Windows Phone has found its niche in the lower end of the market, so now it’s Microsoft’s job to translate that into demand for the more advanced offerings. The Microsoft Lumia 640 tries to coax users with its modest model number, but behind that is a capable mid-ranger.

The early 6-series led their similarly-priced Android counterparts with better screens, cameras and chipsets. Market pressure has brought Androids up to par, but now the Lumia 640 makes a bid to regain the lead. Read more »

The LG G4 is the new kid on the block and inevitably faces fierce competition. We invite you to share your thoughts on how LG’s latest and greatest compares to the current crop of premium offerings.

The G4 may be a little late to market, compared to the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the HTC One M9, but that should give it an advantage in technology, right? Meanwhile, the iPhone 6 Plus is in a whole different camp, but no premium smartphone shootout can be complete without Apple taking part. Read more »

Well, it’s definitely a Sony and it has four in its name and it’s not a severely-overdue huge disappointment. You guessed it, it’s the Xperia M4 Aqua and its Sony’s latest mid-range offer. The Japanese tech giant really deserves points for this one, as it does look to be quite a premium device with a budget-friendly price tag. But, let’s not be hasty and go by impressions alone.

We first caught a glimpse of the M4 Aqua at MWC 2015 in Barcelona and it left us with quite a pleasant impression. The reality of Sony’s current situation is kind of odd. In the absence of a proper flagship device, given the disappointment of the Z4, new mid-rangers are left with the hard burden of filling the void. There has been talk of an upcoming Xperia P2 with a formidable specs sheet, but for now it is up to the M4 Aqua to keep users happy. Read more »

Last week, we asked you to tell us what you think about the Apple Watch and how you would size it up against an array of competitors. The results are now in and you definitely made it clear that Apple’s new smart wearable just isn’t your cup of tea.

The Apple Watch took a hell of a beating in our polls and some of your comments seem to show why. Most of you seem to agree that poor usability and high price are major drawbacks to picking up an Apple Watch. But is seems that there one even more-prevailing opinion across the board – that all wearable devices, despite functionality, price, platform or manufacturer come with little actual purpose at this point in time. Cluttering said devices with apps also doesn’t seem to be the answer, as most of you seem to be skeptical of Apple’s “more is better” strategy for the wearable as well. Read more »

Sony is in a very peculiar position in its high-end Xperia Z-lineup with a modestly updated Xperia Z4 model announced for its local Japanese market, which will apparently be sold globally as the Xperia Z3+. This leaves a new flagship to be expected later this year, with a designation that will likely cause some more confusion.

Meanwhile, it is the 10.1-inch Xperia Z4 Tablet that is left to defend the Z4 badge in markets outside of Japan. It should come as no surprise then that we were very excited when a review unit arrived at our door. Read more »

Earlier this week, LG had released the Watch Urbane smartwatch running the Android Wear platform on Google Play Store. The Watch Urbane indeed is looker and with its attractive price is one of the more interesting propositions on the market.

Now to sweeten the deal even further an LG Call app for the Android Wear platform has been released to let the Watch Urbane owners make a call directly, without the need for you to take the phone out from your pocket. Read more »

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 11 is currently the leader in the browser market with 25.04% market share, according to Internet statistic firm Net Market Share, which has recently released its stats for the desktop web browser market for April 2015.

As clear from the pie chart shown above, IE 8.0 came in second with 16.05 % share, while Google’s Chrome web browser (version 41.0) captured the third spot with 8.86% market share. IE 9.0, Chrome 42.0, and Firefox 37 rounded up the top 5 with 8.10%, 7.69%, and 6.45% market share, respectively. Read more »

Just a couple of weeks after it was made available to external beta testers, the Android version of the live video streaming app Meerkat is officially available for download from the Play Store. The app, however, still carries a ‘Beta’ tag.

If you aren’t already aware, Meerkat allows you to stream live video from your smartphone to all of your Twitter followers at once. The app is already available on iOS, and has got a lot of coverage recently. Read more »

These are the best apps and games that came out this week.

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Microsoft acquired the technology behind the digital pen that’s available for Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3. The solution was developed by the Israel-based company N-trig Ltd.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the Redmond giant tried to acquire N-trig Ltd. entirely. Read more »

VLC for Android is a video player, which plays almost any video as well as audio file format from the get go. A new update brings the app a step higher than other video players by adding background playback for video.

The new version of VLC for Android also gets a new look for album view and audio player alongside more Lollipop-centric effects. Read more »

Samsung released another promo video of the brand new Galaxy S6 edge flagship. The Korean giant’s latest marketing stint is focused on the craftsmanship of the smartphone.

The materials used in the making of Samsung Galaxy S6 edge include metal frame made of 6013 aluminum and rear casing with nano-thin multi-coating process that shows off the device’s color. Read more »

Google has brought the much awaited support for the RAW file format images with the Android 5.0 Lollipop update. While many handset makers have not considered this special file format support in their respective camera apps, few are already marching ahead with it for the glory.

HTC has pushed a new update for its Camera app and added the RAW file format support but only for the flagship One M9. Hopefully this feature is made available to other HTC phones as well. Read more »

Tesla has announced a new battery pack for homes called the Powerwall. The Powerwall is designed to utilize solar energy and then use that energy to power your home.

The Powerwall connects to your existing solar panels and charges off them. It can also charge off your existing electricity connection during night when the power rates are the lowest. The Powerwall has enough capacity to power an entire home and if you don’t want to run your house off it, it can also serve as a backup for when there is a power failure. Read more »

There wasn’t exactly a point when the Apple Watch was deemed inexpensive, but even skeptics were willing to admit that a $349 price for the entry-level Watch Sport was somewhat acceptable. A new bill of materials (BoM) revealed by an IHS teardown would leave a bad taste in your mouth though, even if you’re a devoted fan of the brand.

The components used add up to $81.20, and manufacturing costs are estimated at $2.50 for a total of $83.70. Naturally, that doesn’t include other expenses, such as research and development, logistics and advertisement. Read more »