HTC Desire 830 leaks, images and specs revealed

With the launch of the 10, HTC has changed its naming scheme for flagship devices (dropping the "One" brand). However, it looks like such a change will not be trickling down to the company's mid-range lineup, at least not in the near future.

According to a new leak, HTC is working on the Desire 830, a smartphone that should become official soon. This keeps the Desire name and three-digit number structure that all of HTC's mid-rangers have had in the past few years.

The 830 has a design that's instantly recognizable as being related to that of past Desire-branded devices. It also seems to be almost as colorful as its predecessors (see the blue frame).

It will come with a 5.46-inch 1080p touchscreen and MediaTek's MT6753 SoC at the helm (with a 1.3 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU), aided by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in storage. Those are all the hardware details that have been outed on this occasion. That said, more information about the HTC Desire 830 will probably leak in the near future, because that's what usually happens once the leak avalanche starts.

Philips S653H shows up in promo material, flaunts a metal body

The Philips S653H is a 5.5-inch handset headed for official release, only it's not quite there yet. It's getting closer though, judging by some leaked official images that we're being treated to.

The S653H has a FullHD IPS display inside a sleek metal body. The company is really proud of the phone's design, as evidenced by one of the slides highlighting its 6.95mm thickness.

Philips' take on antenna bands isn't among the subtle ones. Instead, the designers took the approach of "we can't avoid those, let's make them an accent". Another prominent feature on the back is the fingerprint sensor.

The device is powered by the Mediatek Helio P10 chipset, with a 2GHz octa-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM. The 32GB of built-in storage is expandable via microSD. The budget nature of the smartphone is revealed by the rear camera - an 8MP unit with just 720p video recording. Another 8MP shooter takes care of selfies.

Another slide details that the smartphone comes with a 9V/1.8A charger, enabling fast charging. The process takes place over a USB Type-C connection, but the actual battery being filled is pretty small at just 2,550mAh, for a 5.5-inch phone that is.

We're yet to see details on pricing and availability.

VAIO's Windows 10-powered Phone Biz is now available for purchase

Remember the Phone Biz, which was announced by erstwhile Sony brand VAIO back in February this year? Well, the device is now available for purchase, although currently only in Sony's home country of Japan.

The 5.5-inch, Win10-powered handset went on pre-order last month, and shipments have now begun. If you missed the pre-order opportunity, you'll be glad to know that phone is also available for purchase from the VAIO store.

What's worth mentioning is that the Phone Biz is listed on VAIO's website for JPY 59,184 (around $535), which is different (and considerably up) from the JPY 50,000 ($430) price tag that the company revealed when the device was announced.

For those in the US, sadly, the company has already confirmed that it currently has no plans to launch to device in the country.

ZTE Nubia X8 with Snapdragon 823 and 6GB RAM leaks in promo photos

The ZTE Nubia X8 has a long track record of leaks over the past 12 months and now we get another glimpse of the 6 incher. According to the latest information, ZTE will launch the Nubia X8 in three variants:

• Entry model: Snapdragon 820, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 1080p resolution display
• Mid model: Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, 32GB/64GB storage, QHD resolution display
• Flagship: Snapdragon 823, 6GB of RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, UHD resolution display

All models will have similarly sized 6.44" displays. There's no information when the phone will come to market. Judging by the flagship model, we suspect the release will be around the end of 2016.

There's still no information regarding the camera, but judging from the leaked promo photos, it'll be accompanied with dual LED flash. Below them, there's a fingerprint scanner. The Nubia X8 is said to be all metal, too.

HTC Vive's iOS companion app now available for download

HTC has finally released the iOS companion app for its Vive virtual reality headset, weeks after the app's Android counterpart arrived on Google's marketplace. Just like its Android app, the Vive's iOS companion app lets you receive calls, text, as well as calendar reminders without leaving the virtual world.

However, the iOS version still doesn't include the ability to send preset responses to calls/texts, a feature which is already there in the Android app.

It's worth mentioning that the Taiwanese company first published the app on the App Store towards the end of March, but it was pulled within a week or so for reasons best known to the firm. The good news, however, is that its now again up for grabs - head to the Source link below to download.

Moto 360 Sport gets $100 price cut in US

The Sport version of Motorola's 2nd gen Moto 360 smartwatch has received an official price cut in the United States. The device, which usually sells for $300, can now be purchased for just $200.

That's a solid $100 discount. However, what's worth mentioning here is that it's only available on the white and orange color variants, meaning those interesting in buying the black version are currently out of luck. The deal runs through May 2.

Aside from Motorola, some third party retailers like Amazon and B&H Photo are also offering the same deal - what's more, the latter is even throwing in a couple of freebies as well, including a cleaning cloth and a $50 gift card.

LG G5 video review

You've probably already read our detailed LG G5 review, but if you've skipped it because of a lack of time, our video review comes to the rescue!

In just a tad under six short minutes, you'll know everything about LG's flagship for 2016. Don't worry, we've also covered the LG Friends accessories.

In the end, we appreciate the risks LG took with the G5. The phone is a breath of fresh air in the 2016 flagship battle. Even if the LG G5 fails to monetize the innovation behind it, the lessons it brings to the company will be invaluable.

Apple Watch 2 rumored to get mobile data connectivity

Apple has sold an estimated 12 million units of its smartwatch in the first year of availability. That's a pretty decent result, especially considering that the Apple Watch jumped to first place in the market share battle in the smartwatch space from its first year - and it represents 61% of that pie.

Now though Apple is already busy developing the successor to its first generation wearable. And according to "people familiar with the matter", the Apple Watch 2 will come with built-in mobile connectivity support. This means you'll be able to use it for certain tasks even without having your iPhone nearby tethered to the watch. The next Apple Watch should also receive a faster processor, the same report goes on to state. That's par for the course with Apple hardware updates, though.

As for cellular connectivity, Android Wear devices (primarily from LG) as well as Samsung's Gear line of smartwatches have had this feature over the past few years, so it makes sense for Apple to go the same route. Unfortunately there's no new information on when Apple might launch its next wearable. That said, the obvious choice would be the fall event during which the iPhone 7 pair is introduced.

Deal: $220 discount for Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with Core i5 and 128GB on eBay

You can get a great deal on a brand-new Intel Core i5-powered Surface Pro 3 with 128GB of onboard storage for just $780. The Surface Pro 3 is a 2-in-1 tablet PC with optional snap-on keyboard (which is not included in this deal) with a high end processor, a thin profile, and long lasting battery life. The listing does include a Surface Pen and 36W Power Supply.

Seller gravitybuys is offering this 2 in 1 for $220 off the retail suggested price of $1000 which comes out to $780. The eBay listing also offers an option 2 year protection plan for $100 that protects your device from accidental damage by offering a repair, replacement, or credit for the amount you paid for it.

This Surface Pro 3 in question comes with Windows 8.1 Pro out of the box, but should include a free upgrade to Windows 10 which is available until July 29. So if you are in the market for this very particular 2-in-1 PC, this is a great deal, seeing as Best Buy has it at $850

Apple's new 12-inch MacBook gets torn down, tamper-evident screws found

Last week Apple silently refreshed the 12-inch MacBook introduced in 2015. The new model gets a rose gold color option to keep up with the times, but also a sixth-generation Intel Core M processor, 1866MHz RAM, and the more efficient Intel HD 515 GPU.

And now the teardown experts over at iFixit have decided to open up the new model and see what's different on the inside. Truth be told, that's not much, but some of the minor changes are interesting.

The new MacBook looks identical to its predecessor from last year, and even their model number is the same: A1534. However, the EMC number is 2991 for the new laptop, compared to 2746 for the old one.

The lower case has Pentalobe screws like the original 12-inch MacBook, but a tri-wing screw featured in last year's model has been replaced by a standard Phillips screw, making it much more easy to work with. All the other internal screws are either Phillips or Torx.

That said, while the hinge screws do have Torx heads, these are filled with a mysterious substance that disintegrates when you insert a screwdriver. So Apple has brought tamper-evident screws to the new MacBook, unfortunately for those who like to tinker with their hardware yet would still prefer to keep that warranty intact.

The USB Type-C hardware has changed too, coming with new silicon and a new cable arrangement. The battery is 4% bigger (in capacity) than the one in last year's laptop, but in size it seems to be exactly the same.

The new 2016 12-inch MacBook received a repairability score of 1 out of 10, which is among the worst ever. The tamper-evident hinge screws are part of the reason why. What's more, the processor, RAM, and flash storage are soldered to the logic board, the battery assembly is very solidly glued to the lower case, and the display is fused, having no separate protective glass.

Microsoft outs Word Flow keyboard for iOS

Microsoft has just released Word Flow, its once exclusive Windows Phone keyboard, for Apple's iOS. The keyboard is known for its fast typing capabilities and excellent recognition skills. The world's record for fast typing has been done exactly on Word Flow.

Anyway, Word Flow is currently available as a free app on the US App Store. Once it completes its beta period Microsoft should make it available to everyone.

The Word Flow supports various themes or custom user backgrounds, features probably taken from Microsoft's purchase of SwiftKey. The iOS keyboard supports one-hand typing relying on an arc-shaped keyboard with swipe input supported.

If you live in the USA, you should definitely give Word Flow a try, it's quite nice. As usual, Apple still doesn't allow any other keyboards when typing passwords, so the reverting to the original keyboard is still there.

de Grisogono already working on a limited edition Samsung Gear S3

It's probably no surprise that Samsung is working on the third generation Gear S watch, but we get the first official confirmation by way of a de Grisogono official.

The Swiss jeweler created a diamond-studded version of the S2 watch and now reveals that it's working on doing the same with the Samsung Gear S3 at a Conde Nast Luxury conference that took place in Seoul last week.

No details on the S3 watch itself were given and to be fair, digital specs are not exactly de Grisogono's specialty.

Samsung Gear S2 de Grisogono limited edition 

The jeweler did reveal that it handcrafts 100 limited edition Gear S2 watches and each one costs a precious $15,000. This model was unveiled at Baselworld early this year and the S3 version will likely be unveiled at the same event next year.

The plain Gear S3 will likely be unveiled several months earlier at IFA (September 2-7).