Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge software update improves touch and stability

Samsung is pushing a firmware update for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. According to the changelog, the user experience is improved thanks to better palm rejection and overall better touch handling.

Additionally, Samsung has added a feature that tries to correct shapes that appear distorted in skewed photos. It's an added option in the camera settings. Lastly, the changelog lists the traditionally improved stability and bug fixes.

The software build number is XXU1APD1 and the update is 156MB in size. Expect the update for your phone to be come available in the next week or two.

HTC 10 promo video leaks ahead of announcement

The HTC 10 is getting unveiled tomorrow, but why wait? You can watch a leaked promo video right now. The video doesn't show what we didn't already know (the design of the 10 has leaked many times before), still it gets up close and personal with the aluminum unibody of the upcoming flagship.

Recent teasers promise great battery life, amazing camera (perhaps including an OIS-enabled selfie camera) and more. The announcement will be tomorrow, but it's going to get very late if you live east of the Atlantic so you may have to wait until Wednesday for the official deets.

Q1 2016 likely to be LG's best quarter in two years

LG has released the official earnings guidance for the January-March quarter, and the numbers reveal that Q1 2016 could well be the best quarter for the South Korean company in the last couple of years.

As per the guidance, the company's operating profit for the quarter jumped 66% to 505 billion KRW ($441 million). This is the company's best since Q2 2014 and is well above the 408 billion figure analysts suggested. The forecasted revenue for Q1 2016, however, was 13.4 trillion KRW, down 4.5% year-on-year.

The boost in last quarter's earnings is being attributed to growth in sales of products manufactured by LG's appliances division, as well as high-end products like organic LED TVs. The company's mobile business, however, is expected to be in red for the third quarter in a row.

As for the next quarter, all eyes are now on the company's latest flagship smartphone - the G5, which was launched late last month. If the device turns out be a success, analysts are expecting a record quarterly operating profit of more than 600 billion KRW for Q2 2016.

The complete Q1 2016 financial report will be released later this month.

Huawei Watch with black leather strap plus stainless steel mesh band - all for $300

Planning to purchase a Huawei Watch with stainless steel mesh band? Here is some good news, you can currently get the combination at discounted rates from Newegg. The online retailer is running a promo that gets you a Huawei Watch with black leather strap and stainless steel mesh band, all for $300.

Rest assured, the mesh band is the original one from Huawei that otherwise carries a price tag of $99. So, that's a good $100 savings for you. A quick look at Amazon and Google reveals that the mesh band Huawei Watch model is still priced at $400 there.

The free mesh band is a limited time offer from Newegg. So, if you are interested in taking advantage of the deal, you might want to act fast - hit the Source link below.

Dropbox announces Facebook Messenger integration

If you're one of those Facebook Messenger fans who use the Dropbox cloud-storage service for storing your photos, videos, and other files, here's some good news: now you can share your Dropbox files directly from the messaging app.

To use the new feature, just tap the More button in Messenger, and you’ll see Dropbox as an available source. Select that option, and you'll be able to share any Dropbox file without having to leave the Messenger app - this is assuming that you already have the Dropbox app installed on your device.

"Videos and images—including animated GIFs—will be displayed directly in your chats," Dropbox said in a blog post. "For everything else, tapping Open will bring recipients to the Dropbox mobile app, where they can preview and save files."

The new feature is available on both iOS and Android.

Voice Access App: Use voice to control everything on your Android Phone

Google is happy to announce new features coming to Android which greatly improves the way that visually or otherwise impaired users can interact with their devices. For the first time, users can navigate their devices by only using their voices.

This feature is available today and all you need to do is download a small app that enables the Voice Access engine that is otherwise baked into Android. We were able to install Voice Access on our Galaxy S7 edge and use our voices to tell the phone what to do, where to go, and what to type.

You can sign up to be a tester for this app (which won’t let you download the app immediately) or if you are impatient like us, you can side load the app (thanks APK Mirror!).

To activate Voice Access, you need to manually enable it in the Accessibility Settings first. Then, you can tap the Voice Access notification so your device can begin accepting voice commands. Every element on every screen is assigned a number. You can speak a number to simulate tapping that button. You can also ask the device to “type” something, go “back”, open “recent apps”, and you can also say things like “next” or “finish” and the device will click on the button that matches the text.

Along with these new voice features, Google is releasing a tool that helps app developers design their apps with those impaired users in mind. Such as increasing the contrast of grey text on a white background by changing the text to black instead. There is also an improved version of TalkBack for users with visual disabilities.

Expect new Apple Watch to look similar to the first one, analyst says

If you’ve been holding off on purchasing an Apple Watch because you are waiting for the second-generation model, you might be (or might not be) surprised to learn that the new Apple Watch will probably look much like the original one. Apple might be taking a similar approach to the iPhone when it comes to launching a successor meaning we might see something along the lines of ‘Apple Watch S’

Ming-Chi Kuo quoted an investors meeting held earlier today where he states that he expects to see “spec improvements with limited changes to form factor design”. This is nothing new to Apple as they have taken this same approach with the iPhone, literally every other year since the iPhone 3GS.

According to Kuo, we could likely see a refreshed Apple Watch launch along with one or two new iPhone models in September. Kuo addresses possible changes to the Watch could be ,battery life, possible addition of a camera, and less reliance of the watch from the phone (though that last one could be done with software updates).

Kuo also estimates that Apple Watch sales will drop 25% this year when compared to last year’s estimated 10.6 million units sold.

LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play DAC module for the G5 won't be sold in the US, Canada, or Korea

You may know that LG's been making a big fuss about how its G5 is the first 'modular smartphone'. And you probably also know that alongside the G5 itself the company unveiled some accessories or standalone gadgets it's calling Friends of the G5. That said, only two of those actually have anything to do with the supposed revolutionary 'modular' system - theCam Plus camera grip that also comes with an extended battery, and the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play DAC, which should give you better quality audio than the phone itself can.

Well, in a move that makes little sense, it seems that LG has decided not to sell the B&O Hi-Fi DAC in the US, Canada, or Korea. All mentions of the accessory have been removed from the company's websites for these countries, and it doesn't appear on the LG Friends pages either. It's like it never existed in those regions at all.

Apparently the packaging for the module also confirms that it won't be available in North America or Korea, but it's unclear why. It is however still available internationally. One thing is certain, though - it's pretty rich to call a smartphone 'modular' if there's only one additional plug-in module you're offering for it.

Hopefully this is more of a delay and not a situation where the accessory won't ever be offered in the aforementioned places, but if that's the case then removing it from its websites altogether seems like quite an overreaction on LG's part.

Amazon Kindle Oasis leaks ahead of unveiling this week

Amazon will unveil a new Kindle e-reader this week. That much is certain, since the info has been revealed by none other than Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos himself. And in case you've been wondering what the new model will bring to the table, well, you don't have to wait for the official event to find any of that stuff out. That's because a product listing from China, which went up too early, tells us a lot about the device.

First off, it will be called Kindle Oasis. Next up, as you can see, its design will be pretty unique. It will be 3.4mm at its thinnest point and 8.5mm at its thickest. It weighs just 131g, thus being 20% lighter than past models.

It has a 300ppi screen, which comes with 60% more LEDs for more uniform backlighting. The screen density matches that of the Kindle Voyage. It comes with big page turning buttons on one side, presumably for better one-handed operation. You'll be able to use the Oasis with those buttons on the left or on the right, since the screen will rotate to accommodate your choice.

The Oasis will ship with a leather battery case. Once it's connected to that (through 12 magnets), the standby battery life will be a whopping 20 months. The battery case will be offered in three color versions: black, brown, and red.

Pricing information hasn't been leaked unfortunately, so there's still no telling where the Oasis will fit in Amazon's ever-expanding Kindle portfolio.

LG G5 latest promo video focuses on the 360 Cam

The LG 360 Cam is one of the more interesting "Friends" accessories that the company launched alongside the G5. LG's latest promo video shows how much effort has been poured into making the 360 Cam easy to use.

Not that we didn't already know that, but the little green cat mascot is just too adorable to miss.

The LG 360 Cam costs $200 and as we found out during our MWC 2016 hands-on, it supports up to 2K video, and the content can be viewed on any Cardboard and YouTube 360 compatible device. It has a 1,200mAh battery for up to 70 minutes of video recording.

As you can see in the video, you can also control the 360 Cam from the G5 with ease.

Sony rumored to announce Pink Xperia Z5 Premium tomorrow

Three months after the pink Sony Xperia Z5 went official, there are rumors that the Japanese company will also announce a pink version of the Xperia Z5 Premium smartphone.

Sony Xperia Z5 in pink

As for when the pink Xperia Z5 Premium will be unveiled, rumors say it is expected to happen on April 12, i.e, tomorrow. Sadly, there is currently no information on exactly which regions will get the new color, although reports say Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China are on the list.

Samsung Gear S2 Band Adapter now available for purchase

The Gear S2 Band Adapter - which makes it possible for users of the Samsung smartwatch to swap their current rubber wristband with any standard watch band - has been officially launched.

The adapter, which leaked online last month, is now available for purchase in Europe. Specifically, the device is currently being sold in Germany, where telefon.de has it in stock. Carrying a €25.7 price tag, the Band Adapter is available in white and dark gray color options.

The device is expected to hit other European markets as well as North America soon, although the exact date isn't yet known.