Android Phone Fans |
- Oops: Nexus 5 makes brief appearance on the Google Play Store, starts at $350
- Microsoft Remote Desktop arrives on Google Play, lets you control your PC from your Android device
- Celebrate Halloween with an Android collectible from Dead Zebra
- Samsung Galaxy S4 Zooom for AT&T leaked, arrives later this year
- O2 giving away 18-karat gold HTC One, valued at $4,424
- Google’s Q3 earnings: $14.89 billion in revenue, Motorola losses grow, mentions plans for smartwatches
- Nexus 5 for Telus render leaks, offers quick glimpse of 4.4 KitKat
- Bad Piggies update brings 30 new levels for Halloween
- First Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 rollouts begin — what’s new?
- LG G Pad 8.3 now available in the US at BestBuy.com
- SwiftKey beta update brings “Layouts for Living,” a way to resize your keyboard however you want
- HTC says no One Max for Canada
- Verizon rakes in $30 billion and another 1 million subscribers in Q3 2013
- Motomaker’s iCloud transfer service makes it easier on iPhone users making the switch to Moto X
| Oops: Nexus 5 makes brief appearance on the Google Play Store, starts at $350 Posted: 17 Oct 2013 06:27 PM PDT OMG. Someone must have pressed the wrong button as the Nexus 5 just popped up on the Google Play Store with a starting price of $350 for the 16GB version. Wow.. Here’s the full official image. You’ll notice the Nexus 4 has now been completely removed from the Play Store. Wait — were the conspiracy theorists right all along? Could Kit Kat’s Google+ page referencing C+C Music Factory’s dance hit “Gonna Make You Sweat”, and Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” — could they really have been clues that hinted at an October 18th reveal date? Thanks, Darknicks and everyone else! |
| Microsoft Remote Desktop arrives on Google Play, lets you control your PC from your Android device Posted: 17 Oct 2013 06:19 PM PDT Windows 8.1 went live this afternoon and if you had any luck downloading it (servers were getting pounded earlier today), you might want to check out Microsoft Remote Desktop, Microsoft’s latest app to hit the Google Play Store. As the name suggests, Microsoft Remote Desktop allows Android users to control their Windows PC using their smartphone or tablet because, let’s face it, nobody really owns a Windows Phone device. Android users use multi-touch gestures to navigate around their desktops, enter text by clicking on text fields and use the familiar Android keyboard to type, and it’s even possible to stream “high quality video” complete with sound. RemoteFX is the Microsoft’s technology making everything possible, and if you guys want to check out the app for yourselves, download the app by visiting the link below. |
| Celebrate Halloween with an Android collectible from Dead Zebra Posted: 17 Oct 2013 05:42 PM PDT Throughout the month of October in the Android world, we’re used to being teased and taunted with various Android OS and Nexus device leaks. Let’s not forget that October is also the month of Halloween. Thanks to Dead Zebra Shop’s latest creation, collectors can celebrate Halloween the Android way, with a new mini collectible figurine. This Halloween 2013 Android collectible is named “Trickertreat” and features a grinning face on the one side and a frowning face on the opposite side. He also comes in a nicely illustrated box as one would expect from Dead Zebra. You can order Trickertreat for $10 each at the Dead Zebra Shop starting at 11AM (EDT) on Monday, October 21st and again later that evening at 11PM (EDT). You’ll want to act fast as these collectibles tend to sell out fairly quickly. Good luck collectors! |
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Zooom for AT&T leaked, arrives later this year Posted: 17 Oct 2013 05:31 PM PDT
Our own Rob Jackson gave you guys a hands-on back when the device was officially unveiled back in June, and it looks AT&T might be the only carrier crazy enough to pick this one up. The device is definitely than a snicker. As a refresher, specs from the Galaxy S4 Zoom include:
The 16MP 10x zoom camera could be the deciding factor for soccer moms and Joe Schmoes. These types don’t necessarily need a super powerful smartphone, but might want to snap and share pics of the kids during family outings. You can see from the image, a few AT&T apps will be added to Samsung and Google’s. The only thing left is for AT&T to make the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom official. |
| O2 giving away 18-karat gold HTC One, valued at $4,424 Posted: 17 Oct 2013 04:03 PM PDT It was a few weeks ago we showed you guys the product of HTC’s partnership with Goldgenie: an 18-karat gold HTC One. Designed to be little more than an award for the 18th annual MOBO Awards, only 5 of these blinged-out devices were made. HTC was mum on plans for the rest of them, but it looks like we now know where one is headed. In fun Willy Wonka contest fashion, UK carrier O2 announced that they’d be giving away one of these 18k gold HTC Ones. The contest rules are easy. Simply buy the device between today and Sunday (Oct. 20th) from an O2 store, and inside each HTC One box will be a single golden ticket. Entering the code online will let customers know if they’ve just won the most elusive smartphone ever made, valued at £2,750. Winners will also receive complimentary tickets to the MOBO awards where they can show off their flashy new One (matching grill not included). You can find out more contest details down below. Those UK kids get all the fun. |
| Posted: 17 Oct 2013 02:24 PM PDT Today was Google’s Q3 2013 earnings call with investors. During the call, Google CEO Larry Page kicked things off, talking briefly about the company’s focus on a multi-screen technologies, specifically mentioning products like Google Glass, Chromecast, and yes — smartwatches. The search giant reported a cool $14.89 billion in revenue, a 12% increase from the previous year. This is actually better than expected for this quarter, a nice change after they failed to hit expected earnings in the previous 2 quarters. Motorola continued to take a toll on Google’s bottom line, dropping $600 million to $1.18 billion when compared to 2012′s $1.78 billion. Motorola’s operating loss for Q3 hit $243 million, which grew from the $192 million the previous year. Google says they’ve done well at turning around Motorola’s product — the Moto X is the first of future Google influenced devices — now Google’s focus is on building marketing and distribution for Motorola. They also mentioned the continued rollout unified Google Experience shops at Best Buy, where Google says they plan to offer the newest Nexus devices under their one Google branded design. Google says they’ll continue to make “advertising seamless”, which we’ll get a good taste of once they begin using Google+ users’ +1s and interests to help promote content to their friends (this can be opted out). Looking for even more info? Hit up the source link, or listen in on the earnings call via the live YouTube stream below. |
| Nexus 5 for Telus render leaks, offers quick glimpse of 4.4 KitKat Posted: 17 Oct 2013 12:50 PM PDT It looks like you might soon be able to pick up the Nexus 5 from your local carrier, if this latest leak is any indication. The folks at MobileSyrup nabbed some alleged renders of the Nexus 5 pictured for Telus in Canada. This marks the first time we’ve seen what could be official renders of the Nexus 5, normally pictured in swanky hotel rooms and bars. What’s interesting is the obvious fact that we might see the Nexus 5 offered at carriers, something we didn’t see from the Nexus 4 (except on T-Mobile, but without branding and not much of a discount). But Canada does things a little different, and you can find the Nexus 4 still being offered on Telus for $30 with a 2-year agreement. You’ll also notice we now have a clearer look at Android 4.4 KitKat and the new “Google Experience Launcher” that is rumored to also be making its way to the Google Play Store. That (terrible) origami-styled phone icon is present, as well as Hangouts seemingly replacing the normal messaging app. Don’t even get me started on that Touch Wizzy looking camera icon. Oh, and don’t freak out about the center circular earpiece at the top. It seems Telus might have added a little extra sheen to the phone. From previous leaks, it’s clear that this will be a cutout in the glass, not covered by it. If you want to grab the wallpaper shown in the leak, you can find it on ex-Android team member Romain Guy’s Flickr page here. |
| Bad Piggies update brings 30 new levels for Halloween Posted: 17 Oct 2013 10:45 AM PDT Halloween is quickly approaching, and you can bet tons of games and apps will be updated to celebrate. One of those apps is by Rovio, of course, with the Angry Birds creator bringing us 30 new levels for the spin-off Bad Piggies. Dubbed “Tusk 'til Dawn,” this update features new “creepy” piggies living in a cake-filled world (because who doesn’t want a cake-filled world, right?). These characters are really just pigs wearing masks, and they’re made to look like vampires, devils, and the ever-scary hockey mask-wearing Jason. The game also features a Major Lazer remixed soundtrack to help drive that spooky Halloween feeling home. The upgrade is free and sitting in the Google Play Store, so waste no time in heading over there (preferably at some point before trick-or-treating season begins). |
| First Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 rollouts begin — what’s new? Posted: 17 Oct 2013 09:33 AM PDT When Samsung originally promised they’d be bringing Android 4.3 to their flagship Samsung Galaxy S4 lineup in October, we promised we wouldn’t believe it until we saw it. We’re glad to say they fulfilled their promise, as SamMobile is reporting that the illustrious upgrade is starting to go out to several handsets. What’s newSo what, exactly, does Android 4.3 bring for Samsung’s crop of handsets? Here are just a few of the highlights:
That’s a huge list, and includes many changes that everyone should be excited about. Android 4.3 itself didn’t bring many changes other than the ones found under the hood (we expect KitKat to bring us more of that), but it all goes toward making Android that much more full-featured and stable of a platform. How to get itThe rollout is staggered, so if your unlocked version of the device hasn’t seen it yet, then you’ll just have to wait a while longer. Of course, those with carrier branded handsets can expect to wait even longer as carriers have to get their grubby little paws on the updates before they’re approved. Folks into rooting and flashing ROMs can be sure that the development community will be whipping up the goods before too long. Beyond that, though, the waiting game begins — let’s hope everyone gets their hands on this thing before the close of 2013. |
| LG G Pad 8.3 now available in the US at BestBuy.com Posted: 17 Oct 2013 09:06 AM PDT LG has officially made the LG G Pad 8.3 available in the United States. Best Buy is one of the first retailers to carry the device, with the big ticket electronics store offering the thing in white and black for $350 online. There is no in-store option just yet, but we’re told that should be available starting at some point next week. The LG G Pad 8.3 is an 8.3 inch 1920 x 1200 tablet with Qualcomm’s 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 chipset, 2GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel rear camera, a 1.3 megapixel front camera, 16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 64GB via microSD card), WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and more. LG wanted to put an emphasis on portability and simplicity with this one. Striking a balance between screen real estate and comfortability isn’t easy, and the “not too big, not too small” display coupled with LG’s ability to shave as many millimeters off the bezels as they can certainly help achieve that. For software, you’re getting Android 4.2.2 with LG’s QSlide-enabled user interface. Features like Slide Aside put a strong emphasis on multi-tasking and getting stuff done. Head over to Best Buy’s site to find out more, and let us know if you’ll be giving LG another shot in the tablet scene with this latest concoction. |
| SwiftKey beta update brings “Layouts for Living,” a way to resize your keyboard however you want Posted: 17 Oct 2013 07:11 AM PDT Swiftkey, one of Android’s major keyboard replacement apps, is getting an upgrade in the beta channel today. The biggest change is “Layouts for Living,” which gives users the ability to create custom keyboard layouts. Not all tablets and phones are made equally, so instead of providing a one size fits all solution, SwiftKey wants users to be able to craft the perfect keyboard layout for their particular situation.
Of course, you won’t have to put in much work for a decent layout for your device, as SwiftKey is providing three common presets:
Finally, SwiftKey has announced that phone and tablet versions of the keyboard have been merged, meaning you can buy it once and have it available for any of your devices. SwiftKey says it’s to eliminate the “guesswork,” though we’d be a bit worried if you didn’t know whether you had a phone or a tablet. (Well, there are phablets, but you get the idea.) Those in the SwiftKey beta program can get the new Layouts for Living update here. Be sure to submit feedback about any bugs and crashes as often as you can so the upgrade can head to the Google Play Store even faster. Let us know if you’ll be getting in on this in the comments section below. |
| HTC says no One Max for Canada Posted: 17 Oct 2013 06:57 AM PDT When the HTC One Max was still a rumored device, we thought a Canadian would be a sure-fire bet. Verizon was already tipped ahead of the announcement, and Sprint announced plans to sell the device shortly after the press release came through the newswire. So why wouldn’t Canada get a shot, right? Well they aren’t, according to a statement received by MobileSyrup:
We’re not sure if the carriers are rejecting the One Max or if HTC just has no interesting launching there. We’re leaning toward the latter, because we find it hard to believe that every single major carrier in the Great White North stand on the same side of the line. With that, some may begin letting their assumptions get the best of them. Whatever the case may be, Canadians will have to look toward their friends in Europe if they want a smartphone that’s somewhat compatible with their networks, as there are no current plans for AT&T or T-Mobile to carry the device here in the United States. Bummer. Any of you folks up north affected by this news? |
| Verizon rakes in $30 billion and another 1 million subscribers in Q3 2013 Posted: 17 Oct 2013 06:06 AM PDT If you listened to most of the mobile tech enthusiasts out there, you’d think Verizon was experiencing a mass exodus after the changes and decisions they make every month. That isn’t the case, though — Verizon is doing just fine. In fact, they’re doing more than fine. Verizon is kicking butt and taking names, apparently, and the trend hasn’t slowed down in Q3 2013. The rich get richer The company has announced their earnings report for the quarter, with the three biggest highlights being revenue, profit and net additions. In that order, Verizon brought in a total of $30.3 billion, $7.1 billion in profit, and 1.1 million net customer additions. Revenue was 4.4% more than it was in Q3 2012 — while not a huge improvement when it comes to percentage, a 4.4% increase on billions of dollars is a ton. Profits were even more staggering, though, with the wireless company enjoying a 30% increase in that area compared to the same quarter last year. And Verizon isn’t sitting by doing nothing with all that money they’re earning. If you don’t remember, the company recently bought out Vodafone’s stake in their company, giving them even more independence than they’ve enjoyed in the past. Verizon has also spent that money to roll out the rest of their LTE network. With the base network almost complete, the company will soon begin overhauling and upgrading. One of the upgrades we know they’re working on is delivering data over their new AWS spectrum. Early speed tests show Verizon being able to deliver up to 80 megabits per second, though that’s without congestion and other factors. Post-paid dominance The aforementioned addition of 1.1 million subscribers brings the company up to 101.2 million, with 95 million of those folks being post-paid customers. That’s a staggering fill rate, and it shows Verizon’s reputation for good service counts for more good than their actions in terms of device launches, plan changes and more count for bad. While Verizon is miles ahead most of the competition in terms of subscribers, they still have to keep looking over their shoulders at AT&T, who have also been quite the attractive carrier as of late. We don’t yet have a clue what their Q3 2013 looked like, but we assume they’re making great strides of their own if it was anything like the previous few quarters. With strong marketing, an even stronger retail presence, and the type of both market share and mind share that any company would die for in their respective industries, it will take a lot for anyone to topple the Big Red beast otherwise known as Verizon Wireless. |
| Motomaker’s iCloud transfer service makes it easier on iPhone users making the switch to Moto X Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:09 PM PDT In some regards, the Moto X is the perfect transitioning device for scorned iPhone users looking to make the jump to Android. It’s small size is near to that of the iPhone, and the fact that the Moto X runs a near-stock Android experience only further sweetens the deal. It looks like Motorola is about to make it even easier for ex-iPhone users to pick up the Moto X, using a nifty new feature from their Motomaker site. Punit Soni, Motorola’s VP of Product Management, took to his Google+ page to announce their newly improved Migrate assistant. Starting today, Migrate will now allow iPhone users to transfer their stored iCloud contacts and calendar events to their freshly painted Moto Xs. The process is relatively painless, users will only have to log into their Apple iCloud account, then into their Google account, and from there sit back as Motorola handles the rest. Potential pitfalls that users could encounter with the new service is the very real possibility of duplicate contacts, not all contact information populating the correct fields after migration, and only one iCloud account per Gmail account (there’s always the option to use additional Gmail accounts), Motorola says with 500 calendar events, and 500 contacts, the entire process should take around 5 minutes. It’s true Motorola’s method might not be as robust as say HTC or Sony’s new method — which transfer photos, videos and more over a direct Bluetooth connection — Motorola says this new feature is only the start. It’s still a nice touch for new Moto X owners who will have a phone ready to rock-and-roll as soon as it leaves the factory. |
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