Security updates hit Samsung Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A3

Samsung has started rolling out security updates to a couple of its A series smartphones, including the Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A3. The former (model SM-A800F) is getting the April security patch, with the update bumping the firmware version to A800FXXU1APD1.

On the other hand, the Galaxy A3 update - which bumps the firmware version to XXU1BPC2 - brings the security patch for the month of March as well as several stability-related improvements. Currently, only unlocked and Vodafone variants in Europe are getting this update.

Unfortunately, none of the updates bring Android Marshmallow. If you haven't received the update notification yet, you can either wait or check for it manually by heading to the Settingsmenu on your handset.

Xiaomi Mi 5 and Redmi Note 3 went on open sale in India, all out of stock

Xiaomi has just launched the Mi 5 and the Redmi Note 3 on the Indian market and the two smartphones are now available for open sale - no registrations required. That is, no initial registration is required to purchase the phone, you still need a Mi account.

The Mi 5 is priced at INR 24,999 ($375), while the Redmi Note 3 goes for INR 9,999 ($150) for the 2GB/16GB version and INR 11,999 ($180) for the higher-specced 3GB/32GB variant.

All this is fine and dandy, but a couple of minutes into the process, the two phones were already listed as out of stock. Same goes for the 20,000mAh power bank, with a price tag of INR 1,699 ($25).

Whether Xiaomi couldn't anticipate the high demand for the smartphones, or it did, but that's all it had in the warehouses, we don't know. Then again there's the other possibility that the whole thing is a marketing stunt to create some more hype around the already popular devices. Either way, we'll try to keep you updated when you'd be able to get your hands on one.

Apple Q2 2016 financial results show first ever YoY fall in iPhone sales

Apple's 2016 Q2 results (that's the quarter ending in March) are out showing a revenue slowdown for the company. Quarterly revenue was $50.6 billion compared to $58 billion for the same period last year. As a result, net income is also down to $10.5 billion from $13.6 billion from Q2 2015.

The reason behind the revenue decrease are the lower iPhone, iPad and Mac sales. iPhone sales declined by 16% compared to Q2 last year (first YoY drop in the iPhone history) from 61.2 million to 51.19 million units. This lead to a drop in revenue of north of $8 billion or 18.42% (from $40.28 billion to $32.86 billion).

Apple expects this trend to continue in the next quarter. According to the company the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus enjoyed incredibly high demand due to their larger displays, and it's hard for the "S" versions to keep up.

In the Americas, Apple's revenue fell by 10%, while in China and in Asia Pacific by a noticeable 26% and 25%, respectively. It's not all bad, as in Japan revenue grew by 24%.

The iPad sales continue to decline - they've dropped by 19%, from 12.60 million units to 10.25 million units. Macs saw the smallest drop at 12%, from 4.6 million units to 4.03 million units.

Here's how Tim Cook commented on the quarter results.

Our team executed extremely well in the face of strong macroeconomic headwinds. We are very happy with the continued strong growth in revenue from Services, thanks to the incredible strength of the Apple ecosystem and our growing base of over one billion active devices.

As you may know, the company includes the Apple Watch, Apple TV, iPod and Beats headphones into the "Other Products" category. It managed to grow by nearly 30% from $1.69 billion to $2.19 billion. Apple CFO Luca Maestri hints that most of that growth is attributable to the Apple Watch.

Apple's expects revenue and profit margin to continue their decline in the upcoming quarter. Revenue is expected to be in the $41-$43 billion range and profit margins between 37.5% and 38%. For reference, in Q3 2015, Apple made $49.6 billion in revenue.

Samsung Gear 360 won't be available in US at launch

Samsung has confirmed that its Gear 360 camera - which was announced at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) as part of the Galaxy S7 lineup of accessories - will not be available for purchase in the US at launch, which will happen this Friday.

The confirmation came following the revelation that the camera will be launched in "select countries" on April 29. There's, however, still no official announcement on the price tag the Gear 360 will carry, although the company's Netherlands website has it listed for €349.99.

Interested in learning more about the camera? Head to our announcement coverage.

HTC-made Nexus 9 no longer available from Google Store

The HTC-made Nexus 9 tablet from the year 2014 is now no longer available for purchase from the Google Store. In fact, the device has completely disappeared from the online store, with its listing page now being redirected to the store's home page and no trace of it in search results as well.

Currently, Google's own Pixel C is the only tablet available on the company's online store. However, if you were planning to purchase a Nexus 9, you aren't completely out of luck as third party retailers like Amazon still have it in stock. Plus, you can purchase it directly from HTC as well.

New deal drops unlocked BlackBerry Priv's price to $399.99

The BlackBerry Priv has certainly seen its fair share of price cuts recently. First, the Canadian company itself permanently slashed $50 off the price of the contract-free device, bringing the recommended amount down to $649. Then, just a few days ago one deal had it for only $450, which is a great price, but not as good as the one we have for you today.

Over at Newegg, the unlocked AT&T model of the Priv is currently being sold for $399.99. That's $250 less than usual, so this is clearly one deal you need to take advantage of fast if you're interested in BlackBerry's first Android-running smartphone.

The Priv has a 5.4-inch QHD touchscreen, a full physical sliding QWERTY keyboard, an 18MP rear camera, a 2MP selfie cam, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset at the helm, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and a 3,410 mAh battery. It runs Android, and theMarshmallow update has just started rolling out for it.

Google outs Android TV remote app for iOS

Android Wear has been playing nice with iOS devices for a while, and now it's time for Google's other Android spinoff to do the same, sort of. The search giant has released an Android TV app for iOS, which is already available to download from the iTunes App Store.

The app lets your iOS device act as your Android TV's remote. It has both a d-pad mode and a touchpad mode, while a microphone button lets you quickly start a voice search.

There's also a built-in keyboard with which to input text on your Android TV. You can connect multiple remotes to your TV and use them for multiplayer gaming.

The app works with all Android TV devices, and all you need to do to ensure it will pair well with yours is have both your iOS device and the TV on the same Wi-Fi network.

Intel wants to kill the 3.5mm headset jack too

Last week LeEco unveiled three new Android-powered smartphones that have one interesting thing in common - neither of them features a 3.5mm headset jack. Instead, you're supposed to use the USB Type-C port for all your audio needs.

Rumors from Apple's supply chain keep talking about the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus alsoskipping the 3.5mm slot, this time in favor of audio routed through the Lightning port of course.

And now Intel has emerged as another company that wants to kill the 3.5mm headset jack for good - at least when it comes to mobile devices. This port has become ubiquitous in smartphones and tablets over the past few years, but there may be some legitimate reasons to bid it farewell in the future.

First off, it's an analog connector otherwise surrounded by digital stuff, built into multi-purpose devices, but it's still a single-purpose affair. Space constraints are also in play, especially as phones get ever slimmer but people want them to come with larger and larger batteries.

Plus, if everyone was to use digital ports such as USB Type-C for audio, this could enable smarter headphones - for example ones that may even track your health data like temperature. Headphone makers will be expected to build digital-to-analog converters into their accessories, which might be a good thing since not depending on different handsets' hardware for this purpose could result in better (and more consistent) audio quality regardless of what particular device you connect your cans to.

For now, Intel has presented a proposal to get rid of the 3.5mm jack and use USB Type-C instead. If most device manufacturers get on board with this idea, then the transition will be relatively easy - while still annoying every single person out there who has a favorite pair of analog headphones.

Apple Music hits 13M subscribers, up from 11M three months ago

Apple's hardware business may have taken a hit, but its services business keeps growing. Apple Music, not even a year old yet, grew to 13 million subscribers, up from 11 million three months ago.

Chief rival Spotify is at 30 million paying subscribers, Tidal (which also launched about a year ago) is at barely 3 million. Unlike Spotify, Apple Music has no free service and charges $9.99 a month (same as Tidal's base option).

Apple Music has exclusives to draw in consumers - Drake, Taylor Swift, Dr. Dre, Nine Inch Nails and others. And, of course, over 1 billion active iDevices for Music to play on.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 with GPS leaks, Gear IconX headset too

While the Gear S smartwatches had several launches (and the Gear S3 sort-of confirmed), the Samsung Gear Fit smart band has not been updated since its 2014 launch. The new model peeked out from under the covers, giving us an early glimpse of what's to come.

The band still features a curved Super AMOLED display, but the new model will be even curvier to fit better on your wrist. The other major change is the built-in GPS, which will allow the Fit to perform better as a fitness tracker (better accuracy for running and cycling).

Curved Super AMOLED display • Heart rate monitor 

Also, incoming is the successor to the Gear Circle headset. The Gear IconX is completely wire-free, removing even the connection between the two ear plugs.

The IconX can work over Bluetooth or stand-alone - it has 4GB of onboard memory and touch controls. The plugs are dust and water resistant and are normally carried in a box that charges them (this extends their battery life and keeps you from losing one of them).

Samsung Gear IconX • Gear Fit 2 next to the Gear S2

Expect to see the Samsung Gear Fit 2 and Gear IconX at IFA.

Instagram rolls out black and white UI to some users

Instagram seems to be testing a completely revamped UI for its app. A few users have tweeted about their app turning completely grayscale, save for the images, of course.

For most parts, the new design is similar to the current one. What is different is that Instagram has dropped the blue bar at the top and the distinct square buttons at the bottom. The bar at the top is now plain white with black text and icons. The bar on the bottom loses its borders for buttons and instead has simplified iconography. This simplification of icons and monochromatic theme continues elsewhere in the app as well.

So far we have only see these from iOS users, but if Instagram does go with this design then it's likely the Android app will be updated with a similar look as well. Instagram hasn't said anything yet officially about the update, which means it is simply testing waters at this time.

LeEco schedules entertainment-related event for May 3

LeEco has great ambitions to be the next tech juggernaut. Previously mostly known in its home country of China, the company has drawn attention to itself with cheap-but-powerful phones and now it has something new in store.

What? We'll find out for sure on May 3 when "Entertainment will play in a whole new way."

The teaser image of a movie salon is tantalizing. LeEco unveiled a couple of Smart TVs - 4 X50 and 4 X50 Pro, both with 50" 4K, Harman Kardon speakers and Android. Chinese prices were announced, CNY 2,500/2700 for the 16GB/32GB X50 and CNY 3,000 for the X50 Pro. Perhaps the event will be for the Indian launch?

LeEco also put out a VR headset, which is an even more unusual way to watch a movie (virtual cinema apps are a thing, but there's a growing number of videos made specifically for VR).