS And Kernel, Fuchsia

Google’s own GitHub page simply describes Fuchsia as “Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System)”.

There’s the Magenta kernel based on the LittleKernel project. Just like with Linux and Android the Magenta kernel powers the larger Fuchsia operating system. Magenta is being designed as a competitor to commercial embedded OSes.

Magenta is said to work on embedded devices, smartphones, and desktop computers. Magenta improves upon its LittleKernel base by adding first class user mode support and a capability based security model, this will allow features like Android 6.0 permissions to work.

Google is using Flutter for the user interface as well as Dart as the primary programming language and Escher a renderer that supports light diffusion, soft shadows, and other visual effects with OpenGL or Vulkan at the helm of it all. Shadows and subtle color reflections are a key component of Material Design.

We know Fuchsia has support for both 32-bit and 64-bit ARM CPUs, as well as 64-bit PCs. Could Fuchsia be a lightweight OS used on hardware not capable of running full Android such as the Google OnHub router and Google Home? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comment section below.


Source: GitHub, Google Git

Lenovo Said To Unveil New Moto Mods, Tablets, And Moto 360 Smartwatch At IFA 2016

According to a video published earlier today via YouTube titled Sneak Peek at Lenovo's 2016 Holiday Product Launch the company is about to unveil a new chapter in tablets, new Moto Mods for the Moto Z and Z Force smartphones, and a whole new kind of intuitive keyboard.

As for a new Moto 360 smartwatch being showcased at IFA 2016 the new video doesn't directly mention a refresh to the existing Moto 360 smartwatch, it does however show older Moto 360 models in the below video.

Seeing how last year's Moto 360 was officially unveiled in September, it makes sense that we're speculating an announcement of a new Motorola Android Wear watch at this year IFA.
 


Source: YouTube

Incipio Acquires Griffin Technology

Mobile accessory giant Incipio today announced the purchase of Griffin Technology, a long time maker of mobile accessories. Recently, Incipio has purchased Skullcandy and Incase.


Source: Incipio

Apple Music For Android Exits Beta

Apple updated its Music app for Android devices. The 1.0 app adds a single feature in its full release and an graphic equalizer tool for adjusting sound levels. 

Apple says the app also received a variety of performance, playback, and stability improvements. Apple Music for Android allows people to create personalized stations, as well as listen to tracks on demand. 

Apple Music for Android includes Beats1 Radio, and supports local caching for offline playback. The app itself is free to download from the Google Play Store, however the service costs $10 per month for users.

Source: Google Play Store

Meet The Android Powered BlackBerry DTEK50

BlackBerry officially announces the mid-range BlackBerry DTEK50, offering solid performance and power, but with a price of just $299 USD. The DTEK50 packs a 5.2-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 617 processor, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

The DTEK50 comes pre loaded with BlackBerry features such as BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry Hub, and BlackBerry's DTEK software. BlackBerry claims the DTEK50 is the “most secure Android smartphone” with enhancements to the OS as well as a secure boot process. The device is also said to get Google's monthly security patches.

Source: ShopBlackBerry.com

Pokémon Go Available On Android And iOS, In Select Countries (APK Link Included)

Pokémon GO is now available on Android. The augmented reality game made in partnership with Ingress maker Niantic Labs allows users to collect train and battle Pokémon characters in the real world. The game is still rolling out on the Play Store and might initially only be available in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Pokémon GO is free to play, However we are seeing reports the app installs but will not run on the Android N Developer Preview. Otherwise, it is available on devices running Android 4.3 and above (if you're not able to download Pokémon GO via the Google Play Store, follow the APK link below for download).


Source: Niantic Labs, Google Play Store, iTunes, direct APK link