Raspberry Pi Zero Is a Tiny Computer That Costs Just $5

Raspberry Pi Foundation, the company that makes miniature computers, has just made an addition to its affordable computer lineup. The company has announced the launch of the Raspberry Pi Zero, its cheapest computer to date. Priced at just $5 (roughly Rs. 320), the Raspberry Pi Zero is also the smallest Pi computer, measuring just 65mm x 30mm x 5mm.

As for the specifications, the Raspberry Pi Zero comes with Broadcom's BCM2835 application processor clocked at 1GHz ARM11 core. The company says that this chipset is 40 percent faster than its counterpart at Raspberry Pi 1. Other specifications include a 512MB of LPDDR2 SDRAM, and a microSD card slot for storage.

On the connectivity front, there's a mini-HDMI socket that supports 1080p60 video output, a 40-pin GPIO header, and a composite video header. Do note that there isn't a standard USB or Ethernet port, so you will have to purchase an additional hub to be able to connect your peripherals or devices to it.

On the software front, the device can run Raspbian, a Linux-based operating system. The processing power should be enough to be able to handle apps such as Minecraft. It is available for purchase in the United Kingdom from element14, The Pi Hut and Pimoroni, and in the United States from Adafruit. There's no word on its Indian availability, though based on the previous launches, it should be available in the country via authorised resellers soon enough.

Interestingly, a Raspberry Pi-powered product called Poco Supercomputer, is currently up on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo , which promises to offer an open source, completely hackable device. It has three Micro-USB ports, microHDMI-out, microSD expansion, two joysticks inlets, and a range of sensors. The company says that Poco Supercomputer can be used as a portable media player, a fitness tracker and a range of other things, as users see fit.

Facebook Launches Work Chat App for Android

Facebook has launched a new chatting app for those who use the Facebook at Work service that debuted earlier this year. Dubbed Work Chat, the messaging app currently appears to be available for Android devices only. The app requires users' Facebook at Work account to log in.

Work Chat resembles the social media giant's popular standalone app, Facebook Messenger. The app gives users the ability send messages, images, location, stickers, create groups, and make VoIP calls. Chat heads also come as a part of the app. Users can even turn off notifications if they don't want to get disturbed.

The Work Chat app by Facebook seems to take on widely used chatting apps for workplaces such asSlack, Hipchat, Yammer, Skype, and others. While the app is as basic as it gets, we might see new features showing up in the future updates.

Although the Google Play app listing says 'Varies with Device' for the app's size, it weighs 26.67MB on Nexus 5 and 24.64MB on HTC One M8 Eye when we downloaded it. Work Chat is currently on version 49.0.0.20.63, and was first spotted by Android Police,

Facebook started testing its Facebook at Work application for Android and iOS in January this year. The pilot programme is accessible with select companies for now. The application gives most of the similar features as seen on Facebook along with chats, groups and other features. Users however, would only be able to share content with their colleagues from the app.

However, the beta service is likely to go public soon reported Re/code in September. The company would be providing a freemium version of the service to more companies by the end of this year, said Julien Codorniou, Head of Facebook at Work. The firm also aims to make money from the service, not by inserting ads but by giving workplaces extra features as they pay.

Microsoft Lumia 950 Dual SIM, Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM Launched in India

Microsoft, as promised, launched its first Windows 10 Mobile handsets - the Lumia 950 Dual SIM and Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM in India. The new Lumia flagships will be available from December 11 with 'best buy' prices of Rs. 43,699 and Rs. 49,399 respectively. Pre-order bookings start Monday, and the smartphones will be available to buy both online and via physical retail stores.

The Microsoft Display Dock, which has been launched at Rs. 5,999, will be bundled free with both phones while stocks last.

To recall, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced at recently concluded Future Unveiled conference in Mumbai had announced plans to launch both its newly launched Windows 10 Mobile-powered handsets in India by December.

(Also see: Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL - 7 New Features)

The company also showcased Windows 10 Continuum feature which makes smartphones essentially computers with a different operating system and interface. The two new Lumia handsets can be called mini-computers - in the traditional PC sense. With the Windows 10 Continuum feature, they can be hooked up to a monitor along with a mouse and keyboard, using the Microsoft Display Dock. Once connected, the phone's user interface switches to an interface that looks like a Windows 10 desktop with Start menu and other elements.

The Microsoft Lumia 950 Dual SIM features a 5.2-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) ClearBlack Amoled display, offering a pixel density of 564ppi and also featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Under the hood, the handset is powered by a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor clocked at 1.8GHz coupled with 3GB of RAM. There is 32GB of inbuilt storage and is expandable up to 200GB via microSD card. Backed by a 3000mAh removable battery, the handset sports a 20-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, OIS (optical image stabilisation), an f/1.9 aperture, and a triple-LED RGB flash module. There is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera as well. It measures 145x73.2x8.2mm and weighs 150 grams.

The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM, on the other hand, features a 5.7-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) ClearBlack Amoled display with a pixel density of 518ppi. It is powered by a 2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM. It packs 32GB storage and is expandable via microSD card (up to 200GB). The Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM features the same camera and flash module from the Lumia 950 and both the devices also sport a dedicated camera button as well. The Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM packs a large 3340mAh battery. It packs 151.9x78.4x8.1mm and weighs 165 grams. Both the Lumia 950 Dual SIM and Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM also support dual standby with Nano-SIM card support. The Lumia 950 XL also comes with liquid cooling.

The dual-SIM dual standby 4G-enabled smartphones support dual Nano-SIM cards and come with USB Type-C ports (USB 3.1). Both smartphones also support fast charging, capable of achieving 50 percent charge in 30 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy S7 SoC Delivers Record-Breaking Score in Leaked Benchmark

The anticipated Samsung Galaxy S7 has gone through AnTuTu benchmarks, revealing the scores delivered by Samsung's newly unveiled Exynos 8 Octa 8890 SoC. The unannounced Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) also appears to have hit the US FCC certification website, tipping its dimensions and battery capacity.

A Samsung smartphone with model number SM-G9300, thought to be the Galaxy S7, is seen in a leaked benchmark running the Exynos 8890 SoC, via GSMArena. The smartphone reportedly posted a record-breaking high score of 103,692. Unfortunately, nothing more has been mentioned about the smartphone.

The Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890 processor was launched earlier this month. The new processor has been built on 14nm FinFET fabrication process and features Samsung's first custom-designed CPU based on 64-bit ARMv8 architecture. From the past leaks and rumours, Samsung Galaxy S7 will run Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC under-the-hood in some markets, and the newly unveiled Exynos 8890 SoC in other markets.

The Galaxy S7 is also tipped to house a 5.2-inch display. It is also said to sport 3D Touch-like pressure sensitive display, similar to what we have seen in Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

As for the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016), the smartphone according to the US FCC listing measures 151.5x73.95x6.95mm and weighs 155 grams, something we saw in the recent Tenaa listing. A battery capacity of 3300mAh is also mentioned for the smartphone. Notably, the current Galaxy A7 handset packs a 2600mAh battery.

As per the recent Tenaa listing the Galaxy A7 (2016) features a 5.5-inch (1080x1920 pixels) full-HD display; powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core processor; 3GB of RAM; 16GB inbuilt storage; expandable storage via microSD (up to 128GB); Android 5.1.1 Lollipop; a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash; a 5-megapixel front-facing camera; and 4G LTE support.

iPhone 7 to Be 1mm Slimmer by Ditching 3.5mm Headphone Jack : Report

The next iPhone - to be named iPhone 7 if following Apple's current smartphone nomenclature - may not come with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The port is almost standard on every smartphone and tablet sold in the past few years, with most manufacturers abandoning proprietary audio ports. The Cupertino-based company has plans to replace it completely with the smartphone's Lightning port, according to a report. Accommodating this new port could help the company make the iPhone at least one millimetre thinner.

A report on Japanese tech website Mac Otakara claims that Apple is working on a new Lightning connector which will support Lightning-equipped headphones. The port, which is said to retain the same size, will also come with a digital-to-analogue converter for backwards compatibility with wired headphones, the report adds. A user would understandably require a 3.5mm jack-to-Lightning adapter for that.

Apple started to hint at requiring Lightning-equipped wired headphones last year. The company introduced the MFi (Made for iPhone) program specifications in June 2014 to allow third-party manufacturers to create headphones that connect to an iPhone or an iPad via a Lightning cable. Philips Fidelio NC1L with battery-free active noise cancelling feature that was launched earlier this year also connected to an iPhone via a Lightning cable. There aren't too many such headphones out in the market, however.

The company is also said to release Lightning-equipped EarPods bundled with the next iPhone, and these will be sold separately for use with other iOS devices.

This wouldn't be the first time Apple would be introducing such a radical change to its products. Apple's decision to introduce a smaller Lightning connector with iPhone 5 didn't receive the most welcoming reception from many existing iPhone users. Earlier this year, the MacBook which the company announced had just one USB Type-C port for data transfer and power input. Apple's MacBook Air lineup was among the first computers to ship without an optical drive, which at the time also irked many users. It will be interesting to see accurate this rumour is, and how people react to it, in case it is.

LG G4 Starts Receiving Android 6.0 Marshmallow Update

LG has finally started rolling out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for its G4 flagship in European region. The LG G4 is receiving the update over-the-air (OTA) and can also be updated via LG Bridge, a PC companion app for LG devices.

Some of the regions currently receiving Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for LG G4 include Portugal, Romania, Germany, Spain, and Hungary. Some of the users in United Kingdom are also reporting about receiving the update notification on their G4 smartphones. To recall, LG had back in October started the Marshmallow update rollout for the G4 in Poland. The South Korean company is expected to expand the availability of the update to other regions including Asia, and the Americas soon.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow (previously just Android M) brings features such as revamped app permissions; Google Now on Tap feature; Android Pay mobile payment system, and new fingerprint APIs for developers among others.

LG has also detailed some of the features it added in the latest Android build including battery optimisation; Knock Code settings, which will be updated to offer an improved experience for the latest OS build; Direct Share, which will show users frequently shared combinations of recommended apps and people; Silent Mode sound profile; auto-brightness improved to be brighter when in a bright place and darker in a dark place; memory settings have been added to Settings > General > Memory to be easily accessible; screen for Apps settings has been simplified, and LG Bridge has now been renamed to LG AirDrive.