Microsoft is testing Outlook Premium subscription for $3.99 per month

Microsoft is testing a new service called Outlook Premium. Currently, you can only get it if you receive an invite (if you want one, you can request it here).

Outlook Premium gives you five personalized email addresses (using a custom domain of your choosing), an ad-free inbox, and improved calendar sharing. For those who have invites, it's free for the first year. Following that, Outlook Premium is priced at $3.99 per month.

This may also be launched as a free add-on for Office 365 subscribers at some point in the future, after the testing phase has concluded. Yet if you're interested in Outlook Premium alone, and don't need an Office 365 subscription, it looks like you'll need to be okay with spending $3.99 per month for it.

Then again, it's possible that the price point will change when the service becomes publicly accessible. When that might happen is unknown, by the way. Also unclear is if Microsoft will be adding more features to the Premium tier before making it official. And let's not forget that since it's little more than an experiment right now, Outlook Premium may actually be scrapped by Microsoft without ever getting a wider launch. Only time will tell.

Meizu Pro 6 leaks in a new pair of photos

The Meizu Pro 6 has really been getting a lot of publicity lately. The whole iPhone 7 resemblance was more or less an attention-grabber, but even beyond that the handset has had its fair share of leaks.

The latest batch of leaked photos offers a glimpse at both the front and the back of the phone and once again reaffirms the significant design similarities between the Pro 6 and its predecessor - the Pro 5. The shots in question seem to come from a shoot we already caught a glimpse of a few days back, making it quite a bit more believable.

Overall, the images don't really offer much in the way of new information, but we already have a pretty good idea what to expect. The Meizu Pro 6 is shaping up as a true powerhouse packing 6GB of RAM and a 3D touch display. And, as per a recently leaked manufacturer road map, the Pro 6 should be rocking a 5.7-inch QHD panel, fast UFS3.0 storage, as well as NFC 3.0 and a big 3,500 mAh battery.

The document in question also points to a Samsung Exynos 8890 chip and price range for the flagship, starting at CNY 2799 ($430) for a 32GB one, going through CNY 3099 ($480) for 64GB and all the way up to CNY 3499 ($540) for the top-tier 128GB variant.

New Meizu m3 note leak reveals launch price

Meizu definitely has a solid midrange smartphone lin-up and the upcoming m3 note will add even more substance to it. A recent leaked teaser image shows that Meizu plans to price the m3 note at just $170 (CNY 1,099).

If this turns out to be true, then the company will not only be highly competitive against the likes of rivals in the Xiaomi, Lenovo and LeTV camp, but also it's very own Meizu Metal line-up. The Metal rocks a similar price in China and the upcoming metal 2 is believed to follow suite.

The m3 note should offer an all-new alloy body 3500 instead of a plastic one and a 5.5" 1080p display. Under the hood, the phone is rumored to sport a Helio X10 chipset with 2 or 3GB RAM (storage dependent), and a 3,500 mAh battery.

We'll know what the Meizu m3 note holds for sure once it gets officially revealed. One of the key upgrades over the m2 note is the new shiny metal chassis, probably following the footsteps of the Meizu m1 metal and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 on April 6.

ZenFone 3 and ZenFone 3 Deluxe surface in possible renders

Asus struck gold with the ZenFone 2, which despite its naming disaster and veritable model chaos managed to deliver big in the value department with powerful hardware and an affordable price point. Naturally, fans have been waiting anxiously for the Taiwanese giant's next step since and by all accounts, it should come in the shape of the ZenFone 3.

We have already heard quite a bit about the handset, including some TENAA listings, talk of afingerprint reader and a suggested May or June release frame. However, the Zenfone 3 is still quite illusive and we're not even sure whether it will come alone or in the company of a Deluxe version.

The latter is shaping up as a plausible possibility, especially after a pair of devices, bearing the ZenFone 3 moniker was spotted on the reddot 21 design website. Considering the source, there is quite a bit of focus on aesthetics. The Zenfone 3 is said to bear a 2.5D glass finish on both the front and the back, with a thin decorative layer underneath to bring that signature metallic spin texture. The design is complete by a metal frame.

Тhe render and short description also provide some insight into the hardware for the ZenFone 3. The main camera is now square in shape, accompanied by what appears to be a dual-tone LED flash and laser autofocus. Also, there seems to be an LG-style button on the back, which is likely the home of the aforementioned fingerprint reader. In the text, there is also mention of a USB Type C port and some rather interesting cosmetic changes to the new Smart Flip Cover, like glowing edges:

Optional Smart Flip Cover is available to deliver a more intuitive user experience. With advanced fluorescent material leveraging the brightness of the screen, the edge of the cover illuminates corresponding to UI settings. With Smart Flip Cover, users receive notices in a new and clever way.

But things get truly interesting when we move on the the ZenFone 3 Deluxe listing on the same website. The provided render seems to show a radically different phone with a physical home button on the front.

Sadly, the sole perspective does not offer a clear view of the back of the handset, but the accompanying text goes on to explain that the ZenFone 3 Deluxe will be the first ever full metal smartphone. That is to say, it will not require any inserts or other utilities for the internal radios to work, which we find a little bit hard to believe. Also, the fact that the title of the page says "Zenfon 3 Deluxe series" doesn't instill much confidence in the leak either, so, take it with a pinch of salt.

iPad Pro 9.7" teardown show tightly packed components, low repairability

The time for the iPad Pro 9.7 teardown is upon us, thanks to the professional disassemblers at iFixit. What everyone expected to be an iteration of the iPad Air 2, turned out to be a scaled down version of the 12.9" iPad Pro and as such every millimeter inside the alloy body is put to good use.

The iPad Pro 9.7" is hard to open and requires a lot of patience and heating, but once open you can see just how cramped the inside is. The largest component, naturally, is the battery. In this iPad Pro it has a rating of 27.91 Whr (7,306mAh), which is slightly better than the iPad Air 2's 27.62 Whr.

Sadly, for those who want to repair their iPad Pro 9.7" on their own turf, it's not that easy. iFixit gives the slate a repairability score of 2/10 (10 being the easiest to repair).

The fused front panel is one of the components that will be most expensive to fix and carries the risk of damaging the LCD during opening. Additionally, there are "gobs of adhesive", which hold the components inside resulting in more difficult repairs.

BBM adds message retraction, timed messages to free version

BlackBerry has updated its BlackBerry Messenger client across Android, iOS, and BlackBerry 10 with some useful new features.

The main new feature here is message retraction. You can now retract messages after sending them, or even edit them. This can be useful if you sent something by mistake and don't wish the other person to see it. This works in one on one chats as well as group chats.

BBM also supports timed messages now, where the messages disappear after a certain time once the recipient has seen them. Previously both features were only available via a paid add-on.

Other additions made free include ability to mute group chats, scrolling through pictures sent over chats and groups, ability to save images captured within the app, larger videos on iOS, redesigned UI on iOS, check multiple messages to delete, forward, or retract, forwarding messages from one chat to another, and Android 6.0 support.

Leaked render shows off Huawei P9's back

The Huawei P9 - which is scheduled to be unveiled on April 6 - has been the subject ofseveral image leaks so far. Now, a new image, which apparently looks like a press render, has leaked clearly showing off the back of the smartphone.

The image clearly shows a dual rear camera setup, which has already been officially confirmed by the Chinese company, as well as a finger print scanner. In addition, the image also re-confirms that the handset comes with a Leica co-developed camera.

As for the specs, from what all has been rumored so far, the phone is powered by a Kirin 950 SoC and sports a 5.2-inch 1080p screen. It has 3GB/32GB memory configuration, and features a 5MP front shooter and a 12MP dual rear camera setup with support for OIS. There's a 3,000mAh battery to keep the lights on.

Oculus Rift facing shipment delays; company offering free shipping to make up

Oculus Rift shipments started more than a week ago, with the company's co-founder and CEO Palmer Luckey himself making the first delivery. Sadly, the company has now revealed that it's facing component shortages due to which estimated shipping dates for some of the pre-orders have been impacted.

However, to make up for the inconvenience, the company has said that it'll be covering shipping and handling costs for all the existing orders. Here's an excerpt from an email sent out by Oculus to several developers and consumers:

"We're working hard to up-to-date ship windows, and you should expect to see your order status updated on oculus.com by Tuesday, April 12. Although many Rifts will be arriving on schedule and in line with original estimates, we'll be covering the shipping and handling costs for all orders placed through today."

Auto cancellation issues affecting some Vive pre-orders; HTC working on fix

HTC received a lot of pre-orders for its Vive virtual reality headset, but the company is facing issues while processing them. In a blog post on the matter, the company revealed that some of the pre-orders have been affected by auto cancellations, something which happened "due to processing issues with financial institutions."

"We’re actively working to resolve this, and have already reinstated orders for some customers," HTC said. "We want to assure our customers that we’ll work with them to process their payment so they can receive their Vive when they were expecting it."

The company is also encouraging customers to contact their financial institution to notify them of upcoming charges. In case of any related query, you can also contact HTC at +1 888-216-4736 or online at Vive Support (hit the link below).

Microsoft Lumia 650 spotted listed on Amazon India

Just a day after it was launched in the United States and Canada, the Microsoft Lumia 650 has been spotted listed on Amazon's India website. The device is being offered by a local retailer with shipments beginning April 30.

As for the price, the white model carries a tag of INR 16,599 ($250), while the black one will set you back INR 16,700 ($252). Both variants offer dual-SIM capabilities.

It's worth mentioning that Microsoft is yet to officially announce the Lumia 650 in India, although it is expected to happen very soon. In case you don't already know, the handset was first unveiled back in February, and has been available in Europe for quite a few weeks now.

Weekly poll: LG G5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7

Yes, we know we sort of did that already, and the G5 lost. But last time around it was just after announcement, and now that the reviews are out, there's firmer ground to make an informed opinion. That, and also now it's the LG G5 versus the non-edge Samsung Galaxy S7.

The smartphones are priced identically, share some of the hardware (particularly if you're in the States, where the S7 comes with a Snapdragon 820 inside) and are overall two of the best handsets you can buy.

Only they couldn't be more different. The G5 is the quirky one - you can dismantle it, it has friends, there are two cameras on its back with different FOV - it's unlike any other.

The Galaxy S7 is the more conservative type - evolutionary design, cold glass on both sides, single lower-res cam (but with large fast-focusing pixels), sizeable battery - it means business.

So which approach do you prefer?

New Microsoft Band 2 update brings ability to add more tiles, create challenges

Microsoft has rolled out a new update to its Band 2 fitness wearable that brings some new features such the ability to add more tiles and create challenges, as well as regular bug fixes. The update is available for all major mobile platforms.

With the new update, you can now choose up to 20 tiles to appear on your Microsoft Band 2 start strip. In addition, the app now also lets you create challenges - for activities like steps, cardio minutes, runs, and bike rides - between you and your Facebook friends who also use the Microsoft Health app.

The update also brings along the ability to choose apps that can send notifications, allowing you to only get notified from the apps that you care about most - this feature is only listed in the change-log of Health app's Windows Store listing.