Nokia 6 (2018) US availability expands to Amazon and B&H

The Nokia 6 (2018) is now more widely available in the United States. So far, it was only offered by Walmart, but that changes now as other major retailers including Amazon and B&H have started stocking it.

The device is listed on the website of both retailers, although only B&H listing says it's in stock. Pricing remains the same at around $270. A quick look at Walmart's website also reveals 'out of stock' status. So B&H is currently the only option if you're planning to purchase the phone.

For more information, head to the Source links below.

Source 1 2 3

Instagram announces new features: video calling, app integration, AR camera effects, and updated Explore page

Today is F8 (pronounced “eff eight”), which is Facebook’s annual developer conference where Instagram has just announced a bunch of new features coming to the platform. There’s a bunch to cover so let’s get into it.

Not long ago, we saw further improvements to Instagram Stories which made it easier to upload stories in batches of 10. Today, Instagram announces that more apps will be integrated to upload directly to stories. The first two apps to be integrated into Stories are Spotify and GoPro.

Spotify’s integration brings song stickers that link to the full song in Spotify so your viewers can vibe with your current song, playlist, or album. You can either post to Stories or send an Instagram DM with a song/playlist/album.

Spotify Integration

GoPro’s integration works by simply choosing a clip in the GoPro app and you’ll be able to share directly to Instagram stories. From here, you’ll be prompted to re-center and/or crop the video or image before uploading. There is no need to have to link your GoPro account with Instagram as the sharing is done locally on your device, via the Instagram app.

GoPro Integration

Instagram says the new integrations on Instagram will also work when posting Instagram Stories to Facebook Stories and there will be more apps in the near future that will be integrated to Instagram Stories like Spotify and GoPro.

Let’s move on to the new AR effects. Instagram has taken advantage of Facebook’s Camera Effects Platform to bring AR effects from celebrity accounts like Ariana Grande, Vogue, and the NBA. These AR effects range from face filters to environmental ones. Enjoy this Ar effect of Jiff the Pomeranian.

The next new feature is Video Chat. This can be initiated by tapping the video icon at the top corner of any Direct Message thread whether it’s with another individual or “a small group”. Based on the following press image, we assume a max number of four participants per video conversation session.

Video Chat

Finally, this is Instagram’s new Explore page. This is the page that is personalized for every user to discover new people and accounts to follow. Rather than a feed, it is categorized into “topic channels” so you can brose with more direction. If you find a topic you like, you can see related hashtags.

Updated Explore page

GoPro integration will be going live today while Spotify integration should be live tomorrow (some may already see it working). Meanwhile, Spotify support for Facebook Stories is “coming soon”.

New third-party camera effects, and Instagram’s new explore page will be rolling out “in the coming weeks” while Video Chat should be rolling out globally “soon”.

Which feature coming to Instagram are you most excited for? There’s a lot to look forward to on the social platform. Instagram is really striving to keep you engaged and keep things fresh.

Source | Via 1 | Via 2 | Via 3

Samsung Galaxy S9 sales fall short in South Korea

According to a report from South Korea, sales of the Samsung Galaxy S9 duo have disappointed.

The report pegs total Galaxy S9 sales in Korea so far at 707,000, down from nearly 1 million units sales figure that Galaxy S8 saw during its first two months in the market.

A month-by-month breakdown reveals 476,000 Galaxy S9 series units were sold in March, but the number came crashing down to 231,000 in April.

The story was the same for Apple, with the iPhone X also witnessing dip in sales. Around 475,000 units of the device were sold in the country in the first four months after the handset's November launch, with February only seeing 70,000 sales.

"Considering there were no new phone launches by its competitors, including Samsung, 70,000 unit sales per month is considered extremely low," an official working with a local telecom company said.

Source

WhatsApp founder is parting ways with Facebook

Over four years after agreeing to Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp, one of the co-founders of the popular messaging service has announced he is parting ways with the social networking company.

Jan Koum made the announcement in a Facebook post earlier today.

As for the reason behind the decision, reports cite experts as saying there "was a massive culture clash." Basically, Koum was in complete disagreement with Facebook's "attempts to use its personal data and weaken its encryption."

Ironically, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg commented on Koum's post saying he is thankful to Koum for teaching him about encryption:

Koum is also reportedly stepping down from Facebook’s board of directors. As you can see in his post, Koum didn't disclose his future plans, saying he is taking some time off to do other, non-technical stuff he likes.

This comes just over a month after the other WhatsApp founder Brian Acton declared it's time for users to leave Facebook.

Source | Via

Huawei P20 Pro survives scratch, burn, and bend testing but gets wounded in the process

The Huawei P20 Pro is the latest smartphone to be put through the now-routine scratch, burn, and bend testing by Zack from YouTube channel JerryRigEverything. Huawei's newest flagship starts off decently, but finishes the test in not the best shape.

The screen scratches only with a level 6 Mohs pick, and at level 7 there's a deeper groove. Huawei fits the P20 Pro with a plastic screen protector from the factory, but doesn't advertise that there's Gorilla Glass of any kind on top of the display panel. It's just 'tempered glass' of the generic variety.

That seems to be a problem because while bend tested, the P20 Pro's front glass cracked. It was just the glass, the AMOLED panel underneath was unscathed. That said, the crack looks like it originated where the level 7 Mohs pick scratched the phone.

So the glass may not have cracked had that scratch not been there in the first place. On the other hand, until this point over 100 phones have been put through this testing and most survive intact, with no shattering.

In the burn test, the AMOLED screen in the P20 Pro survives for about 20 seconds, but then never recovers. That's par for the course for this particular display technology.