Google Keyboard 5.0 update brings lots of new features

Google has released v5.0 of the Google Keyboard, and this is a big one.

The UI gets lots of little changes. You can now enable borders for keys so it doesn't look like one plain surface. Google dropped the old Holo themes and the light and dark Material Design themes are the only ones available.

Google moved the emoji button inside the special character menu. There is also a new numpad button there now, which shows the numbers arranged in a traditional layout but the old row of numbers is also available. There is also a one handed mode now, which shifts the keys to either side to make it easier to reach all the keys while using the phone with one hand. Lastly, the keyboard height can also be adjusted now.

There are some new gestures as well. Like on SwiftKey, you can now swipe left from the backspace key to delete entire words. You can also swipe left or right on the space key to move the cursor in the respective direction.

The update will roll out slowly on the Play Store but you can download the APK from the link below.

Update brings camera and WiFi-related improvements to HTC 10

HTC's newest flagship - the HTC 10 - is yet to go on sale but that hasn't stopped the Taiwanese company to roll out an update to the device. Weighing in at around 85MB, the update is currently hitting the handset's European units.

As for what all it includes, the change-log notes that there are some improvements related to the phone's camera as well as WiFi connectivity. In addition, the update - which bumps the software version to 1.30.401.1 - also brings along some general bug fixes.

Here's the complete change-log:

- Improved WiFi connectivity, including Smart MIMO

- Camera: Auto HDR improvements (from 1.88 to 1.67EV)

- Camera: Low light sharpness/brightness improvements

- Camera: Outdoor sharpness improvements

- Camera: Reduced purple noise in Pro mode

- Camera: Modified laser autofocus UI

- Bug fixes

To refresh, from what is known so far, the HTC 10 is set to launch in the UK on May 6, and pre-ordered units in the US will also start shipping sometime this week.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 will have USB Type-C connector, rumor says

At this point Samsung is just a few months away from unveiling the Galaxy Note 6, so understandably the number of rumors regarding it is starting to rise.

The latest mumbling says in no uncertain terms that the successor to the Note5 will have a USB Type-C port, which will thus make its first ever appearance in the Korean company's portfolio. It will replace the ever-prevalent microUSB connector. What isn't as clear is which standard Samsung will use alongside the port itself - USB 3.1 or an older one.

Anyway, if Samsung wants to continue its VR push (and there's no reason not to), then it will also have to release a new Gear VR headset alongside the Note 6. That's because thecurrent Gear VR connects to your Samsung phone via microUSB. The new Type-C connector in the Note 6 will therefore require an updated headset.

So far we've heard that the Galaxy Note 6 will have a 5.8-inch QHD Super AMOLED touchscreen (which might be curved), 6GB of RAM, Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 823SoC running things, the 12 MP rear camera from the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge (though improved somewhat), and a 4,000 mAh battery. It will be water and dust resistant.

Benchmark listing reveals quad-core processor and Marshmallow OS for Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016)

A Samsung phone carrying model number SM-J210F has been spotted on GeekBench, revealing some of its key specs. As per the listing, the device - which is probably to be the next-gen Galaxy J2 - is powered by Spreadtrum SC8830 SoC with quad-core 1.5 GHz processor.

Other specs that were revealed include 1.5GB RAM and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. If you recall, the Galaxy J2 (2016) was also spotted on India's import/export website Zauba a couple of months ago, revealing a price-tag broadly similar to its predecessor.

There's still no information on the availability front.

Pre-ordered HTC 10 units will start shipping this week

Verizon might have some kind of short-term exclusivity on HTC's newest flagship - the HTC 10 - for the US carrier market, but it looks like that's not affecting those who pre-ordered the unlocked version of the device directly from the Taiwanese company.

Replying to a user query on Twitter, HTC's Senior Global Online Communications Manager Jeff Gordon revealed that unlocked HTC 10 units will begin shipping in the US in the first week of May.

In case you missed it, Verizon branded units will start shipping May 5, while Sprint will launch the phone on May 13. T-Mobile, which unboxed the handset at no less than 10,000 feet, is yet to provide a launch date. Those waiting for AT&T branded HTC 10 are, however, currently out of luck as HTC has already confirmed that the carrier won't be selling the phone.

Marshmallow for Telus branded Priv units will begin rolling out tomorrow

When BlackBerry announced the availability of Priv Marshmallow update last week, the company said that select carriers will offer the upgrade starting May 3. Inline with that, Canadian carrier Telus has confirmed that Priv units on its network will get the update starting tomorrow.

As usual, the announcement came in the form of a revision to the software update schedule on Telus' official website. The entry for Priv in the schedule also reveals that the update will bring along a security patch.

Another thing worth mentioning here is that the Marshmallow roll-out for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has been pushed by a week - earlier the update was expected on May 16, but now it says May 23.

Report reveals OnePlus 3 pricing, two RAM variants

If you recall, after GeekBench and GFXBench benchmarks revealed two different variants of the upcoming OnePlus 3 smartphone (one with 4GB RAM and other with 6GB), we said that it's entirely possible that the company is readying two different OP3 models.

While there has been no official word from the company on this, a new report out of China - which cites revelations made by a OnePlus employee - says the device will indeed come in the two aforementioned RAM versions. Both will be powered by the same SD820 SoC, though, and will come with 32GB and 64GB internal memory, respectively.

Another major revelation is related to pricing, with the report noting that the handset will carry a tag of RMB 1,999, which translates into around $310 at current exchange rates.

Interestingly, at $310, the OP3 will be cheaper than its predecessor OnePlus 2, which was launched at $329. While it wasn't revealed which OP3 variant will carry the $310 tag, it'd be reasonable to assume we're taking about the 4GB/32GB model here.

Keep in mind that nothing has been officially confirmed yet, although the wait shouldn't be long now as the device is said to be unveiled this month, likely either on May 18 or May 28.

ZTE Axon 2 spotted listed on online retailer's website with $599 price tag

After receiving approval from Chinese telecommunication authority TENAA, ZTE's upcomingAxon 2 smartphone has now been spotted listed on online retailer OppoMart's website, revealing almost all of its key specs, and more importantly, an expected price tag.

This isn't the first time Axon 2's specs have been revealed - the device's TENAA listing already gave us a good idea about what all the phone packs in: SD820 SoC, 5.5-inch QHD display, 4GB/64GB memory configuration, 20MP/8MP camera combo, as well as a fingerprint scanner.

However, what's new here is that the listing on OppoMart also has a price tag attached to it, and it says $599. Of course, nothing is confirmed as the device is yet to be officially unveiled. So take it, especially the price, with a grain of salt.

HTC 10's UK launch apparently set for May 6

If you're in the UK, and are planning to purchase HTC's brand new smartphone dubbed 10, here's an important piece of news for you: the device looks all set to be launched in the country this week - May 6 to be precise.

As you might already know, the HTC 10 is currently up for pre-order in the UK, and if you recall, the device's operator partner Three has already said that the pre-ordered units will be delivered on May 6. Now, the Amazon listing for the phone also says that the handset will be released on May 6.

So, apparently, it's all but official that the latest HTC flagship will be launched in the UK this Friday. In case you don't already know, for its part, HTC has only revealed an "early May" launch time-frame.

ZUK Z1 will be powered by Cyanogen OS in India, Lenovo confirms

Lenovo has confirmed that the ZUK Z1, which is set to launched in India soon, will come with Cyanogen OS out-of-the-box in the country. The confirmation came from Anuj Sharma, head of the company's Product Marketing division.

Given that the device already made its international debut with Cyanogen, this shouldn't exactly come as a surprise. However, it's an important development as far as Indian smartphone market is concerned.

In India, Micromax's sub-brand Yu Televentures has had an exclusive deal with Cyanogen since 2014 as part of which the former has been launching Cyanogen OS-powered phones all this while. However, with this latest confirmation from Leovo, it seems the the Yu-Cyanogen deal has come to an end.

"It [the deal] was there before that's what I was told by Cyanogen team. But the team now said its ok now. So we are going ahead with the launch," Sharma said when asked about the deal. He also revealed that the 64GB variant of the Z1 will be launched in India. The device will run Android 5.1 Lollipop-based Cyanogen OS 12.1 at launch.

In case you missed, there are also rumors that the handset will shed the ZUK branding for its India launch, and will instead be called Lenovo Z1.

The Rock made an alarm clock app for your phone

Why wake up to your phone making beeping sounds every morning, when you can wake up to The Rock actually saying "beep beep" instead?

Yeah, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has made an alarm clock app called The Rock Clock, and it's a bit odd (or fun, depending upon how you see it).

The app is goal oriented, so you can type the name of the project you need to perform or choose from one of the preset options such as 'gain five pounds of muscle', 'lose ten pounds of non-muscle', 'learn a new language', etc. Then you can choose an end date for the project or skip it. After that you set the wake up timer and the best part of the app, 25 custom ring tones, many of which feature The Rock's voice, singing a song, or simply saying "beep beep" as mentioned before. There is even one with his dog Hobbs barking.

The last step is choosing to wake up the same time as The Rock himself. This is usually some absurd time like 4 o'clock in the morning but you can choose to keep your own time. And after that you're done. On iOS you will need to keep the app open and the phone plugged in so it can play the sound and won't get shut down by the OS.

The app is completely free and if you need to try something different it available on both iOS and Android.

iOS • Android

Deal: Unlocked BlackBerry Priv for $380 on eBay

BlackBerry was in a hole that it kept digging deeper and deeper for itself. Finally theBlackBerry Priv was its final hope. BlackBerry found it harder and harder to stay relevant in a market oversaturated with Apple and Android smartphones and lack of app support drove customers away from the platform. So BlackBerry (formerly known as Research In Motion) decided if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. And that’s just what it did with the BlackBerry Priv, the first BlackBerry phone to run Google’s Android operating system.

The BlackBerry Priv received a lot of attention for putting Android on its phone, but the initial price point set at launch was set a bit too high for its own good. It’s been about half a year since the release of the BlackBerry Priv and currently it is going for sale on eBay for $380.

This listing is for a 32GB AT&T unlocked variant so you may use it on T-Mobile or any other GSM network worldwide (assuming the correct bands are compatible, of course). The BlackBerry Priv sports a 5.4 inch AMOLED QHD screen powered by a Snapdragon 808, 3GB of RAM, an 18MP rear camera, and a 3,410mAh battery. And of course, you also get BlackBerry’s legendary physical keyboard which can be accessed by just sliding the screen up. The BlackBerry Priv received the Marshmallow update not very long ago as well.

We aren’t sure how long this will last but go and get one before they run out!

AT&T starts pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Tab E 8.0 on May 6

AT&T has just announced that it will offer Samsung's 8-inch Galaxy Tab E to its customers. The carrier will begin taking pre-orders for the device on May 6, which is this coming Friday.

You'll be able to pick one up for $0 down, then followed by 20 monthly payments of $10. This means the full retail price of the tablet has been set at $200, so if you want to grab one by shelling out the entire sum upfront, that's how much you'll need to have.

AT&T has not said when the Galaxy Tab E will start shipping, so it could be a while. The tablet comes with an 8-inch 1,280x800 touchscreen, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset at the helm (with a 1.3 GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU), 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, a 5 MP rear camera, a 2 MP selfie shooter, 4G LTE, and a 5,000 mAh battery. AT&T's version will thankfully run Android 6.0 Marshmallow from day one, unlike the international model that's stuck on Lollipop.

T-Mobile Mother's Day promo nets you a free tablet when you buy the G5, half off a second phone

As Mother's Day is fast approaching, we're starting to see more and more deals targeting it. The latest to join the fray is T-Mobile, with an LG-specific promo that looks very interesting.

Starting on May 4 (which is this Wednesday), the carrier will give you an LG G Pad F 8.0 tablet for "free" if you purchase a G5, G4, or V10 using an installment plan. The amount the tablet costs will be given back to you in the form of a prepaid card.

What's more, you can also score half off a second LG phone if you add a line. And the best thing is that these two options can actually go together - so by simply adding a line and getting one of the aforementioned three handsets with an installment plan, you will receive the tablet and can also purchase a second smartphone for half its normal price.

You can grab any combination of two devices, choosing from the G5, G4, and V10, and the half off rebate will be applied to the full retail price of the cheaper model. As you might have expected, this is a limited time offer, so make sure you take advantage of it as soon as possible if it sounds good to you.

Amazon offers discounts on most Fire tablets

If you're a fan of Amazon's Fire lineup, and are in the market for a tablet, here's some good news: the retailer is currently selling most of the Fire tablets at discounted rates, including the Fire HD 7, HD 6, HDX 8.9, HD 10, as well as the Fire Kids Edition.

The 7-inch Fire tablet, for example, is currently going for $39.99, down $10 from its usual $49.99 price tag. Similarly, the HD 6, 10, and HDX 8.9 are now available for $69.99, $179.99, and $399.99, down from $99.99, $229.99, and $479.99, respectively.

The Fire Kids Edition and Fire HD Kids Edition have also received a price cut of $20 and $50, respectively. For more information on the deals, head to the Source link below.

WhatsApp working on native Windows and Mac apps

After launching WhatsApp on web, the company may be working on native apps for Windows and Mac.

Twitter account WABetaInfo found screenshots of WhatsApp translation website where you can see references to download links for Windows and Mac applications.

It's not clear why WhatsApp would want to invest in developing native apps when it already has a web client, which is easier to develop, can be updated automatically anytime they want without the user having to download anything, and also support uploading files and desktop notifications in browsers like Chrome and Safari. Only reason one can think of is support for audio calls, which is currently not possible with the web client and can be achieved with the native app.

We are not sure yet how far the desktop apps are in terms of development.

Huawei Watch variants 'Jewel' and 'Elegant' now available in the US

Back in January, Huawei announced two variants of the Huawei Watch - Jewel and Elegant - targeted at the female audience. After a rather long wait, the two variants are now available in the US.

Jewel and Elegant are internally identical to the standard Huawei Watch but externally try to conform to women's watch design. This means a lot of gold plating, narrower bands in colors and textures that are not 'black' and 'boring', respectively. And also a bit of bling on the Jewel variant, in the form of Swarovski zirconia crystals surrounding the display. The crown has also been redesigned to fit the overall design.

Both are available through Best Buy, Newegg, and B&H Photo, at $499.99 for the Elegant and $599.99 for the Jewel. Best Buy and Newegg will give $50 off on each and B&H Photo will give a $50 gift card instead.

Best Apps and Games of the Week

These are some of the best apps and games that came out this week.

Videorama

Videorama is a video editor for your iPhone or iPad. You can combine multiple photos and video clips, overlay animated text, add music and sound effects, apply special effects and filters, and then export your file.

iOS

Fluenty

Fluenty is a quick and easy way to reply across multiple messaging platforms on your Android phone. When you get a notification from one of the supported apps (including FB Messenger, WhatsApp, Hangouts, KakaoTalk and SMS), Fluenty will show a notification on your lockscreen including a handful of quick replies that are automatically generated for the message you receive. This is particularly useful if you have an Android Wear watch and can just tap on any of the replies to respond quickly without taking out your phone. If you want, you can also quickly reply manually from within Fluenty without even opening the messaging app.

Android

Android TV

Google has released an app for iOS to control your Android TV. If you're one of the five people in the world who have iOS devices but chose to get an Android TV (instead of an Apple TV that would work better with your iOS ecosystem) then you now have a way of controlling it from your iPhone or iPad.

iOS

Angry Birds Action

Angry Birds is back, and it's barely recognizable anymore. Like an ageing actor who went through some severe plastic surgery that didn't go well, the birds look different and not in a particularly good way (although the look is to match the upcoming animated movie). The game is a combination of pinball and the usual aim, pull, and release Angry Birds gameplay.

iOS • Android

Loop Drive 2

In Loop Drive 2 you drive around in circles. That's pretty much all you do, but it's not as simple as it sounds. As you drive around the circuit, you will face increasing number of cars on the road that you can crash into. You can just hit the brakes to avoid them but that's all you can do. Your goal is to go around as many times as you can without crashing into any other vehicle.

iOS • Android • Windows 10

Huawei P9 battery life

Huawei's latest flagship - the P9 - comes with a 5.2" IPS 1080p display and is powered by a newer Kirin 955 chip with an octa-core processor, efficient Mali-T880 MP4 GPU and 3GB of RAM. It has a sealed 3,000 mAh battery. The supplied charger is a regular 5V/2A, but that's still enough to fill about 35% of the battery in half an hour.

The phone runs on Android Marshmallow with the latest Emotion 4.1 launcher. Huawei promises an energy-efficient chipset and software package. Indeed, we found lots of battery optimization options in the new Emotion UI, which you can enable and will save you battery by limiting background app usage, processor performance, and more - depending on your needs.

Of course, we do our battery test without those battery optimizations to calculate the raw power of the device. We set the screen to 200 nits and begun our routine. In case you've missed in our review, the Warm color option for the screen turned out to be more accurate than the Normal one.

Our first test gauges the 3G talk time, and the P9 did very well lasting almost 15 hours.

Standby battery life was gauged in the Performance mode, which does not put any limits on the hardware. The Standard mode will add a couple of hours to the rating while the Ultra Power Saving will keep your phone alive for quite some time. Even without any optimizations, Huawei P9 proved to be power-efficient when left on standby.

Overall, the Huawei P9 scored a 75h rating, which means you can count on the battery to last just a few hours north of 3 days if you do an hour each of calling, browsing the web and video playback a day. Such usage pattern may be somewhat artificial, but we've established it, so our battery results are comparable across devices.

There is also the so-called ROG power-saving, which lowers the native resolution down to 720p and will give you more battery life when playing games.

The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.

Sony Xperia Agent hands-on

Sony invited us to its Tokyo headquarters not so long ago and there the company showed us wondrous gadgets. One of them was the Sony Xperia Agent - a personal assistant for your home.

Right now, there are more unknowns than known things about it. Sony hasn't decided on a final design and a release date remains unclear. But the company is adamant that it strongly plans for this product to go out in the market, as it would be quite helpful to assisting with the management of your busy schedule.

Sony's currently on the lookout for potential partners, who'd like to expand the Xperia Agent's capabilities. While we don't know if Sony has found any yet, the company said that after MWC it had quite a few inquiries about it.

We know you want to see the Xperia Agent in action, so hit up the video below for the hands-on action.

That projection that you saw isn't really bright and its maximum resolution is just 1366 x 768 pixels. It'll certainly be interesting to see how the Sony Xperia Agent project pans out, though.

New phones of the week

This week HTC raised some eyebrows with its reluctance to let go of the One series. It unveiled the HTC One S9, which is decidedly less exciting than it sounds.

It's essentially a mid-range phone in a One M9 body. Yes, the stereo speakers are back on the front, but the rest a bit of a disappointment after the big promise of the HTC 10 and especially at this price - €500!

The phone has a 5" 1080p screen, a Helio X10 chipset with 2GB RAM, 13MP camera, a measly 9.24GB left from the 16GB storage. The fingerprint reader has gone missing too. At this point, the One A9 is so much better.

The Meizu m3 is on the opposite end of the price scale - a highly affordable $92. You get plenty for it - a 5" 720p screen, an octa-core processor with 2GB or 3GB RAM, 13MP camera and a selection of lively color options.

The m3 already scored 4.5 million registration (it took just 24 hours). Granted, registrations are not the same as pre-orders, but it's enough to show higher interest compared to the Meizu Pro 6 (which scored 3 million registrations).

The Huawei Honor 5C was announced Friday and has a lot in common with the still-unofficial P9 lite. With a 5.2" 1080p screen, a Kirin 650 chipset, a 13MP main camera and a fingerprint reader, this phone is ready to give the HTC a run for its money.

And it has a metal body at just $140, slightly more if you want the 4G version.

The new phone with the lowest price this week wasn't the Meizu, it was the ZTE Blade L5 Plus. At the equivalent of $85, it offers Android 5.1 Lollipop on a 5" 720p screen, quad-core processor with 1GB RAM and an 8MP main camera.

GSMArena giveaway: Enter to win an HTC 10, get discount codes on cases

The HTC hype has been real lately, so we bring you our latest giveaway where you can enter for a chance to win an HTC 10, courtesy of our friends over at Spigen. They will also toss in a case bundle for the lucky winner!

The HTC 10 has been getting a lot of hype lately. HTC did a great job of building it up with its later-than-usual release and months of teasing prior to that. The HTC 10 really is a compelling little phone which definitely stands up with the other competitors.

The HTC 10 unit will be provided by Spigen and will be fulfilled once it becomes available in retail stores.

How to enter

• Share the news about the giveaway via your Twitter account (1 entry). You can do that once per day and each tweet will grant you a new entry.
• Set an avatar for your GSMArena account (1 entry). You need to log-in on our site using either Facebook or Google+ and then visit your account page and set an avatar or Gravatar. Important: to claim the entries you only need to enter your nickname, but if we detect that you did it without setting an avatar you will be disqualified. Also, if you already have an avatar or Gravatar, you can just claim the reward - there's no need to change it.
• Refer friends for extra entries (1 entry per referred friend).
• Follow us on Twitter (1 entry). Again, if you are already following us there's no need to do anything - just claim the reward.
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel (1 entry). If you have already subscribed there's no need to do anything - just claim the reward.
• Follow Spigen on Twitter (2 entries). Check out the website of the Giveaway sponsors.
• Like Spigen on Facebook (2 entries). Check out the Facebook page of the Giveaway sponsors.
• Follow Spigen on Instagram (2 entries). Check out the Instagram profile of the Giveaway sponsors.

Good luck!

Spigen is a company based in Irvine, California USA and they have been generous enough to sponsor this giveaway for our readers. Stick around for our next giveaway soon!

Giveaway rules

• The giveaway is open to people 18 or older residing in the Continental United States. We are sorry about that but those are the rules of the giveaway sponsor.
• The submission and winner drawing process is operated by our partners from Gleam.
• We cannot be held responsible for lost shipments or items damaged during shipping
• Only 1 registration per person - you can collect multiple entries, but don't register more than one email and then claim entries with them. If we detect multiple registrations by the same person they will be disqualified.
• GSMArena reserves all rights to make changes to the giveaway in case of unforeseeable circumstances.
• The prize will be shipped directly by our partners from Spigen.
• Winner will be asked for carrier of preference and prize will be fulfilled when the device becomes available.

HTC 10 Cases & Codes

Thin Fit Case / Gunmetal @ $5.99 / Code: INX9LDAZ / Link: HERE

Rugged Armor Case / Black @ $5.99 / Code: 9QOVDNXY / Link: HERE

Ultra Hybrid Case / Crystal Clear @ $5.99 / Code: AZS2MLCT / Link: HERE

Galaxy S7 Edge Cases & Codes:

Rugged Armor Case / Black @ $5.99 / Code: 89P5RA4C / Link: HERE

Tough Armor Case / Gunmetal @ $6.99 / Code: R7IJYEHJ / Link: HERE

Marshmallow update for AT&T One M8 and One M9 hit by further delays

Three of the Big Four carriers in the US have already rolled out Marshmallow to the HTC One M8 and M9 units on their network. So we can say the Marshmallow update for AT&T-branded M8 and M9s is already delayed.

Worse still, it has been revealed that the update has been hit by further delays. The revelation was made by the Taiwanese company's VP of Product Management Mo Versi on Twitter.

The reason behind the delay wasn't revealed, although given that HTC is claiming to get the approval in next couple of weeks, it's reasonable to assume that either the problem wasn't that big, or the company caught hold of it and sorted it out quickly.

AdDuplex: Lumia 535 pips Lumia 520 to become most popular WP device

After being the most popular Windows Phone device for almost 3 years, the Lumia 520 has finally been dethroned. According to latest data from market research firm AdDuplex, the Lumia 535 has now claimed the top spot.

The Lumia 535 now has a market share of 12.5%, ahead of 11.3% claimed by the Lumia 520.The Lumia 630, 640, and 635 round up the top-5 with the first two claiming 8.3% share each while the latter claiming a share of 6.3%.

The report also revealed some other interesting statistics. For example, Microsoft manufacturers over 97% of WP devices now, with around 80% of them running Windows Phone 8.1. Windows 10 Mobile currently accounts for less than 10% of the total.

The Lumia 640 is the top WP device in the US, while Lumia 535 tops the chart in the UK and India. For more information, head to the Source link below.