BlackBerry Priv is now $100 cheaper when bought sans contract from AT&T

Here's some good news for fans of the BlackBerry Priv who use AT&T as their carrier. The company has decided to make BlackBerry's first Android smartphone cheaper than it was before, and not by an insignificant amount.

If you purchase the handset outright, you now need to pay only $639.99, whereas before the price was $739.99. So that's a nice $100 saved. And the situation is the same overall if you choose to employ the AT&T Next installment plans. Using this method, you pay nothing upfront then followed by 30 monthly payments of $21.34, 24 monthly installments of $26.67, or 20 monthly payments of $32. In the end you arrive at the same sum, which is around $640.

If for some reason you prefer doing things the old fashioned way and want to sign a two-year contract with the carrier in exchange for the phone, then you'll shell out $199.99 for the Priv when you get it. That's $50 less than it used to be, so you're saving some money even if you're opting for this method of doing business.

The Priv has a 5.4-inch QHD touchscreen, an 18 MP main camera, a 2 MP selfie snapper, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 808 SoC at the helm, and a 3,410 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

Sony Xperia X will be available in the UK on May 20, XA on June 10

Sony announced the Xperia X, XA, and X Performance back at MWC in February. We then saw the first two of the devices going up for pre-order at one UK retailer last month, though unfortunately actual release dates for them weren't available then.

Well, they are now. Amazon has also started taking pre-orders for the Xperia X and Xperia XA, and while the prices are a tad higher than those we told you about in March, what's important here is that both phones have a release date attached.

The Sony Xperia X will be out in the UK on May 20, while the lower-end XA will debut on June 10. Amazon is asking for £549.99 for the X, and £279.99 for the XA. The Xperia X is currently only offered in black and rose gold, while the XA can be had in "lime gold", white, or black. There's still no sign of the Xperia X Performance in the UK.

Samsung is testing two Galaxy Note 6 versions, one has a curved screen

Since Samsung is going to launch the Galaxy Note 6 this year, perhaps in August or even earlier, it's understandable that the Korean company would already be testing prototypes. Interestingly though, a report that allegedly comes from a reliable source claims Samsung has created two different Note 6 versions, yet will decide upon one of them before the unveiling, and the other model will not be launched. The Galaxy S6 edge+ from last year will not get a successor in 2016, so basically the Note 6 will serve double duty, both as the follow-up to theNote5 but also the S6 edge+.

Hence it makes total sense that one of the Note 6 prototypes comes with a doubly curved screen, just like the S7 edge and previous edge-branded handsets before it. The second prototype has a flat display, and their other specs are identical.

The Galaxy Note 6 will feature a 5.8-inch QHD Super AMOLED touchscreen (whether curved or not remains to be seen), the same 12 MP dual pixel camera that's in the S7 and S7 edge, 6GB of RAM, and a 4,000 mAh battery. As for the chipset employed, there are once again two to speak of - a new (but unnamed) version of Samsung's own Exynos 8 Octa (with slightly higher clock speeds than the 8890 in the S7), as well as Qualcomm's Snapdragon 823. It's likely that some markets will get the latter, while most will see Samsung's own silicon, emulating what's happened with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

The internal storage will be 32GB, expandable via a microSD card slot. Samsung will apparently make the Note 6 official a very short while after Google launches Android N, and the Note 6 should run that version of the OS from day one. The Note 6 will of course sport a fingerprint sensor, but it may also come with an iris scanner.

Obviously, even if everything you've just read is 100% accurate right now, small changes could still occur before the phablet is outed, so do keep that in mind.

April security update starts hitting Galaxy Note5 units in India

Samsung has started rolling out the latest Android security update to Galaxy Note5 units in India. As per the change-log, the update also includes some performance and stability-related improvements as well as generic bug fixes.

Weighing in at around 19MB, the update bumps the firmware version to N920GDDS2BPD2, and brings up the device's Android security patch level to April 2, 2016. Reportedly, Galaxy Note5 model SM-N920G is receiving the same firmware in Nepal and Sri Lanka as well.

Given that software updates are usually rolled out in phases, it may take time for this one as well to hit your device. However, if you are feeling impatient, you can manually check for it by heading to your handset's Settings menu.

Xiaomi teases Mi Max

Yesterday, we reported on a render of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Max phablet, after revealing that the phone indeed exists a few days prior to that. Xiaomi today released a teaser image of the phone revealing just a small portion of it.

The point of the image is to show that the phone can fit comfortably into jeans pocket, but considering the rumors of a 6.4-inch display, we find that somewhat hard to believe.

Other things worth noting is the missing Mi logo up front, something that has been around on Xiaomi phones since the beginning, and the new Baymax-style design of the sensors/earpiece/camera arrangement. The phone does not have the thin bezels on the side, which leads us to believe this might not necessarily be a high-end device, and more of a mid-range offering.

Xiaomi says the Mi Max is a brand new product line, separate from its existing Mi and Redmi series.

We will continue to keep you updated as more information surfaces.

Silver Galaxy S7/S7 edge to be available in Netherlands starting May

Samsung's latest flagship smartphones - the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge - were launched globally last month on March 11. Although the devices come in several color options, the complete range is not yet available in several markets.

One such market is the Netherlands, where the Silver color option wasn't available. However, that was until now, as the variant is now listed on the websites of several Dutch retailers, including Cool Blue, Mobile, and Belsimpel.

Interested users can place their orders right now, and the phone should be delivered in the first week of May - a delivery date of May 2 is being shown currently. In case you missed, Samsung recently launched a Pink Gold version as well, but that's currently only available in South Korea.

The National Traffic Safety Administration is tweeting people to stop texting and driving

Let’s face it, texting and driving is really dangerous no matter how good you think you might be at “multitasking”. Would you juggle knives while texting? Well, you get the point.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA is attacking the problem the best way it possibly can. By targeting those who openly admit to texting and driving on Twitter, and there seems to be a lot of drivers who do! The NHTSA is actually tweeting directly at these drivers and putting them on the spot.

While this might not be the most effective methods of dealing with the problem, it sure is a start. Who knows how many lives can be saved just by reminding someone that their life is not worth a text message. By using the hashtag #justdrive the NHTSA believes it can spread the word and encourage people to stop using their phones while driving.

Texting and driving has been an issue ever since texting became such a popular method of communication (it’s even become the primary method for some people). Accidents involving drivers that were texting are among the deadliest since drivers have kept their eyes off the road for seconds at a time. Only seconds of a car traveling at high speeds can really add up and put the driver at risk of a collision.

At GSM Arena we remind you to NEVER use your phone while driving, it puts you, your passengers, and other drivers on the road at a serious risk of collision that is easily preventable by just putting it down. And if you’re a passenger with a driver who is driving distracted, speak up. #justdrive

This modder got 64GB of internal storage on his Nexus 5 by replacing the eMMC chip

XDA member KApetz2 decided he loved every bit of his Nexus 5 so much, but hated that he didn’t have more than 32GB of internal storage. So he did what every modder does, he took matters into his own hands and bought a 64GB eMMC chip and changed the damn memory himself.

KApetz2 bought a 64GB chip online and figured he could swap out the memory chip in the logic board and gain double the internal storage space. This, however, is not the case. While it is not physically impossible to swap such a chip, it is, however, not as simple as it sounds. The firmware in the device needs to know how much memory is inside the device.
KApetz2 needed to ask around the forums on how to change the data tables in order for the Nexus 5 to recognize the new eMMC chip. At first people didn’t know what the hell he was saying, and others were reassuring that there was no such thing as a 64GB Nexus 5. But there actually is now.

If you are feeling a little adventurous and you really know what you’re doing try it out. Replace the chip with a larger one; once you tear your Nexus 5 apart screw by screw. Then you’ll need to refer to the thread with the steps for how to restore your phone’s data partition table to correctly recognize a larger storage chip.

Microsoft will reduce OneDrive free storage to 5GB starting on July 27

Last year there was a bit of a kerfuffle involving Microsoft's cloud storage service, OneDrive. The company announced plans to cut free storage from 15GB to 5GB, and also get rid of the additional 15GB camera roll bonus altogether.

A big backlash followed, and just a few weeks later Microsoft backtracked somewhat. It allowed users to keep their 15GB + 15GB free allotment if they went to a special page and clicked on a big blue "Keep your free storage" button by January 31, 2016.

But what if you've had a OneDrive free account since at least last year and didn't bother to go through the aforementioned procedure? Well, at some point your storage would have been cut to 5GB, but up until now we didn't know exactly when this would happen.

The date is July 27, so make sure to mark that in your calendar if you have more than 5GB of stuff stored in your OneDrive. Beginning on July 27, you'll only get 5GB of storage in total, down from the 15GB plus 15GB bonus at the moment. Do note that for new accounts, the 5GB limit is already in place.

Best Buy offers $200 off the Apple Watch, $70 off iPad mini 2, and $75 off iPad Pro

If you've been meaning to buy an Apple Watch but so far haven't for whatever reason, you may be happy to find out that Best Buy is currently running a promotion on Apple's first wearable.

This weekend only you can save $200 on certain Apple Watch models. For example, the stainless steel Apple Watch with Milanese Loop band now costs $449 (for the 38mm wearable), or $499 (if you go with the bigger 42mm unit). Or you can get the stainless steel watch with a black sport band for $349 (38mm) or $399 (42mm).

The smartwatch isn't the only Apple product that receives a discount through this campaign. You can save $70 when purchasing a 16GB iPad mini 2, which now goes for $199.99 (in black or white).

And finally, you can buy the 12.9-inch iPad Pro for $75 less than before, if you opt for the 32GB Wi-Fi model (now $724.99), 128GB Wi-Fi (yours for $874.99), or the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version at $1,004.99. All of these sales are valid until Monday.

Huawei P9 ad stars Henry Cavill and Scarlett Johansson, seems to be all about the camera

Huawei has now uploaded the first official TV ad for the P9 to its YouTube channel. The good news? It stars Henry Cavill (think Superman) and Scarlett Johansson. The not so good news? Well, it's pretty hard to understand what the whole thing is about. Or what the point is.

Anyway, the P9 is shown in the ad, and basically it's taking pictures most of the time. And with the text at the end prominently saying "co-engineered with Leica", it's clear that Huawei wants to tout the P9's superior photographic abilities.

We also expect the Chinese smartphone maker to keep talking about the P9's dual 12 MP rear camera setup, since it's obviously pretty proud of it - and also, let's not forget about its partnership with Leica, a very well-respected brand in the world of standalone cameras.

JXD S192 "retro" gaming tablet is powered by Nvidia's Tegra K1 chipset

Android gaming tablets have been struggling for relevance for ages. Remember when the Wikipad got a PlayStation certification in 2012? Probably not, but Nvidia isn't giving up and it has gotten several manufacturers to believe in the Tegra dream. 

JXD unveiled the S192 tablet and put it up on pre-order as a "retro" gaming console. As a side note: JXD S192, really? Acer at least called gaming tablet "Predator." Nvidia calls its own tablet "Shield." Archos went with the obvious "GamePad." The S192 name sounds boring and non-descriptive.

But I digress. A key selling feature is the hardware game controls on either side of the screen (plus trigger buttons on top). On the Wikipad, the controllers were removable, so that it was still usable as a regular tablet. Not this one, though.

The JXD S192 tablet is powered by the Tegra K1 chipset and lets you play on a small 7" screen with 1,920 x 1,200px resolution. There's an HDMI dual screen (!) output if 7" feels cramped (and it should).

JXD didn't learn from Nvidia's mistake and saddled the tablet with a limited amount of RAM - just 2GB. At least you get double the storage of the Shield tablet, though 32GB may still be tight for premium games.

More damning of all is the old software - Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Nvidia is already testing Vulcan on the Shield tablet, that's a more powerful alternative to the OpenGL ES 3.2 supported by most Android 6.0 Marshmallow devices. Android 4.2 offers only the ancient OpenGL ES 2.0 (first introduced with 2.2 Froyo).

Anyway, the JXD S192 has stereo speakers, a whopping 10,000mAh battery (good for 6 hours of gaming or 57 hours of browsing the web, going by official numbers). There's also a 13MP camera on the back and a 5MP camera on the front.

Again, the S192 is available for pre-order at $316/€280/£220.