iOS 8.4 is now out with Apple Music included

Right on time, Apple has now made iOS 8.4 available to everyone for download. If it hasn't happened already, you should be receiving the relevant update notification on your iOS device in the next few hours. iOS 8.4's most notable feature is, as you may know, Apple Music. The company's new music streaming service is included in this release. So today also marks the official debut of Apple Music. You will find the new service inside the redesigned Music app for iOS. Along with this, the latest software release also contains some unnamed improvements to iBooks and bug fixes throughout the OS. Apple Music should be accessible from more than 100 countries across the globe. It offers a three month long free trial, after which you have to pay $9.99 per month. A $14.99 per month family plan is also available, and this works for up to 6 persons. It has a few different components to it. First off, you can stream any song you want from Apple's vast collection. But then there's also Beats 1, a live radio station that will be broadcast 24/7 exclusively on Apple Music, with tracks chosen by real people, not algorithms. The same human touch is employed in the "For You" section which has recommendations of playlists and albums to listen to. And finally, Apple's service lets artists directly connect with their fans if they want...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/ios_84_is_now_out_with_apple_music_included-news-12860.php

Kantar: Samsung top US vendor, S6 third best-selling smartphone

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/kantar_samsung_top_us_vendor_s6_third_bestselling_smartphone-news-12856.php

Sony Xperia Z4 slips out of top 5 best sellers in Japan

The Sony Xperia Z4, which was unveiled in Japan back in April and went on sale on June 10, has slipped out of the top five best-selling smartphones ) in the country. The NTT docomo and au by KDDI variants of the device, which debuted at the number 1 and 2 spots, have slipped down to number 7 and 8, respectively. The top 5 spots are occupied by Apple's iPhones, while the Xperia Z3 Compact is in 6th place. This shouldn't really come as a surprise, given that almost immediately after the Z4's release, users started complaining about overheating issues. Its international variant, the Xperia Z3+, is also plagued with similar issues. Meanwhile, Sony has promised that it will release an update to fix the problem sometime this...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z4_slips_out_of_top_5_in_japan-news-12855.php

HTC to start manufacturing mobile handsets in India

Over a month after Samsung announced that it will soon start manufacturing its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge flagship smartphones in India, HTC is following suit. According to an Economic Times report, the Taiwanese company has entered into an agreement with Global Devices Network, which has its own manufacturing and assembling unit in Noida (near capital New Delhi). It's worth mentioning that the latter already produces handsets for local brand Zen. The report notes that trails have already started at the facility, and commercial-level production will begin by mid-next month. The Taiwanese company will manufacture handsets priced in the range of INR 10,000 ($160) to INR 25,000 ($390). The news comes just days after there were reports that Sony is also considering manufacturing smartphones in...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_to_start_manufacturing_mobile_handsets_in_india-news-12853.php

Huawei Honor 7 gets official with Kirin 935 chip, 5.2" screen

Huawei outed the Honor 7 at a dedicated press event today. It's the company's brand new upper mid-ranger, a hybrid class that has become a thing lately. The Honor 7 is all about metal - its unibody is made out of aluminum alloy and will be offered in silver, gold and dark gray flavors. Huawei Honor 7 packs a 5.2" 1080p display and runs on the in-house Kirin 935 chipset, which offers four Cortex-A53 cores ticking at 2.2GHz and another four Cortex-A53 at 1.5GHz, Mali-T628 GPU and 3GB of RAM. This sure isn't the fastest chip around, but it should boast enough power to handle 1080p content easily. The camera of the Honor 7 sounds promising - a 20MP sensor with Phase detection AF, dual-LED dual-tone flash, sapphire protective glass plus an 8MP selfie snapper. Fingerprint scanner is available just below the main camera and it looks a lot like the Mate7's. Other interesting details include a 3,100 mAh battery, fast charging support and Android 5.0 Lollipop with Emotion 3.1 launcher. Huawei will be offering the Honor 7 in three versions - single-SIM model with 16GB storage for about $ 320 (CNY 1,999), add another $35 for dual-SIM connectivity (CNY 2,199), and finally the 64GB dual-SIM unit will set you back $400 (CNY 2,499). All these flavors support LTE Cat.6 connectivity and NFC. The Honor 7 will hit the shelves in China on July 7, while pre-orders open...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_honor_7_gets_official_with_kirin_935_chip_52_display-news-12858.php

The Meizu MX5 has landed - metal body and a tantalizing prize

The Meizu MX5 is finally official, putting an end to the endless stream of of rumors. Meizu has gone with a metal unibody, with only two small plastic inlays running through the back to ensure troubleless radio functionality. The handset measures 149.9mm x 74.7mm x 7.6mm and weighs in at 149g, making it only slightly heavier that the MX4. The MX5 is equipped with a 5.5-inch super AMOLED display with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Meizu has preserved the FullHD resolution, so, we can expect good endurance from the 3,150 mAh battery pack. As far as internals go, the MX5 is powered by Mediatek's MT6795T SoC, also known as Helio X10. It is a true octa-core chip with all of its Cortex-A53 cores set at 2.2GHz. The chip also includes a PowerVR G6200 GPU, complemented by 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM. Storage options feature 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, all using eMMC 5.0 chips. The phone's camera setup includes a 20.7MP main shooter with an aperture of f/2.2, dual-color LED flash and laser-aided focus. It is capable of 4K video recording and can also shoot 100-fps slow-motion videos at 720p. The 6-element lens itself is also covered with Gorilla Glass 3, so you don't have to worry about scratches. The selfie camera has a resolution of 5MP and a brighter f/2.0 aperture for better low-light performance. Meizu has included a fingerprint sensor, like the one in the MX4 Pro. The mTouch reader has, however, been upgraded and version 2.0 bring a stylish industrial design and improved speed and accuracy. The module has also become more-robust, thanks to a special water-proof silicon coating on the inside and a solid screw fixture, ensuring 300,000 presses. Security has also been improved on a software level. The MX5 has a special TEE security environment, which can't be accessed without a Meizu signature, even if the device is rooted. As far as connectivity goes, the Meizu MX5 is a dual-SIM phone, with LTE supported on both slots. The phone is also equipped with dual-band 802.11 ac/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. Available sensors include a Hall Effect sensor, gravity sensor, IR proximity sensor,gyroscope, ambient light sensor and compass. Another notable feature is the new mCharge technology, which can juice the MX5 from zero to 25% in only 10 minutes. Last, but not least, it runs on the company's new Flyme OS 4.5. The MX5 comes in deep grey, silver, and champagne gold colors, costing CNY 1,800 ($290) for the basic 16GB version. The 32GB version will sell for CNY 1,999 ($322) and the top-of-the-line 64GB one has a price tag of CNY2,399...

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/the_meizu_mx5_has_landed__metal_body_and_a_tantalizing_prize-news-12857.php