Research firm claims only 5,000 units of the Essential Phone have been sold in the US

First Look at the Essential Phone

The Essential Phone doesn’t seem to be doing so well, if we are to base it on this new report from research firm BayStreet. The company, which tracks phone shipments in the US, found that only 5,000 Essential Phone units have been sold since its launch. That seems unthinkable for a company that has been valued at around US$1.2 billion. But this might be due to the fact that the phone was supposed to come out back in June and only started shipping this month, plus its premium price tag might have brought consumers to other flagships that offered more. In the US, it’s exclusive through Sprint but there are unlocked models available on Best Buy and Essential’s online site. Here in the country it’s exclusive through TELUS and we don’t have the figures yet of how much they’ve sold here.

Source: Phone Arena

New Huawei Mate 10 Pro shows off bezel-less front, rear dual cam setup

There have been numerous leaks of the upcoming Mate devices from Huawei. This time, we get a closer look at what the Mate 10 Pro might look like. In front, we see the 5.9” EntireView display, which features a bezel-less 18:9 aspect ratio screen. On the back, we see an unusual interpretation of the dual camera setup, which makes it look like an alien to us. The Leica-branded dual camera setup have the two rumoured f/1.6 lenses stacked on top of each other with the LED flash and Laser AF are on either sides of the sensors. The last circle is the fingerprint sensor. This Pro version is said to be one of four versions of the Mate 10 coming out.

Source: GSMArena

Anticipated indie game Cuphead arrives Sep 29 on Xbox, Windows 10 and Steam

Cuphead is one of the most anticipated side-scrolling platformers which mixes a quirky classic cartoon aesthetic (think early Disney like Steamboat Willy). Cuphead loses a deal with the devil and has to go through hellish boss battles to win. The game has various touches like a Dixieland Jazz soundtrack, scratchy old newsreel effects and non-stop action. Stay tuned for our initial impressions coming in a few days.

Sony plans to introduce new design for next generation of phones

You don’t have to be closely following the tech scene to know a Sony-made phone when you see one. The company has kept to its “OmniBalance” design for years and for some it has gotten old pretty quickly, especially when put up against the other major Android OEMs. But it looks like the company is ready to change its tune. According to Sony India’s Managing Director Kenichiro Hibi, the company is has different plans for its next generation of devices. He told The Indian Express, “We have deployed an OmniBalance design as long as the X series continues to be available in the market. Also, we are planning to launch [a] new generation of products and you can expect a complete new design from the devices.”

As for what that new look is, we can only speculate. Sony could jump on the bezel-less route like the other major manufacturers and it has in a sense that some of its newer devices hardly have bezels on the sides. What do you think Sony should integrate into its smartphones?