OP-ED: Vietnam’s national pride issue and its Bphone

Hau Pham is a Vietnamese who works in Singapore as a senior associate finance manager for P&G Asia. He wrote the following piece as a status update on his Facebook page in response to current criticisms many Vietnamese people are leveling at the Bphone.

The smartphone was unveiled on Tuesday by local cyber-security firm Bkav, whose CEO Nguyen Tu Quang said during the debut ceremony in Hanoi that the device is now “the best smartphone in the world.” Quang is known for his blunt and pompous statements so many Vietnamese people have made fun of his device since the unveiling event, with tech geeks accusing the firm of copying the design from other makers and plagiarizing the ringtone Bkav said it had made exclusively for the Bphone. Not a few have frowned upon the smartphone, which the company claimed is the first Vietnamese-made device, saying Bkav might have bought parts from China and assembled them into the gadget instead of manufacturing it as it has advertised.

Tuoi Tre News carries this article, with language edits added, after securing prior permission from Hau Pham.

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iPhone 7 UK release date, specs & new features rumours: iPhone 7 coming out in August?

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus arrived in September, but now that we're well into 2015 it's no surprise that chatter about what's next for Apple's smartphone is getting louder and clearer. Here's everything we know about the iPhone 7 release date, specs, new features and design rumours and bring you the latest iPhone 7 speculation to help you stay up-to-date with the latest iPhone 7 news, rumours and leaks. When is the iPhone 7 coming out? Updated 22/5/15.

iPhone 7 rumours: Isn't it going to be the iPhone 6S?

Some of you might be thinking, isn't it going to be called the iPhone 6S next? After all, Apple has released an iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and now iPhone 6 (alongside the iPhone 6 Plus). So if history repeats itself, it's likely that the next iPhone will be called the iPhone 6S rather than the iPhone 7. See also: iPhone 5S vs iPhone 6 comparison

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Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge receive small software update, still Android 5.0.2

Samsung has unleashed an update to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge meant to soften some of the rougher edges from the launch build.

A 215-217MB update is available for both the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge on most carriers, bringing so-called “device stability improvements,” a performance boost, as well as unnamed new features.

The build, VLU1AOE1, is identical on both devices and across carriers, and was created on May 3rd. The previous build, VLU1AOCG, was built on March 28th.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Active spotted in official website listing

The Galaxy S6 Active has been the object of various rumors for quite some time now. The alleged devices has now been spotted on numerous occasions - in press images and live photos. It's specs have also leaked through the cracks, so, at this point, we can be fairly certain that it is going to arrive, sooner or later.

All we really need now is some kind of confirmation from Samsung and today, one such item did, in fact, pop-up. The rugged version of Samsung's flagship appeared in a list of devices, as part of the Samsung Plus program. The platform in question is a meant to be a community for loyal Samsung fans, set up by the company itself, as well as a means of distributing special offers and offering benefits to the most devoted users.

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(Update: FCC cleared) Alleged photo of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active leaks out

Update, May 13:

A device with the SM-G890A code number has been spotted in the FCC database. Given that the AT&T Galaxy S5 Active was SM-G870A, it’s likely that we’re looking at the Galaxy S6 Active. While clearing the FCC regulatory process is no indication of when a device is coming to market, in most cases, it’s a matter of weeks at most. In other words, not that much to wait. (Via G4Games.)

Original post, May 12:

Samsung has offered a ruggedized variant of its flagship Galaxy S line of smartphones for a few years now, and it looks like the company isn’t giving up on them anytime soon. A new photo has just leaked out courtesy of GSMArena, giving us a first look at Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 Active.

Looking at the image above, the Galaxy S6 Active looks to feature a natural design progression from previous Active models. As you can see, the device features familiar rugged back and side panels, with the heart rate monitor sitting up top next to the camera module. The front of the device looks to feature a very similar design to the Galaxy S5 Active, complete with tactile recent apps, home and back keys. Much like the GS5 Active, this one doesn’t look like it will feature a fingerprint sensor, either.

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More Leaks On iPhone 7 Camera, Processor Emerge

While the analyst community has yet to decide whether the next Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) smartphone will be called the iPhone 7 or iPhone 6S, the rumors nonetheless keep flooding in. The latest murmurings on this flagship Apple handset are related to the alleged new processor and camera which are included.

iPhone 7 to be quad-core?
The rumors in question have been published by the website TweakTown, and make for interesting reading. According to this publication, Apple will be staying with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) for the manufacturing of its new A9 processor, and the Korean corporation will allegedly utilize its new 14nm FinFET technology. This could possibly point to the iPhone 7 becoming a pure quad-core device.

Dual-lens camera mooted
It is also stated that Apple will arm its flagship handset with a dual-lens camera. This has been a persistent rumor for some time, and it looks increasingly likely that Apple will be significantly stepping up the photographic taking capabilities of its flagship handset. Although the iPhone has always performed more than adequately as a picture taking device, the megapixel rating of the iPhone is significantly lower than lenses utilized in competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy range. It seems clear that Apple is intending to rectify this situation with the release of the iPhone 7.

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Samsung Galaxy S6: Ready to support businesses from day one

Gone are the days of press releases. Today, a native ad speaks volumes for an enterprise or its product with its purposeful content. What electronics giant Samsung has done is just this. 
The crisp editorial content about its newly launched Galaxy 6 and Galaxy S6 eliminates middlemen who style themselves as PR men or entities arranging for publishing of press releases. 
Instead of relying on such exercises, Samsung Electronics’ exhaustive description of its latest Galaxy smartphones highlights how beauty meets with purpose.
About its new smartphones, Samsung says the new devices aim to secure one’s business — from the Den to the Boardroom.

This is so because the workplace has changed dramatically since the Bring Your Own Device trend began to blur the boundaries between consumer technology and enterprise IT. 
Instead of relying on company tech, employees have chosen to create, collaborate and communicate with their personal devices at work.

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Rumor claims Apple’s 4-inch ‘iPhone 6c’ is closer to becoming a reality than we thought

We still don’t know whether Apple is actually planning to release a 4-inch “iPhone 6c” this year but a new report out of China indicates that Apple is at least starting to place component orders for the device.

According to GSM Dome, Apple has placed a significant order of camera sensors with Sony for the iPhone 6c, a move that puts pressure on Chinese Android device makers.

Two Chinese analysts familiar with the matter have learned that Sony can currently meet just 50% of the demand received from Chinese companies now that Apple has reserved a huge chunk of camera sensors for the iPhone 6c.

The iPhone 6c will launch in September, the report goes on to say, without revealing other details about the device. The analysts have not specified what kind of camera sensors the iPhone 6c will pack either.

Companies including Huawei, ZTE, Oppo and Coolpad are apparently turning to Sony’s rivals — including Samsung, Toshiba or OmiVision — to meet their own camera needs. HTC is also believed to have turned to Toshiba for cameras on its devices, after having been refused by Sony.

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