Precious cargo: Check out this luxurious shipping container home

Living in a shipping container might instantly sound like a nightmare, but if you know how to spruce it up, you could live a life of luxury.
This is what one architect has proven in Dallas, Texas, with a 3,700-square-foot house completely composed of shipping containers. Matt Mooney, who is responsible for the design, wanted to stay true to the materials as he built his creation, according to The Daily Mail. However, he knew that this didn’t have to translate into “ugly” or “uncomfortable.”

Umi Voix Earphone Review

UMi have made the move from dedicated smartphone maker to lifestyle brand with the introduction of the new UMi Voix earphones. See how well they have done with the move in our full review.

A smartphone maker making earphones is hardly something new. Xiaomi made it famous with the Piston earphones, but even they weren’t the first! Meizu, Oppo and Vivo all had earphones on the market before them. So far it has only been the bigger brands that have released earphones, so UMi are the first mid size phone maker to get in on the action. How have they done?

Miui 6 and EMUI 3.0 Roms available for Umi Zero!

When the Umi Zero was launched by Umi, the companys aim was, with some appealing specs, to give a real taste of a flagship device. But the big deal with the company this year, compared to other Chinese makers in the same niche, don’t rest in the device only, but in the offered support for it.

The company is not only providing official stock Rom updates, but also is exploring an area where some Chinese devices suffer, the option of install custom Roms. In March, Umi released the Rootjoy tool to ease the life of users who want to try another system experience on their Umi Zero. Since then, it has updated the tool with different Roms for users.

Now the company has released two new Roms for Zero. The first is the well known and highly anticipated (perhaps not for everyone, but it is clear that for most) MIUI V6. The second Rom is the one used on Huawei devices, the EMUI 3.0. Both of these are the latest builds with bug fixes and improved features.

Both Roms for now can be downloaded on Umi forums, and installed via Rootjoy. But we expect them to be added directly from Rootjoy very soon.

Exclusive: Official Specifications of the UMi EMax

If anyone had been looking at images of the Hong Kong trade fairs going on right now you might have seen images of a new UMi phone. We have been in touch and received the full specifications of this new device, the UMi EMax.

UMi have made a name for themselves, and quite a following, with the UMi Zero. The phone looked great, but wasn’t without its issues, some of which are being solved with updates and the UMi tool Rootjoy.

Yesterday I tested the strength of the UMi Hammer, a tough little phone with stylish looks, but that isn’t the only new device UMi have up their sleeves.

A 5.5-inch UMi phone has been shown on display in Hong Kong this week and after contracting UMi they have unveiled the specifications for the phone to us. It’s an odd move for a company to reveal the hardware of an unreleased phone, but UMi tell us they feel they have to stem the misinformation found on certain reseller stores trying to jump the gun with UMi E Max listings.

The E Max has been designed to offer battery life for at least 2 days of use. This is achieved with a large 3780 mAh battery shoe horned in to the 7.9mm thick body. A current generation Mediatek MT6752 processor provides 64bit, and LTE, and we hope this also means a Lollipop OS (but this information hasn’t been released).

Onda announce a 4G version of their popular V919 Air

Due to the success of their popular V919 Air tablet, Onda have announced an upgraded variant that boasts better specifications all around, as well as 4G FDD and TDD LTE support.

The new tablet has the same screen as its previous incarnation, meaning a 9.7-inch display witha resolution of 2048 x 1536. This gives it a 4:3 aspect ratio and a pixel density of 264ppi, similar to that of an iPad Air. The screen also goes up to a brightness level of 300 lumens, which is fairly bright. That high resolution display is ran by a MediaTek MT8752 1.7GHz octa-core processor with Mali-T760 GPU.

Renders of a successor to the ZTE A880 show up online

Last year, ZTE introduced a pretty nice phone called A880, device that arrived with mid-range specs such as a 5 inch HD panel, quad-core processor on 64-bit and 1 GB of RAM. Today, thanks to some leaked pictures, it seems that ZTE plans to unveil a successor for this device, and from what we can see, the phone really comes with several improvements.

While its specs are still unknown, we notice that the phone comes with a fingerprint scanner on the back placed right below the camera sensor, as well as some pogo pins on the lower right. The design of the phone clearly takes inspiration from phones like the Meizu M1, M1 Note and iPhone 5C.

Blackview Breeze V2, a OnePlus One impostor now on sale for under $75

Ultra-cheap hardware is what really brought Chinese manufacture on the world map. Fast forward a few years and seeing some cutting edge hardware from the same country, albeit at a premium.

However, the Chinese are smart enough to identify there still exists a market for some super-affordable hardware. This is where phones like the Blackview Breeze V2 stand a chance to win hearts; the phone is essentially a OnePlus One clone, but with a smaller screen, and a much lighter price tag.

The Breeze V2 comes with a 4.5-inch display (800 x 480p), a quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of ROM. It also has a 5 mega-pixel rear camera and a 2 mega-pixel front shooter, so there’s certainly nothing mind-blowing about the device hardware wise, but instead it is a phone to get your work done — and at a cost as low as possible.

MediaTek releases a couple of new mid-range tablet SoC

MediaTek has really taken the mobile world by storm. They’re processors have been in numerous phones and devices ranging from cheap budget phones like the ECOO Aurora E04 and JiaYu S3 to top of the range flagships like the just released HTC One M9+. Now the company is hoping to bite at Intel’s success its latest duo of tablet processors – the MediaTek MT8163 and MT8735 both of which feature four cores and 64-bit architecture.

Xiaomi condemns counterfeits like biggest culprits for low sales.

Xiaomi the more influent Chinese smartphone company who become the first on china sales, now faces a very familiar enemy of the bigger ones. Counterfeits.

Last year Xiaomi announced the Mi Power Bank battery pack for smartphones and tablets, for a very low price, the product has been highly accepted and the company expected to be a record breaker in sales.

OnePlus will announce ‘something’ in a couple of days

OnePlus is one of those companies that are hard to ignore. They only have one phone in their kitty yet, and yet they manage to be in the headlines each time (for wrong or for good).

This time round, it is because they’ve been sending out invites for the launch of ‘something’ this April 20th… which is just a couple of days from now. What could it be? It most likely won’t be the OnePlus Two, which according to company CEO Pete Lau is a few months away from now. Having faced a lot of criticism for delaying OnePlus One shipments last year, one would imagine that they would shy from showing off the device now, with a good few months before actual shipments go out.

Doogee DG750 Iron Bone a phone I wouldn’t bother letting my dog bury

First impressions of the $100 Doogee Iron Bone, a phone I wouldn’t even bother letting my dog bury.

First impressions of the $100 Doogee Iron Bone, a phone I wouldn’t even bother letting my dog bury.

Before I leave the office for the night, here is a quick first impressions of the Doogee DG750 Iron Bone (stupid name!), a phone which has me believe that Doogee have lost their minds (and not in the good way!).

Mlais M52 Lollipop OTA rolls out, hands on video

It’s a few days late but Mlais have come through with the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Mlais M52, but before you go ahead and make the switch you might want to check out the details.

Just as OnePlus were late with their latest OTA update, so were new kids on the block Mlais. The original launch date for Lollipop was the 10th of April, then the 15th and now finally today the 17th. The reason for the delay is unclear, but the OTA is here but you might want to put off the update for a while.

We installed the OTA this morning on our review M52. The first issue we had was a constant reboot but removing the battery solved this (not really the correct or safe method to fix it but it worked for us). Once installed the M52 booted up directly into Lollipop and it all looks good with the nice fresh Lollipop UI and animations.

UMi Hammer Smash Test – How Tough is the Hammer?

With all the benchmarks and photos out of the way for the upcoming UMi Hammer review, it was time to have a little fun and see just how tough the Hammer really is. Find out in our smash video.

In our first hands on and impressions of the UMi Hammer I took a sturdy metal spanner to the screen to see if it would break. It didn’t, and from that moment on I decided to make it my duty to see how much punishment the UMi Hammer can actually take.

Oukitel Universe T first photos show slim bezel design and rear fingerprint scanner

Over in Hong Kong a trade show is brewing where many local phone makers are showing off their 2015 models for the first time, such as this new device from Oukitel.

I’m not sure if we have ever covered the Oukitel brand before, but perhaps these first leaks and details of their new model are a sign of things to come. Oukitel tell us that this is their latest device for 2015 and will be on show in Hong Kong this month, and have even been kind enough to share a few of the specification details too.

The phone has an alloy body with 5.5-inch 2.5D display and very slim almost bezel less design. On the rear a fingerprint scanner is located below the main camera and dual LED flash. Oukitel haven’t shared camera or battery specs with us but they did let us know that the phone will feature fast charging (75% in 30min), 2GB RAM, MT6735 processor, and Android Lollipop as standard.

No availability or pricing details have been announced yet but we will keep our ear to the ground.

You’ll probably want to own the OPPO R7 after witnessing the crazy edge to edge screen!

The Nubia Z9 has been getting a lot of media footage lately, which is something the guys over at OPPO don’t fancy too much perhaps. Which is why, a few pictures and a video of a rival device has been making rounds on the internet today!

The OPPO R7 is an upcoming powerhouse from the Chinese OEM, which is not only expected to be super slim, but is also going to have a crazy edge-to-edge screen. The phone will have a MediaTek MT6795 SoC along with a 21 mega-pixel camera, so it isn’t just the design that you’ll be wanting the R7 for.

The screen uses some sort of a tapered coating which helps the R7 achieve the ‘edge-to-edge’ screen design, which in fact may not be the case.

Fujifilm X-series cameras get fast, premium 16mm lens option

Owners of Fujifilm’s interchangeable lens cameras (ILC) have a new glass option. The company announced a fast, 16mm prime lens for those who like shooting in low light or macro photography with nice bokeh. The Fujinon XF16mmF1.4 R WR goes on sale in May 2015, for $1,000. Fujifilm says the lens complements the X-T1 ILC, but can be used with any X-series ILC.
The wide-angle, pro-centric lens is designed to be weather- and dust-resistant, and can work in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s small, but not super compact, as there’s a lot of glass inside (13 elements in 11 groups, plus two aspherical lens elements to control spherical aberration and distortion, and two ED glass lens elements for reducing lateral and axial chromatic aberration). Autofocus is speedy at 0.11 seconds.

Cyanogen gets rid of Google, will put Microsoft’s apps on its version of Android

Cyanogen is on the prowl for new partners as it moves away from Google to customize Android on its own terms. For some time now, rumors have circulated that Cyanogen would partner with Microsoft to further its modified version of the Android operating system. Cyanogen and Microsoft finally made their partnership official with the announcement that a slew of Microsoft apps will be preloaded onto Cyanogen devices from now on.
Microsoft’s Bing, Skype, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, and the entire Microsoft Office suite will all come standard on devices that run Cyanogen’s OS. With its new focus on apps for other platforms, Microsoft seems to be intent on converting iOS users from iWork to Office, and pulling Android users away from Google’s grasp. In addition to redesigning all its apps for iOS and Android, Microsoft has also made deals with Dell and Samsung individually to get its apps preloaded on their devices. Now that it has Cyanogen onboard, it seems Microsoft’s infiltration into the most popular mobile operating systems is complete.
Related: CyanogenMod aims to take the Google out of Android
Microsoft said it plans to “continue to deliver world-class experiences across productivity and communications on Windows, and we’re delighted that Cyanogen users will soon be able to take advantage of those same powerful services.”

Nubia Z9 Max sales delayed until 16th May

Bad news for potential Nubia Z9 Max owners today after the company reveals that sales will be put back a month.

The Nubia Z9 Max and Mini were both announced at the end of March and since then the smaller Mini has been selling out faster than ZTE are able to make them.

Tomorrow was meant to be the day that the larger Nubia Z9 Max presale would start in China, but a message posted on Nubia’s official social media says that the sale has had to be postponed until next month.

Huawei P8 and P8 Lite cases show us more physical details

This week is Huawei’s big launch week with the Huawei P8 scheduled to launch in London alongside a budget friendly P8 Lite. We turn to Chinese case manufactures to uncover a few more details.

Huawei don’t have the same sort of pull as Samsung and Apple, even in China, so when we search for cases on supplier websites only a few show up, but they have enough details on them to appear to be genuine.

First up is the black Silicon case which appears to have been designed for the top of the range Huawei P8. The case features a cut out in the rear for a fingerprint scanner below a cut out for the rear camera on the top left rear of the phone.

The base has 3 holes, 2 for the dual speakers and the center for micro USB, or perhaps even USB C connector.

This is how Samsung’s trying to sell the Galaxy S6 on Apple Watch launch day

You’d be forgiven for forgetting April 10 is Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge launch day, thanks to all the hype and excitement over the Apple Watch. Samsung’s doing it best to shout loudly over all the noise, and ensure those who aren’t interested in the new wearable will pop out and grab an S6 instead.
How’s it doing this? Samsung has released a brand-new advert to promote the phone featuring James Corden. Who, you may ask? Corden is one of the former stars of hit U.K. sitcom Gavin & Stacy, but is now best known as the new host of the Late Late Show. What better introduction to unfamiliar U.S. audiences than in a cliched, cringe-making commercial for a new smartphone.

Doogee Valencia 2 Y100 Pro

Early photos and details of the next generation of Doogee Valencia are in, can Doogee replicate their early success with this latest device?

Back in early 2014, Doogee launched one of their most successful phones to date. That device was the Doogee DG800 Valencia, or for us, just Doogee Valencia. People with good memory will remember the phone had good specs for the time and price: MTK6582 CPU, 4.7-inches qHD screen, 1GB Ram and 8GB Rom, and was one of the original “super-cheap” quad core devices of 2014 (today can be found for 99U$).

Xiaomi sets a new Guinness World Record by selling 2.1 million smartphones in 24 hours

Xiaomi lived up to its proper pronunciation on Wednesday by showing the world how to properly celebrate your birthday. As part of a fan festival to commemorate its fifth birthday, Xiaomi (pronounced “SHOW mee”) ran a 12-hour flash sale that ended up selling more than 2.1 million smartphones via Mi.com, its consumer-facing online store – good for a new Guinness World Record.
“The tech firm’s direct-to-customer website Mi.com store managed to sell an incredible 2,112,010 handsets over the course of its birthday, setting a new record for most mobile phones sold on a single online platform in 24 hours,” according to the Guinness World Records website.

Google finally remembers it acquired Snapseed, releases first major update in two years

Remember Snapseed, that photo editing app Google snatched up a while ago? Well, it seems Google finally did. The first significant update in some time brings new photo editing tools to the iOS and Android apps.
Google purchased Nik Software, the makers of Snapseed, back in 2012 to bolster photo editing capabilities across its range of products. The app, initially exclusive to the iPhone and iPad, dropped the paid moniker and began a migration to Android and Google+. There it languished, inexorably neglected for two years.