Android Phone Fans |
- Sprint Moto X now receiving Android 4.4.2 update
- Google addresses Android 4.4.2 camera bug, says fix arriving in a future update
- Android’s distribution numbers for March: KitKat on the rise, while Gingerbread slowly dies
- Samsung Galaxy S5 features shown off in 4-minute promo video (Gear 2 and Gear Fit too)
- Verizon LG G Pad 8.3 set to launch March 6th; as low as $99 on a two-year contract
- OnePlus holding a Reddit AMA tonight – get your questions ready!
- Google Play getting ready to celebrate its 2nd birthday with apps and games on sale
- More Nokia X apps get ported to Android devices
- Android tablets capture 62% of market share in 2013, beating out iPad for the first time
- Shazam upgrade to hit Google Play with a brand new user interface
- VUDU adding Chromecast support in forthcoming update; sign up for the beta
| Sprint Moto X now receiving Android 4.4.2 update Posted: 04 Mar 2014 05:50 PM PST
After last week’s soak test tipped us off to the impending update, Android 4.4.2 is now officially available for the Sprint Motorola Moto X. The update isn’t a huge bump from the previous Android 4.4 update, but does manage to squash a few bugs while managing to increase battery life. Here’s what Moto X users on Sprint can look forward to when the 156.5MB update hits their device: Software build: 161.44.32.ghost_sprint.Sprint.en.US
And now we wait on AT&T, the only US carrier left to update the Moto X to Android 4.4.2 If you haven’t been prompted yet, you can manually pull the update by jumping into your Settings app, scroll down to “About Phone,” then select “System Updates” > “Download” > and finally, “Install.” Just be careful when using Skype or other apps that utilize your phone’s camera, we hear there was a nasty camera bug that managed to find its way into Android 4.4.2. Cheers! [Motorola] |
| Google addresses Android 4.4.2 camera bug, says fix arriving in a future update Posted: 04 Mar 2014 04:43 PM PST
There’s a nasty little bug some users have been experiencing since updating their Nexus 5′s (and other devices) to Android 4.4.2. The big involves the camera application in Android 4.4.2 that when either opened by the user or triggered in the background from another app (Skype for instance), causes the device’s CPU to max out, resulting in abnormally high battery drain. It’s not a good time for anyone, but try not to worry too much because Google is hot on the case. They’ve officially acknowledged the issue in their bug tracking forum and have promised to address this issues (and others) in a future maintenance update (likely Android 4.4.3). Keep in mind that Google was only able to verify this issue on the Nexus 5 and recommends that Android users with other devices report the bug to their respective manufacturers. This has to due to with custom Android software (Sense, TouchWiz) that could also be triggering the camera bug, and will need to be addressed separately.
To find out if you have the bug, you’ll need to jump into your Settings > Battery and check to see if “mm-qcamera-daemon” is consuming a good chuck of your battery percentage. If it is, a reboot is said to help but it’s only a temporary fix. Also, uninstalling apps like Skype, Tango, etc. that use the camera may also help. It’s not the best solution, but it might be your only option until Android 4.4.3 is pushed out sometime in the future. Anyone notice camera hijinks affecting their device after updating to Android 4.4.2? [Android Issue Tracker | via Reddit] |
| Android’s distribution numbers for March: KitKat on the rise, while Gingerbread slowly dies Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:06 PM PST
It’s time once again for Google to update us on the current state of Android. Posted today to the Android Developers page, these stats are a way for Android devs to see the percentage of Android devices — and the versions of Android they’re running — that have recently visited the Google Play Store. No point in building an app optimized for Froyo when nobody is using it, right? To make things easier to view at a glance, here are this month’s numbers as compared to February 2014 (previous month). Android versions February –> March
As we can see, KitKat made a sizeable jump as more and more Android OEMs continue upgrading many of the last year’s flagship devices to Android 4.4 KitKat. We’re still in the process of watching that play out, so we’ll more than likely need another month before the Ones and GS4′s of the world are completely updated. Don’t forget all those new flagships scheduled to launch over the next few months should have that number spiking, so watch out. Looking at Jelly Bean numbers, we really hate to lump them in with each other as there are some pretty big differences when moving from 4.1.x to 4.3 (as any Android enthusiast will tell you). We did see that 4.1.x too a slight dip from 35.5% in Feb, to 35.3% this month. We’re sure this was likely due to devices being upgraded to later versions of Jelly Bean, as 4.2.x and 4.3 continued to rise — and that’s a good thing. Our favorite number? Watching the now ancient Android 2.3 Gingerbread drop down to 19% of active Android devices using Google Play. Once again, these numbers do not account for off-Androids like the Nokia X or Amazon HDX tablets which use alternative app stores and services than Google’s own. |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 features shown off in 4-minute promo video (Gear 2 and Gear Fit too) Posted: 04 Mar 2014 01:43 PM PST
It was during the commercial break for 86th annual Academy Awards that we saw the first ad spots for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5. And while commercials typically serve their purpose of quickly grabbing viewers’ attention with a mix of humor and/or features, sometimes you need something a little longer than a quick 30 second to get a good idea of what an advertiser is selling. Samsung knows this, and it’s why the smartphone manufacturer has taken to their YouTube channel to upload a quick 4-minute Samsung Galaxy S5 feature overview, covering the main hardware and software features consumers can expect to see when the phone launches in April. Everything from the Galaxy S5′s 16MP camera with super quick auto focusing (we tried it for ourselves and yes, it’s damn quick), fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor, Adaptive Display technology, and new blazing fast connectivity options — it’s all here. Say what you will about Samsung, but we gotta hand it to them — in depth promos like this are the perfect resource for educating friends and family who are looking to buy a new Android device. When someone asks you “What’s so great about the new Galaxy S5?” you can send them this video and be done with it. Samsung also gave the new Samsung Gear 2 and Samsung Gear Fit the same treatment in their own 4-minute feature video. You can find that below. Oh, and in case you missed it, you can myself and Edgar Cervantes giving our quick impressions of the Galaxy S5 in Samsung’s official first impressions video during their Unpacked event in Spain last week. It was obviously edited for content (Edgar made no qualms about wanting a more premium feeling Galaxy device), but you get the idea. Ha. |
| Verizon LG G Pad 8.3 set to launch March 6th; as low as $99 on a two-year contract Posted: 04 Mar 2014 01:24 PM PST
Verizon has finally announced a release date for their version of the LG G Pad 8.3. March 6th is the date, which is this coming Thursday, if you aren’t aware. They’ll be offering it for a few different price points depending on when and how you get it. Here’s the skinny:
Verizon’s version is just about the same as everyone else’s, except their 4G LTE radios inside will obviously trump a WiFi-only model. The G Pad’s 8.3-inch display has full HD resolution, and also has a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera, a 4,600mAh battery and more. Verizon will let you hook one of these up to your more everything plan for just $10 on top of whatever bill you’re already paying. Be sure to check it out over their site, and once you get it decide if it deserves its high ranked spot on our best tablets list. Let us know if you’ll be looking to buy one of these once they’re made available in a couple of short days. |
| OnePlus holding a Reddit AMA tonight – get your questions ready! Posted: 04 Mar 2014 12:41 PM PST
Reddit AMAs (ask me anything) seem to be the latest grassroots marketing technique OEMs are employing as a way to reach out to their fan base and new customers alike. It was only a few weeks ago we saw HTC USA throw one, and now we have up and coming smartphone maker OnePlus jumping on the Reddit bandwagon. OnePlus took to their Google+ page to announced that they’ll be throwing their AMA in the r/Android subreddit
As a quick recap, OnePlus is a new startup company from ex-Oppo exec Pete Lau. They’ve been hyping up their upcoming smartphone which is said to launch later this year and feature high-end specs — all priced at under $400 unlocked and off-contract. Those are pretty big words considering the only phone to currently hold that title is the Nexus 5 or even the Moto X — 2 devices manufactured by OEMs with a vastly larger amounts of resources at their disposal. Should be good, but if you aren’t able to attend, don’t worry. We’ll be following along closely, bringing you anything noteworthy from the AMA. Anything you’re dying to know about OnePlus? [Reddit] |
| Google Play getting ready to celebrate its 2nd birthday with apps and games on sale Posted: 04 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PST Happy Birthday, Google Play! It was two years ago that Google rebranded the Android Market to Google Play, and little did we know that it would take off to become what it is now. Not only are great apps and games made available from this vast repository of digital goodness, but you can also buy the latest Nexus devices, Google Play Experience devices, Chromecasts and accessories, books, movies, TV shows, music and so much more.
So what’s Google going to do to celebrate? They’re holding a sale, natch. Early evidence of a Google Play Store sale has trickled into the atmosphere, though it doesn’t appear things are quite ready for everyone just yet. Heading to this page should soon take us to a promo page, but for now it’s a dead link. Some folks at Reddit were able to catch which games and apps will be on sale, though. Here’s the list so far:
We should note that a lot of the “free” stuff up there is normally free, and those games will likely come with deals on in-app purchases and consumables. Google will also have specific landing pages for books, movies and music. The following links are currently dead as far as we can tell, though we’re sure they’ll point somewhere relevant once this thing officially kicks off. Here’s what they’ll be serving up before too long:
We’re not sure what’s going on beyond that, but we have a feeling we’ll be finding out in the hours and days to come (Google Play’s official launch is billed as March 6th). We’ll be sure to keep you guys in the loop as we dig deeper. |
| More Nokia X apps get ported to Android devices Posted: 04 Mar 2014 08:58 AM PST
Yesterday, we told you about Nokia’s app store being ported to any Android device running version 4.1.2 or higher. That particular development wasn’t quite that exciting considering the app store doesn’t offer anything unique that the Google Play Store doesn’t already offer, but the first bit of the real goods we’ve been waiting for have finally arrived. Some of Nokia’s applications have been ported over to devices with Android 4.1.2 or higher. Many of them don’t require anything but a simple APK installation, though you will need to root for at least one of these. Here’s the list:
And that’s about it. Nothing super exciting, but if you wanted some apps crafted by a once-gigantic company who swore never to come anywhere near an AOSP trunk, this is what you get for now. We’ll be monitoring to see if any other apps are eventually given the port treatment, so stay tuned. In the meantime, use the links above to grab each respective download if you’re interested. |
| Android tablets capture 62% of market share in 2013, beating out iPad for the first time Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:49 AM PST We were surprised how quickly it took Android to overtake the iPhone in device sales, and now the same thing is starting to happen on the tablet front. Prestigious firm Gartner’s latest numbers show tablet sales grew 68% in 2013, with the large-sized slates moving a whopping 195.4 million units to consumers. So who were the big winners in all that?
If you guessed Apple, well, for the first time ever you’d be wrong. It’s actually Android, as the world-renowned platform enjoyed 62% of the pie compared to Apple’s 36%. Gartner originally predicted Apple would enjoy a comfortable lead until 2015, but as we’ve seen on the phone side of things analysts can be quite conservative. Microsoft doesn’t seem worth mentioning with 2.1% at first glance, but that did equate to about 4 million units. So what was the reasoning? It’s simple, really — cheaper tablets, and a good abundance of them. The cheapest current-gen flagship iPad costs $500, while you can get some Android tablets for under $100. Even powerful, capable tablets like the Nexus 7 only cost a little over $200. That’s not to mention Samsung’s long string of Galaxy Tab and Note devices filling out nearly every budget there is.
Despite all that, though, Apple is still the most successful overall vendor out of everyone who sold tablets last year. They were responsible for 70.4 million units and 36% of the share, while the next closest — Samsung — sold 37.4 million for 19.1%. ASUS, Amazon, and Lenovo rounded out the list with 5.6%, 4.8%, and 3.3% respectively. As for everyone else? They were all lumped into the dreaded “other” category that made up the other 31% of tablet sales on the year. “In 2013, tablets became a mainstream phenomenon, with a vast choice of Android-based tablets being within the budget of mainstream consumers while still offering adequate specifications,” said a research director at Gartner. “As the Android tablet market becomes highly commoditized, in 2014, it will be critical for vendors to focus on device experience and meaningful technology and ecosystem value — beyond just hardware and cost — to ensure brand loyalty and improved margins.” Gartner is right, and many manufacturers have already started approaching their strategies with that mindset. Whether you’re looking at Samsung’s latest TabPro and NotePro devices or the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet, OEMs left and right are beginning to create compelling experiences that can only be made up of the right combination of capable hardware, sensible software, and affordable price.
We’ve already highlighted some of those devices in our Best Android Tablets feature for March 2014, and we’re sure to be in store for many more as the months move on. We’d be surprised if Android tablets didn’t gain an even bigger lead in 2014 with all the momentum they’ve enjoyed lately, and we imagine it won’t be long before we see other major players — such as HTC and Motorola — hop back into the scene now that the market has matured. Head to Gartner’s site for the full numbers. [via iSource] |
| Shazam upgrade to hit Google Play with a brand new user interface Posted: 04 Mar 2014 05:58 AM PST
Shazam, the service that allows you to identify any song or TV show that is playing, announced we’d be seeing a new upgrade to their Android app, and they’ve detailed what we should be seeing once it’s finally been made available in the Google Play Store. This one is pretty big, bringing a brand new user interface that will allow Shazam to provide an experience that makes it easier to find out more about the content you’re tagging and identifying. Whether you’re looking for lyrics, looking to buy a track, or simply sharing your latest listening activity to your friends, the upgrade makes everything a lot easier and more enjoyable to use. This is only one phase of a plan to bring many more features in the weeks and months to come, though. Shazam has detailed plans to bring a healthy helping of new features in future upgrades:
Of course, all of this is coming to you for free, so get to Google Play and download it to see what all the fuss is about in anticipation of the upgrade’s full rollout. We’re not sure how long it’ll take for the rest of the upgrades to make their way to the forefront so just keep an eye on that Google Play Store. [via Shazam] |
| VUDU adding Chromecast support in forthcoming update; sign up for the beta Posted: 04 Mar 2014 05:23 AM PST
Now that Google has opened up the Chromecast SDK to everyone, we imagined it wouldn’t take long for most major streaming video services to hop onto the bandwagon. Another one has confirmed plans to bring Chromecast support, as VUDU has promised functionality in an upgrade that should be heading our way soon. VUDU gives you access to hundreds of thousands of movies and TV shows, and often offers new releases on the same day the titles launch on DVD and Blu-Ray. Their other claim to fame is a dedicated “HDX” streaming mode, which is a fancy way to say “this movie is full 1080p HD without artifcating and with Dolby Digital surround sound.” Support will be coming to both Android and iOS in the form of app upgrades, and those watching on desktop browsers will be able to easily stream through the Chromecast plugin for Google Chrome. VUDU didn’t have a timeline to offer in terms of release schedules, though they did offer up an opportunity to beta test the upgrade ahead of the upgrade rolling out to everyone. You can sign up here if you’re interested. [via VUDU] |
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