News

Nokia 8 is company’s first true Android flagship

Published

August 17, 2017

Michael Josh Villanueva

Launched in London today, the new Nokia 8 is the first phone from HMD Global following its partnership with optics expert Zeiss, and the first to come with top-of-the-line specs.

Just as it was during Nokia’s golden age in the early 2000s, the 5.3-inch Nokia 8 is headlined by a Zeiss-branded camera. This time around, there are three on one phone.

The Zeiss partnership couldn’t have come at a better time. Nokia says it hopes to target what it calls a new generation of users that are first and foremost content creators.

Speaking to GadgetMatch via teleconference, HMD CEO Florian Seiche said, “We believe that all of us are storytellers. With the first Nokia flagship, we want to deliver the ultimate device for telling stories.”

Unlike other dual-camera phones such as the iPhone 7 Plus or LG G6, the Nokia 8 has neither a zoom nor wide-angle lens. Instead, it has a pair of identical 13-megapixel cameras on its rear.

One is equipped with a color sensor, while the other is black and white. Using a process called “Image Fusion,” both the black-and-white and color images are combined to theoretically produce better photos.

The selfie camera is also equipped with the same 13-megapixel sensor, and Nokia hopes users will get into the habit of using both at the same time using a split screen mode called Dual Side. They’ve even come up with a hashtag for it, #Bothie.

Other camera features include the ability to livestream to YouTube or Facebook from the camera app, and HiFi surround sound capture while shooting videos.

Unlike previous Nokia models — the 3, 5, and 6 — the Nokia 8 comes with the most high end of specs including a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. A 3090mAh battery provides energy for the Quad HD LCD.

The phone closely resembles its mid-range brother the Nokia 5, but is significantly thinner and with a slightly rounded back. The chassis is caved from a single slab of aluminum, with antenna bands marking its top and bottom edges not darting across its back side.

Nokia 8 on the left; Nokia 5 to the right

According to Juho Sarvikas, HMD Chief Product Officer, this antenna design is not only artistically pleasing but also ensures that, “You will not drop a call where others might.”

The Nokia 8 runs on a pure version of Android 7.1.1 out of the box, but Nokia promises that it will to be one of the first to roll out an update once Google releases Android O.

The phone is available in copper, blue, black, and steel — and will retail for EUR 599. Nokia is planning a global launch beginning early next month and promises to “light up all markets this September.”

[irp posts=”17741″ name=”New Nokia 105 is the cheapest Nokia you can buy now”]

Apps

Canva teams up with SB19 to turn A’TIN’s passion into creativity

Campaign lets fans access assets, editable templates, more

Published

August 8, 2026

GadgetMatch

Canva Philippines has joined forces with SB19 and Sony Music Entertainment to launch the “Kaya sa Canva” campaign.

This first-of-its-kind initiative is aimed at transforming the popular Filipino boy band’s fanbase into creators by giving them access to official design assets, exclusive templates, and powerful creative tools.

That’s of course as fans have a way of creating artwork, banners, and more outputs to honor their idols.

As such, the partnership enables the A’TIN (SB19’s fanbase) to access the Canva-exclusive SB19’s Creative Hub.

This dedicated space lets fans access assets, including SB19-inspired sticker packs, custom typography, and editable templates inspired by the group.

Fans around the world will initially have access to templates for photo-booth strips, wallpapers, posters, and videos.

The campaign will then expand with Canva-exclusive assets celebrating the group’s New Era, as well as their latest single, “Lawless”.

Meanwhile, the original song “KAYA” is accompanied with an upbeat music video, doubling as a love letter to A’TIN and a masterclass in Canva’s tools.

Every visual and animation is fan-inspired, a celebration of the creativity, passion, and dedication that’s defined in the community from day one.

News

The iPhone 18 might sell out for an unexpected reason

The ongoing shortage might play a part in the phone selling out earlier than expected.

Published

August 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

An iPhone selling out is not news. Because of how popular the phones are, it’s within the realm of probability that Apple runs out of stock at some point. According to a new report, this year won’t be any different… but it’s for an entirely different reason.

First reported by analyst Tim Culpan, Apple is reportedly struggling to meet its demand for semiconductors for the iPhone 18 and the foldable iPhone. The ongoing memory shortage is cutting off Apple’s ability to deliver the required supply of smartphones in a timely fashion. The report even claims that TSMC, which helps produce the iPhone, is sitting on a shipment of processors, worth US$ 1 billion, that don’t have memory chips.

Now, Apple is still confident that it can weather the launch. However, if the shortage persists, the iPhone 18 generation will likely sell out much more quickly than expected.

It’s an interesting time for Apple to experience such a shortage. It’s been heavily rumored that the company will launch its very first foldable phone next month, creating a new market for the brand. Apple definitely wants this attempt to succeed after the tepid response to its last new product, the Vision Pro.

News

These “smart” glasses just sold out in under a week

DuckDuckGo touts that these glasses have zero AI, zero cameras, and an infinite battery life.

Published

August 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While a chunk of the population views them as cool and innovative, another significant chunk sees them as a privacy nightmare. If you’re in the latter group but want to see what life is like on the former, DuckDuckGo has a new product: a pair of anti-surveillance glasses with no camera or AI, otherwise known as just normal sunglasses.

If it’s not obvious, yes, it’s a troll product. DuckDuckGo is a search engine famously known for pushing privacy as a priority, opposing Google’s penchant for advertising and AI. Now, the search engine is taking on the smart glasses market.

Partnering with Knockaround, DuckDuckGo released the Paso Robles, a pair of sunglasses touted as having zero cameras, an always-offline mode, and a battery life of infinity.

It’s a statement piece. The rims have a logo mark, similar to the Meta’s glasses. The packaging also states that the glasses are “designed to block the sun, not send data to the cloud.”

Now, if you want a pair, they cost only US$ 35, as opposed to Meta’s US$ 299 price tag, but they are already sold out.

Which says quite a bit about today’s sentiment against AI and for privacy. Of course, to be fair, DuckDuckGo’s supply is certainly less than Meta’s stock for their smart glasses. It does, however, prove that the sentiment is there.

As of now, the world is slowly realizing that unimpeded smart glasses aren’t such a good idea, leading to people concerned about their privacy. In fact, some states have already started banning the technology in certain public spaces.