Android Phone Fans |
- Dennis Woodside steps down as CEO of Motorola, Lenovo remains optimistic they can turn things around
- Heads up: HTC is doing an AMA on Reddit tomorrow between 1:30pm – 3:00pm
- Taco Bell’s new app for easy ordering launches later this year, better stock up on toilet paper
- Swappa website updated, adds better mobile support
- Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro and Note Pro tablets now available in the US [LINKS]
- Google Play Services 4.2 hits Android devices worldwide, greater influx of Chromecast supported apps to follow
- Nokia X to cost $100 off-contract?
- Big BBM 2.0 upgrade brings massive list of features
- Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy S4 now receiving KitKat
- Google Play Music update finally allows you to deactivate connected devices
- Verizon introduces “More Everything” plans; more data, Edge discounts and, well, more
- LG G2 Mini teased with a hint of magenta ahead of Mobile World Congress
- Verizon’s Nexus 7 now available online
| Dennis Woodside steps down as CEO of Motorola, Lenovo remains optimistic they can turn things around Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:50 PM PST
With Motorola transitioning into the hands of new owner Lenovo, we’ve been wondering exactly what kind of restructuring would follow the move. Well, after only 18 months with the the company, Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside announced today via the company blog that he’s officially leaving for greener pastures. Apparently, Woodside found a cushy new gig as the first Chief Operating Officer of Dropbox, with Jonathan Rosenburg stepping in as COO of Motorola Mobility come April 1st (great timing). With Motorola continually bleeding money every year, we can’t say we didn’t see this coming. Of course, Woodside didn’t comment on what motivated the move, but perhaps Dennis wasn’t too excited at the prospect of a corner office in China. Speaking of Lenovo, Bloomberg held an interview with Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing about the future of the company and their plans for Motorola. Even though Motorola had an operating loss of $1 billion last year, Yang seemed optimistic that Lenovo would turn the ship around. In fact, he intends to have Motorola in the green in a few quarters once Lenovo successfully reintroduces the brand back into China. Even without Motorola’s help, Lenovo’s smartphone shipments hit a record 13.9 million units last quarter. As far as Motorola employees making the move over to Lenovo, Yang said more than 3,500 Motorola workers were being transferred. |
| Heads up: HTC is doing an AMA on Reddit tomorrow between 1:30pm – 3:00pm Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:02 PM PST
Whether you have any pressing questions you’d like to have answered, or are simply looking for a little insight from one of our personal favorite Android OEMs, HTC currently has an AMA (ask me anything) scheduled for tomorrow on Reddit. The AMA will be taking place between 1:30pm and 3:00pm, and although we’re sure many of you have countless questions about the upcoming HTC M8 let us stop you right there — the phone hasn’t even been announced, so expect those questions to be glossed over with the typical “we have nothing to announce at this time” PR speak. It’s not everyday you get the chance to talk directly with a company who makes your favorite products, so punch it into your calendars. For those that can’t make it, don’t worry. We’ll be keeping a close eye on things, bringing you anything interesting that might come up. |
| Taco Bell’s new app for easy ordering launches later this year, better stock up on toilet paper Posted: 13 Feb 2014 04:30 PM PST
I’ll be the first to admit, I love me some Taco Bell. The subject of my late night cravings, you can usually find me at my local Taco Bell between the hours of 11pm-2am on any given weekend. With so many items on the menu, I’ve often found it difficult to quickly browse for something new, especially when a big line of cars is building up behind me. Who would have guess that Taco Bell knows this feeling well. They even have a name for it: “menu board anxiety.” To help combat this common condition, Taco Bell has begun testing a new mobile app that allows customers to place orders using their smartphones with little fuss. The app will not only allow customers to pick from any item on the menu, but customize said orders to their liking. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to repeat an order, because of an issue with the intercom, or perhaps my unusually soft voice.
I know what you’re thinking — what if you take too long to arrive and the food is already cold? Nobody likes cold beef in their taco. To ensure your food is the freshest (and hottest) it can be, your local Taco Bell wont even begin preparing your order until they know you’re close by. How would they know that? Well, the app uses the built in the GPS on your smartphone to ping the restaurant when you’re pulling up. Genius, right? Orders can be placed using giftcards or with credit cards, and for creatures of habit, the app even allows customers to save their favorite items/combos for easy ordering. Currently there are 5 locations in Orange County (Southern California) that have begun testing this new service which began nearly 2 years ago. Nationwide expansion is planned for later on in the year. Yo quiero Taco Bell. [NRN] |
| Swappa website updated, adds better mobile support Posted: 13 Feb 2014 04:05 PM PST
One of our favorite go to places for buying and selling gently used Android devices received a fresh coat of paint recently. Swappa makes it safe and easy to buy and sell mobile devices by having no seller fees, not allowing junk devices, and having an active support staff ready to help at a moments notice. The updated swappa.com features speed improvements, web interface tweaks, and mobile UI enhancements.
In an effort to streamline the online buying and selling experience, the new Swappa adds a graph to help buyers and sellers determine just how much a particular device is going for on Swappa. You’ll also notice that Swappa’s web gurus have removed excess white space and brought more information above the fold for your viewing pleasure.     Not only has the full desktop version of Swappa.com been updated, the mobile experience has been updated as well. The new coat of paint added plenty of UI tweaks to make buying and selling devices on Swappa an overall better experience from your mobile device. Personally, I’d love to see a Swappa app for Android, but the mobile website works quite nicely.
Have you used Swappa before? If so, what do you think of their new website? |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro and Note Pro tablets now available in the US [LINKS] Posted: 13 Feb 2014 03:17 PM PST
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Samsung’s premier line of super high-end tablets are finally available for sale in the US. Generous buyers can now pickup the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro and/or the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro for their special someone (even if that special someone is yourself) from a multitude of major retailers. For your convenience, we went ahead and linked to a few of the tabs’ listings below.
Samsung’s press release originally mentioned that the larger Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 wouldn’t arrive until March and it looks like the same goes for the Note Pro 12.2 64GB). What’s odd is the Tab Pro 12.2 appears to be in stock on Amazon, but still isn’t available for purchase quite yet at Best Buy (although the listing is now live).
The most decked out model of the bunch if the Note Pro 12.2, coming equipped with a 2K (2560 x 1600) display, 3GB of RAM, an Exynos octa-core processor, and a 9,500mAh battery. If you’re looking for an LTE equipped model, the Verizon Wireless version will be launching one in the near future, so keep an eye for that. If you still need a closer look at these tabs, we’ve embedded our hands-on video from last month’s CES 2014 below. Anyone considering picking one of these bad boys up? |
| Posted: 13 Feb 2014 01:32 PM PST
Good news for everyone looking to increase the functionality of their Chromecasts, Google Play Services 4.2 has now officially rolled out to Android devices world wide. Aside from updated Google Drive APIs, the update also includes the new Chromecast APIs necessary to cast content to your TV. It was on February 3rd that the Google Cast SDK went live for developers, allowing them to begin building apps with Chromecast support. Unfortunately, because Google Play Services 4.2 had not officially rolled out to everyone, Google asked developers to hold off on releasing new and improved Chromecastified apps. Now, with all the pieces in place — the Chromecast SDK in developers hands and Google Play Services 4.2 in everyone else’s — you should expect a slew of new apps updating in the Play Store with Chromecast support. Let the games begin. [Google+] |
| Nokia X to cost $100 off-contract? Posted: 13 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST
We were a bit taken aback by the Nokia Normandy / Nokia X’s supposed list of specs when they first leaked. We’d always heard Nokia was aiming for developing markets with this thing, but we didn’t know quite how low they would look to go. According to new rumors, though, it sounds like they’re looking to go lower than even the limbo bar can reach: $100 off-contract. We’re not sure how solid that info is, but the following list of specs certainly have us believing it can’t be worth much more:
Yikes. If true, you have to wonder just how Nokia expects to contend with the likes of Motorola’s Moto G, a $100 smartphone on some carriers that has a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, a 4.5-inch HD display, 1GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera and more. To add, it also employs firmware heavily based on stock Android with only a few “value-added” features by Motorola. We aren’t willing to write the Nokia X off before it’s officially unveiled — something that could happen at Mobile World Congress later this month — but we can’t say it’s the most exciting device to ever launch. It definitely is one of the more interesting ones, though, considering Nokia is set to be acquired by Microsoft in a deal expected to close sometime later this year. [via WinSource] |
| Big BBM 2.0 upgrade brings massive list of features Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:55 AM PST If BBM has yet to fall out of favor with you in terms of messaging apps, then you’ll want to listen up: a pretty big upgrade is headed our way. Most full version jumps tend to be underwhelming in this day and age, but Blackberry wanted to make sure BBM 2.0 blew everyone away. Let’s not even waste any time digging into the following list of new features:
It sounds like Blackberry spared no expense in bringing this upgrade to the masses, though some contend they could be doing even better. Specifically, we’re still missing video-based features that those on Blackberry 10 have been enjoying for quite some time.
Those features include quick video messaging, as well as full-on Skype-esque video calls. Let’s hope our boys in Waterloo have some of that in store for what should be a great 3.0 update at some point down the line. In the meantime, stay on the lookout for the upgrade as Blackberry says it should be rolling out at some point later today. Get a look at the new goods in the video above. [via Blackberry] |
| Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy S4 now receiving KitKat Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:18 AM PST
Rejoice, Galaxy S4 owners on the Now Network! Sprint is beginning to issue the upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat, meaning you’ll be receiving goodies like the ART runtime, a built-in framework for translucent status bar, and the ability to easily switch between different SMS apps with ease. Of course, the Samsung-specific changes aren’t quite so numerous as the South Korean company brought most of the important user-facing goods in the Android 4.3 upgrade. Those changes included new camera features, KNOX security and support for Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smart watch. Sprint did have a few specific changes of their own, though:
Aaaand that’s pretty much it. Not the most exciting affair in the world when it comes to new functionality, but it’s nice being on the latest and greatest software Google has to offer. You’ll be looking for version JDQ39.L720VPUFNAE, so head to the settings menu and hit that software upgrade button as soon as you can (but be sure to turn on WiFi and get a good charge on your battery before attempting the update). [via Sprint] |
| Google Play Music update finally allows you to deactivate connected devices Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:20 AM PST
A great new update for Google Play Music has hit the Play Store, giving us a couple of key features that should make a whole lot of lives easier. The biggest addition is the ability to deactivate connected devices from our account using the mobile app instead of having to head to the website. In case you didn’t know, Google Play Music had a 10 device limit and you wouldn’t be able to use more devices than that unless you deactivated one. This feature makes it so that we no longer have to venture off to the cumbersome website to take care of that. Play Music also brings a few UI tweaks, though they don’t amount to much more than a bit of reshuffling in the sliding drawer menu. Beyond that, we also see a move of the Chromecast button to a spot just above the playback controls. You’ll be looking for version 5.4 in the Google Play Store, so be sure to get a move on downloading it if any of these changes mean anything to you. |
| Verizon introduces “More Everything” plans; more data, Edge discounts and, well, more Posted: 13 Feb 2014 06:47 AM PST T-Mobile said they’d be looking to put a hurting on the big guys at the top of the wireless food chain, and it looks like some are listening and (somewhat) responding.
Verizon is the latest carrier to introduce some sweeping changes to their options, as they have introduced “More Everything” plans. These plans are structured nearly identically to Share Everything, but you just get more. Simple as that. So how much is “more?” Here’s how Verizon tells it:
It probably goes without saying, but you’ll need to be hooked up on Verizon’s Share Everything plans to even be considered for these goodies. Those still holding onto unlimited data for dear life should probably disregard all of this. It’s worth noting that Verizon specifically says only “some” customers will see their data allowance doubled. Nearly all plans will see a bump, but some might only see 1GB over what they currently enjoy. For instance, 500MB to 1GB is double, but not a big jump. In the same breath, customers with 2GB won’t suddenly get bumped to 4GB — those folks are only enjoying an increase to 3GB. Verizon says they’ll be automatically moving existing Share Everything customers to More Everything plans starting today, while new customers (even those with small business accounts) will be subject to More Everything by default. [via Verizon] |
| LG G2 Mini teased with a hint of magenta ahead of Mobile World Congress Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:57 AM PST
LG seems to be getting their pre-MWC teasing out of the way early. They’ve already officially revealed the LG G Pro 2, and now it seems they’re teasing a mini variant of their 2013 flagship LG G2. The picture below was posted to Facebook, showing several objects in black and white sitting next to miniaturized, magenta-tinted versions of the same item. At the end of the graphic is what we can only assume to be an LG G2 Mini. LG is definitely bringing this thing to their Mobile World Congress 2014 press event, though we don’t have many other details to drool over at this time. We do see that LG will continue the trend of putting power and volume buttons on the back, so that’s good. Other than that, not a clue. Also, we’re not sure what to make of the pink hue being used in these photos. T-Mobile, maybe? Maybe not. Perhaps LG just likes pink. History would typically indicate that this mini phone wouldn’t be up to par with the original’s, but a couple of different manufacturers have been breaking that trend lately. Motorola did with the DROID Mini on Verizon, and Sony completely blew us away with the ridiculous specs inside the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. We’re not sure which side of the line an LG G2 Mini will stay on, but we’re hoping LG will clue us in in just a coupe of short weeks (that’s if we don’t already hear anything in the rumor mill before then). [via Facebook] |
| Verizon’s Nexus 7 now available online Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:30 AM PST Verizon finally made the news that they were going to be selling their own version of the Nexus 7 officially official. It’s not the newest device on the block, because it’s been out for quite a long time, but it’s great knowing that you can get it in Verizon 4G LTE flavoring without fear of the carrier blocking you from activating it.
Verizon is now selling the tablet for $350 outright, though you can sign a two-year contract and knock $100 for a limited time. Even better news is that those who bought their tablet from the Google Play Store can now have it activated simply by calling or stopping by a Verizon location. Verizon’s version comes with 32GB standard, and shares all the specs that the original boasted:
The jury is still out on whether the version you get direct from Verizon is going to be on the same upgrade schedule as the Google Play Store offering. Big Red leaves reason to be concerned after the Galaxy Nexus debacle, but if you want to take a chance and order it from them anyway then be sure to head to their online store. Otherwise, opt to grab it from Google Play. |
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