BlackBerry Mobile declares it accomplished its mission with 2017 unit sales

BlackBerry Mobile, a subsidiary of TCL Group has sold 850,000 BlackBerrys in 2017 as per IDC. Mostly focused on the KEYOne and some initial Motion models, this figure may seem insignificantly small to some but the company said it has accomplished its mission of putting the brand back on the map on an interview with The Verge.

BlackBerry devices are available in 50 countries and sold by 110 carriers, they don't just appeal to BlackBerry loyalists or new users seeking differentiation, they are resonant with users who want the Android experience but also crave security and privacy as built-in features. BlackBerry Mobile has indicated it will bring two new models to market this year, we also expect variants of the KEYOne and Motion to continue in countries where these devices are selling well.

Source: The Verge

Colour options for the Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact leak ahead of launch

With the upcoming launch of the Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact, we also get tons of leaked information about the two devices. One of the latest leaks involve the devices are the color options the two phones are coming in. The XZ2 will come in Black, White (or Silver), Pink, and Teal, while the XZ2 Compact comes in Orange and Green, aside from the standard Black and White/Silver. There also seems to be varying camera placements with the two devices. The XZ2 has the flash and additional sensors in a vertical layout, while the Compact’s placement is horizontal with the camera closer to the edge.

Click to read more ...

Samsung is all about business with the new Galaxy S9

We’re just hours away from Samsung’s launch of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus at Mobile World Congress 2018. But ahead of the launch, Slashleaks just released the official promo video for the new devices. Instead of delving into the features though, the video focused on the value of the phones for the enterprise market. As was said in the three-minute video, “The perfect phone for you is the perfect phone for business.”

But as you can see, Samsung didn’t do much to change the looks of the device. It still looks like the Galaxy S8 but thankfully with a better placement for the fingerprint reader, as rumours have been showing for the past few months. The video focuses, though, on things like the newly improved DeX dock for easily turning the S9 into a mobile computer; the improved Samsung Knox 3.1, the company’s defense-grade security platform; and what they’re calling “Intelligence scan,” which seems to either be facial recognition or an iris scanner to make it easier to unlock the device. The phone will also have an enterprise edition, it seems, that comes with extended maintenance and security updates for up to four years. We also get confirmation that the phone is water resistant. But we can see this only tells one part of the story. But we’ll find out later all the other special features Samsung plans to offer its other customers.

Source: TechCrunch 

Leak shows Samsung Galaxy S9 design being shown off in augmented reality

At this point we’ve seen most of the big features we can expect from Samsung’s upcoming flagship. And if you thought there wasn’t anything else to leak, apparently there’s one more thing. A capable Reddit user was able to tear down the Unpacked 2018 mobile app and found a hidden feature. The attendees of Samsung’s Unpacked event at Mobile World Congress will be able to see the Galaxy S9 in augmented reality. All they need to do is tap their phone against the event badge to see the back of the device and see the various colors the phone will be coming in. Samsung is set to unveil the Galaxy S9 on February 25^th.

Source: The Verge