Samsung Deals: Galaxy S7 and S7 edge CA$100 off for Mother's Day

May 8 - Mother's Day - is approaching and Samsung Canada has an idea for a gift you can buy your mom - a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge. To ease your last-minute shopping, Samsung is cutting CA$100 off the price of the phone and throwing in a free Kate Spade case (valued at CA$55). This deal is valid until May 8 (duh).

Samsung's Euro divisions are more interested in the Galaxy A3 (2016) and Galaxy A5 (2016). In Italy, you can get a €100 discount (valid until May 11). In France, it's a €30/€50 discountrespectively (until May 15). If the Galaxy S6 is more your speed, Samsung France will reimburse you €50 (also until May 15).

Instead of money back, Germans get a free 64GB microSD card, case and power pack(3,000mAh). On May the 4th this one ends.

Meizu Pro 6 easily taken apart, extensive cooling found inside

The folks over at it168 took apart the Meizu Pro 6 and found few obstacles along the way (so repairs should be easy), plus tons of thermal films and coatings.

The initial disassembly is easy-peasy. Undo two screws, take out the card slot and pop out the screen. Be careful, though, two cables connect the screen to the rest of the phone.

Digging in further, it168 found a metal plate that helps spread out the heat from the Helio X25 chipset. Additionally, there's a graphite thermal film over the chipset to further facilitate cooling.

The camera has copper foil for shielding from both heat and electronic noise. Here's a better look at the ring flash below the camera.

Other than the battery, which was attached to the back with double-sided sticky tape, nothing in the Meizu Pro 6 seems particularly difficult to disassemble, which bodes well for repairability.

Some interesting chips. NXP TFA9911 (which drives the loudspeaker) promises an impressive 7.2W of audio power. For the headphones, there's no dedicated DAC, but the CS46L36 chip combines DAC and amp duties.

Also, there are two TI BQ25892 fast charging chips for a combined power of 24W.

You can follow the disassembly process with notes on the various components by hitting the Source link.

Nokia set to acquire Withings for €170 million

Nokia is not ready to leave the consumer market and while its tablet efforts haven't gone far, it's now moving into the health-tracking business by acquiring Withings.

You may know the company for its Activite smartwatches, but the it also produces smart scales, blood pressure monitors, baby monitors, home security cameras and more.

"With this acquisition, Nokia is strengthening its position in the Internet of Things in a way that leverages the power of our trusted brand, fits with our company purpose of expanding the human possibilities of the connected world, and puts us at the heart of a very large addressable market where we can make a meaningful difference in peoples' lives." says Rajeev Suri, president and CEO of Nokia.

Nokia will pay €170 million ($192 million) for Withings, the deal is expected to close in early Q3 (subject to the usual regulatory approvals, of course).

Logitech releases Logi BASE stand for the iPad Pro

Logitech has launched a new accessory for the iPad Pro, a charging stand to dock your iPad Pro on your desk, kitchen table, or your night stand.

The Logi BASE uses the Apple Smart Connector found on both the iPad Pro models instead of the traditional Lightning connector. This means you don't have to think twice before placing the iPad on the dock, and the magnets within the stand will even perfectly align the iPad for you over the connector.

The base is made out of aluminum with a rubberized bottom so it doesn't slide around. Only shortcoming is that the base keeps the iPad at a fixed angle, so there isn't much freedom of movement, although the iPad's excellent viewing angles make this less of an issue.

The Logi BASE is priced at $99.99 and available from Logitech and Apple for both the iPad Pro models.

MIUI 8 to arrive alongside Mi Max on May 10, Xiaomi confirms

We already know that the Xiaomi Mi Max - which is said to sport a mammoth 6.4-inch FullHD display - will be unveiled on May 10. However, turns out that Xiaomi will make a couple of more announcements that day - the company has confirmed that the next major iteration of its MIUI ROM as well as the Mi Band 2 will also be unveiled on May 10.

"Evolving from the first version in 2010, MIUI has served as the operating system for over 150 million across the globe," a post on MIUI forum said. "On May 10, we will introduce you MIUI 8, with the features you always wanted and new designs beyond your imagination."

The post was also accompanied by a video demo (embedded below) for the MIUI 8 notification bar:

As for the Mi Band 2, the wearable device was recently teased by the Chinese company's CEO himself, with the images revealing that it will feature a display, something that was missing in the device's previous iterations.

iPhone Upgrade Program is now available for online purchases as well

If you recall, the iPhone Upgrade Program was announced by Apple back in September last year alongside the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. However, it has only been available for purchases made through the company's physical stores.

Well, that was until now, as the leasing program is now available for purchases made through Apple's online store as well.

For the uninitiated, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program lets you get a new, unlocked phone every year directly from the Cupertino-based company - all you are required to do is to sign a two-year financing agreement and pay a little over $32 a month as part of the program, which also includes Apple Care+.

Reports say the leasing program helped Apple sell a total of around 250,000 iPhone units in the holiday quarter.

Galaxy S5 Marshmallow rollout in full swing; update now arrives in Italy and Germany

The Marshmallow roll-out for Samsung's Galaxy S5 smartphone seems to be in full swing as the South Korean company has started pushing out the update in Italy and Germany as well. While in Italy, all unlocked S5 units are getting the update, model SM-G900F is currently receiving it in Germany.

To recall, the Galaxy S5 Marshmallow update first started rolling out in Samsung's home country of South Korea last month. This was followed by roll-out to SM-G900 models in Sri Lanka and SM-G900I units in India.

The update brings Android version 6.0.1, which - needless to say - includes all the usual Marshmallow goodies, such as Doze, Google Now on Tap, and redesigned app permissions

Samsung Galaxy C7 with 5.5-inch display spotted on GFXBench

We already know that Samsung is working on a new 'C' series of smartphones, with the Galaxy C5 already being the subject a few leaks and rumors until now, and the C7 beingspotted on AnTuTu. Now, the latter has been spotted on GFXBench as well, revealing a 5.5-inch display.

Before we proceed further, it's worth mentioning that Indian import export site Zauba lists the SM-C7000 with 5.7-inch display - so, there's still a contradiction there.

Anyway, moving on, other specs that the GFXBench listing reveals are similar to those revealed by AnTuTu - SD625 SoC, full HD display, 4GB/32GB memory configuration, 16MP/8MP camera combo, and Android 6.0.1.

The Galaxy C series is rumored to feature thin metallic bodies, and is expected to launch sometime next month. It is, however, expected to be exclusive to China. As for the pricing, the only reference we currently have is the Zauba listing, which reveals a tag of INR 13,635 (around $205) for the C7.

Benchmark listing reveals 6GB RAM for OnePlus 3

Nearly a month after it was found listed on AnTuTu, the OnePlus 3 has been spotted on a couple of more benchmarking websites, including GeekBench and GFXBench. What's newsworthy here is that the GeekBench listing shows a whopping 6GB RAM for the device.

The GFXBench listing, however, is inline with AnTuTu, indicating 4GB RAM for the device. In addition, it also reveals SD820 chipset, 16MP/8MP camera combo, and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The display resolution is full HD and the size of screen is 5-inch, which is less than the 5.5-inch size that was being rumored earlier.

Coming back to the amount of RAM, while it's entirely possible for benchmarks to get things wrong, there could also be a possibility that the models 'RAIN RAIN A3000' and 'Rain A3000' are actually two different variants.

While things aren't clear at this point, we're hopeful that more information will be revealed in the near future as latest rumors say that the OnePlus 3 will be made official late next month (May 28).

Android 6.0 Marshmallow starts rolling out for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7

The original Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 from last year is now finally starting to receive its update to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, more than half a year after that version of the OS got official (and remember this was Samsung's premium tablet offering in 2015).

Lateness aside, this is a welcome update of course. Currently Marshmallow is rolling out to the T815 iteration of the device, which is the one that has 4G LTE connectivity. The first country to get it is Germany (for units sold unlocked), but it will hopefully become available in more places soon. After applying the update, you'll be on build T815XXU2BPD6.

As every other Marshmallow update out there, this one too will bring you new features such as Now On Tap, Doze Mode, new permissions, new emoji, and improved quick settings toggles. Additionally, you get support for multiple user accounts, so you can easily share the tablet with family members without worries about exposing your private data. The update also includes the April security patch.

Xperia X Premium leak from last week is fake, Sony Mobile Taiwan says

Remember the Sony Xperia X Premium? Last week a rumor claimed this is a device that will launch soon, as a successor to the Z5 Premium from last year. The X Premium was supposed to join the Xperia X, X Performance, and XA in the new X family, and like its predecessor the main selling point had to do with the display.

The Xperia X Premium was said to be the first mobile device with an HDR screen, capable of showing 1.07 billion colors (compared to 16.8 million for every other handset out there). It was also going to have 120Hz refresh rate, 2,000:1 contrast ratio, and an insane peak brightness of 1,300 nits, more than twice as much as what the panel in the Samsung Galaxy S7 can achieve.

Do all of these things sound too good to be true? Well, it turns out they might be. Sony Mobile's Taiwan arm has contacted ePrice (a well known Taiwanese news source and discussion forum) about this story and unequivocally stated it's fake.

Now there are a couple of possible caveats here. The company did not explicitly say that the Xperia X Premium doesn't exist or isn't in development, just that the leak is fake. That means some (or all) of the aforementioned details of the handset could be wrong, but the X Premium may surface in the future after all.

Finally, there's also the pretty slim chance that Sony Mobile's Taiwanese arm isn't in the loop with regard to new phone development and thus doesn't have the information about the Xperia X Premium yet. If neither of these hypotheses is true, then chances are that unfortunately the X Premium was just a figment of some Sony fan's imagination.

iPhone 7 to be waterproof, yet another rumor claims; touch home button also in

Last year several reports came out saying the iPhone 7 will be waterproof, in a first for an Apple-made mobile device. And now yet another rumor out of Taiwan purportedly originating somewhere in Apple's supply chain says the exact same thing.

The iPhone 7 has allegedly completed its third round of testing, and it's water and dust proof. Additionally, prototypes come with a touch-sensitive capacitive home button - one you won't need to press, just touch. What's more, this might be 3D Touch-enabled, so it will be pressure-sensitive.

The source of this report isn't the most reliable of all, so don't take anything for granted just yet. Past mumblings have spoken about the iPhone 7 being just 6.1mm thin, and featuring an improved design for the antenna bands on the back (as portrayed by the mockup you can see above).

The phone should also come without a 3.5mm headset jack, and it could have stereo speakers, wireless charging support, and a Smart Connector like the new iPads. The iPhone 7 Plus will apparently sport a dual-lens camera arrangement on the back.