Samsung Gear S2 iOS compatibility now said to be coming by month-end

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Samsung made it official that iOS support for the Tizen-powered Gear S2 smartwatch (including Gear Manager for iOS) is under development, and will be rolled out later this year. However, the very next day it was revealed that would happen in mid-January itself.

Sadly, as we know, that didn't happen, and we didn't hear anything about the roll out for almost a couple of months. Then, towards February-end, there were reports that the support would arrive in March around the Apple's Feb 21 event.

Now, here we are, a day after the Cupertino-based company's event, and it is now being said that the support will be rolled out by the end of this month. While Samsung is yet to provide an official heads-up on the matter, here's hoping that there are no further delays.

$400 PlayStation VR core to go on pre-order next week; $500 Launch Bundle today

Interested in purchasing the Sony PlayStation VR? Well, the time has come as pre-orders for the Launch Bundle begin today (March 22). Carrying a $499.99 price tag, the bundle in question includes a PS VR core bundle, PS Camera, 2 PlayStation Move motion controllers, and PlayStation VR Worlds (disc).

However, if $499 is a bit too much for you, the company has announced that it will also be separately offering the PS VR core bundle which includes a PS VR headset, PS VR cables, Stereo Headphones, and PlayStation VR Demo Disc. Carrying a $399.99 price tag, this bundle will be available for pre-order beginning March 29 (at 7:00 am PT).

In case you don't already know, the device is scheduled to launch in the month of October this year.

T-Mobile might be “pivoting away” from unlimited plans, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing

T-Mobile has been the one carrier who decided to strike back at the other carriers back when AT&T and Verizon were the ones getting rid of unlimited plans by aggressively advertising their Uncarrier movements to turn the mobile industry in the US back into the customers’ hands.

Yeah, Sprint had unlimited plans too but they weren’t necessarily doing so well. They’d lost customers when they decided to make the switch from WiMax to LTE so you could imagine outraged customers who found out their 2 year old phone was not going to have 4G anymore, even after the carrier was promising it was “coming soon” for years and then decided to ditch it altogether.

There’s been speculation in the past few days regarding T-Mobile potentially “pivoting away” from unlimited plans during an interview with T-Mobile’s CFO a couple of weeks ago. But I think this speculation might be taking those two words “pivoting away” out of context.

The CFO could have been referring to how it has shifted its focus on aggressive marketing from unlimited family plans to marketing its BingeOn and Music Freedom products which customers really love. Just like anything being speculated, it is nothing certain and things can be taken out of context.

And even if T-Mobile does plan to get rid of unlimited plans, it’s not stupid. T-Mobile is a wireless carrier in the business of making money, data costs money. So the money has to either come from somewhere else (raising unlimited plan prices) or it has to be restructured into different tiers, and T-Mobile has kind of already done that with Music Freedom first, then, most recently with Binge On.

These new kind of tiers already include so much free data, that data buckets aren’t what they used to mean for T-Mobile customers. I have 10GB per month on my T-Mobile line, however, I barely use 3GB per month because all the music I stream is not even counted against my data, and even now with YouTube becoming a part of Binge On, don’t know how I could even use up the 10GB of data!

Sure, every user is different, perhaps not all users would benefit from Binge On or Music Freedom, perhaps a teenage girl or boy addicted to Vine, Snapchat, and Tumblr WOULD run through those 10GB easily. And I’m sure there is even a percentage of customers whose mobile line is their only source of internet. This is probably the only scenario I can think of for a customer to need an unlimited data plan on T-Mobile EVEN THOUGH all video and music streaming is pretty much free.

T-Mobile is currently offering its unlimited family plans at 3 lines for $150 per month with a fourth line free. The CFO says it is easier to get more customers in the beginning of the year than later on, and it ultimately helps with financial reports later on. I’d imagine tax season has a lot to do with that as well, as customers find out where to spend their tax refunds.

AT&T and T-Mobile Priv getting March security update

A couple of weeks after unlocked BlackBerry Priv units in the US started receiving it, Android's March security update has started hitting the carrier variants of the phone in the country.

Specifically, AT&T and T-Mobile have started rolling out the update. While there's currently no information on what all changes both updates include, it's safe to assume that at-least all fixes listed on BlackBerry's official website (hit the BlackBerry link at the bottom) will be there.

This comes just days after carrier variants of Samsung's newest flagships- the Galaxy S7 andS7 edge - started receiving the update in the US.

Here's how much the iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7 will cost in Europe

Today Apple has finally made both the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro official, as you may know, after weeks upon weeks of rumors regarding these devices. The company will start taking pre-orders for them on March 24, which is this Thursday, and they will both become available on March 31, one week later.

In case either one interests you but you're in Europe, here's what you are going to have to shell out for the iPhone SE and the new iPad Pro. A word of warning, though: the prices are quite different from the ones announced for the USA.

The 16GB iPhone SE, priced at $399 in the US, will cost you €489 (which translates into $550) if you're in a Eurozone country or £359 ($516) if you're in the UK. The 64GB iPhone SE goes for €589 ($662) in the Eurozone and £439 ($631) in the UK, in both cases much more than the $499 you'll pay in the US.

The iPad Pro 9.7 starts at $599 in the US, with 32GB of storage and Wi-Fi. That same model is priced at €689 ($775) or £499 ($718) across the pond. Move on to 128GB of storage and you'll pay €869 ($977) or £619 ($891) in the EU compared to $749 in the States. The 256GB Wi-Fi iPad Pro 9.7 is priced at $899 stateside, €1,049 ($1,179) in the Eurozone, and £739 ($1,063) in the UK.

The differences are staggering, but do keep in mind that EU prices include VAT and US prices don't include sales tax. That said, the amount of that tax varies from state to state, and yet it's generally much lower than VAT rates are in the EU. Furthermore, depending on what state you live in and where you purchase from, you might not even have to pay sales tax at all.

Exchange rates may have something to do with this too, Apple officials would surely point out if asked, but for Europeans it is probably going to be hard to get over the sheer shock of these numbers. On the other hand, such price differences have become more and more the norm in the mobile world recently, so maybe they've gotten used to the situation.

Apple announces new 9.7" iPad Pro with a True-Tone display

Apple iPad Pro is getting an offspring today with a smaller 9.7" version, honoring the first iPad ever released. The new Apple iPad Pro runs on the same Apple A9X as the 12.9" iPad Pro - a dual-core Twister processor with 4GB of RAM.

The new 9.7" iPad Pro introduces a new True-Tone display with 2048 x 2732 pixel resolution. In addition to the added support for Night Shift, courtesy of iOS 9.3, the new display relies on a pair of new ambient sensors. Thanks to those new sensors the display can now match your ambient color temperature and adjust to it.

The new display is 500 nits bright, has a wide color gamut (DCI P3), and is arsenic free, as usual.

The new iPad Pro has an upgraded camera compared to the previous one - a rear 12MP camera, and a 5MP selfie camera with the option of Retina (screen) flash.

There are 4 speakers on the new iPad Pro, just like on the larger version generation.

It is made of the same aluminum material. You will be able to get it in Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold.

The new iPad Pro is compatible with Apple Pencil thanks to its pressure and tilt sensitive layer. Its display also features palm and finger rejection, when using the iPad Pro with the Pencil.

The new iPad Pro (Wi-Fi) comes in three storage options - 32GB for $599, 128GB starting at $749, and 256GB starting at $899. The new iPad Pro will become available on pre-order on March 24, while the actual sales begin on March 31.

Naturally, Apple will be offering compatible Smart Keyboards fitted for the new iPad Pro, while the Pencil is the same as last year.

Apple iPad Air gets a price cut too, now starts at $399

Apple didn't only announce the new iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro at its event today, it also changed the price of an existing product too.

As expected, despite the introduction of the new iPad Pro of the same size, the iPad Air 2 from 2014 will remain on sale for those who don't care that much about the latest and greatest hardware. Its price has been dropped, however. The iPad Air 2 will thus start at $399 from now on, in Wi-Fi-only form with 16GB of storage. That's $100 less than before.

If you want 64GB of storage, you'll need to shell out $499. Those are the only two options currently still available in Apple's online store. It's unclear if the Wi-Fi+LTE version of the iPad Air 2 will be discontinued or not.

Apple iPhone SE official with a 4" display and A9 chip

Apple just announced the iPhone SE with a 4" display. The phone features a body almost identical to the iPhone 5 and 5s, but features the latest gen Apple A9 chip with a dual-core 1.85 GHz Twister processor and PowerVR GT7600 six-core graphics.

The 4" display rocks a resolution 1136x640 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 326 ppi. The iPhone SE also features Retina Flash, which momentarily makes the screen three times brighter when you take a selfie. The 3D feature from the larger current gen iPhones hasn't made its way to the SE though.

The Apple iPhone SE features the same 12MP iSight camera as its iPhone 6s and 6s Plus siblings. It comes complete with 4K video recording. The front-facing camera is 1.2MP and is complemented with the Retina Flash feature.

iPhone SE's design is virtually the same as the iPhone 5s', but the Home button has gotten smarter with Touch ID and Apple Pay support. As far as measurements go, they're also the same as the iPhone 5s with a weight of 113 grams.

The best part about the iPhone SE is its price - it starts at $399 for 16GB of storage, while $499 nets you the 64GB version. The smartphone will be available for free with a two-year contract in the US as well as in $17 monthly installments.

Pre-orders commence on March 24, with sales starting on March 31. The phone will be available in four color versions, including the trendy Rose Gold.

Developing...

Galaxy S7 and S7 edge pre-orders in Europe top S6 pre-orders by 250%

Despite certain flaws, the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge beat the pre-orders of their predecessor byimpressive multiples - the new, attractive design drew in consumers.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge became available globally 10 days ago (March 11) and early reports are starting to come in. The new flagships kept the design almost intact but brought back well-loved features from the homely S5 (waterproofing and microSD slot).

And it worked - combined pre-orders for the S7 duo in Europe are 250% higher than those for the S6 last year. In China, the biggest smartphone market in the world, pre-orders topped 10 million. Online retailer JD.com and electronics retailer Suning scored 6.4 million and 1.4 million respectively.

China is a tough market for Samsung - local brands are looking to build flagships at a much lower cost and they have the support of Chinese carriers. Samsung is currently 6th with 7.7% market share. Analysts believe the VR functionality will wow consumers.

Early sales in India, where the S7 and S7 edge launched last Friday, have reportedly beaten expectations as well.

Note that Samsung no longer provides sales figures for its flagship devices so all we have is estimates. Still, Samsung Mobile President Dongjin Koh says "I've gained confidence to do well after checking responses from major retailers and holding meetings with carriers in China."

Watch Apple's keynote right here

Today is Apple's big day and it's almost time for the event to start, so grab a bag of popcorn and prepare to be dazzled. The show is set for 10 a.m. PDT, which translates to 5 p.m. GMT and, as usual, Cupertino will be live streaming the keynote.

It should also come as no surprise, that Apple users have it easy. Any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with Safari on iOS 7.0 or later, or a Mac with Safari 6.0.5 or later on OS X v10.8.5 or later are capable of tuning it and so are Apple TV's, all the way back to second generation, running software 6.2 or newer. For everybody else it's not all bad news either, as Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 is supported as well.

If you are on a device that falls into any of these categories, simply head on over tohttp://apple.com/live. We will also do our best to get our hands on a direct link for you to watch with any capable software, like VLC for instance, but one isn't available yet.

UPDATE: This is the link: http://p.events-delivery.apple.com.edgesuite.net/1603kjbnadcpjhbasdvpjbasdvpjb/m3u8/hls_mvp.m3u8

As for expectations, we have heard a lot of rumors about the iPhone 5se, said to resurrect the 4.0-inch form factor and thus quite possibly the star of the show. A new iPad Pro is also a distinct possibility and so is a new MacBook. For more details, you can check our rumor round-up.

Apple 21 March event rumor roundup

Apple's "Let us loop you in" event is happening in a few hours, bringing us a new iPhone, a new iPad, and possibly, a new MacBook.

iPhone SE

It's been a while since Apple stirred things up with a cheaper iPhone in the face of the 5c. While it wasn't a huge success, the iPhone 5c gave Apple some invaluable experience, which will hopefully be put to good use in the upcoming iPhone SE.

The iPhone SE moniker purportedly stands for "Special Edition" and the phone is expected to cost $400-$500. With its 4" display, the phone will be a modern-day version of the iPhone 5s. Inside, there's talk of an A9 chip with M9 co-processor and 1GB of RAM.

There will be a 12MP camera at the back with dual-LED flash and 4K video recording. The resolution of the screen is yet unclear, but what we know is the 16GB internal storage. 64GB variant is also likely, with no 32GB middle ground available.

iPad Air 3

The upcoming Air 3 is also commonly referred as a scaled-down iPad Pro. According to rumors, Apple will equip the latest Air 3 tablet with an A9X chip, 4GB of RAM.

Additionally, it's believed the 3D Touch feature of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus won't make it to the iPad Air 3. Latest rumors suggest the 9.7" slate will start at $599.

The event start soon, so get yourself prepared for the Apple news storm.

Another Nubia passes through TENAA - possibly the Z11 Mini

If you are familiar with the Chinese mobile landscape, you might have noticed that Nubia (the ZTE sub-brand), one of the relatively big-name players, has been keeping a rather low profile lately. In fact, the manufacturer has been teasing us with various rumors about a new flagship offer, allegedly caller the Z11, going as far back as November 2015. After missing two consecutive suggested launch dates, one on January 5 and the other on January 18, the device is starting to prove quite illusive.

However, not all hope is lost yet, as a new TENAA certification entry suggests Nubia is also busy on what looks like a mini version of said flagship. Hopefully this means that both devices are close to a release. As for the assumed Z11 Mini title, it is rather justified, considering the visual similarities with renders of the Z11, as well as the company's current naming convention. Unlike its bigger sibling, equipped with a 5.2-inch 1440p, edge to edge curved display, Snapdragon 820 SoC and 4GB of RAM, the TENAA listing for the handset in question suggests a 5-inch 1080p display with 2.5D glass on top, 3GB RAM and an undisclosed 1.5 GHz processor.

Other specs include 64GB of onboard storage, a 2,750 mAh battery and a decent 16MP plus 8MP camera setup. As for appearance, the phone looks slick, complete with what looks like a metal frame, the typical Nubia red color accents and a round fingerprint reader on the back. Not much else is known about the Android 5.1.1 smartphone yet, but an alleged price tag of CNY 1499 (around $230) has been tossed around online.