iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus discounts: Walmart, Sam's Club, Target offers smartphones for reduced price

As part of their holiday promos to attract more buyers, various retailers are now offering discounts for Apple's latest offerings, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. 

For those planning to make iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units as stocking stuffers this season, Walmart brings down the prices of the handsets by $70, which means that buyers can take home the iPhone 6 for $129 and the iPhone 6 Plus for $229. The handsets come with a two-year commitment with a carrier. 

Interested buyers can also get the new iPhones for free through the retailer's trade-in program. Consumers can trade in their old iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, or iPhone 5C. The price, of course, depends on the condition of smartphones. 

However, it is unknown until when Walmart will offer the discounts. Thus, buyers need to hurry before Walmart changes its mind. 

Meanwhile, specialty store Sam's Club, a Walmart's affiliate, slashed another $2 off Walmart's price. Thus, the iPhone 6 costs just $127 while the iPhone 6 Plus costs $227, but these deals are meant for Sam's Club members only. On the positive side, buyers may be able to find the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus with larger storage variants at Sam's Club, which may not be available in Walmart. 

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HTC One (M7, M8) Google Play Edition Receiving Android 5.0.1 Lollipop Update

HTC One M7 and HTC One M8 GPE (Google Play Edition) smartphones are receiving the latest Android 5.0.1 Lollipop firmware update, following the report of Samsung’s rollout of Android 5.0.1 update to its Galaxy S5 devices.

As of now, Android Lollipop’s market share is less than 0.1 percent, based on all Android devices that connected to Google Play services. The scenario might change soon, as many smartphone-makers began to roll out the new update aggressively.

The new firmware build is reported as LRX22C, which is based on Android 5.0.1, and that means, HTC will be rolling out Android 5.0.1 updates to every supported handset by skipping the original Android 5.0 version of the firmware. This firmware update packed in a 511MB package and available via OTA. In order to update your smartphones to the latest version of the software, your device need to have at least Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

HTC has also announced that the carrier version (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile) of HTC One M7 and M8 will be getting the same Android 5.0.1 update by February 2015. That means, HTC will start rolling out the new firmware update to these devices in January itself.

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iPhone 6, 6 Plus Availability And Wait Time Update: Apple Store, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, Best Buy, RadioShack, TargetAEAD

As the holiday season approaches, it's time to take another look at the availability and wait times for the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. While supply for some phones has increased, with 16 GB versions plentiful, wait times for the 128 GB storage configurations of both phones can be several weeks to a month depending on the carrier.

At Sprint, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are available in the two lower storage capacities of 16 GB and 64 GB to be shipped within 2-5 days. The 128 GB variants of both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have longer wait times however, with the 128 GB iPhone 6 having a 2-3 week wait time in all colors, while the 128 GB Space Gray iPhone 6 Plus is also 2-3 weeks. You can pick up a Silver or Gold 128 GB iPhone 6 Plus slightly sooner, with a 1-2 week wait time.

At AT&T, the 128 GB Space Gray variant has a 1-2 week wait time, and is the only iPhone 6 model not available for immediate shipping. As far as the iPhone 6 Plus, the 64 GB Space Gray version has a 1-2 week delay, while the 128 GB in the same color has a 3-4 week wait. The Silver 64 GB iPhone 6 Plus has a 1-2 week wait, while the 128 GB is a 2-3 week wait. The 64 GB Gold has a 2-3 week wait as well, with the 128 GB Gold option available within a 3-4 week time frame.

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iPhone 6 rivals by Samsung, LG, HTC suffering delays in Qualcomm's 64-bit Snapdragon answer to Apple's A8

Qualcomm's upcoming 64-bit Snapdragon chips designed to power new high end Android flagship phones including the Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4 and HTC One M9 are reportedly running into new issues that threaten to further delay any real competition to Apple's iPhone 6 juggernaut.

Snapdragon


A report by Business Korea claimed that Qualcomm's 64-bit Snapdragon 810 is facing new "hard-to-solve" problems including overheating, RAM controller issues and "an error in the driver of the Adreno 430 GPU."

The site attributed the "unexpected hurdles" to an unnamed industry source. Samsung, LG, HTC and most other leading Android licensees currently use Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips to power most of their smartphones, so any further delays by Qualcomm can only exacerbate the embarrassing desperation Apple's rivals are feeling as A8-powered iPhone 6 models set new sales records and grab additional market share globally.

Samsung, LG target Qualcomm's Snapdragon with Exynos, Nuclun


Samsung has its own Exynos Application Processor family, which it uses in tablets and in some smartphones, but remains largely dependent upon Qualcomm's Snapdragon and the chip's proprietary integrated baseband modem for its mainstream smartphone offerings in most markets.

LG has similarly developed its own internal Nuclun Application Processor to reduce its dependance upon Qualcomm, but both LG and Samsung have run into production and performance problems in developing their own chips, in addition to remaining dependent on Qualcomm for compatibility with mobile networks.

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How to install stock Android 5.0 Lollipop on LG G3 D855 and root it

LG G3 D855 is among a lucky few Android devices to taste the stock Android 5.0 Lollipop update, thanks to the release of stock Lollipop ROM by XDA Developers senior member, Sooti.

Those who have already rooted their LG G3 on custom Lollipop ROM can now revert to stock version, using the following step-by-step guide.

Note: This guide provides you the complete step-by-step instructions to install stock Android 5.0 Lollipop update on LG G3 unofficially and then root it via SuperSU.

IBTimes UK reminds readers that it will not be held liable for any damage to device during or after the Android 5.0 stock firmware installation. Users are advised to proceed at their own risk.

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First HTC One M9 rumors suggest 'ultrapixels' get the boot

The first alleged details for the HTC One M8 successor may already be spilling online. And, spoiler alert, the handset is shaping up to be bigger and faster than today's flagship model.

According to information obtained by Chinese site MyDrivers, the so-called HTC One M9 could make its debut at Mobile World Congress in March 2015. As for what's in store for the next-gen handset, we may be looking at a 5.5-inch display with 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution, and storage capacities of 32GB, 64GB and 128GB.

Reportedly powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor with 3GB RAM, the M9 may also pack a 3,500mAh battery. Like its predecessor, the handset could employ dual front-facing speakers, possibly with Bose technology.

In terms of cameras, it appears that HTC may be ready to pull the plug on ultrapixels, its proprietary marketing name for describing its camera tech. Instead, the One M9 is said to feature a 16-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization. We might have seen this coming, as most HTC smartphones released in wake of the M8 offered megapixels, not ultrapixels.

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Here's Everything We Know So Far About Samsung's Next Major Galaxy Phone, The Galaxy S6

Samsung is probably months away from launching its next major smartphone, but we might already have a good idea of what to expect.

Over the past several weeks, blog Sam Mobile has claimed to have received some tips about the phone.

Here’s an overview of what we already know about Samsung’s Galaxy S5 successor, based on leaks and rumors we’ve seen so far.

• Samsung may release two different versions of the phone: a standard edition, and one with a curved display. The screen on the curved model may be rounded on both sides, unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge which features one curved edge.
• The Galaxy S6 will probably look much different than the S5.Samsung is said to bestarting “from scratch” for its next flagship phone when it comes to design.

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