Nokia Android Phone Releasing At MWC 2017: 6 Expected Features Of Company's Flagship Device

Nokia’s Android phones are among the most anticipated phones of 2017. The company’s ill-fated deal with Microsoft and its decision to stay with Windows Phone OS took the Nokia brand out of the smartphone market from 2014 to 2016. Now, Nokia finally plans to do what it should have probably done earlier — come out with a full-featured Android phone (unlike its Nokia X brand.) 

The company is expected to unveil three phones in the coming year — the budget D1C, the mid-range C1 and the flagship P1. To make a successful comeback, Nokia needs the P1 to be a standout phone as it will compete with leading flagships from brands such as Samsung and Lenovo, which will also release at Mobile World Congress 2017.

Here are six expected features of the 2017 Nokia flagship Android device, the Nokia P1, which will release at MWC:

1. 5.2/5.5-inch 2K display: Nokia, it seems, will debut a phablet at the MWC — the P1 is expected to have 5.2 or 5.5-inch 2K display.
2. IP68 certification: The device might be waterproof with an IP68 certification, same as Samsung’s current flagship device — the Galaxy S7.
3. Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB RAM: The P1 is expected to be a powerful device with a Snapdragon 835 processor and 6GB RAM. The 835 is made using 10nm processor technology, which gives better performance and battery life. It should, along with the expected 6GB RAM, make the phone ready for heavy usage such as gaming.
4. Android 7.0.1:  The device is expected to sport Android 7.0.1 Nougat OS out-of-the-box.
5. 23-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera: One thing that the new Nokia flagship might continue from previous Nokia smartphones is a powerful camera. The company has, in the past, come out with powerful cameras on the Nokia Lumia 1020 and PureView 808 and it seems that the Nokia P1 will continue the tradition with its 23-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera.
6. Nokia and Android apps: While Nokia wasn’t selling smartphones in 2014-2016, it was still working on its apps. The Nokia P1 is expected to gain from the company’s endeavors and come with Nokia apps such as HERE maps as well as Android apps such as Google Drive.

Despite IT Boom, over 90% of Africa Has No Internet Access

Internet access: Vital to providing wider access to education and health awareness in rural communities in Mozambique

The Internet is one of the most important enablers of social development and education. While Internet services have been quite phenomenal in the rest of the world, access to the Internet remains very low in Africa, especially in the rural communities. According to the Internet World Stats for Africa 2016 (http://APO.af/AvhzA), only 9.3% of people across the African continent are Internet users.

“A few years ago anyone who could not read and write was considered illiterate, but today this concept goes further, encompassing people who do not know how to use information and communication technologies. Health organizations and schools in Africa often face a unique set of obstacles, including a lack of access to much-needed health education and counselling platforms. The Community Tablet was created to help solve these problems”, says Dayn Amade.

In today’s digital world, bringing Internet access to rural communities is a tremendous step in the right direction of social development and education. Mozambican technology start-up company Kamaleon (http://Kamaleon.co.mz) has developed an innovative and engaging way of promoting digital literacy through a shared platform called the “Community Tablet” (“Tablet Comunitário”). The Community Tablet is a solar powered mobile computer with touch screen displays and virtual keyboards built in on a trailer to provide Internet access to remote areas. In order to facilitate interaction with the virtual world, Kamaleon also offers training on how to use the Internet and its features to members of the community and the local workforce.

Launched in November 2016 in Mozambique, the Community Tablet ultimately aims to promote digital inclusion and a knowledge based society in Africa. Beginning in Mozambique with an astounding 24 million people with no Internet connection, the Community Tablet will be used to support campaigns on various Health and Education initiatives in partnership with governmental and private organisations. Spreading up-to-date messages and interactive lessons that showcase symptoms, prevention and treatment options – replacing the need for leaflet distributions to convey life saving information. Kamaleon is on a mission to close the digital divide and empower more people in Africa to engage in the digital economy and its educational benefits.

“I believe technology and digital literacy can contribute to greater effectiveness of civic education campaigns in various communities”, says Dayn Amade.

Apple releases iOS 10.2.1 beta 2 for developers

Apple has released iOS 10.2.1 beta 2 for developers. The update follows the public release of iOS 10.2 last week and the first iOS 10.2.1 beta as well. iOS 10.2 included new redesigned emojis, the TV app for US users, a couple of new screen effects in Messages, amongst other enhancements.

Apple seeded the iOS 10.2.1 beta for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch today to developers with build number 14D15, up from 14D10. iOS 10.2.1 is also available for public beta testers with a release usually a few days behind developer releases.

Update will be available when we see any significant changes to Apple’s mobile operating system in this release.

Will the iPhone 8 ditch glass for PLASTIC? Rumours say Apple will use the material to create a curved screen

The iPhone 8 could come with a radical new design, according to the latest reports. 

Apple's upcoming handset could be set to ditch the current aluminium and glass design in favour of a plastic OLED screen that curves 'all over'.

The report also appears to confirm previous rumours that Apple will be introduced three phone models in 2017.  

iPhone 7

The OLED version of the new iPhone will all be curved as Apple ordered all plastic OLED - not glass - from Samsung Display. 'Samsung is capable of supplying a little less than 100 million units of curved OLED displays to Apple,' a source familiar with the matter told The Korea Herald.  The reports suggests that Apple will launch three designs - a flagship model with the curved screen and two that more closely resemble the current iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Until now, Apple has relied on Corning's durable Gorilla Glass for its iPhone screens. It's not clear whether the plastic would be used alone, or whether it could be covered with a glass layer, notes 9to5mac.com.  Earlier this month, rumours emerged claiming that the iPhone 8 could feature a curved OLED.A curved display could enable Apple to produce a handset with an edge-to-edge screen with practically no bezels.  This was the latest in a series of reports claiming that Apple will feature a curved screen on its next handset, which is expected to launch in autumn 2017. 'Recent reports point to Interflex, BH, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics as suppliers of the components, which will be used by Samsung Display to manufacture the panels used in the iPhone 8,' reports ExtremeTech. 

Xiaomi Redmi Note goes to India come January.

Xiaomi is ready to brings its Redmi Note 4 to India, claim reports online. A blog called MakTechBlog says the company is launching the new version of the Note 4 in January 2017. Redmi Note 4 is the successor to popular Redmi Note 3, which was one of the bestselling devices for the company in India. Xiaomi itself has not confirmed any launch event for January.

For the Chinese technology company, the Redmi series has done well in India in 2016. The company claims to have sold over 2.3 million units of just the Redmi Note 3 smartphone. According to numbers from IDC, Redmi Note 3 was the most successful smartphone in India’s online channels, so it’s not surprising if Xiaomi hopes to replicate this success with a new Redmi phone.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is quite similar to Redmi Note 3 in terms of design and specifications, but has a Type-C USB port. However, the processor will likely be a Snapdragon one from Qualcomm, instead of MediaTek chip version which sells in China, given that Xiaomi faces a ban on selling MediaTek devices in the country.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 was unveiled in China in the  in the ‘affordable’ mid-range market. It features a full metal unibody design and a big 4,100 mAh battery. The Redmi Note 4 comes in two storage options – 2GB RAM+16GB ROM and 3GB RAM+64GB ROM. The price starts at 899 yuan (Rs 9,000 approx) for the 2GB RAM variant and 1199 yuan (Rs 12,081 approx) for the 3GB RAM version.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 gets a 5.5-inch full HD display (1920×1080 pixels) with 2.5D arc glass design. The smartphone is powered by a 2.1 GHz 10-core Helio X20 processor in China. The storage is expandable up to 128GB via micro SD card. Redmi Note 4 runs on company’s latest MIUI 8 OS.

The smartphone features a 13MP primary camera, and 5MP front camera. The Note 4 has a fingerprint scanner at the back. The fingerprint scanner can also be used to pay for purchases and view private files. Redmi Note 4 is listed in three colour variants in China.

Given the price-point and battery size, the Redmi Note 4 will compete with the likes of Lenovo K6 Power and Asus Zenfone 3 Max in India. For Xiaomi’s, its affordable Redmi series with phones like Redmi Note 3, Redmi 3, and Redmi 3S Prime, has done well in the country. We’ll have to wait and see if Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 further boosts up sales for the company in India.