OnePlus 2 gets a permanent price drop in India

OnePlus has announced a permanent price drop on its flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 2.

Both models receive an INR 2,000 price cut. The 64GB model is now priced at INR 22,999 ($341) and the 16GB model at INR 20,999 ($311).

OnePlus says the price cut is due to "timing and scale" and that their operations have scaled-up sufficiently to allow them to sell the phone at a lower price.

UMi Touch is a MediaTek-powered WP flagship

Windows Phone has been starving for proper high-end mobile devices for quite some time now. To the US giant's credit, recent efforts like the Lumia 950 and 950 XL have been breaking the status quo, there is still a long way to go. Thankfully, Windows 10 is a lot more welcoming to third-party efforts and Chinese OEM are not known to waste time when it comes to filling new market niches.

One such company, by the name of UMi, has now announced the UMi Touch - a MediaTek-powered handset that will sell for just $149 and is promising support for Windows 10, as well as Android. This is a somewhat new mix that is still in its infancy, but holds great promise. Windows 10 already has support for Intel and Qualcomm chips, but is only now starting to extend on to MediaTek, which are typically a bit cheaper than their Snapdragon alternatives.

The smartphone in question uses an octa-core MediaTek MTK6753 SoC, clocked at 1.5 GHz. It is backed up by a Mali T720 GPU and 3GB of RAM - decently powerful setup considering the lightweight nature of the OS. The display is a 5.5-inch LTPS one with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a 2.5D curved glass on top.

Onboard storage on the phone is 16GB and its camera setup consists of a 13MP Sony IMX328 main camera and a 5MP front-facing one. The whole thing is powered by a rather spacious 4,000 mAh battery and there is even a fingerprint reader thrown in the mix.

The UMi Touch is currently up for pre-order at $149.99, but it is worth noting that it will ship with Android 6.0 pre-installed. Currently, Windows 10 support is only a promise from UMi as a free downloadable ROM at a later point in time.

We can't really say if the Chinese OEM will make good on said promise, but it does have a rather reassuring track record with its dedicated ROOTJOY program that brings pre-rooted versions of various supported ROMs to users, including exotic platforms like MYUI, FLY ME, 360OS and even WP8.

LG K5 and K8 coming this week: Android on a budget

LG is bolstering its budget K-series with two new devices - the K5 and K8. Both have 5" screens. “The K8 and K5 will be fantastic choices for anyone who is seeking a smartphone with great looks, great looks, at a great price,” says Juno Cho, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile.

The two phones will launch this week. The LG K8 (which was announced in February) will be available in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, CIS and Latin America. The LG K5 will arrive in fewer regions - Europe, CIS and Latin America (in Mexico it will be known as the Q6).

LG K5

The LG K5 has a "metallic look" (think LG G4, plastic with a brushed metal finish) and will come in Gold, Silver and Titan. It has a 5" screen with 480 x 854px resolution.

The phone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop on a 1.3GHz quad-core processor with 1GB and 8GB of built-in storage (with a microSD slot, of course). On the connectivity side, you get 3G, Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1.

The main camera on the LG K5 is a 5MP shooter and there's a 2MP selfie cam, which recognizes gestures, so you don't have to aim for the shutter key as you pose for your photo.

LG K8

The LG K8 is a higher end model with a 5" 720p screen and an 8MP/5MP camera setup. The screen is covered with a 2.5D Arc Glass while the back features a G-series design with volume and power buttons and a woven texture.

The LG K8 also comes with a newer Android, but the same 1.3GHz processor with 1.5GB of RAM (Europe and North America) or 1GB RAM (South America).

LG K8

Connectivity sports LTE connectivity, Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.2.

Get $50 gift card with Moto 360 (2nd gen) and Moto 360 Sport purchase

If you're in the US and are planning to purchase either a second-generation Moto 360 or aMoto 360 Sport, here's a deal for you: electronics retailer Best Buy is offering a $50 gift card for free with each purchase of either of the smartwatch.

As for the price, the retailer has the Sport version listed for $299, while the Moto 360 (2nd gen) will set you back between $299 and $399 depending on the band and finish you go for. Keep in mind, however, that the Moto Maker customization option isn't available at Best Buy.

Another thing worth mentioning here is that you'll get the gift card only after you complete your order, meaning you won't be able to use it while buying these Android Wear smartwatches. Of course, it can be used in any of your future transactions.

Lenovo announces Vibe K5 Plus in India

Lenovo has launched the Vibe K5 Plus in India. It is a budget smartphone, along the lines of the company's previous A6000 and A7000 smartphones, and competes alongside rival devices such as the Coolpad Note 3 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note Prime.

The Vibe K5 Plus has a 5-inch, FullHD 1080p scratch-resistant display. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 (4x 1.7GHz Cortex-A53 + 4x 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 + Adreno 405) along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage with microSD support up to 128GB.

The phone has dual SIM support along with Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS, and FM Radio.

On the imaging front, there is a 13 megapixel OmniVision OV13850 sensor with f2.2 aperture 5 element lens on the back and a 5 megapixel sensor with f2.8 aperture on the front.

The battery is 2750mAh and is user removable. The phone runs on Android 5.1 and has support for Lenovo's TheaterMax, which splits the screen content into two to give a more immersive experience when viewing through the optional ANT VR headset. The K5 Plus also supports Dolby Atmos and has dual stereo speakers on the back, but don't expect much in terms of stereo separation due to their positioning.

The phone comes in gold, silver, and gray with an aluminum casing on the back.

The Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus is priced at INR 8499 ($126) and will be available exclusively through Flipkart starting March 23, 2016 at 12 noon. There will be an exchange offer for existing A6000 and A6000 Plus users during the first sale.

Charge is a mobile network for data-only service

Until now, there hasn't been any way to purchase a data-only service besides tacking it onto an existing mobile phone plan. This is the first time in the US that a carrier, or MVNO alike, offers data only plans without requiring a phone line first.

The company does plan to incorporate GSM compatible SIMs in the future but as of now, the MVNO will piggyback on Sprint's nationwide network and will be compatible with any Sprint-enabled device, phones and tablets, alike. All Nexus smartphones since the Nexus 5 all the way up to the current-gen 5X and 6P. Obviously, the Phone and Messaging apps will be rendered useless.

Plans start at $15 per GB or $13 per GB when you buy three or more GB. Data never expires and automatically charges your card when you run out (if you wish).

This could be the first step of many toward eventually getting rid of phone numbers altogether. Phone calls, text messages, and everything that once needed a switching center, has effectively been replaced with services that are either fully online (messaging services) or half-online (phone calls over LTE or Wi-Fi). Though totally getting rid of your phone number might not happen until another decade or so.

Penny pinchers will love being able to get a data-only SIM for their smartphone and get away with only having a Google Voice number or live off of WhatsApp calls and messages, or even by using Facebook's services.

Charge could even be a great plan for kids since kids don't really need a phone number right away, all kids need is a method of communication with their parents/guardians and/or a tracking method via GPS (If it's your thing).

WhatsApp to get end-to-end encryption for voice calls and group chats, reports say

In light of the FBI VS Apple fiasco that’s gathered the attention of readers around the world, Facebook is reportedly planning to encrypt voice calls and group chats on the worldwide messaging giant WhatsApp.

Apparently the company was having similar issues with Brazil as Apple had been having with the FBI in the US. The only difference was officials were successfully able to get a court order for a user’s WhatsApp data, to which the company was unable to help since it has been encrypting all of its users’ messages since 2014 and was not able to come up with any of the user’s information.

The Guardian reports that WhatsApp now plans to offer users end-to-end encryption for all voice calls and group chats on the app. Likely in response to the unfortunate events of Brazil detaining a Facebook executive for Latin America when WhatsApp was unable to provide the courts the information they demanded.

Surely after everything ongoing about privacy and security with connected devices and apps, users will be more aware of these privacy concerns and WhatsApp could potentially advertise a product that is safe from unwanted viewers.

Skype for Web now lets you call phones, watch YouTube videos directly

Skype's Web client has received a neat update today, one which brings with it a couple of new features. First off, you can now call mobile phones as well as landlines straight from Skype's Web interface. This might let you save money compared to your carrier's rates, depending on where you're calling. You obviously need either a Skype calling subscription or some Skype credit in your account in order to make use of this functionality.

Next up, you can watch YouTube videos directly inside Skype for Web from this point on. When someone shares a link to a YouTube video in a Skype conversation, that will instantly embed said video into the page. So no more jumping to a new tab or window to see the video in question. Furthermore, when other URLs are shared in Skype for Web, you'll see an image from the webpage.

You can add new people to a conversation even if they're not on Skype, which is something that debuted in Skype's client for Windows PCs not long ago. Basically you create a unique URL for a conversation, and then share that with the person who doesn't have a Skype account. He or she will then be able to join in.

Finally, notifications are going to show up as long as you're signed into Skype for Web and have it open in your browser, even if you're in another app or another tab.

Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) for AT&T gets pictured in leaked renders

Following in the footsteps of Virgin and Boost Mobile, both of which launched it in January, AT&T is going to be selling Samsung's Galaxy J3 (2016) at some point in the future.

We know this because serial leaker @evleaks has outed the official press renders of the device, complete with AT&T branding on the back. It's unclear if the carrier will offer the phone in more color versions or just this white/black combo.

As you can see, the name on the handset's back is something along the likes of Galaxy J3 6, or J3(6). So it will be interesting to see what AT&T's promotional materials will call it.

The Galaxy J3 has a 5-inch 720p Super AMOLED touchscreen, a 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, 1.5GB of RAM, and a 2,600 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

The resolution for both cameras, as well as the amount of internal storage have so far depended on market, we'll have to wait and see which combination AT&T will choose. The model sold by both Virgin and Boost has a 5 MP main camera, a 2 MP selfie snapper, and 16GB of expandable storage.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Mini will launch to compete with the iPhone SE, rumor says

Although it was rumored a few times, a Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini never actually became official. So the last S Mini handset to come out of the Korean company was the S5 Mini (which is pictured below). Yet that, like all of its predecessors, was very different from the normal S5, not only in size but also in specs. None of Samsung's S Mini devices have packed the hardware from their bigger siblings, in fact, in stark contrast to what Sony's been doing with its Z Compact line.

That might all change with the newly-rumored Galaxy S7 Mini. According to a report from Taiwan, Samsung will introduce this smartphone as a response to Apple's upcoming 4-inchiPhone SE, which will be unveiled on March 21. And it will allegedly be the first Samsung Mini to come with high-end specs.

The handset is said to sport a 4.6-inch 720p touchscreen, the Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8890 chipset, 3GB of RAM, a 12 MP main camera, and 9.9 mm thickness. There's some mention of a "periscope lens" with 3x optical zoom, but we assume that's going to be an accessory sold separately.

This is all just speculation right now, so don't think too much of it just yet. If Samsung really is working on a Galaxy S7 Mini, then expect to hear a lot more about it in the coming weeks.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 bill of materials calculated at $255

The parts of the Galaxy S7 cost Samsung $255, according to the latest report of market analyst company IHS. This is $1 less than the bill-of-materials of the Galaxy S5 from two years ago.

IHS reports the most expensive bit of the Galaxy S7 to be the Snapdragon 820 chipset from Qualcomm at an estimated cost of $62. This is the phone's chipset in the US, while the international version comes with the company's own Exynos 8890 Octa.

The 12MP camera with Dual Pixel tech costs nearly $14, while the overall asembly of the device comes at $5. Mind you, the bill of materials doesn't include cost of software development, marketing, distribution or R&D.

As iFixit found out, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are hard to repair and got a score of 3/10. In comparison, the Galaxy S6 had a score of 4/10, the S5 scored 5/10, and the hyper-glazed Galaxy S4 scored 8/10 as pretty easily repairable.

ASP of Sony Xperias rises, the company makes the most per phone of any Android maker

Sony's mobile division seems to be struggling, but actually numbers show that the company makes the most profit per phone sold aside from Apple.

In Q4 last year, LG lost money on phones while Sony made a small profit. Looking at the Average Selling Price (ASP) for Xperias was double that of LG phones and the gap has been widening in recent quarters.

ASP is a mix of product lineup and which devices actually sell. Apple's ASP is the highest, but the company doesn't have mid-range offerings (just old models still on sale), let alone entry-level ones. Sony's ASP is halfway between Apple and the next in line, HTC. If you look at theSony product page, you'll see a lot of Z, M and C phones, but we haven't had an entry-level Xperia E in over a year.+

The company's transition to the premium market seems to have an effect - it makes an estimated average of $26 on each phone sold, up from Samsung's $23. Apple is in the stratosphere with $184, while the other big players are losing money, LG hovering just below the break-even point.

These charts also reveal inefficiencies. HTC has a higher ASP than Samsung (by $12), but their per phone profits are separated by a vast $61 gap. Fixed costs are to blame - regardless of how many phones you actually ship (and at what price), there are costs that remain the same (e.g. designing a new model costs the same whether you sell 1 or 1,000,000 units).

Samsung owns a lot of the manufacturing chain so it can combat its falling ASP with higher sales and stay in the black. Sony, meanwhile, is the only Android maker with an ASP that has been rising consistently. Apple's ASP is an almost straight line at $700.

It's also interesting to see how consumer allegiances change. HTC is bleeding consumers to all other makers, many jumping over to Samsung. Samsung itself is losing buyers to Huawei,BQ (really?) and Motorola.