droid-life.com - You know how LG told us during last week's earnings report that we should expect the successor to the V10 in the near future? They announced the damn thing tonight officially as the LG V20.
They aren't saying much, plus the translation is iffy, but the official LG site to post the news says that the phone will launch in September with Android 7.0 Nougat on board. The focus, like last year's V10, will once again be on the multimedia experience.
On a related note, in case you were wondering when Android 7.0 Nougat would arrive, I think LG just told you to expect it sometime before the end of September.
UPDATE: This morning, LG released a press release to the US that offers more details without the need for Google Translate. In it, LG claims that the V20 will be the "world's first phone to launch with Android 7.0 Nougat," including be the first "out of the box." If you take that exactly for what it says, that means this phone will launch before the new Nexus phones. The V20 will also use the Vulkan API for graphics.
NEW LG V20 TO BE WORLD'S FIRST PHONE TO LAUNCH WITH ANDROID 7.0 NOUGAT
Successor to Acclaimed V10 Offers More Advanced Multimedia Features
SEOUL, Aug. 1, 2016 - LG Electronics (LG) confirms that its next flagship smartphone, LG V20, will be the first device to feature Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. The LG V20 will begin shipping in the third quarter.
The LG V20 builds upon the premium and rich multimedia smartphone experience of last year's LG V10. It will be tuned to take advantage of many of the best features of Nougat, including Vulkan-supported graphics for more immersive gaming while also delivering better battery performance with Doze. Consumers will also enjoy new productivity features such as Direct Reply, which lets users respond quickly to text messages or update tasks using the notification interface.
LG and Google have collaborated closely since the 2009 launch of the very first Android phone from LG based on Android 1.5 Cupcake. The two companies continued to collaborate on a series of Nexus smartphones starting with the Nexus 4 in 2012, which was shipped with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the Nexus 5 that was released in 2013 with Android 4.4 KitKat, and the Nexus 5X that was unveiled in 2015 featuring Android 6.0 Marshmallow. LG and Google have also teamed up to offer smart wearables such as LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition, the world's first and only Android Wear smartwatch with cellular-based connectivity.
"We are excited to offer the first phone in the world to feature Nougat out of the box," said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics and Mobile Communications Company. "The LG V20 upgrades and extends its predecessor's cutting-edge multimedia features a step further, providing distinctive mobile experience and sets a new standard for premium phones for consumers."

mashable.com - Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 won't be officially unveiled until August 2, but that didn't stop Samsung Korea from releasing the first ad for the device.
The ad never really shows what the phone looks like, but it does hint at several new features, including water resistance, which would make the Note 7 the first waterproof phone from Samsung's Note series.
Other features of note that are (sort of) shown in the video include front-facing flash and fingerprint unlock (which was present in Note 5). If we really let our imaginations go, the series of complex finger unlocking patterns can be interpreted as a hint toward that iris scanner we've been hearing about.
I've made the joke about the "worst kept secret in tech" numerous times, but with Samsung's Galaxy Note 7, it feels more accurate than ever. We've seen a full set of press photos, several videos and numerous leaks about the device's features.
Rumored specs include a 5.7- or 5.8-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen, Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon chip, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (expandable via microSD), IP68 water and dustproof design, a large battery and fast wireless charging.

knowyourmobile.com - The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will be Samsung's last line of defence against the iPhone 7 later this year.
This year's Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is going to be EPIC and it will launch on August 2. And that is very good news for long-standing fans of the phablet line, because last year Samsung really dropped the ball and did not bring the Galaxy Note 5 to the UK. Instead it pushed the Galaxy S6 EDGE+ - a bigger, more expensive version of the Galaxy S6. This initiative didn't go down well at all. In fact, it was kind of a PR disaster for Samsung, who, at the time, wasn't having the best of luck anyway.
Things are very different now, though. The Galaxy S7 is flying off shelves, analysts have their knives out for Apple, and the Android space, at large, hasn't looked this strong in years - and we're only just half way through the year. The rest of the year looks to be very exciting as well with BIG releases from Samsung, of course, OnePlus, Sony and BlackBerry. OK, granted the latter of which isn't a MASSIVE deal, but I for one am very interested to see how BlackBerry's Android project develops.
"Making some assumptions about the launch of the iPhone 7 range, the Galaxy Note 7 will have four weeks of retail sales, reviews, and articles, ahead of Tim Cook's reveal of Apple's new hardware. If Apple stays true to form those handsets will go on sale in the two weeks after the launch event," says Forbes. "Samsung's launch strategy would mimic the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge release schedule which allowed the South Korean handsets to get the jump on Apple's iPhone SE in sales, mind share, and positioning."
So why is it called the Samsung Galaxy Note 7? The reason is because its current Galaxy S flagship is called the Galaxy S7 and Samsung doesn't want people thinking its new Note isn't quite as new and shiny as its 2017 flagship phone. Hence the number change.
This sort of makes sense, but it is very confusing for consumers and tech-journalists; everybody is expecting the Galaxy Note 6, but when Samsung announces the handset on August 2 it will almost certainly be called the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Guess a few eyebrows will be raised after that, but everything will settle down pretty quickly once word on the the official specs and hardware are confirmed.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will very likely be the most powerful Android handset on the planet for a good few months after its release. Samsung is enjoying something of a resurgence in form of late with its Galaxy S7 handsets and, if history is anything to go by, the Galaxy Note 7 will be bigger, better, faster and more functional than its sibling. This has always been the case with the Note series, at least, in my opinion, and I do not see this changing in 2016.
The Galaxy Note 7 will also be the first Android phone with potentially 500GB of storage. According to reports the top model will ship with 256GB of internal storage, a huge figure that dwarves pretty much everything else currently on market.
In order to get to that all important 500GB mark is to take advantage of the Galaxy Note 7's microSD port, into which you can slot either A) Samsung's 256GB microSD card or B) SanDisk's newly announced Extreme microSDXC UHS-1 card, which has just been called the fastest microSD card on the planet with its transfer speeds of 100MB/s and write speeds of 90MB/s.
Also worth noting is that the SanDisk microSD, despite having the same, ultra-fast transfer speeds, is $100 cheaper than Samsung's 256GB option which is currently available for $250. This is a huge difference in price for the same performance and storage, so which you go for is a basic no-brainer. Expect to see Samsung's option reduced in the coming weeks.
Samsung will almost certainly do multiple versions of the Galaxy Note 7 too; one with Qualcomm's Snapdragon CPU, the other with Exynos. Whether Samsung brings back removable batteries, however, remains to be seen. SD-support is almost guaranteed, though, as is higher internal storage options - maybe even 256GB.
I personally think the Galaxy Note 7 will more than give Apple's iPhone 7 a run for its money.
And here are six points expanding on that theory.
It'll Be Available As Soon As It's Launched
Word on the street suggests Samsung will release the Galaxy Note 7 on the day it launches. That means, on August 2, you will be able to buy the Galaxy Note 7, a phone that is shaping up to be one of the biggest and best releases of 2016.
And in a year that has already seen the HTC 10, LG G5, OnePlus 3 and Galaxy S7, that really is saying something.
Insane Specs
We already know quite a bit about the proposed specs and hardware for the Galaxy Note 7. Put curtly: this thing is going to be a monster, the likes of which never before seen in the mobile space.
We're talking bleeding-edge CPU technology, top of the line connectivity and 7GB of RAM - yes, you read that right: SEVEN GIGABYTES of memory.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is the next big announcement to hit the mobile space, alongside the OnePlus 3 and Google's brand-spanking new Nexus phones.
The headline-grabbing Galaxy Note 7 has been the talk of the town since, well, just about ALL of 2015/17. The handset, which is believed to feature 7GB of RAM and a new imaging technology, is poised for a release ahead of Apple's iPhone 7.
Samsung has now officially announced its 7GB 10nm LPDDR4 RAM chip and this is now ripe to go inside a handset. And what's Samsung's next handset? Yep, you guessed it: The Galaxy Note 7 and that handset as you will all already know has been tipped to feature 7GB of RAM since rumours first started circulating about it.
Beyond this the Galaxy Note 7 is tipped to feature a 2K display, new software features for the S-Pen, a raft of next-generation hardware, including a Snapdragon 820 CPU, and a refined design that will no doubt take a few queues from the company's HUGELY successful Galaxy S7.
Sources reckon Samsung is still torn on whether to make the Galaxy Note 7 an edge device; apparently the company is testing multiple models ahead of its official announcement. Also, depending on when it launches, the Galaxy Note 7 could well be one of the first handsets to run Android N.
Google's Daydream VR platform is also likely to feature as well. I say, likely, not certain, because Samsung has some of its own VR aspirations and this could cause some friction between itself and Google in 2017's VR space. Still, if I were a betting man I'd wager the Note 7 will utilise Daydream; this would go a long way to explaining why it needs 7GB of RAM.
This is one handset I am VERY excited about. If only 50% of the rumours are true, it'll still be one of the best phones in the business -- and that's saying something with the quality of what's already available on market at present.
Samsung is back, ladies and gentlemen.
The uplift will be INSANE.
Just a few years ago many gaming PCs only have 4GB of RAM, so the advent of 7GB inside a phone is frankly NUTS. What are you going to be using all this memory for? Is it overkill? Does anyone need this much memory in a phone?
At this stage of the game, the advent of 7GB of RAM is likely all about performance. However, developments in VR -- things like Google's Daydream platform, for instance -- are going to be bringing tons of new uses to phones between now and 2017. And these new features WILL require masses of grunt in order to achieve silky smooth performance.
Beyond this there is of course the theory that Google will bring Android and ChromeOS closer together, perhaps even unify the platform, and create a type of hybrid mobile phone that can be used as a phone but also as a console for connecting to HD displays with a connected keyboard and mouse. Basically, when you have this kind of power at your disposal, they sky's the limit with potential applications.
New Camera?
The Galaxy S7's camera is phenomenal and is easily one of the best point and shoot phone cameras we've EVER tested. Period. But Samsung isn't one to rest on its laurels. It knows the iPhone 7 will appear later on this year and the addition of the Galaxy Note 7 to its phone arsenal is its best line of defence against Apple's hugely anticipated new iPhone.
We know the iPhone 7 will be a great camera phone; talk of dual-lens cameras has been going on for some time now. That means Samsung has to up the game with the Galaxy Note 7 and current word on the street suggests we will see some improvements over the shooter currently in use aboard the Galaxy S7.
"Samsung is working on a brand new 1/1.7-inch CMOS camera sensor with an aperture as wide as /1.4," reports Sam Mobile. "The new sensor could have a resolution of anywhere between 18-24 megapixels. The company is also working on a new compact 1/2.3-inch camera sensor."
It added: "Samsung recently announced that it will not release any new cameras in its NX lineup (at least in some markets), and it has been moving people from its NX camera department to its smartphone department. The South Korean smartphone giant is really focused to improve the image quality on its smartphones, and it seems to have a very aggressive roadmap."
New Note Productivity Features
Samsung is planning on introducing a new productivity feature called "Samsung Focus" which we're expecting to function a lot like the BlackBerry Hub, meaning it will be a place where you can manage all your incoming and outgoing emails, tweets and the like.
Samsung Focus reportedly acts as a communications aggregation hub, bringing together, amongst other things, emails from a selection of different sources - again as with BB Hub, the idea is to eliminate the inconvenience of hopping between applications. As with BB Hub it'll show calendar info, contacts, and memo notes in the same interface too.
Beautiful Design
Samsung is apparently testing two Galaxy Note 7 styles: 1) normal, and 2) with an EDGE display. Apparently it cannot decide on which to go with, but there will only be one. Our preference? Go with the EDGE, it just looks so much smarter than the normal version on the Galaxy S7.
Following the launch of the Galaxy S7, shipments and pre-orders for the Galaxy S7 EDGE appear to be the far more popular than the standard model. And when you've seen both in the flesh you will know why. In other words, Samsung punters LOVE the EDGE display. And, yes, it might not be that useful, but as a design feature alone it is stunning and a big USP for the Samsung brand.
MASSES of Storage
Another first here; the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is tipped to feature up to 257GB of storage - and, no, not from an SD card. This is internal storage and if true it would be one hell of a USP for the Galaxy Note 7 and its user base.
There will also likely be SD-support too. The Galaxy S7 featured it for one and Samsung knows its punters like having the option of expanding the handset's internal storage -- even if it is a massive 257GB.
The other big question is whether or not Samsung will introduce a removable battery inside the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung tends to prefer unibody chassis design these days, so if I were a betting man -- which I am -- I'd put my money on the Note 7 NOT having a removable battery.
And the reason will be simple: Samsung will pack a monstrously sized cell in the Note 7 and argue that removable batteries are not required. Of course, not everyone will see eye to eye with Samsung on this -- as evidenced in comments below -- but in today's space you only really have one option when it comes to handsets with a removable battery and that is the LG G5.
ChromeOS Dual-Boot?
This is something of a long-shot and something of an "out-there" theory, but a potential scenario all the same. Why does the Galaxy Note 7, as well as other upcoming flagship Android phones, feature 7GB of RAM? That's a lot of memory for what people usually do on their phones.
Plus, there has been talk of a Android/ChromeOS cross-over for quite sometime now with reports suggesting it could happen this year. And what better device to road-test it on than the Galaxy Note 7?
UPDATE: Okay, the 7GB of RAM might not be for ChromeOS. Google's immediate plans for ChromeOS and Android are a bit clearer now and they seem, at least for the time being, only to include support for Android apps on ChromeOS. This is still a HUGE positive for Chromebook users, but still a tad disappointing to me as I was expecting some kind of dual-boot capabilities inside Android N.
The reason for 7GB of RAM, save for sheer performance, could well be to do with Google's Daydream VR platform which will be part of Android N and function on handsets with compatible sensors and displays. Considering how big a deal the Galaxy Note 7 is I'd be very surprised if wasn't a Daydream-compatible device.

cnet.com - Samsung introduced the first Galaxy Note in late 2011. The original device was specified somewhat similarly to a souped up Galaxy S II, which was Samsung's flagship device at the time. The Note came with a higher performance Exynos processor, a 5.4-inch AMOLED panel, a 2,500 mAh rechargeable battery and revised software that benefited from Samsung's take on a stylus, the S Pen. Every year since then, Samsung has released a new Galaxy S flagship in the first half (varying from the first to the second quarter) and in the second half of the year, a Galaxy Note flagship. For 2016, Samsung released the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in the first half of the year and is planning on releasing the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in the second half of the year - likely in the first half of August. Samsung have decided to skip a number in the Note line up as the last model was the Note 5, presumably in order to bring the model number into alignment.
The Galaxy Note 7 is believed to be based around a 5.7-inch, QHD (1440p, or 2,560 by 1,440 pixel) resolution Samsung Super AMOLED panel, have 4 GB of RAM to accompany either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 of the Samsung Exynos 8893 System-on-Chip, depending on the market. The device will come with a fingerprint sensor and an iris sensor, bringing with it the most comprehensive biometric security systems available for a consumer smartphone. There will be a 3,500 mAh rechargeable battery complete with fast charging functionality and the model will come with an IP68 water and dust rating, meaning it can be submerged in up to five feet of freshwater for half an hour. These rumours for the device specification also include that the Note 7 will include a similar main rear camera as Samsung have used on the S7 models: a 12MP, optically stabilised unit. And now we've seen a report from Indian shipping and import / export tracking website, Zauba, showing the specification including that 12MP rear camera.
It does need highlighting that the Zauba site is not infallible; although the majority of specifications showing on the site match other rumours, including the inclusion of a 6.0-inch model, but for the most part the website is confirming details we've already seen. We are expecting Samsung's latest flagship device, running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow under the new Grace UX interface, to be officially announced on August 2nd at Samsung's Unpacked event.

androidheadlines.com - Google on Monday unveiled a new version of Maps that has a cleaner look and incorporates smart areas of interest.
The new look does away with elements that aren't absolutely required, like road outlines. This allows for more room to display useful information, such as traffic and transit lines. In addition, the typography has been improved to make street names, point of interest, transit stations and so on, more distinguishable from other items on the map.
A new feature called "areas of interest," not to be confused with "points of interest," is also part of the update. These areas are covered with a shade of orange and when zoomed in will display the details of each venue. More information of the venue will be revealed with a tap. With this new feature, users can quickly discover surrounding area or even any place in the word just via browsing around Google Maps.
The latest update also brings in a new color scheme that's more subtle and balanced. The scheme helps users easily differentiate between man-made or natural features, and quickly identify places like hospitals, schools or highways.
The updated version of Google Maps is available today for Android, iOS and desktop computers.

ccm.net - Microsoft says that Windows 10 will not reach its one-billion-device target, blaming poor phone sales.
(CCM) - Microsoft has admitted that it will fail to meet its target of one billion devices running its Windows 10 operating system by 2018, according to a BBC report. The company says that about 350 million devices are using Windows 10 today, and this number is expected to receive a boost over the coming days as users install it on their computers to take advantage of Microsoft's free upgrade offer that expires on July 29. After that date, the upgrade will cost $119. Research house Gartner has also predicted that businesses will begin to adopt Windows 10 more strongly in the coming months.
Microsoft attributes the poorer-than-expected adoption of Windows 10 to its faltering mobile phone strategy. The company had hoped to sell about 50 million phones running Windows 10 Mobile software every year, but the mobile operating system has failed to gain traction in the market. In the first quarter of 2016, Windows phone sales ran to just 2.4 million units, or 0.7% of the global smartphone market, according to research carried out by Gartner. In May, the company cut 1,850 jobs from its phone business in a move that likely signaled an end to Microsoft's involvement in smartphone development.

forbes.com - For months Microsoft has been describing Windows 10 "as a service" and now we know why. Microsoft is going to introduce a monthly subscription fee for Windows 10 usage...
That cost will be $7 per user per month but the good news is it only applies to enterprises, for now. The new pricing tier will be called "Windows 10 Enterprise E3" and it means Windows has finally joined Office 365 and Azure as a subscription service.
Of course the big question is now: How does this new subscription pricing affect the millions of consumers who upgraded to Windows 10 on the promise of it being free?
The good news is Microsoft has gone on record to say it is not being passed down to consumers at this stage: "This new subscription model is not associated with our current upgrade offering or applicable to the Windows 10 consumer edition," a Microsoft spokesperson told PC World.
Could Microsoft eventually introduce Windows 10 monthly subscriptions for consumers? Without doubt, but I would be highly sceptical they would apply to anyone who has already upgraded. That said there is likely to be a threshold in future where Microsoft will draw a line in the sand for the ongoing addition of new features without a fee.
At that point I suspect Microsoft may simplify things and just rename it "Windows". Here is when all Windows pricing could become subscription only given even upfront costs would expire at some point and become a messy marketing exercise.
But in the meantime the rush is on for those who still want to upgrade to Windows 10 while it is free. The window for this closes on July 29th and Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro will then cost $119 and $199 respectively for consumers who didn"t upgrade.
Out of interest at the $7 per month enterprise rate, consumers would get 17 and 28 months use out of Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro respectively. This isn"t a great deal for Home users and shows a new consumer-focused pricing tier would likely need to be introduced to make it more appealing should Microsoft go down that path in future.
Until then Windows 10 will remain free a little longer and for millions of Windows 7 and Windows 8 users it is make up your mind time...

ibtimes.com - Samsung's next flagship smartphone will be called the "Galaxy Note 7," and the South Korean conglomerate is not trying to keep the moniker under wraps. In an invitation issued Tuesday, the company announced it would unveil the new phablet on Aug. 2 during an event, which has been named "7 Unpacked."
The event will be held in New York City at 11:00 a.m. EDT while there will also be satellite events simultaneously taking place in London and Rio de Janeiro. In the same statement, Samsung also explained why it decided to name the device Note 7, rather than Note 6, considering the current Note model is called the "Galaxy Note 5."
"First and foremost though, you might be curious as to why it's called Galaxy Note7 instead of Galaxy Note6. There are a couple reasons why. First, the Galaxy Note7 will complement our Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and unify our product portfolio. Second, the Galaxy Note7 will minimize confusion about the latest mobile technology from Samsung, and provide full alignment with Galaxy S smartphone," Samsung said.
GalaxyNote7_Invitation
Samsung issued an invitation for an event on Aug. 2 in New York City, where it will officially unveil the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.
Features and specs
The Galaxy Note 7 is expected to come with multiple improvements compared to its predecessor. The Galaxy Note 5, which was unveiled on Aug. 13, 2015, faced a lot of criticism for lacking a microSD card slot. Since Samsung included that feature in the Galaxy S7, which was announced at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, tech enthusiasts now expect the same to be featured in the upcoming Galaxy Note 7.
Samsung recently released a new mobile storage format based on UFS 1.0, which is expected to provide read and write speeds that are five times better than conventional microSD cards. However, these new UFS cards are not compatible with the existing microSD card sockets, leading many to speculate that the Galaxy Note 7 might feature a hybrid UFS/microSD card slot.
A dual-curved display, similar to what is found in the existing Galaxy S7 edge, is another widely expected feature that the Galaxy Note 7 could incorporate. If the device indeed comes with a dual-curved display, it will be the first of its kind to sport such a feature, considering the existing Note Edge's display is curved only on one side. In terms of resolution, Samsung is likely to continue with the 2K display.
Samsung's heart rate monitor featured on the rear of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 has come under sharp criticism for not being as accurate as claimed by the company. But, if ongoing rumors turn out to be accurate, Samsung is looking to counter this criticism by adding an iris scanner to the Galaxy Note 7. According to reports, the iris scanner could prove really useful as a new biometric security measure that will be much better than the existing fingerprint sensors.
Galaxy Note 7
A Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 5 smartphone is seen at the company's headquarters in Seoul, Oct. 27, 2015. Samsung is set to launch the successor to the Galaxy Note 5 (pictured) in August and will reportedly call it the Galaxy Note 7 to bring it in line with the Galaxy S7 range.
Unlike many smartphone manufacturers, who have already embraced the new USB-C standard, Samsung is still stuck with the microUSB port because it supports the popular Gear VR headset, which uses the port to connect with the phone.
A recent leak suggested that the Galaxy Note 7 would feature a USB Type-C port on the bottom, which is in line with reports saying that Samsung is planning to announce a new version of its virtual reality headset Gear VR that would be compatible with Galaxy Note 7's USB Type-C port.
When it comes to processing speed, the Galaxy Note 7 is expected to be powered by the company's own Exynos 8893 processor in developing markets and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 821 processor in bigger markets like the U.S. The Snapdragon 821, which Qualcomm announced Monday, is an upgraded version of the Snapdragon 820 that powers some variants of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge. It is also said to deliver a 10 percent performance increase over the 820.
In addition, the Galaxy Note 7 could also come with 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 64GB/128GB/256GB of storage, a large 4,000mAh battery and an upgraded S-Pen with improved Bluetooth LE hardware.
Production
South Korea's ET News reported last month that Samsung was planning to have 5 million Galaxy Note 7 units ready for when the phone launches on Aug. 2. The report said that the company would produce 2.5 million phones in July and another 2.5 million in August, making a total of 5 million units available straight after launch.
The report also stated that Samsung has decided to increase its initial supply compared to last year's Galaxy Note 5, which had 5 million units for the entire first quarter since it went on sale.

mashable.com - Samsung will give us all the juicy details on the Galaxy Note 7 on Aug. 2.
The Korean electronics company will once again hold an "Unpacked" event to announce the Android smartphone.
The official invitation, which you can examine in full below, is minimalist, revealing a stylus (this is the Note brand after all) and "7" to suggest the Note 7 name, confirming the company will indeed skip the Note 6 moniker.
Samsung may either go with the same 12-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras from the S7/S7 Edge or upgrade them to offer slightly better image quality and performance.
The Note 7 will also reportedly be IP68 dust and water-resistant.
Samsung could also unveil a revamped version of its TouchWiz Android skin with a cleaner, flatter look and feel.
Last year, Samsung snuck in a surprise at its Note 5/S6 Edge Plus event with quick tease of the Gear S2 smartwatch. Could the company have a few unleaked surprises this year? We'll find out in just a few weeks.

europa.eu - Today the European Commission adopted the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield.
This new framework protects the fundamental rights of anyone in the EU whose personal data is transferred to the United States as well as bringing legal clarity for businesses relying on transatlantic data transfers.
Andrus Ansip, Commission Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said: "We have approved the new EU-U.S. Privacy Shield today. It will protect the personal data of our people and provide clarity for businesses. We have worked hard with all our partners in Europe and in the US to get this deal right and to have it done as soon as possible. Data flows between our two continents are essential to our society and economy - we now have a robust framework ensuring these transfers take place in the best and safest conditions".
Vera Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality said: "The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield is a robust new system to protect the personal data of Europeans and ensure legal certainty for businesses. It brings stronger data protection standards that are better enforced, safeguards on government access, and easier redress for individuals in case of complaints. The new framework will restore the trust of consumers when their data is transferred across the Atlantic. We have worked together with the European data protection authorities, the European Parliament, the Member States and our U.S. counterparts to put in place an arrangement with the highest standards to protect Europeans' personal data".
The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield is based on the following principles:
Strong obligations on companies handling data: under the new arrangement, the U.S. Department of Commerce will conduct regular updates and reviews of participating companies, to ensure that companies follow the rules they submitted themselves to. If companies do not comply in practice they face sanctions and removal from the list. The tightening of conditions for the onward transfers of data to third parties will guarantee the same level of protection in case of a transfer from a Privacy Shield company.
Clear safeguards and transparency obligations on U.S. government access: The US has given the EU assurance that the access of public authorities for law enforcement and national security is subject to clear limitations, safeguards and oversight mechanisms. Everyone in the EU will, also for the first time, benefit from redress mechanisms in this area. The U.S. has ruled out indiscriminate mass surveillance on personal data transferred to the US under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield arrangement. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence further clarified that bulk collection of data could only be used under specific preconditions and needs to be as targeted and focused as possible. It details the safeguards in place for the use of data under such exceptional circumstances. The U.S. Secretary of State has established a redress possibility in the area of national intelligence for Europeans through an Ombudsperson mechanism within the Department of State.
Effective protection of individual rights: Any citizen who considers that their data has been misused under the Privacy Shield scheme will benefit from several accessible and affordable dispute resolution mechanisms. Ideally, the complaint will be resolved by the company itself; or free of charge Alternative Dispute resolution (ADR) solutions will be offered. Individuals can also go to their national Data Protection Authorities, who will work with the Federal Trade Commission to ensure that complaints by EU citizens are investigated and resolved. If a case is not resolved by any of the other means, as a last resort there will be an arbitration mechanism. Redress possibility in the area of national security for EU citizens' will be handled by an Ombudsperson independent from the US intelligence services.
Annual joint review mechanism: the mechanism will monitor the functioning of the Privacy Shield, including the commitments and assurance as regards access to data for law enforcement and national security purposes. The European Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce will conduct the review and associate national intelligence experts from the U.S. and European Data Protection Authorities. The Commission will draw on all other sources of information available and will issue a public report to the European Parliament and the Council.
Since presenting the draft Privacy Shield in February, the Commission has drawn on the opinions of the European data protection authorities (Art. 29 working party) and the European Data Protection Supervisor, and the resolution of the European Parliament to include a number of additional clarifications and improvements. The European Commission and the U.S. notably agreed on additional clarifications on bulk collection of data, strengthening the Ombudsperson mechanism, and more explicit obligations on companies as regards limits on retention and onward transfers.
Next steps: The "adequacy decision" will be notified today to the Member States and thereby enter into force immediately. On the U.S. side, the Privacy Shield framework will be published in the Federal Register, the equivalent to our Official Journal. The U.S. Department of Commerce will start operating the Privacy Shield. Once companies have had an opportunity to review the framework and update their compliance, companies will be able to certify with the Commerce Department starting August 1. In parallel, the Commission will publish a short guide for citizens explaining the available remedies in case an individual considers that his personal data has been used without taking into account the data protection rules.
Background
On 2 February 2016 the European Commission and the U.S. Government reached a political agreement on a new framework for transatlantic exchanges of personal data for commercial purposes: the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield (IP/16/216). The Commission presented the draft decision texts on 29 February 2016. Following the opinion of the article 29 working party (data protection authorities) of 13 April and the European Parliament resolution of 26 May, the Commission finalised the adoption procedure on 12 July 2016.
The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield reflects the requirements set out by the European Court of Justice in its ruling on 6 October 2015, which declared the old Safe Harbour framework invalid.

valuewalk.com - Recently filed patent applications suggest that Samsung is looking to implement facial scanning and iris recognition capabilities on Galaxy Note 7.
There has been a lot of rumors about the inclusion of a dual lens on the back of phones for greater zooming capabilities. But Samsung appear to want to take that a step further, with a triple lens on the front of the device, used mainly for security purposes.
It seems with the new patent application (20160180169), you may be able to unlock your phone or phablet with just a look. Trademarks have already been registered recently for 'Samsung Iris' and 'Samsung Eyeprint', and don't forget the new tablet, the Galaxy Tab Iris already incorporates iris recognition.
From this, people are concluding that the new Galaxy Note 7, likely to be released in August this year, will include this interesting new feature.
The ability to unlock through just looking at the machine could be implemented on all Samsung products and not just smartphones and phablets, with laptops likely to be the next area to see this being implemented.
How it works
It appears from the patent that three front facing cameras will be able to capture images of both the whole face, and a specific eye/iris shot. By capturing the whole face, the scanner can determine distance from the phone and help to locate the position of the eyes.
Each lens is designed with a different scope, with two narrow-angle ones to capture only the eyes and a further one that can capture the face in its entirety. One of the lenses is likely to be a zoom lens too, which would be a first on the front side of a device.
The patent also includes an infrared illuminator to help with the iris scanning. By using one of the lenses to capture infrared images, it will be able to help the device in conditions where light is limited.
The camera system, after being used to allow access by the owner, can then by switched to a standard camera. This is interesting news for all the selfie fanatics out there who would be able to capture images of themselves with the improved front cameras.
It seems that if the system fails to recognize the user, a voice message will be given, accompanied by on-screen directions to re-try the scanning procedure.
Conclusion
Overall this is exciting news. Outside of the security aspect, the bottom line is that there will be a much better camera. The Kardashian wannabes will be able to take even better selfies, bad for humanity, good for Instagram.
The security aspect is also encouraging. While clever people will always be able to find loop holes, it is pretty hard to replicate someone's iris and face structure, certainly harder than looking over a shoulder to learn a four-digit pin. The only problem will come with the practicality of the technology.
It needs to be reliable and easy to operate. The fingerprint scanner on the iPhone, while not perfect, is certainly pretty good. In the speed of life today, just touching the button to operate rather than typing a pin saves precious seconds, which people no longer are prepared to waste.
For this iris scanning to really take off it needs to be fast. It must be almost instantaneous or people will rapidly lose interest. Also, what about in the dark, should you want to turn your phone on in the middle of the night, will it still for well? what about in a really crowded place, like a packed train or music concert, where the device may struggle to identify your face among the all the others present.
These issues need to addressed and solved before the technology will become standardised and accepted by the population at large.