Samsung launches Rose Gold and Platinum Gear S2 variants in India

Samsung has launched its premium Rose Gold and Platinum variants of the Gear S2 in India.

The watches are plated in 18K gold for the Rose Gold variant and platinum for the, well, Platinum variant. The Rose Gold model comes with an Ivory White leather strap and the Platinum model with a black leather strap. The straps are 20mm and can be swapped with any other of that size.

Samsung also launched another variant, the Gear S2 White, which is the standard silver model paired with a sporty white elastomer strap. This makes the total number of Gear S2 variants available in India to five, including the existing Gear S2 Classic Black, and the Gear S2 Black.

The Gear S2 Rose Gold and Platinum are priced at INR 34,900 ($524) each and the Gear S2 White at INR 24,300 ($365).

Samsung India to announce a new phone on March 31

Samsung is hyping up a motorcycle-themed event for India in three days. The event is tagged #TapKickVroom and "will change the way you ride."

So, what is #TapKickVroom, anyway? You'll have to guess - and don't forget to tweet your guesses to @SamungMobileIN to enter the contest (you have until March 30, 6pm). You can also write on Samsung Mobile India's Facebook page, here are the rules.

The prize is a "newly launched smartphone" for three lucky winners.

Samsung recently showed off a smart motorcycle shield, but I doubt that. If you read the contest rules carefully you're in for a spoiler (hover/tap to view):

Each winner shall be eligible to receive one newly launched smartphone (i.e.- Smartphone launched on 31st March 20

You can keep an eye on the countdown until the event over at the TapKickVroom microsite.

So, which phone? The Galaxy S7s are already out, so the Galaxy J5 maybe?

LG unveils Marshmallow-based UX 5.0 user interface

Over a week after LG announced the global roll-out of its G5 flagship smartphone, the company has unveiled version 5.0 of its mobile user interface. Based on Android Marshmallow, the new LG UX 5.0 will not only be available on the G5, but upcoming LG smartphone models as well.

The LG UX 5.0 includes an LG Friends Manager app which the company says is the highlight of the new UI. It lets you easily connect your G5 to its Friends (accessories or modules) - not only it detects the accessories, it downloads and installs all the required apps from the Google Play Store as well.

"LG Friends Manager generates a different display for each LG Friend. When paired with the 360 CAM, the screen on the G5 will display photo previews and the available shooting modes," LG said. "The Friends Camera Album in the Gallery enables users to categorize and manage images captured with LG Friends such as 360 CAM and Rolling Bot."

The new UI also includes enhanced support for G5's camera, bringing features such as pinch-based zooming, Auto Shot - enhanced Gesture Shot for selfies, and Multi View - the ability to capture different angles of images at the same moment using the front and rear cameras of the G5 and the LG 360 CAM.

One of the other key features the LG UX 5.0 brings along is the combination of Home Screen and the App Drawer, something which LG's calling New Home. However, "users who prefer the traditional style can download the Home & App Drawer directly from the settings menu on the LG G5," the company said.

There are also other features like upgraded LG Health, Always on, Smart Doctor, World Clock, File Manager, Quick Help, LG Backup, and Diverse Security Method for fingerprint recognition.

"We analyzed the lifestyle of smartphone users to provide a superior mobile experience and greatly expanded the usability with LG UX 5.0," said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "LG UX 5.0 and G5 were designed to provide an innovative user experience that reflects the needs of our most demanding customers."

Xiaomi Mi 5 India launch confirmed for this week

While it was already confirmed that the Xiaomi Mi 5 will soon be launched in India, now we have the exact date. The Chinese company has started sending official invites for the India launch event, which is scheduled for March 31.

In case you don't already know, the flagship smartphone has been on sale in the company's home country of China for nearly a month now - except for the Pro variant, which is scheduled to be launched there on April 6.

There's currently no information on the exact price tag the phone will carry in India, but that won't remain a secret for long as the launch is just days away. For those interested in the Mi 5 but living outside of China and India, you'll be glad to know that the handset is already up for international pre-orders on GearBest.

HTC 10 said to have SD652 variant as well

While HTC's upcoming smartphone - the HTC 10 - has been said to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 SoC until now, a new rumor is suggesting that - just like LG's G5 - the HTC flagship will also have a Snapdragon 652 variant.

The rumor says that the SD652-powered model will have 3GB RAM and 16GB memory, while the SD820 variant will come in 3GB/32GB and 4GB/128GB memory configurations. As for the price, the former will carry a tag of RMB 3,799 (around $585), while the latter two will set you back RMB 4,999 (around $770) and RMB 5,888 (around $900) respectively.

We already know that the handset will be unveiled on April 12, and recent reports have suggested that it will go on sale in the HTC's home country of Taiwan on April 15. Other rumored specs of the device include 5.15-inch QHD LCD, USB Type C, 3,000mAh battery, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

More live Huawei P9 images leak

While Huawei has already started teasing the upcoming P9, we still don't have any confirmation on what exactly the phone looks like. That's not to say that the handset hasn't been the subject of any image leaks so far - there have, in fact, been many, and adding to the pile is a new set of leaked images.

If you compare, the design revealed in these images is similar to the one revealed in some of the previous leaks, especially the leak that allegedly showed the Chinese company's president using the device.

Huawei P9

Set to be unveiled on April 6, the Huawei P9 is rumored to be powered by a Kirin 950 chipset and sport a 5.2-inch 1080p screen. It is said to have 3GB/32GB memory, feature a 5MP front shooter and a 12MP dual rear camera setup with support for OIS, as well as pack in a 3,000mAh battery.

One-third of Galaxy S7 customers join the Galaxy Club upgrade program

33% of Galaxy S7 buyers in South Korea have signed up for the company's Galaxy Club program. That's a good start for the company's upgrade plan, which offers participants to trade-in their old smartphone after 12 months of ownership and get one of the latest available.

The Samsung Galaxy Club is also available in Singapore and the UK. The service, which is similar to Apple's Upgrade Program, has you paying a monthly fee and allows you to upgrade when the new flagship comes around 12 months later. There are also additional incentives for joining the program, one of which is a one-time 50% discount on out-of-warranty handset repairs.

The company has said that it will make the program available in more markets in the coming weeks and months.

Transmission BitTorrent client now available for Windows

After being available on OS X and Linux for around a decade, popular BitTorrent client Transmission is now also available for Windows. According to developer Mike Gelfand, Transmission for Windows is similar to other clients both in terms of user interface and features.

Gelfand revealed the Windows client is still under active development, and addition of more features in the near future is on the cards. "The only difference right now is that it runs on Windows. We’ll see how it goes, some features could be added later on which are specific to Windows and aren’t needed on other platforms," he said.

Those willing to download and use Transmission for Windows can do so by heading to theSource link below (look for the .msi files there).

Weekly poll: Apple iPhone SE, Hot or Not?

The Apple iPhone SE sparked a debate in our office - some sighed "finally! a compact flagship" others shook their heads, saying "5+ inches or bust."

Apple's tagline for the 4" phone is "A big step for small," contrast that with the "Bigger than bigger" subheading of the 5.5" iPhone 6(s) Plus. It is more or less an iPhone 6s guts inside an iPhone 5s body (well, except for the Touch ID, 3D Touch and selfie camera).

The upgrades over the 5s - which many still consider a good enough phone - include a 12MP camera with 4K video, the new, faster A9 chipset with double the RAM and Apple Pay. Okay, upgrades don't "include" those things, this is pretty much all there is.

Fair is fair, though, we thought Apple was going to price it from $500 for the 16GB - it's how much the 5s cost when the 6 was announced. And while we can't recommend the 16GB iPhone SE, the 64GB model is $500, so it works out better than expected.

So, will the iPhone SE push the holdouts to upgrade - 4/4S/5/5s users? Will those who tried the bigger iPhone 6(s) and didn't like them switch back. Will Android users who are unhappy about the platform's general lack of "super minis"? In short, iPhone SE - hot or not?

Instagram for web gets Explore and Notifications

Instagram has pushed a small update for its website, that gets two important additions.

The site now features buttons for Explore and Notifications. The Explore section shows people you might know and would want to follow. The Notifications section, as you might imagine, shows all your notifications. These features were only accessible on the app before. Unfortunately, you still can't see your friends' activity on the site and that's still limited to the app.

The app also gets some minor server side changes. The like, comment, share buttons are slightly redesigned, and the additional options button below an image has been moved above. These changes are being rolled out without needing an update.

Possible Yu Yureka Plus successor spotted in import listing

Indian company YU seems to be working on a new device and, form the looks of things, it appears to be a successor to the Yureka Plus. The mysterious device was spotted on Zauba, entering India from China.

The officially provided model number for the unit is YU5200 and, as usual, the listing comes with some basics specs as well. The handset is listed as having a 5.2-inch screen, as well as 4G connectivity and Dual SIM support. The only other piece of information on Zauba is the announced price of INR 9,036, which is not necessarily indicative of its market price in any way, but is still low enough to suggest a price point below INR 10,000, or around $150 - a budget-friendly offer indeed.

luckily, a device bearing the exact same YU5200 model number was also spotted on the GFXBench website, with a full set of specs. They suggest a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels on the 5.2-inch panel, also an octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC, a generous 3GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage, with a microSD card slot. The camera setup includes a 13MP main shooter with a single LED flash and up to 1080p video recording and a 5MP selfie cam on the front. Other specs include Wi-Fi b/g/n, the already mentioned LTE and Dual SIM, as well as Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and an Android 5.1 Lollipop OS.

Meizu PRO 6 leaks in more photos flaunting gold and white color variation

Photos of a gold variant of the yet unreleased Meizu PRO 6 have hit the web. As you can see below, the phone will use the design of the PRO 5 as a foundation, but will have subtle differences.

The PRO 6 is rumored to have laser autofocus located insite the LED flash ring at the back. Additional purported features will be mTouch fingerprint scanner, 2.5D curved display and a USB Type C port.

Incredibly, the phone is rumored to sport 6GB of RAM, too. Other yet-to-be-confirmed specs of the device include 1080p display, Exynos 8890 SoC, Hi-Fi 3.0, Flyme 6.0 OS, and fast charging. If you recall, Meizu's VP and Flyme chief architect Yang Yan recently shared a screenshot revealing that the handset will feature 3D Touch/Force touch.

There's no word regarding the official debut of the phone just yet.