Samsung Gear S2 classic 3G is first device with eSIM - a virtual, remotely-activated SIM

SIM cards have gone from regular through mini and micro to nano and soon they will be the size of electrons. The Samsung Gear S2 classic 3G is the first product to support this new standard called eSIM.

This is a built-in, programmable SIM that allows users to remotely connect to a device to a mobile network. This makes it easier to join a carrier of your choice (no trips to the store!).

For now, the GSMA intends these eSIMs to be used for secondary devices - like the Gear S2 classic 3G smartwatch, tablets, smart bands and various Internet of Things devices (so you don't have to plug an actual SIM card into each and every smart appliance at home).

These do not require an additional subscription but instead piggyback on your main contract. The GSMA plans to release additional specifications in June that will bring the eSIM standard to smartphones.

It has the support of some of the biggest mobile device makers - Samsung (obviously), LG, Huawei and Microsoft. Apple is notably missing from this list; characteristically it has its own standard. Some of the world's biggest carriers, even chipset makers too.

The Samsung Gear S2 classic 3G will be available in March.

Silver Galaxy S7 render leaks, bottom of Galaxy S7 edge pictured

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge seem to be making live camera appearances everywhere, as new photos of the devices have leaked online. Thanks to theGalaxy S7 edge picture, we’re getting a direct look at the bottom of the phone. The setup remains the same as the Galaxy S6 lineup – headphone jack, microUSB port, primary microphone and the loudspeaker, in that order. If there was any doubt about the Galaxy S7 not featuring a USB Type-C port, this should clear things up.

We’re also getting our first look today at the silver variant of the regular Galaxy S7. We had seen the silver Galaxy S7 edge earlier, and frankly that edition looked rather attractive. The flat S7 doesn’t look as great, but the lack of those curves at either side of the display are probably the reason a little charm was lost. The S7 edge renders also made the silver look somewhat greyish, but the Galaxy S7 render confirms silver as the color variant other than black and gold (a white option was expected as well, but it hasn’t made an appearance yet).

Check out the images below. There’s one of the black Galaxy S7 edge from the front as well, but at this point it doesn’t really offer any surprises.

Archos intros Diamond 2 Plus with 4GB of RAM, 6-inch QHD Diamond 2 Note

Archos is doing its best to announce new mobile devices before Samsung and LG totally steal the show this Sunday. So, after having already outed some new Oxygen tablets and the 50d Oxygen handset, today the French company has unveiled a pair of new smartphones, the Diamond 2 Plus and the Diamond 2 Note. These could in fact be considered Archos' premier offerings from this point on, given their specs.

The Diamond 2 Plus comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 20 MP rear camera with dual-LED flash, an 8 MP selfie shooter, MediaTek's MT6755 Helio P10 SoC running things (with an octa-core CPU clocked at up to 2 GHz and the Mali-T860MP2 GPU clocked at 700MHz), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, LTE Cat.6 support, a fingerprint sensor on the back, a USB Type-C port, and a 3,000 mAh battery.

It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Its dimensions are 148.3 x 73.8 x 8.3 mm, and it weighs 130g. The Archos Diamond 2 Plus will become available in May for $229, €249, or £199. That's rather impressive for a phone with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

Moving on, the Archos Diamond 2 Note is a 6-inch "borderless" phablet coming with QHD resolution, a 16 MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus and dual-LED flash, an 8 MP selfie snapper, the MediaTek MT6795 Helio X10 SoC at the helm (with a 2 GHz octa-core CPU and PowerVR G6200 GPU), 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, LTE Cat.4 support, and a 3,610 mAh battery.

It too runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Its dimensions are 158.35 x 82.7 x 8.7 mm, and it weighs 150g. It will also be out in May, and will be priced at $279, €299, or £249, depending on where you are.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge in black photographed

The Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge pair have been thoroughly leaked over the past weeks and one of the latest bits was the set of renders depicting a few color options. Conservative choices on Samsung's part, mostly, and that may disappoint those looking for some rose gold flair.

However, the ones hoping for an all-black flagship will be pleased to see that Samsung has abandoned last year's Black Sapphire color option (which was really dark blue). It's a proper deep black paint job now, as revealed in these two live images of a Galaxy S7 edge.

  

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge live images

Blurry as they may be, the photos show no peculiar color shifts at an angle, but also reveal an inherent issue with the all-glass design - fingerprints. So if you're after a dark Galaxy, you better be prepared for regular wiping sessions.

Alternatively, if you find the regular designs too bland and utilitarian, you will be able to pick asuperhero-themed Galaxy S7, it seems. Always great to have options.

Samsung will showcase its IOFIT smart athletic shoe at MWC next week

Samsung announced earlier today that its extensively-rumored smart athletic shoe, IOFIT, will be striking a pose at the Mobile World Congress exhibition in Berlin next week. The sneaker utilizes an array of different pressure sensors that measure your posture, balance, and weight distribution while engaging in physical activity. The data is then processed in real-time to provide you with information on your performance to help you improve.

The IOFIT is marketed heavily at those who do competitive weightlifting and cardio-based activities, owing to the companion application’s ‘coaching’ mode, which enables you to receive feedback on individual exercises as you do them. While doing squats, for example, you’ll have the resources to view a live graph displaying your weight distribution so that you can ensure you’re putting an equal amount of pressure on each foot as you shorten and extend your legs.

Check it out in action below:

Samsung hasn’t given any details on pricing or availability for the shoe as of yet. However, it looks like the firm isn’t entirely set on its current design as it has reportedly been reaching out to many leading sneaker manufacturers in the hope of setting up a partnership.