Uni

Let's start with Uni because well, this seems the most off base to me as it has thus far been presented. The folks over at LetsGoDigital have unearthed a few trademarks and patents owned by TCL and BlackBerry and have pieced together that there might be a BlackBerry smartphone in the works called 'Uni' and that it will feature a styling pretty much identical to the BlackBerry Priv. There is, however, a few problems here with the pieces of information.

First off, TCL already has a product called the Uni360. It's an Alcatel branded VR headset that was announced alongside the Alcatel Idol 5. The new trademark is for Uni, and its listing shares all the same registration codes as the Uni360, leading me to believe it's just an extension of the Uni360 VR headset branding or possibly just another Alcatel phone. Could it potentially be a BlackBerry device name? Sure, it could, but it seems unlikely they would mix the branding.

But what about the BlackBerry patent? Well, the BlackBerry patent is interesting and yes, it certainly does show off a device that looks identical to the Priv and yes, it was registered and granted AFTER the release of the Priv but when you really start looking into it, the patent is less about the device depicted in the patent documentation and more about the camera module.

As is almost always the case, the 'device' used in the patent is just a reference point, and the only reason why the Priv design was likely used is that it was the only device put out by BlackBerry that depicted the camera module referenced in the patent. They had the artwork already available and used it.

All that is to say, if you think BlackBerry Mobile will be resurrecting the Priv design, I don't think there's much chance that will happen. If anything, we'll see the camera design as outlined in that BlackBerry patent used somewhere else (Athena, Luna) and maybe see the Uni name used elsewhere, but don't have your heart set on seeing another Priv-like design.

Athena

Athena is a more recent name that has popped in the CrackBerry Forums, and everything mentioned about it seems to fall in line with the previously rumored device information that goes along with the BBE100-1 and BBF100-1 model numbers. As posted in the forums, Athena is rumored to be a keyboard-based designed and will feature 6-8GB of RAM, larger keys than the BlackBerry KEYone and have 64GB of onboard storage. So far, everything follows the rumors and confirmed info here.

The other highlight of Athena? Dual backside cameras to be 'able to take a clear picture and blur out the rest of the area around it.' Hmm, kind of like noted in the BlackBerry patent as mentioned in the Uni section. Suddenly, that BlackBerry patent being granted for the camera rather than a Priv based design starts to make more sense.

That's all cool, but what about the processor? Well, where everything else seems to be falling in line with the rumors, it would appear as though the Athena, will arrive with a Snapdragon 660. As for a timeframe, I'm hesitant even to bother mentioning that since that's always the most fluid thing when it comes to device releases but the poster of the Athena information says April, but again, out of all the info here, that's probably the biggest thing subject to change.

Luna

When it comes to Luna, this is where the finer details start to fade. Other than aligning it with the BBE100-1 model previously rumored, the information suggests it's a mid-tier device. BlackBerry Mobile confirming two new keyboard devices applies here as well, so it's expected Luna will be one of those two released. Other than that, not many other details to go off of here. Again being hesitant to mention the timeframe, since they can be all over the place, the original poster of the information mentions August.


Read more at https://crackberry.com/athena-luna-and-uni-could-be-codenames-next-set-blackberry-smartphones-released#tYrQTkL55ZO78H3d.99

Microsoft is apparently working on a Surface Phone. AGAIN. But this time we might actually see it

The Alcatel 5, 3V, and 1X will be announced on February 24

A Single-Character Message (in Telugu — the 3rd Most Spoken Indian Language) Can Crash Any Apple #iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Samsung reveals why it stopped the Galaxy S8 Android Oreo release

Heads of the FBI, CIA and NSA have warned against using smartphones from Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and ZTE.
The comments were made during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday.
The intelligence chiefs said they were “deeply concerned” about the risks posed by these devices, though Huawei denies any wrongdoing.
Six US intelligence chiefs, including those from the FBI, CIA and NSA, have advised against using Huawei and ZTE phones. The news arrives via CNBC, which says the heads told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that they wouldn’t recommend the products to private citizens.

“[We are] deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don’t share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage.”

Intelligence chiefs also reportedly praised the “measured resistance” of American telecom companies against Chinese smartphone vendors.

“This is a challenge I think that is only going to increase, not lessen over time for us,” said NSA director Adm. Michael Rogers. “You need to look long and hard at companies like this.”



Meanwhile, US lawmakers also recently proposed a bill that would ban the use of Huawei and ZTE telecoms equipment in the US.

The news follows reports that US intelligence recently reiterated concerns over Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government. AT&T and Verizon are both believed to have pulled out of deals with Huawei over the allegations; Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer products division, called the cancellation of the AT&T partnership a “big loss for consumers.”

Subsequently, a Huawei spokesman provided CNBC with the following statement on the matter:

 Recently, the news cycle found itself repeating a similar story: Here's a mid-range smartphone that happens to be red -- and it's just in time for Valentine's Day! At least one company even had a V-Day giveaway to promote, alongside that brand new red phone. Even Motorola got in on the fun, discounting one of its phones to promote the "holiday".

Promotions aren't anything new for the smartphone market, and holidays are an easy way to market something. If a lot of people are going to be talking about Valentine's Day for the next week or so, then why not just promote a phone at the same time? And let's face it, offering a red phone makes it really easy to jump on that particular Valentine's bandwagon.

But does it actually matter?
The business side of things is what I outlined above. Valentine's Day is going to be a keyword for a short period of time, so why not try to use it as a means to promote a red phone and a brand? Nothing wrong with that, of course.

The sensible side has to ask if a smartphone is a good gift for a loved one in general, but especially on Valentine's Day. Phones (and other devices, like tablets) are definitely gift-able -- just look at the end-of-year holiday season -- but one could make an argument that Valentine's Day maybe isn't the perfect time to offer up a phone to the significant other in one's life.

I saw that sentiment throughout the day yesterday, as people made fun of the V-Day promotions. Even in the articles talking about the promotions, the cynicism was clear as day. I'd agree that it should be. I don't think a smartphone is a solid V-Day gift. Kind of silly, really.

Even if it's a red phone.

So I figured it's time to reach out to you and, as the title of this article suggests, find out if you, or anyone you know, has gifted a smartphone as a Valentine's Day gift. If not for Valentine's, have you ever received or given a smartphone as a present on another holiday? 

HMD sold more Nokia phones in Q4 2017 than Google, OnePlus AND HTC

Samsung's venerable Galaxy Note brand has quite a following thanks to the innovative blend of a massive crystal-clear display with an advanced stylus, top-tier performance, multitasking, and productivity features, and some of the best camera hardware in the business.

The Galaxy Note 8 is the latest Draft Horse from Samsung's extra-large stable, but does it keep momentum going for one of Samsung's best designs?

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Review: Battery Life

One of the defining elements of the iPhone X, aside from that "notch design", is the fact that there isn't a physical Home button on the front of the handset. This is an element of the iPhone that has been present right out of the gate for the smartphone, so its departure is certainly noteworthy.

But not just because the button is gone, either. What Apple replaced it with was also catching plenty of attention back in September, and again in November when the phone launched: All those new gestures. For folks who used webOS back in the day, it might not have felt completely ridiculous, but for the longstanding iOS holdouts, it is admittedly quite the change.

I am personally a big fan of the gestures on the iPhone X, just as I was with webOS way back when. I'm all for more webOS in my life, any way that I can get it.

The iPhone X's gestures came back into the news cycle yesterday, thanks to OnePlus. The smartphone manufacturer is rolling out an option for OnePlus 5T owners (it's currently in beta, so not available to the general public) to remove the standard Android navigation buttons, and instead opt to use gestures that are very, very similar to Apple's implementation.


Sliding up from the middle of the screen gets you Home, and pausing after sliding up will open the app switcher. Swiping up from the bottom left or bottom right of the display will get you to go back. In practice the gestures look pretty intuitive, and I imagine that OnePlus 5T owners in the future that adopt the functionality will like it.

OnePlus hopping on that gesture bandwagon led a lot of folks to go back-and-forth on whether or not it's a good idea. Should other companies copy Apple in this same way?

Like I said above, I'm a fan of gestures and while I wouldn't normally say that any company should outright copy another, I am all for more gestures being adopted into smartphones.

I think Android might have a bit of a bonus, though, compared to iOS. After all, if you want the previous standard of operating iOS, with the Home button, you can't get the iPhone X. However, if you want the standard for operating Android on the OnePlus 5T, you can just turn that option on and the gesture navigational controls are gone. You can switch back-and-forth as you see fit.



Options are a good thing, to be sure. And I can see why someone would prefer that over just having one thing. "Adopt or switch platforms" is pretty rough. I know I wouldn't know what I'd do if I actually hated the iPhone X's gestures. After all, this is the future of iOS.

But, it got me wondering. Do you think gesture navigational controls are the future of smartphones in general? Should more Android manufacturers adopt this method like OnePlus is currently testing? Or should Android just stick to its buttons? Let me know!

The phone, reportedly called the Galaxy X, seems to have been in the works for years. In that time, countless reports have speculated on whether Samsung’s device would fold in or out, be the size of a smartphone or a tablet (or both), and ultimately attract an audience in a decidedly flat and rigid smartphone market.

But there’s been an even bigger mystery about Samsung’s folding phone: When will the device actually launch? Each time a report has claimed the Galaxy X would soon be available, the folding smartphone has been a no-show.

That may be about to change. Samsung confirmed twice in the last several months that it indeed plans to launch a folding smartphone in 2018 under its Galaxy Note brand.

Here’s a look at all we think we know so far about the Galaxy X.

Update Jan. 31: Latest Galaxy X Rumors
Samsung confirmed it plans to release its foldable smartphone in 2018 during a Jan. 31 earnings call.
A Samsung patent has surfaced that suggests the device could be hinged and folded for use either as a wide smartphone or one that folds one side over the other.




Samsung Galaxy X Rumors: Foldable Phone Release Date, Specs and More
Samsung's Galaxy X leaked on the company's own site with the model number SM-G888No. (That's an "o" at the end, not a zero.) The listing was ultimately removed, but the damage was done.
Release Date and Cost
We will see the Galaxy X — or whatever Samsung ultimately ends up calling its foldable handset — in 2018. The latest confirmation came from a Jan. 31 earnings call, where the company stated it plans to "differentiate through development of cutting-edge products such as foldable OLED smartphones."

This isn't the first time Samsung has acknowledged a 2018 launch, though it is the most definitive. Back in September 2017, Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh told Bloomberg that the Galaxy X was in development and said that there’s a strong likelihood the smartphone will be available sometime in the next year, though he conceded the project may also be delayed if any troubles arose. He also mentioned it would be slotted in the Galaxy Note range.

However, it's still unknown how much the Galaxy X might cost. Considering that the Galaxy Note 8 without a folding screen starts at $929, chances are you’ll pay more than $1,000 to own Samsung’s first folding phone.

Rumors are always subject to change, but Samsung let it slip in November 2017 that a device with the model number SM-G888No is coming. Samsung ultimately removed the model mention from its website, but not before it stoked flames that is getting close to a launch.

Claiming to be the 'world's smallest mobile phone', the Zanco tiny t1 has been listed on a Kickstarter campaign. As of writing this report, the campaign has achieved $29,524 (roughly Rs. 18.92 lakh) of its $33,480 (roughly Rs. 21.45 lakh) goal.

The Zanco tiny t1 feature phone appears to come from an era before the trend of phablets and big-screen smartphones, when calling and texting were the primary features in a mobile phone. The Zanco tiny t1 is smaller than a thumb and lighter than a coin. Zanco brands the tiny t1 as a 'talk and text mobile phone' with an alphanumeric keyboard. The phone has dimensions of 46.7x21x12mm and a weight of 13 grams.

This phone supports a single Nano SIM and can store up to 300 contacts in the phonebook. The Zanzo tiny t1 can store up to 50 SMS messages and also the last 50 incoming/ outgoing numbers in the call log, using its 32MB of storage. Powering the tiny t1 is a MediaTek MTK6261D motherboard and 32MB of RAM. It sports a 0.49-inch OLED (32x64 pixels) display and runs on a 200mAh battery.

The Zanco tiny t1 has connectivity options like 2G, Bluetooth, and Micro-USB. The tiny t1 is a quad-band phone and will be available in two 2G band frequencies - 850/1900 and 900/1800; there is no support for 3G or 4G frequencies. There is no Internet access on this phone. The bottom of the tiny t1 features a mic and a loudspeaker.

Zanco is currently running a Super Early Bird offer that prices the tiny t1 mobile phone at about EUR 30 (roughly Rs. 2,280). The phone ships to most countries in the world and will start shipping in May 2018.