Viber update brings end-to-end encryption and hidden chats

Earlier this month, WhatsApp has announced that everything you communicate through it can now be end-to-end encrypted, and today one of its biggest competitors has done the same.

Viber is the app in question, and it's no small deal, this, as it currently has more than 700 million users. With the latest version (that's already available in both the iTunes App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android), all of your communications are end-to-end encrypted, provided all the people in a conversation have the new Viber iteration.

Like always, end-to-end encryption means no one can intercept your messages (be those one-to-one or group affairs) or calls, not even the app's maker. The rollout of this new feature will be completed within two weeks. Once that happens, you'll see a new padlock icon in the chat UI, which confirms everything is encrypted.

Hidden chats are now also a part of Viber. What this gives you is the option to hide certain chats with certain people from showing up in the app's main screen. You can then access your hidden chats with a PIN or by using Touch ID on your iOS device.

Apple refreshes the MacBook and MacBook Air laptops

Without much fanfare, Apple today released a small hardware refresh of its MacBook 12" and MacBook Air notebooks.

The refreshed MacBook now sports sixth-generation Intel Core M, which can be configured with either 1.1GHz or 1.3GHz clock speed. The RAM is also upgraded from 1600MHz to the faster 1866MHz and the Intel HD 515 GPU promises 25% better efficiency. And, yes, there's a new rose gold color available to mark the slight bump in specs.

Thanks to the latest components, the battery life has been increased to 10 hours web browsing and 11 hours of continuous video playback. Prices start from $1,299 for the 1.1GHz model (8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage).

The only change the MacBook Air saw today was a bump in base RAM capacity. From now on, the 13" Air will come with 8GB as standard whereas the 11-incher will remain to have 4GB as standard.

Samsung developing a 1/1.7" camera sensor for upcoming flagships

Samsung is in the development of a large 1/1.7" CMOS sensor that'll be put to use in the company's upcoming flagships, according to information obtained by PhotoRumors. The new sensor is purported to have an aperture as wide as f/1.4 and would be in the 18-24MP range.

According to the report, Samsung is on a mission to step up its camera game even further and has an aggressive roadmap. The company is also working on a new compact 1/2.3" sensor, but its use isn't known yet.

Finally, Samsung's long-term game is to lure NX camera users to switch to its smartphones and part of the effort to do so will be a new interface based on the NX one in upcoming smartphones. Whether all these rumors are true or not remains to be seen and we'll be keeping an ear out for more rumors on the topic.

Samsung's Good Lock is a smart, feature-loaded lockscreen

Remember a few years ago when lockscreens had shortcuts and widgets and multiple screens? Well, these over-stuffed kind of lockscreens have fallen out of favor now, but if you miss the glory days, you should look at Samsung's new app - Good Lock.

It's a lockscreen replacement that is not 100% sure whether it wants to replace the lock screen or the home screen. It has shortcuts - frequently used but also recent apps.

It has widgets and quick toggles too:

One thing I do like is the advanced notification actions - they are treated almost like calendar events, you can save them for later, set alarms to remind you, tag them so they are easier to find.

The Good Lock app is adaptable, it lets you add rules called Routines. They are based on time, location and network that switch the available shortcuts and apps. Basically, you can create a "work" lockscreen that switches to "personal" after working hours.

The app is available from Galaxy Apps in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Korea. You'll need a Galaxy S6 or S7 (including versions like edge and Active) or a Galaxy Note5 (running Marshmallow). Samsung has committed to updating Good Lock bi-weekly based on user feedback.

Nubia Z11 Mini unveiled with 5" 1080p screen, 16MP camera

ZTE's sub-brand Nubia has a new member - the Nubia Z11 Mini. The phone features a 5" screen (the term "mini" has grown) and has a strong focus on photography.

The main camera uses a 16MP Sony IMX298 sensor (same as Xiaomi Mi 5 and Huawei Mate 8). It's behind an f/2.0 lens and offers phase-detection autofocus and "3D noise reduction."

You get RAW DNG shooting mode and ISO that goes up to 12,800 (ZTE is promising no added noise, but we don't buy it). For video shooting, the camera maxes out at 1080p.

There's an 8MP selfie camera too, with large 1.4µm pixels and 80° lens (with a narrow aperture of f/2.4).

As for the rest of the Nubia Z11 Mini, the phone has a metal frame and a 5" 1080p screen behind a 2.5D glass. It's powered by a Snapdragon 617 chipset (28nm, 8x Cortex-A53, Adreno 405) with 3GB of RAM and comes with an impressive 64GB storage. It runs an older Android 5.1 Lollipop and has a fingerprint reader on the back.

This is a dual-SIM phone with VoLTE support. It's powered by a 2,800mAh battery.

The Z11 Mini is going on sale in China later this month and will be available through JD for CNY 1,500 ($230/€205).

After SM-C5000, another Samsung C series handset (SM-C7000) spotted

The SM-C5000, which is said to be part of a new 'Galaxy C' series smartphone line-up from Samsung, has already been the subject a few leaks and rumors until now. Aside from this device, the South Korean company is also said to be working on another C series handset dubbed SM-C7000.

Now, the SM-C7000 has been spotted on Antutu, revealing some of its key specifications. As per the listing, the device is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 chipset, and sports a full HD display. RAM is 4GB, while internal memory is listed as 32GB.

The camera department offers a 16MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. The phone runs Android 6.0.1 out-of-the-box.

In case you don't already know, rumors say the new C series is expected to be launched next month, but will only be exclusive to China.

Verizon HTC 10 will be up for pre-orders starting April 29

Verizon has announced that it will begin accepting HTC 10 pre-orders on April 29. In addition, the carrier revealed that on the same day the device will also be on display at its retail stores for those interested in having a hands-on preview.

"Verizon will start pre-orders for the HTC 10 on April 29," the company said in a statement. "In addition, Verizon Wireless stores will host exclusive in-store previews on April 29 to give consumers and media a hands-on look at the HTC 10. Verizon will be the first wireless carrier to offer the HTC 10." There was, however, no word on the pricing.

For those in the US who are planning to purchase the device, it's worth reminding that the 64GB variant as well as the High-Res headphones will not be available in the country. Oh, and that Camillia Red color variant is currently Japan-exclusive.

Marshmallow update starts hitting T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ as well

Shortly after the Samsung Galaxy Note5 on T-Mobile started receiving it, the Marshmallow update has begun hitting T-Mobile Galaxy S6 edge+ variants as well. While the update brought Android 6.0 to the former, the latter gets Android 6.0.1.

Weighing in at 1.34 GB, the update bumps the software version to G928TUVU2DPD1. As you'd expect, the update brings along the usual Marshmallow goodies, including Doze, Google Now on Tap, and redesigned app permissions.

Given the fact that the update has just begun rolling, it may take some time before it hits your device. However, if you're feeling impatient, you can manually check for it by heading to theSettings menu on your handset.

CREO Mark 1 with 5.5-inch QHD display is now available for purchase

The Mark 1, which was unveiled by India-based startup CREO last week, is now available for purchase in the country. The device is listed on the company's official website, and among online retailers, Flipkart is selling it.

As for the price, the device carries a tag of INR 19,999 (around $300). Those purchasing the handset from CREO's website will also be able to get a custom message engraved on the side of their unit. The engraving option will be free for the first 2,000 orders.

For those who don't already know, the Mark 1 is powered by MediaTek's Helio X chipset, and sports a 5.5-inch QHD display. It comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a 3,100mAh battery. In terms of camera, the device features a 21MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. It's available in Gunmetal Black color option.

LeEco Le 2 (or Le Max 2) shows up in a benchmark with 6GB of RAM

After launching the first Snapdragon 820-powered smartphone a few months back, LeEco (formerly known as LeTV) has been busy working on its next top of the line device. We've seen this leaking quite a few times, either in images, official certifications, or benchmarks.

The handset could be called Le 2, Le 2 Pro, or even Le Max 2, the exact moniker unfortunately hasn't been conclusively leaked. And now it turns out that the Le 2 (let's call it that) will come in no less than three hardware versions.

One will sport 3GB of RAM, another will come with 4GB of memory, but the highest-end of them all will get a whopping 6GB of RAM. It's this model that has now been spotted in the GFXBench database, after someone performed a benchmark run on it.

The phone also has a 5.5-inch QHD touchscreen, a 21 MP rear camera (with 4K video capture), an 8 MP front-facing snapper (which can record QHD video), and 64GB of storage. It's powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset, as you'd expect given the other specs here. The new LeEco smartphone runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.

It's still unclear when LeEco will make this device official, but hopefully that's going to happen soon.

Oppo tops offline sales in China thanks to the F1 Plus

March has been quite a successful month for Oppo. The company boasts it has taken the first spot in offline sales in China thanks to the soaring interest for the F1 Plus (R9 in China). The data is gathered by independent research company Sino MR.

The analysis shows that the company sold 180,000 units on the first day of sales (March 24). Just four days later, the number of Oppo R9 phones sold was topping 400,000.

Following Oppo in terms of sales volume for March is Vivo and Apple with 12.1% and 11.2%, respectively. Huawei is fourth with 9.4%, but its sub-brand Honor is also doing well with a 4.5% market share, so combined it actually holds the lead.

The Oppo R9 is powered by a Mediatek Helio P10 chipset with four of its Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.0GHz, the other four at 1.0GHz. 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage are on board and the R9 can take up to 128GB of microSD cards in the hybrid microSD/second-SIM slot.

The Oppo R9 is priced at CNY 2,799 in China ($430).

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 for T-Mobile getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Verizon and AT&T unleashed the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update onto their Samsung Galaxy Note5 users in March and towards the end of the same month, Sprint joined in as well.

Now it's time for T-Mobile to do its thing - the update is available Over The Air and it weighs in at 1,420MB so make sure to download it over Wi-Fi.

Downloading the Marshmallow update for T-Mobile's Galaxy Note5

The update brings the usual Marshmallow goodies and makes the some changes to the pre-installed app package - Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp are getting the boot.