Google Duo will be integrated into the Pixels dialer, SMS, and contacts apps

Google Duo will be integrated into the Pixels dialer, SMS, and contacts apps

Google has been slowly but surely updating its latest couple of communications apps: and . However, the latest news comes in the form of integrating Duo into more apps so that Googles Duo Video calling service can be activated at the tap of a button without even opening the app. With the latest versions of the s Phone app, Contacts app, and Android Messages app (13.0, 2.1, and 2.6 respectively), and as seen on the , youll be able to see a video icon next to a contacts name who is already using Duo. Youll see this icon in the call history window, next to a contacts name, or within the SMS conversation with any person who is registered on Duo. The only condition regarding the video icon is if the active carrier already offers a video-calling service, and the other person also uses that same service, it will be given preference over Duo. Currently, the integration requires a few apps to be manually updated since the change has not fully rolled out yet. |

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Samsung Galaxy S9 to get the entire first batch of Snapdragon 845 chips for its early launch

Samsung Galaxy S9 to get the entire first batch of Snapdragon 845 chips for its early launch

In August we heard that from Qualcomm for its . Today a new report basically confirms that the entire first production run of the new chipset will be sold to Samsung for its S9 phones. The S9 and S9+ with the Snapdragon 845 inside are destined for the US market, unsurprisingly. Other smartphone makers will get access to the 845 at a later point compared to Samsung, which will thus once again have a time-to-market advantage over its competitors from this point of view. Basically the same thing that's described here has happened this year with the S8 duo and the Snapdragon 835. Samsung buying up all available units of that chip forced LG to use the older Snapdragon 821 in its , while other companies simply postponed their flagship launches by a few months in order to ensure a decent supply of 835s. The same source also claims that the S9 duo will be launching a month earlier than usual, which means we can expect them to be in stores in mid-March. If this is true, then an announcement at MWC in late February seems likely. Obviously do take all of the above with a pinch of salt, it's just another rumor at the moment though it does confirm earlier mumblings, for what it's worth. (in Russian) |

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Amazon drops Echo Show price by $30

Amazon drops Echo Show price by $30

Amazon has dropped the price on its flagship Echo Show by $30, taking it from the original $229.99 to the new $199.99. The price drop comes shortly after the launch of new Echo products, with an updated Echo, and two new Echo devices, the Echo Plus and the Echo Spot. The Echo Show was launched a few months back and was the first Echo device with a display. Along with having all the features of the regular Echo, the Echo show also has the ability to play back videos from various services, as well as make video calls to other Echo Show users. However, recently, Google famously blocked access to YouTube from the Echo Show, citing violation of terms of service, and the service has not been restored yet.

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BlackBerry's Motion to cost Europeans 499

BlackBerry's Motion to cost Europeans 499

BlackBerry the mere hours ago and pointed to the Middle East as its initial market and gave no word on when others join in. But we may have a hint at what the new phone could cost once it comes to Europe, courtesy of Dutch retailer . Expect a price tag of 499 for the Snapdragon 625-powered droid, which is 100 lower than what the Keyone costed at its European debut. Granted, the chipset hasn't improved since so the Motion is sitting lower in the pecking order. Of course this is just a preliminary price and there is no available stock to back it up so you could very well expect a better deal if and when the phone arrives in Europe.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 shows its 18:9 screen and dual camera

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 shows its 18:9 screen and dual camera

Up until this point we knew some details about Xiaomi's first 18:9 midranger the Redmi Note 5 and have seen it in but we're now finally being treated to a few snaps from the wild. The device in the blurry images looks like a prototype of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 complete with a minimal-bezel front where there'll likely be a 5.5-inch 18:9 display, and the dual camera setup on the back. It's rumored that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 will have a 16MP+5MP setup on the back and a front-facing camera of unknown resolution. The chipset of choice will either be a Snapdragon 660 or, more likely, a MediaTek Helio P25. The battery is rumored to have a 4,000mAh capacity. We expect Xiaomi to release a few different variants of the Redmi Note 5, either with 3GB or 4GB of RAM. The alleged pricing is as follows: |

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And another one - the Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie Lite is official

And another one - the Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie Lite is official

Just when we thought we were finally beginning to make sense of Asus' Zenfone 4 lineup, the company has come up with another Selfie, the Zenfone 4 Selfie Lite. This one comes in addition to two existing Zenfone 4 Selfies, the and the , and the top-of-the-line . Listed on Asus' Philippine website, the new Selfie Lite shares a lot with the ZB553KL, including the selfie bits a 13MP f/2.0 camera with an LED flash. The rear camera is another 13MP unit, though Asus stays mum on other specifics. There's a 5.5-inch display on the front, and the lack of resolution in the specs points to 720p. It becomes clear where the 'Lite' in the Zenfone 4 Selfie Lite's name comes from when you look at the chipset it's the Snapdragon 425 with a quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU. The two other plain Selfies feature the S430 (8x1.4GHz Cortex-A53), while the Selfie Pro is in a different league with its S625 (8x2.0GHz Cortex-A53). Next comes a downgrade in RAM just 2GB, and storage can be either 32GB or a lowly 16GB. Those changes aside, the Zenfone 4 Selfie Lite measures the same 155.7 x 75.9 x 7.9 mm as the other two non-Pros, and packs a 3000mAh battery inside. The phone boots Android Nougat (unspecified version) with Asus' ZenUI on top. The phone will be available in the Philippines sometime this month at a price between PHP7,995 and PHP8,995 ($156-$176). It's unclear whether this specific configuration will be available in other markets. |

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Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) software patch fixes battery charging bug

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) software patch fixes battery charging bug

Samsung's rolled out a small software update that fixes an IMS Service Stopped bug which has been affecting and units. On the latter device, the patch comes with a bonus apparently, Samsung's fixed another bug that would beyond around 85%. This annoying issue was reportedly brought about by the Galaxy A3 (2016)'s that was released earlier in the summer. The build number to look out for is A310FXXU3CQI8, and it should be hitting Galaxy A3 (2016) units soon, if it already hasn't.

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