A Huawei Daydream controller strolls through the FCC

A Huawei Daydream controller strolls through the FCC

Huawei appears to be the first manufacturer to partner up with Google in creating a non-Google Daydream VR headset. This comes as a surprise as weve not heard of Huawei making such a device. We do, however, recall Huawei talking about Daydream compatibility at its Keynote at CES early this year, even before Google to all developers. So Huawei has shown special interest in the platform in the past. Since the Daydream controller uses a Bluetooth radio, an FCC filing is a must. The filing has a plethora of photos to look at, including photos of the controller's innards. The controller itself is very similar to the one that comes bundled with Google's Daydream view headset, in terms of user input: Home, Back, Vol+ and -, and a touchpad with a Select key under it. This new controller also has a trigger behind it and the overall design is slightly different on this device in that it features an ergonomic curve. Currently, the only two Huawei devices that are ready for Daydream are the and the . This is a peculiar move on Huawei's part, as both Mate 9 devices that support Daydream have QHD displays while the is only getting a FHD+ one, which is the Huawei smartphone currently . You can head to the Source link to take a look at even more photo if you so desire. |

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Waze update brings 'OK Waze' voice commands, new motorcycle mode

Waze update brings 'OK Waze' voice commands, new motorcycle mode

Community-based traffic and navigation app Waze has started receiving a new update that brings some new features, including motorcycle mode, carpool lanes support, and 'OK Waze' voice commands for hands-free operation. Lets begin with the voice command support. The hot-word OK Waze activates this feature, allowing you to request useful information or even report things like accidents and traffic conditions without using your hands, effectively making your drive safer. For example, you can say the hot-word, followed by instructions like take me home or find a gas station or whats my next turn? This feature is currently only available to users in the US, UK, and Canada. Moving on, the new motorcycle mode gives you useful information shared by other motorcyclists. Not only that, it also provides routing info for narrow roads. And lastly, the update also adds support for carpool lanes, which the company claims is a first for any navigation app (the feature is only available to users in select areas the US and Canada though). These changes have started rolling out, and are available to users of both Android and iOS clients of the app.

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Sony's upcoming bezelless flagship has its specs leaked

Sony's upcoming bezelless flagship has its specs leaked

Sony is rumored to finally cut the bezels of its premier smartphones next year, adhering to the biggest trend of 2017 in the mobile world. Better late than never, then. The company's first flagship 'bezelless' offering is allegedly going to have the model number H8541, and its specs have been leaked today. Through a spec sheet that's claimed to be authentic we get to know the upcoming device a little bit better. It will apparently have a 5.7 4K HDR touchscreen with Gorilla Glass 5 on top, and a 3,420 mAh battery. Interestingly, the H8541 is said to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, which is this year's top shelf chipset but will be superseded by the 845 in 2018. The reason for Sony going with the older SoC probably has something to do with timing: the H8541 is rumored to be unveiled at MWC in February, and the Snapdragon 845 might only be available to smartphone makers that aren't Samsung a few months later. A reprise of last year's situation on this front has long been speculated, and it looks like Sony will choose to go with the 2017 chip instead of changing its release schedule. Moving on, the H8541 will sport 4GB of RAM and 64GB of UFS storage, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, a USB Type-C port, and IP68 water and dust resistance. It will run Android 8.0 Oreo, and is to measure 149 x 74 x 7.5 mm. Unfortunately no details about its cameras have been outed. | (in Japanese) | (in Dutch)

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Panasonic unveils Eluga C with a 3-side bezel-less design and dual camera

Panasonic unveils Eluga C with a 3-side bezel-less design and dual camera

The Panasonic Eluga C flaunts a 3-side bezel-less design similar to Sharps Aquos phones and Xiaomis Mi Mix. It is not a flagship though, instead it aims for the lower segments with a price (in Taiwan) of TWD 6,000 ($200 / 170). The phone has a 5.5 screen with a screen to body ratio of 84.6%. The resolution isnt great 720p but the brightness is pretty good 450 nits. Below the screen is a fingerprint reader (0.3s unlock time) and an 8MP selfie camera. Around the back theres a dual 13MP + 5MP camera. Both it and the front camera use f/2.2 lenses. The MediaTek MT6750T chipset limits the video capture to 1080p/30 (its a relatively old 28nm chip). The memory situation is better 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage. Theres a microSD slot if you need more, though it's unclear if the dual-SIM slot has a dedicated spot for it or you get to pick between more storage and second SIM. Anyway, the Panasonic Eluga C has a 3,000mAh battery and comes with a slow-ish 7.5W charger. It is currently on pre-order in case you are interested. (in Mandarin)

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India shipments for Huawei's Honor smartphones doubled this year

India shipments for Huawei's Honor smartphones doubled this year

Chinese manufacturer Huawei has revealed that India shipments for its Honor-branded smartphones have nearly doubled in 2017. President George Zhao revealed a 98.8% increase for 2017 compared to 2016. Aside from further ramping up its smartphone manufacturing in the Asian country, Huawei is also planning to launch handsets with AI technology that can sense who is using the unit, and based on that translate messages to suit individual preferences. We are looking to time our India launches in tandem with global launch and going by that, we should be seeing the new AI phones in India as soon as they are launched in the overseas market, the company said. The latest Honor branded phone Huawei is the , and it's already available for pre-orders in China.

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