Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge Price, Specs Tipped Just Ahead of MWC 2016 Launch

We are just hours away from the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge but the leaks are still hitting the Web. This time, details about the price of the handsets, their specifications and design have been tipped. More information about the Gear VR bundle has been leaked alongside.

As per a leaked German retailer's brochure (via Phonearena), the South Korean tech giant is planning to bundle its Gear VR headset along with the two smartphones for early adopters. The brochure also reveals the German prices of the two smartphones. While the Galaxy S7 is seen priced at EUR 699 (roughly Rs. 53,500), the Galaxy S7 Edge is seen with a price tag of EUR 799 (roughly Rs. 61,000). Notably, these prices were leaked earlier as well.

From the description in the brochure, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge duo will sport an aluminium alloy frame and a display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The smartphones will be IP68-certified and will feature a microSD card (up to 200GB) for expandable storage. Also reconfirmed is the 12-megapixel rear camera, which is down from the 16-megapixel rear camera found on the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge. The brochure adds the camera to house a Dual-Pixel sensor along with f/1.7 aperture.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge were leaked in a separate brochure coming from Europe earlier this week. As per the leaked image the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will sport 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch Super Amoled QHD displays respectively. Also mentioned was the inclusion of Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB inbuilt storage. While the Galaxy S7 is said to sport a 3000mAh battery, its curved version will be backed by a 3600mAh battery.

Previous leaked in-store banner for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge hint that pre-orders are likely to kick-off starting Sunday only. The banner says that consumers who pre-order the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge can get the handsets three days earlier than the usual delivery date, most probably March 11. The leaked banner is said to be of telecom operator Three UK.

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Freedom 251 Bookings Resume at Freedom251.com - How to Buy the Mobile

Freedom 251 smartphone was officially launched in New Delhi on Wednesday by Noida-based Ringing Bells. The Rs. 251 smartphone, arguably the cheapest in the world, went on sale via freedom251.com on Thursday, when the company sold around 30,000 units. After a brief hiatus, the mobile is back in stock on the the official website.

On Thursday evening, Ringing Bells issued a statement saying there has been unprecedented demand for the Freedom 251 and it has temporarily suspended bookings. As of Friday morning, the phone is now back in stock. Earlier on Thursday, many users reported problems while trying to buy the smartphone. When we tried to buy a Freedom 251 unit, we were thrown back to the screen that asks for shipping details, and based on reports on social media we are not alone.

Things to remember before you buy the Freedom 251

1. A general rule in life - if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
2. Ringing Bells is an unknown brand with no track record in electronics, so it's difficult to ascertain at this point what the quality of the final product and the after-sales will be like.
3. We noted other concerns with our Freedom 251 review unit, though the company later told us it does not represent the final unit that will ship to customers.
4. The company says it may take up to 4 months for your unit to ship - so keep that in mind before you book a Freedom 251. Given the company's lack of any kind of a track record, there's an outside chance that it may never ship at all.
5. There seems to be no kind of return policy on the website, though it does say your Freedom 251 unit is covered by a one-year warranty.

(Also see: Freedom 251 Is Too Expensive - Soon Someone Could Pay You to Use Their Phone)

Now that you hopefully know what you are getting into, here are the steps to book your Freedom 251 unit:

1. Head to the official website freedom251.com.
2. Click on Buy Now button.
3. Note that the Ringing Bells is charging Rs. 40 for shipping Freedom 251 to your home so the total you will need to pay is Rs. 291.
4. Enter your shipping address, accept the terms and conditions and click on Pay Now to proceed to the payment page.

Note that the Freedom 251 cannot be shipped to an address outside India.

To refresh, the Freedom 251 is a Rs. 251 smartphone that comes with a 4-inch display, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage (expandable by up to 32GB), and runs Android 5.1.

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Ringing Bells Freedom 251

Ringing Bells Freedom 251 smartphone was launched in February 2016. The phone comes with a 4.00-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 540 pixels by 960 pixels 

The Ringing Bells Freedom 251 is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core and it comes with 1GB of RAM. The phone packs 8GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Ringing Bells Freedom 251 packs a 3.2-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 0.3-megapixel front shooter for selfies. 

The Ringing Bells Freedom 251 runs Android 5.1 and is powered by a 1450mAh removable battery. 

The Ringing Bells Freedom 251 is a single SIM (GSM) smartphone. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM. Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor. 

About Ringing Bells

Established in 2015, Ringing Bells Pvt. Ltd. made a name for itself when it announced the Freedom 251, the most affordable smartphone in the world.

Ringing Bells Freedom 251 detailed specifications

GENERAL

Release date	February 2016
Form factor	Touchscreen
Battery capacity (mAh)	1450
Removable battery	Yes
SAR value	NA

DISPLAY

Screen size (inches)	4.00
Touchscreen	Yes
Resolution	540x960 pixels

HARDWARE

Processor	1.3GHz  quad-core
RAM	1GB
Internal storage	8GB
Expandable storage	Yes
Expandable storage type	microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)	32

CAMERA

Rear camera	3.2-megapixel
Flash	No
Front camera	0.3-megapixel

SOFTWARE

Operating System

Android 5.1

CONNECTIVITY

Wi-Fi	Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported	NA
GPS	No
Bluetooth	Yes
NFC	No
Infrared	No
USB OTG	No
Headphones	3.5mm
FM	Yes
GSM/ CDMA	GSM
3G	Yes
4G/ LTE	No

SENSORS

Compass/ Magnetometer	No
Proximity sensor	Yes
Accelerometer	No
Ambient light sensor	No
Gyroscope	No
Barometer	No
Temperature sensor	No

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Google Engineer Builds Android-Powered Smart Bathroom Mirror

NEW YORK: A Google engineer has developed a smart Android-powered bathroom mirror which automatically displays the latest updates on date, time and weather, and lets you do voice searches on Google, a media report said.

Max Braun, a software engineer with the multinational technology company, used a two-way mirror, a controller board, a display panel, components, arts and crafts supplies to create a device, which can be considered an early prototype of a Google Now mirror, techtimes.com reported.

Braun built the device because he wanted his bathroom mirror to be like the "future we were promised in the movies".

"There doesn't seem to be anyone selling the product I was looking for. The individual parts, however, were fairly easy to get. A number of people have done similar custom builds recently, but I had something different in mind," Braun was quoted as saying.

According to Braun, he plans to add more functions and features that work with Google Now, including traffic updates and reminders.

The software still has a long way to go, as the user interface is currently on a couple hundred lines of code. Braun also needs to settle on a platform and tidy up the innards of his creation. But he has managed to develop a fully functional display that is only a few millimetres in thinness.

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