Android Phone Fans |
- Say hello to EvolveSMS, a beautiful KitKat themed app from the makers of Sliding Messaging and Talon
- CyanogenMod introduces new GalleryNext app, join the Google+ community to start testing it today
- Hands-on: Huawei Tron, a Tegra 4-powered Android game console
- Google announces they will buy Nest (smart home thermostat maker) for $3.2 billion
- HTC One X and HTC One X+ will no longer receive upgrades to new versions of Android
- DriveSafe for Google Glass helps you stay awake behind the wheel
- Ubuntu Touch dropping support for Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 10; won’t support Nexus 5
- Hands-on with the $99 Toshiba Excite 7 [VIDEO]
- Talon for Twitter wants to be your new favorite Twitter app for $1.99
- Samsung Galaxy S5 “confirmed” specs include Snapdragon 805, 2,560×1,440 display and more
- Feedly for Android 18 update brings improved back button usage, Galaxy Gear preparations and more
- Sprint’s One-Up is dead thanks to the new Framily plans
- Early NVIDIA Tegra K1 benchmarks show promising results
- T-Mobile Sony Xperia Z1s now available for $0 down ($22 per month for 24 months) online only
- AT&T Beats Music to serve up 24/7 access to 20 million songs to families $14.99 per month
| Say hello to EvolveSMS, a beautiful KitKat themed app from the makers of Sliding Messaging and Talon Posted: 13 Jan 2014 05:36 PM PST
It was almost a year ago we told you guys you about Sliding Messaging, a unique SMS application for Android devices that introduced a Google Talk-like slide out navigation menu, used for quickly switching between conversations. The idea was great, no denying that. But as we mentioned in our original post, there were more than a few issues that kept us from using Sliding Messaging as our go-to SMS app.
Fast forward to today where the same developers — who just so happen to be the guys behind Talon, the new Twitter app we told you about earlier today — have emerged with an all new SMS app dubbed EvolveSMS. According to the developers, there are so many features crammed inside Sliding Messaging, it was impossible to completely stomp out (namely, the lag issue). So, they’ve decided to start anew, taking one of the best ideas from Sliding Messaging (the slide-out conversation view, namely) and have introduced it into a new SMS app built entirely from the ground up and for the masses.
With a goal to deliver “everything that Google didn’t give us in Hangouts”, EvolveSMS is simply meant to be lightweight, simple to use, feature packed, and most importantly — beautiful. You’ll notice EvolveSMS features KitKat’s transparent status and nav bars, along with blurred out cover photos ala Google Wallet/Google+. The app supports themes, emoji, group SMS, password protection, and more. EvolveSMS is completely free to download, just keep in mind the “Customization Pack” (themes, layout, etc.) is unlockable via an in-app purchase, along with the “Feature Pack” (blacklisting, individual notifications, etc.) running $1.50. Not too shabby considering this is probably the most feature packed SMS app currently available on Android. Great work, Klinker Apps. UPDATE: In a post on Google+, the developers have stated that they will continue to support Sliding Messaging. While it might not have the speed of EvolveSMS, it will continue to have some of those added features not available in EvolveSMS. This means Sliding Message will be a viable option for Android power users, while EvolveMessaging is aimed at mass appeal.
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| CyanogenMod introduces new GalleryNext app, join the Google+ community to start testing it today Posted: 13 Jan 2014 03:46 PM PST
It seems the CyanogenMod team is always looking for fun new ways to enhance the user experience on their custom Android ROM. After introducing cLock a few months back, a souped up calculator, and even their own camera app (that last one didn’t turn out so well), Cyanogen Inc is trying their hand at an improved gallery app named, what else, but GalleryNext. Still very much in beta form, GalleryNext is currently available for testing via their Google+ community. Once joined, following this link will allow you to opt-in for the beta, at which point you can head here to download from the Google Play Store and try out the app for yourself. Unlike the stock Android Gallery app (which has since been replaced by the new Photos app in the newest KitKat builds), the app displays your photos vertically, displaying all of them in chronological order. A side menu can be pulled out to change the view between Moments (based on the day the pictures were taken), or Albums (folder view). It takes some getting used to, and there are definitely more than a few bugs present (hence the beta status). The most interesting part we found was the ability to view galleries from cloud services like Dropbox, Flickr, Picasa, or Facebook. Go ahead and give it a try for yourself, we think the CM guys are definitely onto something here. Cheers. |
| Hands-on: Huawei Tron, a Tegra 4-powered Android game console Posted: 13 Jan 2014 01:28 PM PST
If there was one trend we saw picking up steam in 2013, it was the Android home console. Even if consumers failed to pick up on them, many attempts were made. First came the Kickstarter funded OUYA, followed by similar attempts by GameStick, and even MadCatz decided they’d give Android gaming a-go. With the video game industry raking in billions of dollars every year, it seems to only make sense that smartphone manufacturers are looking for their shot to cash-in. The latest OEM to hop on the bandwagon is Huawei who, during last week’s CES, debuted their first Android-based gaming console dubbed “Tron”. I know, you’re about as enthused as the last Android console making the rounds, but this one seemingly has potential. We had a chance to go hands on with the console, and were surprised with how well the Android experience translated to the big screen.
Powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, the Mac Pro-styled console boasts specs typical to high-end smartphones and tablets. The Tron features 2GB of RAM, 32GB internal storage, micro SD card slot for expandable memory. All this for under $120. Not too shabby at all. Picking up the Tron’s controller, we noticed it felt much more solid than its OUYA rival, featuring a handy touchpad for mouse navigation, staggered analog sticks like the 360, and the weight of a PS3 controller.
As it stands, this will be China-only when it launches in Q2, but the Huawei rep we spoke with mentioned the company’s plans to expand availability to outside markets. What’s more is Huawei said current specs aren’t set in stone, with the company already eying the recently announced 192-core NVIDIA K1 processor. |
| Google announces they will buy Nest (smart home thermostat maker) for $3.2 billion Posted: 13 Jan 2014 01:25 PM PST
Heads up, ladies and gents — Google has just announced a big acquisition worth $3.2 billion in cold, hard cash. That money will go toward buying Nest, the company that makes smart home thermostats, smoke alarms and CO2 detectors. The sale was announced on the company’s Investor Relations portal today, with CEO Larry Page commenting on the move:
Google says Nest will continue to operate as its own brand and entity under CEO Tony Fadell, much like what Motorola did after they were acquired by Google in 2012. Google expects the regulatory approvals process to last only a few months, and fully expects the sale to successfully close within the first half of this year. Nest’s line of products have been at the forefront of the connected home movement, giving folks a very nice option for being able to monitor and adjust home conditions on the go. Their thermostat helps save energy by allowing you to adjust heat and cooling while you’re away from home, so you can leave the thermostat off while you’re at work, and have it cool or heat your home just before you get back for the day. Nest has also developed a CO2 detector + smoke alarm, so you can make sure your home is safe while you’re out and about by keeping an eye on its condition using your smartphone or tablet. It’s a big move for Google who has been previously rumored to be working on their own smart home solutions. While we still have yet to see Google’s own plans come to light in official fashion, this sale definitely tells us their hat is in the smart home arena. For more on Nest and what they offer, be sure to take a gander at their website. |
| HTC One X and HTC One X+ will no longer receive upgrades to new versions of Android Posted: 13 Jan 2014 01:03 PM PST
It looks like HTC is finally putting the big nail in the small coffin for the HTC One X and HTC One X+. The Taiwanese company today confirmed that the devices would no longer be receiving upgrades beyond Android 4.2.2 and HTC Sense 5. While this doesn’t mean we might not ever get another upgrade (a big yet-to-be-discovered security hole might force them to send out a critical fix, for example), it does mean you should no longer expect new features or major additions to the phone from this point forward. This news may be saddening for some, but the devices have been out since 2012, and HTC has bigger and badder fish to fry this late into their life cycles. To their credit, these devices have come a long way and we’re impressed it was able to get onto 4.2.2 at all. The community likely won’t let these phones die either, so if you aren’t too afraid of getting down and dirty and rooting them, you should be able to stay fairly current. That said, those of you owning these devices are likely due for an upgrade soon anyway, so why not think of going with HTC’s latest options? The HTC One is still quite nice, and we hear a sequel to that bad mamma jamma should be on its way next month. [via HTC UK] |
| DriveSafe for Google Glass helps you stay awake behind the wheel Posted: 13 Jan 2014 11:14 AM PST “OK Glass, keep me awake” is the phrase you’d use in the app we’re about to talk about. It’s called DriveSafe, a Google Glass app that acts as a road companion while you’re driving. The app’s primary purpose is to help you keep your eyes open behind the wheel while you search for a place to stop and rest. The app uses Google Glass’s various sensors to detect when you might be falling asleep, and will buzz you using the bone conduction speaker (or mono earbud) to keep you going.
Beyond that particular alert, you’ll also get functions for finding nearby rest stops in case you can’t handle being awake and need to take a roadside nap. We would never condone getting behind the wheel without proper rest, but if you find yourself in that situation then you’ll be glad to have something like DriveSafe available to you. DriveSafe reminds folks that your safety is your own responsibility, and that you should take proper care behind the wheel. This handy little disclaimer at their website absolves them of any future accident that might occur:
They shouldn’t have to say that, but there it is anyway. I guess it’s not a terribly bad idea to have Google Glass on when you’re driving, eh highway patrolmen? Always practice safe driving folks, and try to put yourself in a position where you won’t need a handy little companion like this. We’ll be contacting the folks at DriveSafe to see how they use Google Glass’s sensors to detect whether or not you’re falling asleep. In the meantime, download it to your Google Glass unit if you’re interested. |
| Ubuntu Touch dropping support for Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 10; won’t support Nexus 5 Posted: 13 Jan 2014 09:39 AM PST
Don’t look now, but Canonical has announced some unfortunate news for those who were hoping to get Ubuntu Touch on some rather recent (and even new) Android devices. Engineers have confirmed that they are dropping official support for three different Nexus devices, including the following:
What’s more is that the company has no immediate plans to support the newly-launched Nexus 5 (though they didn’t rule it out for future versions of Ubuntu Touch). That leaves us with the Nexus 4 and the 2013 Nexus 7 as the only two devices that Ubuntu will continue working on for the Ubuntu Touch project. Their official excuse was that they wanted to scale down focus in order to work on the latest version of Ubuntu, version number 14.04. Had they committed to supporting all the aforementioned devices, they likely would have had to push back the launch of Ubuntu for Phones 1.5 that is set to happen this April.
It’s unfortunate, but Ubuntu Touch is still a very new platform and the team wants to ensure they take the time and care necessary to bringing us a solid, stable product. It’s best that they don’t get too far ahead of themselves as they figure out how to best traverse this rocky mobile landscape. Builds will be officially discontinued on the final day of this month, so you’ll need to look to the third-party development community to keep the open source project going for those devices (something we imagine will happen with the active and vibrant community that surrounds Ubuntu). [Ubuntu Launchpad via OMG Ubuntu] |
| Hands-on with the $99 Toshiba Excite 7 [VIDEO] Posted: 13 Jan 2014 08:57 AM PST
We’re always excited to see sub-$100 Android tablets, because we’re of the opinion that everyone should have access to mobile technology. That’s why the $99 Toshiba Excite 7 did exactly as its name says it would. We ran into this 7-inch follow up to last year’s $180 device at CES 2014, and got our grubby little hands on the device to see what that crisp $100 could get you. What we found was an Android tablet that wasn’t bad at all. While the dual-core Rockchip processor inside, a lack of a rear camera, as well as the not-quite-HD resolution were a tad disappointing compared to the original Excite 7, we eventually reasoned with the fact that some corners had to be cut to get this thing down to the delectable price tag it’s being offered for. Here’s the list of known specs so far:
You’d probably gag at this thing on paper, but if all you’re looking for is an inexpensive education and entertainment tool for yourself or your children, it’s not a bad proposition. Be sure to watch the video above to see just how well it performs despite not being up-to-par under the hood. |
| Talon for Twitter wants to be your new favorite Twitter app for $1.99 Posted: 13 Jan 2014 08:16 AM PST 2013 was a great year for Twitter apps, with the likes of Falcon Pro and Carbon shaking up the landscape and offering beautiful, disruptive experiences. Unfortunately, those two apps were eventually hit by the 100,000 token limit Twitter imposes, forcing users to either wait patiently for new tokens to open up, download the official Twitter app, or get their Twitter fix elsewhere.
The list of decent options isn’t terribly large out there, so we tend to take notice whenever a new app enters the arena. That’s why we are eager to tell you about Talon, the latest app from the developers behind Sliding Messaging. For $1.99, Talon introduces an application that looks like it was built with Android in mind from the ground up. Elements include a card-style UI, Google+-like profile images and sliding drawers, and more. The app features both phone and tablet user interfaces from the start, giving you a fully functional palette for those all-important 140 characters no matter which device you use.
The list of features is quite large, giving you a Twitter experience that is as customizable and functional, yet simple, as you need. Here’s a quick list of everything you can expect in this first release:
Whew. Just looking at this list is exhausting, so you can only imagine how much work Klinker put into this thing. This is quite impressive for a version 1.0 release, which is echoed by all the 5-star reviews the app is already enjoying in the Google Play Store. It’s unfortunate that great apps like these are eventually stifled by Twitter’s API limits, but the developer chooses not to think about that at this time — they’ll cross that “what to do when they reach 100,000 users limit” bridge whenever they come across it. Until then, you’ll have plenty of time to secure a token if you’re interested in seeing where this app goes. Be sure to do that by buying it for $1.99 from the Google Play Store. Oh, and if you don’t mind being exposed to some potentially buggy betas, be sure to stop by their Google+ community and sign up to beta test the app. |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 “confirmed” specs include Snapdragon 805, 2,560×1,440 display and more Posted: 13 Jan 2014 07:31 AM PST CES is over and we’re getting closer and closer to Mobile World Congress, which likely means we’re getting closer and closer to new phone announcements from the mobile world’s top players. One of those major players is Samsung, and we expect the South Korean electronics giant to announce the next generation of the Samsung Galaxy S (dubbed the Samsung Galaxy S5 if you haven’t already guessed it). Rumors have suggested the announcement will actually come in March, but it’s up in the air at this point.
We’ve heard a lot about this device before, but SamMobile seems to have gotten “confirmation” of the device’s final spec sheet ahead of its likely unveiling in February. Here’s a preliminary list of everything we should expect:
Pretty damned ridiculous, wouldn’t you say? The device’s display size isn’t yet known, but we expect it to be in the 5.0 to 5.2-inch range. We’re also told to expect both plastic and metal versions of the device, though it’s unclear which regions Samsung will sell each in (and you should expect the metal version to come in at a higher premium than the plastic one). Also missing from that list are specs such as battery size, internal storage, and RAM. The latter capacity is expected to be 3GB, and history tells us we shouldn’t get our hopes up for more than 16GB of storage (though crazier things have happened). We’d also be surprised if the device didn’t have the same USB 3.0 charging and data port that the Note 3 enjoyed.
In related news, SamMobile also hears that a Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini and Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom are expected a bit further down the line. It wouldn’t be that surprising for the former considering we’ve seen Mini variants for Samsung’s last two flagships. We just hope Samsung will stop fooling around and deliver a phone that is as powerful under the hood as its older, bigger counterpart. This would be the first indication that Samsung is looking to make a trend of releasing yearly upgrades to the Galaxy S4 Zoom line, though. With Nokia’s 41 megapixel smartphone making noise, it’s likely that Samsung wants to compete in a niche space that hasn’t had many great options over the years. We probably won’t be hearing about either of these devices at the same time that we hear about the Galaxy S5, but we shouldn’t get too far into the year before Samsung makes it all official. |
| Feedly for Android 18 update brings improved back button usage, Galaxy Gear preparations and more Posted: 13 Jan 2014 06:56 AM PST Feedly took to their blog to detail one of the app’s biggest upgrades yet. There’s a lot to cover here, with a list of 11 changes, enhancements and fixes that should make it an even more desirable news-reading experience. Here’s a quick list:
Feedly didn’t go into detail about a couple of these items. The “Mark All As Read” card will apparently include information about your reading sessions, though the full breadth of information in regards to this feature won’t be given to us until “later this year.”
Another item on that list we didn’t get specific info for was compatibility with the Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watch, though it won’t take quite as long to learn what that’s all about. Feedly says we’ll be hearing more about it as soon as next week. With all of that out of the way, the company also took time to detail what they have planned for the next version of Feedly:
All of the changes made up until now were made thanks to Feedly allowing users to get involved with development. By tasking the community with outlining the development roadmap through voting and suggestions, Feedly is able to get a pretty good idea about the features everyone wants and needs. It’s that sort of community interaction that has made Feedly the top option for most people following Google Reader’s demise. Be sure to find the app in the Google Play Store if you’re eager to get your hands on all the features present in the latest update. [via Feedly] |
| Sprint’s One-Up is dead thanks to the new Framily plans Posted: 13 Jan 2014 06:27 AM PST
Woe are those who were excited about Sprint’s One-Up program. The program was an answer to T-Mobile JUMP, the early upgrade solution that offered users the ability to upgrade their phone after 6 months to a year of use. I say “was” because Sprint is no longer offering it, with the company announcing that One-Up has been retired as of January 9th.
The program also gave Sprint customers a $15 discount on their monthly service plan. Folks who were able to get in on the fun will be able to keep their discounted price for the time being, though Sprint will snatch it away with your next phone upgrade or if you decide to switch plans. So why are they doing this?
Because they believe the Framily plan is a better value for you and yours. The Framily program allows customers to get discounts on their phone service for each line of service on their account. Framily (friends and family) accounts with 7 or more members can get up to $35 off their monthly service, for example. Framilies can consist of multiple accounts, meaning your 4-line account could potentially combine with your brother’s 3-line account to get to that fruitful 7-line discount, and every line still gets their own bill and services. It’s worth noting that Sprint still does support annual upgrades with these new plans, though it doesn’t come with the benefit of discounted service. Here’s a line from their official FAQ about it:
It’s an unfortunate caveat of Sprint’s new vision for family plans. While Framily seems to be a great value for certain people, it isn’t quite as good as One-Up was for many more. Framily doesn’t seem to be quite as beneficial as One-Up until you hit that 5-7 line mark, which is a difficult mark to reach for many folks. Unfortunately this is what Sprint feels is the best way to go moving forward, and we’ll likely see this plan stick around much longer than One-Up did. If you’re still not turned off by all this, be sure to stop into your local Sprint store or call and see about all the different options you have (though you could get a lot of the information you need by perusing Sprint’s official FAQ document). |
| Early NVIDIA Tegra K1 benchmarks show promising results Posted: 13 Jan 2014 05:59 AM PST NVIDIA announced a doozy of a processor at CES last week, with the 192-core NVIDIA Tegra K1 stealing the show. While all the tech demos and claims say this thing is a beast, some folks were still wondering just how much more powerful this processor is up against the likes of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 and Apple’s A7 chipset. Thankfully, Tom’s Hardware was able to deliver that answer.
Early benchmark tests from the Tegra K1-equipped Lenovo ThinkVision 28, a 28-inch 4K monitor that runs Android, handily outclasses the competition in many different areas. In standard 3DMark tests for GPU graphics, CPU physics and the Ice Storm Unlimited demo at 720p across the board (meaning there’s no need to take resolution differences into account), the Tegra K1 runs at least a full lap around Apple’s A7, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 and NVIDIA’s own Tegra 4. While the K1 didn’t have a huge lead in physics calculations, graphics performance easily surpassed the aforementioned processors by around 25%. It’s an interesting result considering the Tegra K1′s clock speed is artificially limited (meaning even faster configurations could bring more impressive results down the line). Of course, comparing the Tegra K1 to Qualcomm’s older Snapdragon 800 isn’t a terribly fair comparison. We’d be more interested in seeing how it stacks up to the Snapdragon 805, though no devices with that SoC are available for testing at this time.
Benchmarks in Antutu show some very interesting results, with Tegra 4 beating out the Tegra K1 by a pretty decent margin. It’s worth noting that the Tegra K1 scored much higher than Tegra 4 in the user interface composition tests, though the K1 lacked in GPU performance. Everything else was pretty much neck-and-neck. It’s tough to say why these results turned out like they did. It could be due to the fact that Antutu doesn’t yet support the Tegra K1, but as it stands the Tegra 4 beats it in terms of overall score. It’s worth noting that benchmarks don’t always tell the full story, as real-world performance can also be much different than what the numbers on paper say. We’ll have to wait for more devices and more testing to see where, exactly, the K1 stands, but things are definitely looking bright for NVIDIA’s latest silicon project. |
| T-Mobile Sony Xperia Z1s now available for $0 down ($22 per month for 24 months) online only Posted: 13 Jan 2014 05:30 AM PST Waiting for one of Sony’s most exciting smartphones yet? When the company revealed the Sony Xperia Z1s, we were quite excited. I mean, how can you not get excited for a 5-inch 1080p HD device with a Snapdragon 800 processor and an insane 20 megapixel camera? Even more exciting was the fact that the device would be launching here in the United States, which has been a bit of a rarity for Sony phones over the past few years.
But Sony and T-Mobile’s healthy partnership continues as this device has finally launched exclusively on Magenta’s growing network. You can now grab the Xperia Z1s for $0 down at $528 off-contract. That comes out to $22 per month for 24 months, which is not a bad cost for smartphone packed to the brim with powerful specs. Here’s how they read out:
Seems worth it to me. If you’re not interested in buying it online you’ll be able to walk into a store and pick one up in person starting January 21st at select T-Mobile stores online. Otherwise, head here to get started (and don’t forget to check out our hands-on time with this thing from CES 2014 last week). |
| AT&T Beats Music to serve up 24/7 access to 20 million songs to families $14.99 per month Posted: 13 Jan 2014 05:11 AM PST AT&T has announced a new service that they’re hoping their customers will enjoy. Starting January 21st (the graphic below seems to be outdated), AT&T will be the exclusive carrier to offer Beats Music, which they say is the first and only music listening service made by music artists and professionals (likely referring to the cast of artists who represent the brand such as Dr. Dre).
AT&T will offer 24/7 on-demand access to over 20 million songs for just $14.99. That one price can apply for up to 5 lines and up to 10 devices, giving your entire family access to their library of music for a very fair price. What’s more is that AT&T will be offering up the first 90 days of service for free for a limited time. Not on a family plan? You can subscribe for yourself for $9.99 month with the first 30 days free. We’re not yet sure how this service will stack up to the likes of Spotify or Google Play Music all access, but AT&T has revealed that they’ll be offering basic features like offline caching, and that each user will be given access to their own set of playlists and personal preferences. AT&T is also banking on human-curated music from industry professionals and artists, giving you suggestions on new music to discover from the people involved in making that music.
The service should be headed to PC and all major platforms — which likely includes Android, iOS and Windows Phone — on the aforementioned January 21st landing date. Head to the source link for full press details. [via AT&T] |
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