concept top smartphones: April 2016

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Special iPhone Fuse Case Offers Extra Battery, Bumper Protection

Since there’s simply no new concept phone these days, we may as well have a glance at accessory concepts,

HTC Desire 830 Pops in First Leaked Images, With Specs Included

It’s been a while since we’ve last heard of a HTC Desire phone and now there’s a new one brewing. The

Software update upgrades select 2013-2015 Fiat Chrysler vehicles with Siri Eyes Free

Fiat Chrysler on Friday issued a free software update to owners of some 2013-, 2014-, and 2015-model vehicles, giving them access to Apple's Siri Eyes Free, which enables voice commands to an iPhone by tapping a button on the steering wheel.

Huawei Honor V8 Leaks in a Few Renders, Has Strange Looking Back

Somehow Huawei managed to have an excellent 2015, by selling 100 million smartphones, even though

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Volkswagen is talking with external partners about launching so-called digital mobility businesses, but is not in any negotiations with either Apple or Google, the carmaker's CEO said on Thursday, pointing to a different direction for its self-driving car efforts.

Apple shipped about 2.2 million Apple Watches in the March quarter, although it still saw its share of the smartwatch market slip to 52.4 percent, according to research estimates published on Thursday.

Apple CEO Tim Cook optimistic on China despite 26% dip in revenue

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday reiterated a positive outlook on Greater China despite suffering a year-over-year revenue contraction during the second quarter of 2016, saying the region is "a lot more stable" than some perceive.

Sony Xperia Arcage Channels Xperia Arc and S7 Edge

Back when Samsung was happy with polycarbonate bodies that weren’t very inspired, Sony was dabbling into

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arcage concept phone (5)

Apple by itself earns +40% of the profits of Silicon Valley's top 150 companies

While the world waits to see just how many iPhones, iPads and Macs Apple sold in the March quarter, a report on the top 150 firms in California's Silicon Valley shows that Apple earned more than 40 percent of the region's total profits in 2015, and its revenues grew 2.5x as fast as its peers year over year.

What Smart Connector charging could mean for the 'iPhone 7' and beyond

Now that we know Apple will let its Smart Connector do more than just clip on a keyboard, rumors that it will make its way from the iPad Pro lineup to the iPhone make much more sense. AppleInsider takes a look at the changes that might bring.

'Apple Watch 2' expected to feature cellular connectivity, faster 'S2' chip

The second-generation Apple Watch, expected to arrive by this fall, may boast integrated cellular data, as well as a faster next-gen custom chip, a new report claims.

Apple eMac is a Throwback to Apple’s Early Success, Also Feels Retro-Futuristic

The folks of Curved/Labs have created yet another lovely Apple concept, this time not a phone, a tablet,

Sony Xperia X Premium HDR Display Phone Gets Rendered

It only takes a minuscule leak of a phone to get the ball rolling and get some nifty renders and concepts of that model. For example, we’ve got the Sony Xperia X Premium, that just leaked and it’s already rendered

Designers Get a New Crack at the iPhone 7 Plus, With Frameless Display

It would be a cliche to say that “winter is coming”, mostly because summer is coming and the new Game of

–A+ Apple closes WWDC 2016 ticket lottery, sends confirmation to winners

As scheduled, Apple on Friday closed ticket lottery registrations for this year's Worldwide Developers Conference and began sending out email confirmations to the lucky few selected at random to attend the event in June.

Sony Xperia X Premium HDR Display Phone Gets Rendered

It only takes a minuscule leak of a phone to get the ball rolling and get some nifty renders and concepts of

Apple could take over Dublin location for first Irish Apple Store

Apple could potentially sign a lease for real estate on Dublin's O'Connell Street, establishing its first-ever outlet in the country of Ireland, a report indicated on Friday.

iOS 10 Concept Created by Federico Viticci is Simply Perfect

There are concepts and then there’s the one below, an iOS 10 concept with a huge amount of work and

Apple likely switching to different modem for 'iPhone 7,' Qualcomm CEO hints

Apple appears likely to switch away from Qualcomm modems for upcoming iPhones, at least in part, as suggested by comments from the latter company's CEO made during an earnings call.

HTC 10 Becomes HTC Nexus in New Render

Floating around on Reddit is the image below, a render of a new HTC Nexus phone concept, which in fact

Apple-backed coalition opposes Burr-Feinstein encryption bill in open letter

A group of four tech industry associations — representing businesses like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Google — have published an open letter opposing a draft bill by U.S. Senators Richard Burr and

Dianne Feinstein, which would make it possible for courts to order help bypassing encryption.

Motorola Moto G4 Plus Leaks Again, in Clearest Render Yet

Now that the big dogs have cooled down, it’s time for the likes of Motorola to launch their 2016 generation

LaCie and Promise unveil speedy, massive Thunderbolt 3 RAID arrays at NAB

The annual National Association of Broadcasters Convention is usually a good place to find the latest in cutting edge storage solutions, designed to handle extremely demanding workflows like 6K video, and this year's event didn't disappoint with both LaCie and Promise introducing RAID solutions supporting Thunderbolt 3.

Apple chip supplier TSMC says 7nm tech entering mass production in first half of 2018

The Home button with fingerprint scanner gets a new texture and possibly gestures as well. If I’m not mistaking the camera module includes a smaller sensor and a bigger one, but it could just be an optical illusion. The flash could also be bigger. The general format isn’t very different from the one of the iPhone 6s Plus. I expect new color choices.

Longtime Apple advisor, board member Bill Campbell dies at 75

Bill Campbell, a legendary figure in Silicon Valley and a major part of Apple's history, has succumbed to cancer and passed away on Monday at the age of 75.

Microsoft Developed a Flexible Dual Touchscreen Case That Supports Bending for Input

It appears we’re never going to get a phone like the Nokia Morph, but we may get accessories in the same

Microsoft FlexCase concept flexible case (3)

Apple lauds own encryption efforts, says hackers are primary iPhone threat

Apple engineers jumped on a conference call with press outlets shortly following Friday's New York court filing to tout the company's encryption efforts, while at the same time making clear that those protocols are in place to protect against hackers, not government intrusion.

Metallic Concept Smartphone Makes Me Realize the Chromed Look Was a Good Idea for Xperia Z5 Premium

I wasn’t sure that the Chrome look of the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium was a good idea, till I saw the phone in

Apple's Jony Ive donates one-of-a-kind iPad Pro & accessories to charity auction

An auction in London is featuring a custom 12.9-inch iPad Pro and accompanying Smart Cover, Apple Pencil and holder as one of its lots, as donated by Apple SDO Jony Ive and his design team.

iPhone S is Basically the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Combined

Considering the iPhone SE went off the rails when it came to the typical Apple iPhone naming pattern, one

Last Call: 11" MacBook Airs for $749; $100-150 off BTO 13" MacBook Airs; 15" MacBook Pro for $1,749

The deepest discounts we've seen on 2015 MacBook Airs — including many rarely-discounted built-to-order (BTO) configurations — have just gone live. Meanwhile there's roughly 36 hours left to grab a 11" MacBook Air for $749 (current 2015 model) or 15" MacBook Pro for $1,749 (current 2015 model).

11" MacBook Air for $749

ASUS ZenFone 3 Gets 3D Renders Based on Leaks

Remember when the ASUS ZenFone 3 leaked? Well, I do and I also remember it looked pretty badass and

Senate draft bill requires companies extract, decrypt data for law enforcement

Two high-ranking U.S. senators on Wednesday released to the public a proposed bill that would grant courts the authority to order tech companies dealing in hardware, software or services help law enforcement agencies gain access to encrypted communications.

The draft bill, dubbed "Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016," was penned by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Vice Chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in a bid to streamline government requests for encrypted data. In its current form, the legislation would require companies like Apple to bypass their own security measures, access target data and present it to law enforcement agencies in an "intelligible" — decrypted — format.

Apple unlikely to learn details of San Bernardino iPhone exploit

Apple, in an effort to protect customers against a heretofore unknown iPhone vulnerability, has sought information regarding a working encryption exploit used by the Justice Department in its investigation into the San Bernardino terror attacks. A new report, however, suggests the passcode bypass technique will likely remain secret.