Apple drops the Watch price down to $299, introduces new band

Apple didn’t introduce the second generation Apple Watch as some rumors were suggesting through the past few weeks. But we got a few new bands a price cut - now the Watch's starting price is $299.

In addition to the new $299 price, the Apple Watch is getting new color options and materials for its sport band.

An entirely new band, the woven-nylon band joins the existing range. Two new colors were also unveiled on stage.

The new bands go on sale today, the price should go live in the Store any moment now, too.

One billion Apple devices are currently in use worldwide

Apple kicked off its March event with a rather interesting announcement - one billion Apple devices are currently in use worldwide.

The device count includes computers, phones, watches, players, and Apple TV boxes.

According to Apple, all of those billion devices are currently alive and active - so this is not the total number of sold Apple products since its inception.

So, are you using one or more of those billion Apple gadgets?

The team behind the Galaxy S7 camera speaks about the development process

Samsung introduced Phase Detection autofocus to mobile phones with the Galaxy S5, but the Senior Manager of Global Product Planning, Youngmin Nam, says consumers still wanted more.

This lead to the Dual Pixel autofocus feature of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. Nam, along with the principal engineer and two senior engineers that worked on the S7 answered questions about the new camera.

They talk at length about Dual Pixel. The feature was apparently hard to implement as the sensor is physically larger than before and produces additional data that needs to be processed.

Before committing to this new type of sensor, Samsung engineers evaluated many different approaches to improving the camera. "We reviewed almost all the latest technologies related to a smartphone and a camera and came to a conclusion that a way to show the most innovative effects was to build in a dual pixel sensor, which was entirely new hardware back then," says Hwayoung Kang, the principal engineer.

The team also discussed Motion Panorama and Moton Photo - new experiences that "broke down the barriers between photos and video."

Taken off shelves last year, LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE is now back on sale

If you recall, LG halted sales of its Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE in November last year, something which happened just a week after the smartwatch was launched. At that time, the company said that the device has a a faulty component which can potentially bring down the wearable's image quality over time.

Looks like the South Korean company has fixed the issue in question as the timepiece is now back on sale. It's currently up for pre-orders on AT&T, which is selling it for $360 outright, or $18 a month for 20 months.

Alternatively, you can also purchase it for $100 on a 2-year contract with purchase of an LG G5 unit on AT&T Next. For those who aren't aware, the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE launched as the first Android Wear device with 4G LTE support.

Urgent: Mandatory update for select Kindles that needs to be installed before March 22

Own an Amazon Kindle from 2012 or an older model, here's something urgent that needs your attention: you are required to install a software update by March 22, failing which you won't be able to continue using Kindle services on your device.

Here's the list of devices require the latest software version:

If your device is in the list and you miss the update deadline, you will receive the following message on your device: "Your Kindle is unable to connect at this time. Please make sure you are within wireless range and try again. If the problem persists, please restart your Kindle from the Menu in Settings and try again."

The only option to get out this mess would be to manually install the update, which involves downloading the correct software version on your PC, and then updating your Kindle while it's connected to the former via a USB cable.

Poll results: You can't get enough of the Galaxy S7

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has no doubt been the star of the past month (or more, if you count all the rumors) and has now gotten plenty of affection from our readers as well. Last week's poll aimed to find out where you stand on the subject, and looking at the results, Samsung has struck gold.

Three out of four voters hit the thumbs up on the Galaxy S7, or, if you insist on precision, positive feedback clocks in at 77%. Not exactly universal approval, but still about as warm a reception as Samsung could have hoped for.

Now, we understand how those 23% might have been put off by the S7's lack of certain features - the IR emitter has gone missing, and the comments section isn't happy. Type-C USB ports have been spreading quickly, and Samsung doesn't think the time is right just yet. Then there's the non-removable battery, and price is surely a bit of an issue, but flagship never come cheap.

All these don't stand a chance though, when the S7 has a wonderful 12MP dual-pixel camera, sleek top-class build and battery that lasts. And if you've ever dropped your phone in the kitchen sink (yeah, the kitchen sink...), then you probably know how environmental sealing can be a life-saver - now back on the S7. It's the entire package that counts, and it's hard to find fault with it.

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) leaked official images leave little to the imagination

The Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) has been gathering certifications here and there, and we even got a glimpse of its body from the customary 4 mugshots at Chinese regulator TENAA. Time for the full reveal now.

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)

A complete set of official images has been uncovered by the folks over at Winfuture.de, who also dug up the Galaxy J5 (2016) the other day. Needless to say, the differences are marginal, and come down to very subtle proportional changes brought about by the different diagonal (5.5" vs. 5.2").

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)

Aside from the 5.5-inch AMOLED display (FullHD, by the way), specs of the Galaxy J7 (2016) include a Snapdragon 615 or an Exynos 7870 chipset (octa-core CPU either way), 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD. Camera department is represented by a 13MP primary shooter on the back, paired with a 5MP front unit.

LG G5 up for pre-order at Carphone Warehouse in the UK, arrives by April 1

UK retailer Carphone Warehouse has the LG G5 listed for pre-order with a SIM-free price quoted at £499.99. Amazon kicked off its G5 pre-orders a few days ago at £529, but is now down to the same £499.99.

Clove was first to list this year's LG flagship close to a month ago, and price there is now set at £529.99 (previously £539), but you're getting a pair of B&O in-ear headphones. Not the B&O add-on DAC though.

A few things make CW's offer more appealing than the others, and chief among those is the delivery date, April 1, which rings well with the annouced global launch on March 31. Amazon will join the party a week later on April 8, and Clove says first week of April, which can mean anything. Additionally, the Silver paint job will be exclusive to Carphone Warehouse.

LG G5's SD652 variant is now official

Less than a month after an LG executive confirmed the existence of a Snapdragon 652-powered G5, the device has been made official - the variant is now listed on the South Korean company's Panama website. The device carries a model number of H850, which if you recall was also spotted on GFXBench last month.

Standard Qualcomm's SD652, as you might know, is an octa-core CPU with four 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A53 cores and four ARM Cortex-A72 cores with a maximum of 1.8GHz. However, the LG Panama listing of the G5 reveals a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor.

Also, the variant is available in both 3GB/32GB and 4GB/32GB configurations. Rest of the specs are similar to the SD820-powered G5 - 5.3" QHD display, 16MP/8MP camera combo, 2,800mAh battery, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

In case you don't know, Latin Americans won't officially get the standard SD820 G5 - only the SD652 variant will be available there.

ZTE A2017 spotted on GFXBench with SD820 SoC, QHD display

A new high-end smartphone from ZTE has been spotted on GFXBench. The listing reveals that the device - dubbed ZTE A2017 - is powered by a Snapdragon 820 SoC, and sports a 5.5-inch (1440 x 2560 pixel resolution) display.

It has 4GB RAM, while internal memory should be 64GB. In terms of camera, the handset sports a 21MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. The phone comes with Android Marshmallow (version 6.0.1) out-of-the-box. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and WiFi.

There is currently no information on when the device will be officially unveiled and what will be its final name. Also not known is its price as well as if and when it will be available in the United States.

Alcatel Idol 4 to reportedly have a Mini variant as well

While the rumor mill is already abuzz with a Pro variant of the yet-to-be-released Alcatel Idol 4, a new report is claiming that that the latter will have a Mini variant as well. Unlike the Windows 10-powered Pro version, however, the Mini variant is said to be powered by Android.

As for the specs, the report says that the Idol 4 Mini will be powered by either a Mediatek MT6738 SoC or a MT6750 chipset, and sport a 5-inch HD display. As for the memory configuration, there will be different options: 1GB/2GB/3GB for RAM and 8GB/16GB/32GB for internal memory.

In terms of camera, the the Mini variant will feature a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. The phone will pack in a 2,400mAh battery and as already mentioned, will run Android OS. There will also be a fingerprint scanner embedded on the home button.

US Cellular LG G5 to be available starting April 1; pre-orders begin March 28

Turns out the rumors were true as US Cellular has announced that it will begin selling the LG G5 on April 1, with pre-orders beginning March 28. Those purchasing the handset from the carrier before April 17 will also get a free extra battery and battery-charging cradle.

The carrier also said that some of the device's friends (accessories) - including the LG Cam Plus, LG 360 Cam and the LG 360 VR - will be available in mid-April.

As for the price, the US Cellular LG G5 will cost $199.99 with a regular, two-year contract. Alternatively, the handset can be yours for zero down followed by 24 monthly payments of $26.50. "In addition, if a current customer refers a friend to U.S. Cellular, and the friend chooses to activate a smartphone on a Shared Connect plan, they both will receive $50," the company said in a press release.