Review: BlackBerry Mobile KEYone

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

It’s mid-2017 and there’s a BlackBerry smartphone that’s turning heads and making waves. The Android powered KEYone brings BlackBerrys bag of tricks to a new form factor, and possibly, a new generation of users.

With sterling build and materials, legendary security and encryption, as well as a surprisingly capable 12-megapixel camera, this is a messaging tool that merits notice.

Like many, I approached the news of the KEYOne with great skepticism. BlackBerry, after all, no longer makes smartphones. They’ve licensed the brand and intellectual property to other companies and TCL's track record with the uninspiring DTEK smartphones cast doubt they could offer anything compelling. Earlier models from this licensee, after all, were rebadged Alcatel smartphones. BlackBerry handsets seemed to be all but lost.

Click to read more ...

Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup 05/21-05/27

First look: BlackBerry KEYone

ROLI NOISE comes to Android, with a few caveats

Mophie brings Qi wireless charging to the Pixel XL

DJI will ground your drone if you don’t register it on its site

Microsoft unveils lighter, faster and more powerful Surface Pro tablet

Nokia and Apple resolve IP dispute, enter into business partnerships

‘Top Gun 2’ is finally a go

EV2017VÉ is the most important annual conference in the EV industry in Canada

Huawei P10 and P10 Plus smartphones coming to Canada on June 6

eSports content coming Sportsnet NOW and Sportsnet 360

Netflix original ‘The Get Down’ gets canceled after a season

TP-Link Canada launches Deco M5 whole-home mesh Wi-Fi system

3D Metal print technology becoming an affordable option for all

The Belkin Wemo Bridge will bring compatibility to Apple’s HomeKit this fall

Spidey gets techie in new ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ trailers

Apple bolsters News app initiative by hiring New York magazine's Laura Kern as 'Editor in Chief'

Mixer is Microsoft's answer to Twitch and YouTube gaming

Early LG V30 renders show a secondary slide-out display

Chinese manufacturer Gionee makes smartphone with four cameras

The dual-camera setup is all the craze these days and it looks like one manufacturer from China is going above and beyond the norm. Gionee’s new S10 features four cameras all in all. It has a dual setup on both the front and the rear of the device. Gionee says one of the rear shooters comes with an f/1.8 aperture and this helps get better shots in low light. Other advantages of the dual-camera setup include an ability to catch 3D effects, measure distance better, and have wider angles, among other things. The rear camera has a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel combo, while the front has a 20-megapixel and 8-megapixel combo. It’s obviously geared to take selfies with this setup.

Other specs of the phone look pretty promising, too. It runs on a Mediatek Helio P25 processor, 6GB of RAM, 64GB internal storage, and Android 7.0 Nougat. The S10 has a 5.5-inch 1080p screen and a 3,450mAh battery. Unfortunately, you might have a hard time getting your hands on the phone—unless you’re based in China. The phone costs 2,599 Yuan, which is around CA$500.

Source: Android Authority

Early LG V30 renders show a secondary slide-out display

If you’re like us, you might have a special place in your heart for slider phones. LG seems to be tapping into that—or at least its early ideas for the V30 seem to think so. Evan Blass (@evleaks) tweeted several early mockups (here, here, and here) of the LG V30 showing a phone with a secondary display that slides out of the bottom of the device. And yes, we think it’s very reminiscent of the BlackBerry Priv.

Blass cautions that these are “old-ish” renders of the device so we can’t say if this is what LG plans for its V line. It does show us though what the company might be planning for its next V device. LG has been pretty experimental so far with its V line of devices and whether that pays off or not, we’re not sure. What do you think? Would you consider buying a phone like this?

Source: The Verge