Zimbabwe government denies carriers' request to regulate messaging apps

Several years ago before the adoption of smartphones exploded like the plague, carriers in the US used to make major bucks from text messaging plans and minutes while they gave data away in unlimited bundles for Blackberries to sip on, back when the demand for high-speed data was at a minimum.

US carriers noticed the change and gradually began focusing their revenue on data plans with unlimited calls and text messages. Unfortunately for other parts of the world that are starting to adopt smartphone use more and more as the network reliability improves, messaging services are able to easily replace outrageous calling and texting rates by simply using an app that transmits calls and messages via the internet.

Zimbabwe carriers are struggling with revenue since more and more users are flocking toward the cheaper alternatives of communicating via messaging apps along the likes of Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber. So in these desperate times of declining revenue, the carriers requested that the government regulates use of these apps in order for them to get the higher profits they once had.

Zimbabwe’s government said that “as a progressive government, which promotes access to technology, we were [opposed] to the idea of stifling these technologies or banning them.” Great economies are driven by innovation. So if these companies’ profits are suffering because of these apps, they need to either restructure their own plans, or sell a better product.

Rather than admitting defeat, Minister Mandiwanzira suggested to the operators that they should seek the opportunity to help young Zimbabweans to develop apps useful in local and international distribution to compete with other worldwide giants.

Here apps will stop working on Windows 10 in June, WP8 apps will get no more updates

Here's some bad news if you're using any of the Here apps on Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone 8, or Windows 8. Basically Here will stop developing all of those. What's worse though is that the Windows 10 Mobile apps will even stop working on June 30.

An actual reason for this hasn't been given, with the official blog post only mentioning that the apps have so far been made compatible with Windows 10 by using a workaround that will no longer be effective after June 30 - it's not at all clear why that is, though.

The Here apps will be removed from the Windows 10 store on March 29. The company behind the apps recommends you use the Windows Maps app after June 30, which itself contains many "Here elements" since it was developed by Microsoft using the Here platform.

On the other hand, the Here apps for Windows Phone 8 will keep on working just fine, but the company is not going to develop any new features for them, and it will only release critical bug fixes if necessary. It's the same case for Windows 8 PCs. Additionally, the maps developed specifically for Windows Phone 8 will not be updated anymore.

Google Maps adds support for more ride hailing apps

Driving, walking, biking, or taking public transit are no longer going to be your only navigation options when you use Google Maps in iOS or Android. Expanding upon a partnership with Uber that was already in place, Google is adding support for more ride hailing services to Maps.

These will all live in a new tab in the app. When you enter a destination and choose how best to get there, fetching a ride from the likes of Uber (where it's present), 99Taxis (in Brazil), Ola Cabs (in India), Hailo (in the UK and Spain), mytaxi (in Germany and Spain), or Gett (in the UK) will be an option as long as you have the corresponding app installed on your device.

If you enter the new ride hailing tab in Google Maps you'll see fare estimates for each service that's available to you as well as the ETA for your pickup. If you then tap on any of the services, you'll be taken to their app and to book the ride with one tap.

For Uber, all the tiers that are available will show up, so you can compare fares for UberX, UberXL and UberBLACK without leaving Google Maps.

The new functionality is rolling out to the Android version of Google Maps in the next few days, and it's going to arrive on iOS "very soon" according to the search giant.

The new Razer Blade laptop is lighter, more powerful and cheaper than its predecessor

Today Razer announced its all new Blade gaming laptop and as you could expect, it is now more powerful than ever. However, what you might have not predicted is that it is also cheaper. The compact laptop comes with a 14.0-inch IGZO QHD+ display with LED backlight and capacitive multi-touch. It is encased in a precision cut CNC aluminum chassis that is just 0.71 inches thick. It is also surprisingly light at just 4.25 pounds.

But, as with any Razer product, the real treat is what lies inside. The new Blade is powered by the latest sixth generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and has a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M GPU with 6GB of video memory. The specs sheet continues with 16GB of fast dual-channel DDR4 RAM and up to 512GB of SSD storage of the PCIe M.2 variety, also extremely fast. And blazing network communication is ensured by a Killer Wireless-AC module. It is powered by a built-in 70Wh battery and comes with a compact 165W charger.

Other notable features of the model include a USB Type-C port, which houses a Thunderbold 3 connection for speeds of up to 40 Gbps, as well as a DisplayPort, all under one roof. In addition, there are also three USB 3.0 ports and a dedicated HDMI 1.4b interface. Naturally, you also get Razer's stunning Chroma keyboard with 16.8 million color options for each key backlight and Razer Synapse technology for advanced key remapping and macros.

As an extra bonus for a true gaming experience, Razer is also promising a new external GPU extender for the Blade. Called the Razer Core, it will allow you to easily add a desktop GPU and and extra four USB 3.0 ports and ethernet to the laptop, all with just one cable.

Pre-orders for the impressive laptop kick off today and as already mentioned, it is now more affordable than ever. Previously costing $2,399 for a QHD+, the Razer Blade now starts at $1,999 for the 256GB model and $2199 for the 512GB one. Shipments are expected to start in April.

Hangouts 8.0 for iOS brings support for 60-sec videos

Hangouts 8.0 started rolling out for Android last week, but the update began hitting the instant messaging app's iOS client yesterday. And it brought along an iOS-exclusive feature: the ability to send video attachments up to 1 minute.

Yes, Hangouts users on iOS will now be able to record and share videos of up to 60-seconds in length. In case you don't already know, Hangouts for iOS has had the ability to send 10-sec videos ever since version 2.0 came out, something which happened back in 2014.

Sadly, there's currently no information on if and when the feature will be available on Hangout's Android client, although given that the client never even got the ability to send 10-sec videos, chances for the latest feature hitting Android are quite slim.

Aside from 1-minute video attachments, the latest Hangouts for iOS update also includes support for Google for Work - Mobile Management, and a couple of fixes.

Sulon has a wireless VR headset concept with an entire AMD PC inside

With major players such as Samsung, HTC and Microsoft all investing big, the future of VR seems bright. Devices like the Oculus Rift, Gear VR and HTC Vive are all marching towards the same end goal of ultimate immersion and are really making progress, despite many hurdlesand imperfections in the current state of the technology. These, of course, are all natural growing pains that each new concept in the tech realm has to go through, but we are not exactly sure where this puts Sulon's new concept.

The company might be on to something and set the tone for a new wave of wireless and powerful headset. Then again, it might be a horrible dead-end idea. The concept is to allow the headset to be autonomous without the need for anything external to feed the complex graphics feed, but not by compromising on computing power, like the Gear VR does when it uses a smartphone to do all the heavy lifting.

Instead, Solon Q has partnered with AMD and decided to stick a whole PC inside the device. At the core of the idea lies the AMD FX-8800P processor, which is a mobile notebook APU in essence. To clear up any confusion - yes, the chip does bear the FX moniker and, yes, it is an APU, despite AMD's traditional naming convention. This means it has two Excavator CPU modules or a total of four compute cores and eight Radeon R7 graphics cores, all bundled up on the same die for better performance and lower power consumption.

This should make the computational part of the system small enough to carry, yet still comparable to desktop-grade performance with tools like AMD's LiquidVR technology and support for cutting edge graphics APIs like DirectX 12 and Vulkan. The rest of the specs sheet on the device includes a 2560x1440 OLED display, 8BG of RAM and a 256GB SSD. There is also support for 3D sound using AstoundSound technology. Sulon Q also has a Spatial Processing Unit, which generates a 3D map of a person’s surroundings using two front-facing cameras. Naturally, there should also be a battery somewhere in there, seeing how it is basically a laptop to strap around your face.

And that is the biggest concern with this device - it might very well be uncomfortable to wear. Time will tell, we guess.

New HTC 10 teaser focuses on the phone's "world class" cameras

The HTC 10 has leaked an incredible number of times already, and we've seen it in countless renders so far. Yet HTC still hasn't made it official. Not only that, but the Taiwanese company is continuing its teaser campaign for the device without actually showing it - as if we didn't already know what it looks like.

Anyway, today's teaser image, which you can see below, is all about the cameras. The power of 10 is a recurring theme in HTC's teasers for its upcoming flagship, so this time around the cameras are so good that they are actually to the power of 10. Or something like that.

HTC has posted the picture on its official Twitter account. The text that accompanies it reads "World First, World Class, Front and Back. You’ll see". Clearly then, a "world first" feature (or more than one) should be inside the handset's cameras, which are both going to be "world class", so hopefully among the best in the business.

This isn't the first time we've heard something like this about the HTC 10's cameras, in fact the company has already said the phone would offer a "very compelling" camera experience, whatever that may mean.

Other rumored specs for the phone include a 5.1-inch QHD AMOLED touchscreen, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 at the helm, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and a USB Type-C port. It should be announced next month.

Game makers get new developer tools from Google

Today Google announced a new batch of tools to make monetization and promotion of games a bit easier to handle. For starters, the Play Store now has an Indie Corner, which features games from indie game developers. Hopefully, this will make new game discovery easier for people who want to experience indie-made games.

As for the tools themselves, the new video recording API allows players to record gameplay and share it on YouTube without too much hassle. A more developer-focused feature is the ability to change how much things cost inside the game without uploading new APK files.

Finally, there are the so-called "search trial run ads" allowing players to have a test of a game as it's streamed to their devices. Google hopes to encourage downloads of new games.

Marshmallow now seeding to HTC One (E8) and One (M8 Eye) as well

After catering to most of the variants of its flagship lineup including the One M9 and M8, HTC seems to be extending its update efforts to mid-rangers with a rather unexpected kick-off on the HTC Desire Eye, which was not part of the original Marshmallow eligibility list.

Now HTC is keeping the ball rolling with a pair of planned releases, as reports are coming in of Marshmallow updates appearing on both the One (E8) and the One (M8 Eye). The former is reportedly only receiving the update in China, at least for now that is. Other variants of the handset should be getting the same update by the end of the month. The One (M8 Eye) is in pretty much the same boat, with mostly Chinese users reporting on the OTA, although a Europe rollout is incoming.

iOS 9.3 beta 7 now available to developers and public beta testers

Apple has started seeding the iOS 9.3 beta 7 release for developers and public beta testers. This is the last beta release of the OS before its expected public release next week.

The iOS 9.3 beta 7 includes a new Night Shift mode that changes the display temperature at night for less eye strain. Another new feature is the Touch ID and password-protected items in the Notes app.

Finally, there are new CarPlay features and expanded 3D Touch options on apps, which now includes the Settings menu.

Expect more information about the latest iOS release next week at the Apple's March 21 event

Marshmallow update starts hitting HTC Desire Eye

A few months after leakster @LlabTooFeR revealed that HTC's Desire Eye smartphone will receive the Android Marshmallow update sometime later this year, the update has started rolling out. It comes in two parts, and weighs in a total of 1.6GB.

Bringing Android version 6.0.1 along with version 7.0 of the Taiwanese company's Sense UI, the update is reportedly hitting Desire Eye units in the UAE as well as some European countries including Italy. In the United States, AT&T variants of the phone are said to be getting it later this month.

HTC USA has already released a list of phones that it says will get the Marshmallow update. The Desire Eye, however, wasn't the part of the list. The device was launched in 2014, and currently runs Android Lollipop with Sense 6.0 UI.

Apple is the most valuable brand, Google jumps over Samsung for second

Brand value is an intangible but important asset - it shows marketing strength and loyalty among consumers. Apple holds down the top spot for many years running and its meteoric growth shows no signs of slowing down.

Google - or rather Alphabet, the re-organized company - finally overcame Samsung and claimed the second spot (the Big G had been behind Samsung since 2012).

This pushed Samsung to third, the technology giant showing only modest growth. The South Korean company is at just over 50% of the brand valuation of Apple.

Besides Google, Amazon was the big winner. It grew a whopping 24% and leapfrogged the likes of Microsoft and US carriers Verizon and AT&T. The Fire phone may have flopped, but Prime is going strong and Amazon's original video content has been well-received.

Another carrier made the Top 10 - China Mobile, now in 9th, even though just a few years ago Chinese companies were largely unknown in the West.

Social network Facebook keeps growing and fast - 500% since 2013 - and is now the 18th most valuable brand in the world.