Androidifying

ARCHOS  is building up a rather large portfolio of low cost handsets and the company has just unveiled another smartphone that won’t break the bank.  Dubbed the 55 Diamond Selfie, ARCHOS seems to be chasing after the fashionista crowd, and possibly looking for an entry in our book of worst named smartphones too. The 55 Diamond Selfie seems to have a lot on common with the company’s Diamond Plus and Diamond Note 2 handsets, in so far as it’s a big phone with a small price tag. For hardware, the smartphone features a 5.5-inch 1080p LCD display, an octa-core Snapdragon 430 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage complete with a microSD card slot. The phone is also equipped with a 3,000mAh battery, Quick Charge technology, and a stock version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Given the Selfie name, you might think that there’s something special about the front facing camera. However, it looks like a rather ordinary setup. The phone comes with an 8 megapixel front facing sensor 

Despite updating the ZenFone Zoom and ZenFone Selfie to Android 6.0 Marshmallow months ago, the ZenFone 2 hasn’t seen the same kind of love. Until now. Clearly missing the original Q2 2016 release target, many were wondering if the ZenFone 2 would ever make the move to Marshmallow but finally the wait is over. ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML) is being upgraded right now, though it appears to be rolling out in stages. Just like we saw with the other ZenFone 2 family members, the biggest changes to the Asus Marshmallow updates isn’t what is being added, it’s what is going away. Over 20 bundled apps will no longer be present after the update, making for a much sleeker software experience. There is a few new additions however, including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Google Messenger, and Google Calendar. And of course, all the new features you’d expect with Marshmallow will also be on board. Excited for the update? Or did you already jump ship from the ZenFone 2 after seeing such a slow update

Acer has dropped two new phones at IFA 2016 : the entry-level Liquid Z6 and the mid-range Liquid Z6 Plus . There’s no information regarding a possible North American release, but it seems pretty unlikely (the Z5 was never released in the U.S.). The phones will be available in the EMEA (Europe, Africa and the Middle East) in November and December respectively. In Europe, the Z6 will set you back €119 and the Z6 Plus will cost €249. See also: Acer Chromebase 24 now available starting at $450 8 We’ll start with the Liquid Z6 Plus as the more high-end of the two. The Liquid Z6 Plus specs feature a 5.5-inch Full HD display with 2.5D glass, octa-core MediaTek 6753 chipset, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB ROM with microSD expansion, metal finish and 13 MP/5 MP camera combo. But the big draw of this device is undoubtedly its battery: at 4,080 mAh it will certainly attract a bit of attention for the price. The Liquid Z6 is a pretty significant step down in every imaginable way. At less than half the

If Lenovo’s latest modular Moto Z handsets aren’t quite your thing, then you might be interested in this new mysterious Moto M smartphone that was just spotted over at China’s TENNA. The handset comes with an XT1662 model number and retains a fair amount of that familiar Moto look. It appears that Lenovo has finally caught on to the idea that the dimple found on the back of Moto devices would make a perfect place for a fingerprint scanner, instead of just slapping one on the front. The phone also appears to be built from a metal uni-body, but it’s a bit tough to tell from the pictures. According to the data, the Moto M XT1662 will also arrive with a 5.5-inch 1080p LCD display, 3,000mAh battery, and there’s Android 6.0 Marshmallow on board. The phone measures 151 x 75 x 8 mm and weighs 163 grams. The listing also mentions a 2.2GHz octa-core processor, quite possible the MediaTek MT6755, along with 4GB of RAM, and internal storage options of either 32GB or 64GB, complete with 32GB mi

Back in May, Google ran a pilot program that allowed some Waze users to commute with fellow Waze users heading the same direction, and it’s about to expand the service to everyone in San Francisco this coming fall. See also: Waze’s new feature will help you avoid busy and dangerous intersections 7 Google acquired Waze in 2013, an app that offers real-time directions for drivers. Unlike Google Maps , Waze is a turn-by-turn navigation app that uses information – such as accidents and road closure – shared by real drivers. Earlier this summer, Google reportedly began a pilot program in its California headquarters area which essentially let Waze users in the area commute with one another. It’s not quite like Uber or Lyft where you call for a ride on-demand; instead, it’s uniquely for ride sharing, sort of like Uber Pool. So if you’re heading somewhere and you see a designated Waze driver heading the same direction, you can simply hop in. For the pilot program, you could only get tw

Samsung has sent out its press conference invites teasing the Gear S3 smartwatch, the LG V20 is scheduled to debut on September 6 in San Francisco (but might be around for a sneak peek during IFA if we’re lucky), Sony’s rumored new flagships look more and more likely, the Asus Zenwatch 3 will be round and there’s new information from Huawei, Xiaomi and Motorola below… IFA is Europe’s largest consumer electronics trade show and is held in Berlin each year around September. IFA stands for Internationale Funkaustellung (hence the abbreviation) and began its life back in 1924 as a radio exhibition. Alongside Mobile World Congress  in February-March, IFA is one of the main events on the trade show calendar for new device announcements, although more and more manufacturers have been opting for earlier release cycles and standalone events in recent years. See also: Best of IFA 2015: the 5 most impressive products 5 When is IFA and how do I get tickets? IFA 2016 will be held this yea

The future of wearable technology is vast, and companies know this. That’s why we are seeing more and more wearable-specific components: Qualcomm introduced its very first wearable chipset earlier this year, and now Corning is following suit. The all new Gorilla Glass SR+ is designed with smartwatches in mind, focusing on scratch-resistance and optical transmission. Corning first announced “Project Phire” back in 2015 : it was an attempt to create a material for wearable technology that would combine the best features of its very own Gorilla Glass and sapphire. And Gorilla Glass SR+ is the result of this research. It boasts the durability of Gorilla Glass and (almost) the scratch-resistance of sapphire all the while being extremely thin and transparent. See also: Is sapphire glass the next big thing in mobile devices? 30 Combining sapphire and technology isn’t a novel concept at all. Back in 2014, we saw the launch of the Kyocera Brigadier, rocking a 4.5-inch Sapphire Shield scr