Android Phone Fans |
- Official super slim Nexus 5 Snap Case now available on Google Play
- Grab your credit card: Google Glass officially opens to the public (US-only)
- Nexus 6 and Nexus 8 make surprise appearance in Chromium code
- Facebook prepares their apps for smartphones with side-mounted touchpads [PATENTS]
- Media center app Mizuu falls victim to Google Play’s stringent ‘sexually explicit material’ policy
- OnePlus One Smash the Past winners receving phones without SIM tools, chargers
- What to do if I forget my lock pattern? [Android 101]
- UK users will now get £50 in Google Play credit when buying a Nexus 7 until June 1st
- LG posts official G3 teaser on YouTube [VIDEO]
- LG LifeBand Touch and Heart Rate Monitor Earphones go on sale starting May 18th
- Motorola Moto G 4G LTE officially debuts
- Motorola Moto E officially announced and now available for $130
| Official super slim Nexus 5 Snap Case now available on Google Play Posted: 13 May 2014 04:49 PM PDT
Well, we didn’t see this coming. Those of you that prefer to have some level of protection covering your Nexus 5, but don’t want to mess with the added bulk that comes with TPU cases and the like now have a new option: the official Nexus 5 Snap Case. Fresh off the Google Play Store, the new Snap Cases come in black, aqua, silver (grey), white, or clear and feature only a small “Google” logo on its lower back. Have to say, we would have liked to have seen a “Nexus” imprint as found on the back of the Nexus 5, but alas. The new Nexus 5 Snap Case is currently going for a cool $30 on Google Play. Keep in mind you could always go the 3rd party route (try Amazon for Rearth Ringke cases) for a fraction of that price. Play Store link below. Buy on Google Play: Nexus 5 Snap Case |
| Grab your credit card: Google Glass officially opens to the public (US-only) Posted: 13 May 2014 04:02 PM PDT
If you’ve got $1,500 burning a hole in your pocket and love living on the bleeding edge of technology — listen up. The folks at Google have announced via their Google+ page that they’re officially opening up the Google Glass Explorer program to the public. Make no mistake, Google Glass is still very much in beta. The Glass team promises further revisions to Google Glass’ hardware and software are still in the cards, but with the ability for anyone (those with the disposable income, anyway) to purchase the wearable headset, this should help speed up the process of getting Glass ready for its official consumer release. So what does $1,500 get you? Along with the headset, you actually get your choice of free titanium frames or shades (a $225 value). Get started by visiting the link down below. Sorry, folks — this is US-only for now. [Google Glass Explorer Edition]
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| Nexus 6 and Nexus 8 make surprise appearance in Chromium code Posted: 13 May 2014 03:36 PM PDT
Rumors of Google working on a Nexus 8 and Nexus 6 have gained some traction this afternoon. While it’s not much to go on, references to the two devices have recently appeared in Chromium’s source code, as dug up by Florian Kiersch on Google+. Right now it’s still unclear how reliable these commits are (their age is raising some eyebrows) but of course the news has quickly begun spreading ’round the usual Android circles. For now, we’ll keep these filed under “rumor.”
Other than the names, this new “leak” doesn’t reveal much. Occasionally, Chromium code can show us other specs like display resolution, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here. It’s possible we’ll see these two Nexus devices making another appearance in the near future. Before we leave — do you think we can have a discussion regarding the Nexus 6 and its number typically denoting screen size? My hands can only handle so much phone, Google. |
| Facebook prepares their apps for smartphones with side-mounted touchpads [PATENTS] Posted: 13 May 2014 02:44 PM PDT
Patents are fun. Often times they offer a sneak peek into the mind of its inventor. But just because a big company files for a patent doesn’t always mean it’s something we’ll see come to fruition. More than often, they’re simply trying to cover their bases in the event they decide to move in that direction. You know, before someone else steals their idea. While digging through some recent filings at the USTPO, we came across an interesting patent from our friends at Facebook. A continuation of a patent filed back in October of 2011, it appears that we’re once again seeing Facebook toy with the idea of a future where side-mounted touchpads are just another way of interacting with our mobile devices. In the patent, Facebook shows how users would interact with their applications — such as Facebook Home — using a side-mounted touchpad. What we found particularly odd was the fact that we still haven’t seen a phone with a trackpad as a secondary form of input, leaving us to scratch our heads as to exactly what Facebook is even trying to patent here. Still, it makes us think. With the upcoming Amazon smartphone exploring new technologies like 4 infrared cameras to help track eye movement, could Facebook be planning yet another foray into the mobile device space — this time with a touchpad on its side? Even with the flop that was the HTC First “Facebook phone,” maybe old habits die hard.    [USPTO] |
| Media center app Mizuu falls victim to Google Play’s stringent ‘sexually explicit material’ policy Posted: 13 May 2014 12:36 PM PDT
Developer of the popular video media center app Mizuu had a rough morning after waking up to find his app abruptly removed from the Play Store. News of the removal was posted on Mizuu’s Google+ page after finding an email from Google explaining that the reason behind the take down had to do with the app’s violation of Google’s recently updated sexually explicit policies. But how is that even possible given the app is little more than a media center app, only filling in movie covers and info taken from a users’ own media library? One word: porn. Apparently, Mizuu pulls images and descriptions from themoviedb.org, an online repository of movie information which just so happens to include — you guessed it — porn. That means someone with a vast wealth of adult movies would cause Mizuu to essentially download sexually explicit images, a possible violation of Google Play’s terms of service. Mizuu already knew this, which is why they included the option to disable adult content which is already blocked by default.
Mizuu made a point about their app being like a web browser which can be used to view sexually explicit material. Sounds to us like a Google algorithm basically scanned apps in the Play Store for anything describing “adult content” in their code, then removing the app and firing off one of their rejection emails. We’re not saying Google was in the right, but it doesn’t help that the developer can’t actually get in touch with an actual human to get additional feedback/clarity and find out exactly what they could do to save the app. Without any sort of appeals process, Mizuu says they’ll simply attempt to re-upload another version with a different package name to the Play Store, but we expect it wont be long before Google once again comes in with the ban hammer. Of course, everyone who already purchase the app gets left high and dry (probably the real losers in this story). If nothing else, this highlights an ever growing problem in Google’s developer relations. It’s silly that we can all suggest a route Mizuu can take without ever knowing if it will fly with Google. We wish Mizuu best of luck, and hope everything works out. [Mizuu] |
| OnePlus One Smash the Past winners receving phones without SIM tools, chargers Posted: 13 May 2014 11:52 AM PDT
It looks like OnePlus was so fast to ship Smash the Past winners their phones that they didn’t have time to get the rest of the package together. An anonymous tipster shared with us an email explaining that his OnePlus One won’t come with the SIM ejection tool, as well as a USB cable or charging adapter. They’re not being stingy for the sake of it, thankfully. Here’s their official explanation to one of the winners:
The caveat here is that the device uses standard microUSB, so you should be able to charge it with any available USB cable and/or power adapter that you have. And the SIM ejection tool is typically just a very thin piece of metal that is used to pop the SIM tray out, so you can find a bobby pin to take care of that if you need to. It’s annoying that these folks have to deal with this, but it shouldn’t be long until it’s all cleared up. OnePlus says the materials should be ready for shipping by the end of the month, so you can either put together your own home remedy for getting up and running with your device or wait to receive said package from OnePlus themselves. We imagine this won’t be an issue whenever the full launch begins later this month / early next month. [Thanks anon!] |
| What to do if I forget my lock pattern? [Android 101] Posted: 13 May 2014 09:50 AM PDT
Android has several options available for preventing others from accessing your device. One of the most popular options is the lock pattern, which is exclusive to Android. Instead of typing in a four digit number or password you can simply draw a pattern. It’s an extremely handy way to put a layer of security on your device. However, unlike a pin code or password it can be easy to forget. What do you do then? First of all, before you set up any type of security you should make sure your device is set up to be recovered easily. This way if someone steals your device, or you have to wipe it because you forgot your password, it will be easy to get everything back. To do this go to Settings > Backup & reset and make sure everything is enabled. This is especially handy for devices like the HTC One M8 which will reset your phone after 10 failed unlock attempts. What to doOkay, now that we have that out-of-the-way it’s time to help you get back into your device. The good news is Android has a built-in feature to bypass the pattern lock if you can’t remember it. To make things even better, this method won’t work for a thief that has stolen you device. Here’s what to do:
The only way to get back into the phone if you don’t know your Google account credentials is to perform a factory reset. This will erase all of your data and settings, which is why you want to perform a back-up before setting up any security. We should also mention that this will work with the pin code and password lockscreen security. To help remember your pattern you could draw it on a piece of paper and put it somewhere safe. As long as you know your Google account credentials it’s not really a big deal if your forget. The important part is a thief won’t be able to get in. Do you use a pattern lock on your Android device? Have you ever forgotten it?
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| UK users will now get £50 in Google Play credit when buying a Nexus 7 until June 1st Posted: 13 May 2014 08:48 AM PDT
Quick heads-up on a deal for folks in the UK who might be interested in getting a Nexus 7 soon. Google and ASUS are now offering £50 in Google Play credits for folks who buy a Nexus 7. The deal runs through June 1st, and luckily enough for those who’ve bought their device on or after May 5th, it’s retroactive even if you got it from an official UK retailer. Claiming it is as simple as heading to the ASUS Promotions site and following the directions. You’ll need to have your receipt in digital form — whether it was emailed to you or you scan it into your computer — in order to get the credit, but as long as you’ve taken care of that you should be good to go. Google says the process shouldn’t take more than 30 days, but you might as well get it over with now so you can get your Google Play credit as soon as possible. Just remember these credits only apply to digital content in Google Play, such as buying games, apps, movies, books, music and more. [via Google+] |
| LG posts official G3 teaser on YouTube [VIDEO] Posted: 13 May 2014 07:45 AM PDT Nothing like a good tease to stimulate our senses in the morning. LG is getting folks excited about their upcoming LG G3 announcement with a teaser video that has just hit YouTube. The video doesn’t show us much as you’d expect — a couple of silhouettes of the phone here, a camera shot there, maybe a smidgen of the brushed metal (or brushed metal-esque) backplate. Add in a few provocative and eye-catching images and effects to fill it all in. You know the drill.
LG won’t be delivering the real goods until May 27th later this month, though we already have a pretty good idea of what to expect. For starters, LG has gotten the ball rolling on mass production of those 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 displays, so expect it to be stuffed into the G3 with haste. We’re also expecting something around a 13 megapixel camera, a Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB or 3GB of RAM and more. Onward to May 27th (but in the meantime, catch up on all the latest rumors and leaks starting right here). |
| LG LifeBand Touch and Heart Rate Monitor Earphones go on sale starting May 18th Posted: 13 May 2014 06:47 AM PDT
LG has officially announced availability details for their latest fitness products. The LG LifeBand Touch — their fitness band — and the heart-rate monitoring earphones are set to be available to consumers as early as May 18th 2014, with those in the US getting a crack at it on that date. Folks in Asia and Europe will be treated to the same launches in the days and weeks to follow. The LifeBand Touch doesn’t reinvent the wheel too much. It features accelerometer and altimeter sensors to provide you with accurate workout data that can be synced to LG Fitness, RunKeeper, MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness. All of it sync with your Android or iOS device, which means you’ll also get the ability to view messages and incoming calls, as well as control music playback on its touch-enabled 0.9-inch OLED display. As for the earphones, they fit in your ears and play music — nothing too surprising there. They can also monitor your heart-rate, though. LG says the ear provides more accurate blood flow information than something more traditional like a finger-based sensor. The Bluetooth clip-on device can sync your heart rate information right to your LifeBand Touch or your smartphone, and if use it with the LG Fitness app you can also have it give you periodic audible updates on your current heart rate and oxygen levels. Pricing details have been kept mum for now, so we’ll have to wait until LG clues us in on more or wait for them to hit store shelves for further details. [via LG] |
| Motorola Moto G 4G LTE officially debuts Posted: 13 May 2014 05:52 AM PDT
Alongside the ultra-affordable Moto E that was announced earlier this morning, Motorola confirmed plans to launch a 4G LTE-equipped version of the Moto G. It’s the same device we’ve always known and loved, except now you can hop onto the world’s fastest mobile data networks with it (which was the only sore spot for some folks in an otherwise impressive phone). The 4G version will come with a bit more beefy price tag of $220, which is $40 more than the original currently goes for. If you need a quick refresher, the Moto G is packed with a 4.5-inch 720p HD display, a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, a 5 megapixel camera w/ LED flash, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi N and 8GB of storage with micro SD card slot.
Dollar for dollar, this is most definitely one of the better values in mobile, though now that you’ll soon be able to grab an insanely powerful OnePlus One for as little as $300 it doesn’t seem as special. Still, that’s an $80 price difference, and if you don’t mind the less-than-exciting specs then this could be a good fit for you or someone you know. Head to Motorola’s site to pre-order yours now. [via Motorola] |
| Motorola Moto E officially announced and now available for $130 Posted: 13 May 2014 05:24 AM PDT Discuss the Moto E at AndroidForums.com! Motorola is continuing to fill in the entry-level smartphone sector with some pretty impressive devices. The latest is the Moto E, which was announced in Europe earlier this morning. This smartphone is “priced for all,” says Motorola, and its 89 euro price tag certainly seems to stay true to that promise. So what does that attractive price bring you under the hood? Take a look at the Moto E’s specs:
You’ll be able to grab this thing in quite a few markets, with Motorola committing to launches in over 40 markets through 80 different carrier partners. The launch will be rather staggered over the course of the next few weeks, though those in America can order a GSM model (3G only) as early as this morning for just $130 from Motorola’s website.     It’s being billed as a pre-sale for now so we’re not exactly sure when it’ll ship, but do note that you’ll be charged for the order immediately. Will you be springing for one of these or has the Moto G been fine enough for you? Let us know with a comment below! [via Motorola] |
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