We're in full swing for Apple iPhone 8 rumors and a lot of the chatter has been regarding the "premium/pro" version of the next iPhone. That's the model expected to have a bezelless OLED display and because of that design, Apple has to do something different with the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. But, that has been proving difficult.

Remember the game Mouse Trap? The idea was to put together a wacky Rube Goldberg-esque contraption piece by piece, depending on the roll of the dice. This weekend, LG released a video that shows the LG G6 being put through a number of obstacles while certain features appear on screen. It's an interesting way to show off the durability of the handset, while confirming some of the specs and capabilities of LG's new flagship phone to consumers.

Some of the features highlighted in the video include the IP68 certification rating which allows the device to be submerged to as deep as nearly 5-feet for as long as 30-minutes, and emerge unscathed. The phone passed 14 different military tests and a straight drop of 3-feet, proving that it could survive a fall. It also will live through temperatures as cold as -4 degrees Fahrenheit to as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit. With Quick Charging 3.0, the battery is charged to 50% in just 35 minutes. And the maximum temperature of the LG G6 after charging is 95.09 degrees Fahrenheit, so you shouldn't have to worry about it overheating while plugged in

If you want to see the LG G6  survive an entertaining test in the lab, click on the video at the top of this story. It certainly looks like LG has built a better mouse trap.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen spoke to analysts today via conference call following the release of the company's fiscal fourth quarter earnings report. BlackBerry reported profits on an adjusted basis of 4 cents a share, topping forecasts of a breakeven quarter. During his chat with the Wall Street prognosticators, Chen made everyone's ears perk up when he said that BlackBerry is moving into the second phase of its licensing program. He noted that one of BlackBerry's partners is very interested in building an Android powered slate, and as a result "you may soon see a BlackBerry tablet," Chen said. The company interested in building the device is one of the three companies now licensed to build BlackBerry phones. The trio include China's TCL, India's Optiemus and Indonesia based PT BB Merah Putih. Chen did not reveal which of the three is interested in producing the slate. If the tablet is manufactured, BlackBerry will be in line to receive royalties based on sales. The tablet would run on software provided by BlackBerry. The BlackBerry PlayBook is the only tablet to wear the BlackBerry name thus far. Released in 2011, the tablet used the QNX operating system which later morphed into BlackBerry 10. While the OS received positive reviews, BlackBerry shipped the slate without a calendar app, and email required the use of a BlackBerry handset and the BlackBerry Bridge. These are shocking omissions for a company well known for the email client on its handsets. "One of our partners are (sic) very excited to build a tablet based on Android, and so they wanted us to give them the portfolio rights to do that. I'm interested to do that because I'm going to get royalties for every tablet they ship. I will just leave it at that, and it's not even that, we have to curate it, we have to do a lot of things on with it, so it's not a 100% committed thing but it's gonna come from our partners and BlackBerry will only receive royalty but it's using our software and we do the QA and portfolio management, so I hope that clarifies that point."-John Chen, CEO, BlackBerry You can count former BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins as being among those surprised at the possibility of a new BlackBerry tablet. Back in April 2013, Heins said that tablets would be dead in five years.

Those pre-ordering a Samsung Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy S8+ from Samsung Malaysia will be receiving some free items for their new handset. That's because the Samsung unit is trying to entice consumers in the country into reserving one of the two new models. A useful 5100mAh power bank is one of the items. It's the perfect accessory for power users or for those who plan on showing off their new phone to friends, family and strangers that they bump into.

Other items being given away by Samsung Malaysia to consumers pre-ordering the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ include a Limited Edition Starter Kit. This contains a clear cover, a screen protector, a wireless stand and a USB Type-C cable. And the last freebie is a one-year Samsung Protection Plus subscription. The latter extends the warranty on either model by one additional year, and also covers one year of protection for the phone's display. With the warranty in force, a cracked screen can be replaced for free (one time only).

The power bank, Starter Kit and Protection Plus subscription are valued together at $203 USD. Not a bad haul at all. Reserving a unit in Malaysia requires leaving a deposit equivalent to $68 USD on Samsung Malaysia's pre-order page, which can be found by clicking on the sourcelink. Pre-orders begin in the country at 10 am local time on April 11th, and run until 11:59 pm local time on April 13th. The phones will be available a day early, on May 4th, for those who pre-order one of the two models.

In other markets like the U.S., Samsung is tossing in a Gear VR headset, a controller, and some content from Oculus with the pre-order of  a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+. The value of that package is $130.

At this year's MWC, Huawei unveiled the latest additions to its flagship line - the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus. However, anyone who is familiar with the business practices of the Chinese manufacturer knows that after the grand announcements of its high-end phones, Huawei usually launches a Lite member of the "P" family as well. This year is no exception, as the new P10 Lite was first seen available for pre-order from Dutch retailer Coolblue. Now, despite the fact that we still don't have any official information from Huawei about the handset, Italy-based online store Moonclick has also listed the P10 Lite, citing April 11th as the date on which the phone will be available. Overall, the two retailers have put up identical specs for the device - The P10 Lite will come with a 5.2-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS display, an octa-core Kirin 658 chipset, 4GB RAM, and 32GB of internal storage plus a microSD expansion slot. However, the Italian retailer has listed a slightly larger battery capacity - 3,100 mAh compared to the 3,000 mAh one that can be seen on Coolblue. The P10 Lite will have Android 7.0 Nougat and EMUI 5.1 out of the box, but don't expect to find the signature dual Leica sensors of the P10 and P10 Plus at the back, as the Lite version of the handset will come with a single 12MP main camera. If the information on both sites is anything to go by, the handset will be priced at €349 or about $379. The retailers list black, white, and gold as the color variations for the P10 Lite, which means that we won't likely see the unusual "Dazzling Blue" or "Greenery" hues that are featured with its bigger siblings. Although this news almost certainly confirms that we will see the new phone very soon, we can't help but wonder about Huawei's plans for the announcement of the device.

Ah, the games that companies play to get the attention of consumers. Yesterday, LG threw another jab at Samsung by releasing the first big TV commercial for its latest flagship – the G6. As you may know, Samsung is set to announce its Galaxy S8 and S8+ flagships today, so the decision to air the commercial at this time is anything but random.

The tagline that LG has chosen to use in the advert sums it up pretty well: "The big screen that fits in your hand.” Just about everything in the 30-second videorevolves around the G6's large 5.7-inch display with its unusual 18:9 aspect ratio and the very slim bezels that encompass it. 

Two short scenes also bring the attention to the device's water resistance and the interesting dual-camera setup at the back, which consists of two identical 13 MP sensors. As this is the first of supposedly many commercials for the smartphone, we suspect that LG will accentuate on all the other cool features of the G6 at a later stage.

There is little doubt that the new flagship will sell better than its predecessor – the modular G5 – but it looks like the company might be aiming much higher for this year.
LG has done everything in its power to release the G6 as soon as possible, and the handset will hit the shelves in the US in the next few days. It will be interesting to see if this strategy will bring success to the Korean manufacturer, as its main competitors have also stepped up big time.

Dear HTC, when your company's in serious financial trouble, and your latest flagship isn't really that good, you don't get to outright lie about having something "surprising" to reveal, particularly when we've known about it for months. And then you wonder why people don't buy your devices anymore.

Apple iPhone sales are cooling off in China with local competitors rising and the U.S. and European markets seem to have reached smartphone saturation, so Apple is turning its eyes towards one of the biggest and most underdeveloped phone markets currently: India. After months of negotiations with the Indian government, Apple is finally ready to start making iPhones in the world's second most populous nation. Apple's Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron will start making iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s within 4 to 6 weeks at a plant in Bangalore, and it will also add the iPhone SE to the mix within a three-month time frame. "Almost all preparations have been done for launching Apple’s first phase project in Bangalore through Wistron," an Indian official confirmed to the Wall Street Journal. APPLE WILL START MAKING IPHONE 6 AND 6S IN INDIA WITHIN 4 TO 6 WEEKSWhy is Apple moving manufacturing to India, though? The reason is indeed practical: Apple iPhones are currently simply too expensive for Indians, a potentially huge market for Apple. Manufacturing locally would allow cutting as much as $100 off the price of iPhones, a lot of it due to import taxes in India. Apple has sought some heavy tax breaks in exchange, but negotiations with the Indian government have been tough and the unofficial information is that the government has not yet accepted most of Apple's demands. "We will try to accommodate as much of their demands as possible, but they too appreciate and understand our limitations," an official working closely with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. Currently, Apple has a meager 5% market share in India.

Samsung is planning a veritable marketing blitz around the Galaxy S8 and S8+ launch, tips Korean media, and not only on its home turf, but also here in the US. There will apparently be 4,000 retail locations where potential customers will be able to toy with the Galaxy S8 and S8+ across the country, but it will be those who plan on preordering that will benefit most from Samsung's largess in the form of promos and subsidies. Last year, Samsung did something similar with the Galaxy Note 7, notifying whose who preordered about extra stuff coming their way together with the phablet. The goods ranged from free Gear VR sets and microSD cards thrown in by Samsung itself, to extra carrier promos piled up on top, like a year of Netflix on the T-Mobile house. This year, it seems that folks in the US will be getting at least a free Gear VR of the newest iteration, as well as various incentives like a $100 gift card, judging from the leaked Target circular for the period. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ preorders will start on April 7, and run until April 17, reiterates the source. Samsung will begin shipping the handsets to those who preordered as soon as April 18, while general availability is said to commence at the April 21st release date.

Outlandish patent applications are a dime a dozen these days, yet a few of them warrant mentioning due to just how scarily close to reality they can be. One such case is one of Sony's latest granted patents, which proposes the idea of devices wirelessly leeching power from others in their vicinity, which gives off some serious Dracula vibes. This is a terrible idea by all accounts, but what scares us the most is that Sony might just do it.