Android Phone Fans |
- AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have finally agreed to end text message spam
- Microsoft’s new anti-Google “Scroogled” store isn’t a good look for them
- Battlefield 4 Commander now available for Android, free on Google Play (and buggy)
- Download the Nexus 4′s Android 4.4. KitKat (KRT16S) OTA directly from Google
- Motorola’s new policy keeps warranty intact for unlocked bootloaders on developer edition devices
- T-Mobile Moto X now receiving Android 4.4 KitKat
- MetroPCS launches the Samsung Galaxy Mega November 25th
- Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini and S4 Mini now available on Verizon
- AT&T Moto X KitKat soak test begins; Verizon DROID Xyboard tablets getting Android 4.1.2
- Chromecast support added to HBO Go for Android
- We hope the Samsung Galaxy S5 ends up looking like what’s shown in this concept video
- CyanogenMod confirms new hardware partner, but won’t tell us who it is yet
- Verizon HTC One Max now available for $300 (or $25.22 per month through Edge)
- Coin answers pressing questions about security, durability, and longevity of their upcoming smartcard
| AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have finally agreed to end text message spam Posted: 21 Nov 2013 06:47 PM PST It’s the middle of the night. Your smartphone notifies you of a new text message. Half awake, you check your phone thinking it might be an emergency, only to find out you’ve just won an iPad. Not Cool. It’s the end of an era. In a new anti-spam initiative, 3 of the top 4 major US carriers — AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile — have agreed to finally put an end to text message spam once and for all. Backed by attorney generals in 45 states with US, Attorney General of Vermont leading the charge, AG William Sorrell said in a statement:
AT&T and T-Mobile were the first to actually confirm the termination of costly “premium SMS” services, with Sprint more than likely still drafting up the press release. Completely absent from the list (why are we not surprised?) is Verizon Wireless, whom, we’re sure after all the good press rival carriers have been receiving, will eventually follow suit. Looking back, we can’t think of a single honest “premium” text message we’ve ever received. While we don’t have official data, we’d say somewhere around 99.9% of SMS messages asking people to sign up for premium content is nothing more than phishing or malware scams. It’s taken awhile, but we’re glad at the prospect of finally ridding the world of SMS spam once and for all. |
| Microsoft’s new anti-Google “Scroogled” store isn’t a good look for them Posted: 21 Nov 2013 04:29 PM PST While we don’t have any official numbers, we don’t imagine Microsoft’s anti-Google “Scroogled” campaign has been very successful for them. But don’t tell Microsoft that. They’ve been going gung-ho with this Scroogled thing, attacking the Google Play Store over privacy concerns, even releasing an Android app not too long ago that tries to coax Android users into moving to Windows Phone. Attempting to scare people away from the competition instead of offering a better product sounds… well, desperate. Today it looks like they’ve finally hit rock bottom. I now introduce to you, Microsoft’s new Scroogled product store. Here, anti-Google fans can share their mutual hatred of all things Google by buying Microsoft’s fear mongering propaganda merchandise. You hear that? That’s the sound of empty cash registers. Sorry, Microsoft, nobody is buying what you’re selling. While we sit shaking our heads wondering if Microsoft will ever “get it,” it’s Google’s witty comeback that really gave us a chuckle. In a statement to Slate, Google said:
Ha. [Microsoft Store | via Winsource, Chromespot] |
| Battlefield 4 Commander now available for Android, free on Google Play (and buggy) Posted: 21 Nov 2013 04:02 PM PST We’re sure FPS gamers out there have already gotten their fair share of Battlefield 4. Launching for consoles (and PC) during the last few days of October (beta since early October), it’s only today that the official companion app arrives on Google Play. Battlefield 4 Commander lets players take control of the battlefield in more of an RTS-like overhead fashion, supporting troops by issuing orders and supplying them with vehicles and war assets. It’s pretty neat, and breaks up the monotony of the normal FPS combat. From the looks of the Google Play reviews, things might be a little broken at the moment, but we’re sure the folks at EA are already ironing out the bugs. Best part about the app is it’s offered free of charge, just keep in mind that you’ll still need to own the game on at least one other platform and have an active soldier of at least rank 10. Also, it looks like PS4 users are out of luck for the time being as DICE discovered some issues with the app affecting the stability of the main game. Lame.
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| Download the Nexus 4′s Android 4.4. KitKat (KRT16S) OTA directly from Google Posted: 21 Nov 2013 02:03 PM PST It was only on Tuesday we told you guys about the new and improved Android 4.4 KitKat build (KRT16S) rolling out to the Nexus 4. Sure you could wait around for the over-the-air update to get pushed to your device, but if it’s one thing I’ve learned about Android users over the years, it’s that they’re impatient. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, if you have the technical know-how, it’s possible to take matters into your own hands and flash the OTA update via ADB. There’s always the custom recovery route, but not every recovery is compatible and you’ll lose root. Of course, you can always wait for the update to hit your device, cherishing your last remaining moments with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Official download link from Google’s servers provided below. For reference, we’ve included a handy walkthrough video from qbking77 showing the steps for manual installation.
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| Motorola’s new policy keeps warranty intact for unlocked bootloaders on developer edition devices Posted: 21 Nov 2013 12:58 PM PST Motorola has made some great developer-friendly changes to their policy for developer edition devices. The biggest change most people will be pleased with is the fact that requesting a bootloader unlock code will no longer automatically void your warranty. This means you can get down and dirty with your device and you won’t have to worry about Motorola turning you away in case you need some help. That doesn’t mean the warranty can’t be voided by other means, though — it’s still not wise to try and take the device apart or get it wet — but at least you aren’t being penalized for being a bit exploratory with your software. Beyond that, Motorola will also provide restore files to get you back up and running on factory firmware. It’s a good tool if you happen to soft-brick your device or if you just want your device to be as clean as the day you bought it before you have to send it back. I should note that this applies not only to new devices, but those that have already been purchased, as well. If your existing device’s warranty was already voided due to requesting an unlock code, Motorola will automatically reset your warranty and you can live on happily ever after. I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but I’m starting to dig this new Google-backed Motorola. [via Motorola] |
| T-Mobile Moto X now receiving Android 4.4 KitKat Posted: 21 Nov 2013 12:57 PM PST Great news Moto X users on T-Mobile. Motorola has updated their original blog post announcing the rollout of Android 4.4 KitKat for the Moto X on Verizon to include T-Mobile as well. The update brings all the fun stuff from KitKat — new Dialer app, improved photo editing tools, enhanced camera app — along with Motorola’s killer feature, Touchless Controls. There’s a little more packed in there as well. Here’s the official changelog:
We know a soak test for the AT&T Moto X has already begun, so we’re thinking an public rollout will also commence shortly. Anyone else liking this new Motorola? [Motorola] |
| MetroPCS launches the Samsung Galaxy Mega November 25th Posted: 21 Nov 2013 11:49 AM PST MetroPCS has just announced that they’re carrying one of Samsung’s biggest phones, and no, we’re not talking in terms of hype. We’re talking about the Samsung Galaxy Mega, a 6.3-inch HD device that’s packing a 1.7GHz dual-core processor. That’ll be joined by an 8 megapixel rear camera, a 1.9 megapixel front camera, a 3,200mAh battery, 4G LTE radios (you’ll be sharing the network T-Mobile customers use) and more. The phone can be had as low as $349.99 outright, though that price tag will only be awarded after a promotional $100 price drop and a $50 mail-in rebate. The original $500 price tag might seem a bit steep for what’s essentially an over-sized mid-range phone, but it wouldn’t be a bad Christmas gift if you can take advantage of all those offers. You’ll be able to pick on up starting November 25th. |
| Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini and S4 Mini now available on Verizon Posted: 21 Nov 2013 10:53 AM PST Earlier this morning we told you about one super-sized phone that launched on Verizon, and now we’re being treated to news about two devices on a completely opposite side of the spectrum. The Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini are now available for purchase. The former (pictured above) can be had for $50 on a new two-year contract, $10.55 per month on Edge, or $249.99 outright. The Galaxy S3 Mini is equipped with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 5 megapixel camera and more. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini (below) will be a bit more expensive at $100 on a two-year contract, $16.81 per month on Edge, or $399.99 outright, but you won’t get a higher price tag without a bigger kick. This 4.3-inch device comes equipped with a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an 8 megapixel camera. Both phones will be available with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box, and TouchWiz will sit on top of that. This likely means there won’t be any Galaxy Gear support, as well as all of the other features that came in the latest Premium Suite upgrade, but perhaps we’re due for that stuff at some point down the line. Interested? The S3 Mini is waiting for you here, while the S4 Mini is right here. |
| AT&T Moto X KitKat soak test begins; Verizon DROID Xyboard tablets getting Android 4.1.2 Posted: 21 Nov 2013 09:42 AM PST Verizon’s Moto X was the first device to receive Android 4.4 KitKat over the air, but owners of the phone on other carriers aren’t far behind. According to the many reports sitting in our inbox from the Motorola Feedback Forums, the AT&T Moto X will be getting the same KitKat-donning soak test upgrade that Verizon users are currently pulling down. There’s no indication as to when the rollout will begin, but it typically doesn’t take longer than a day or two from the initial notice for Motorola to get rolling on things. Staying in the realm of update news, both of Verizon’s DROID Xyboard tablets — the Motorola DROID Xyboard 8.2 and Motorola DROID Xyboard 10.1 — are now getting Android 4.1.2. No, it’s not KitKat. It’s not even the latest version of Jelly Bean. But we’re just happy those folks are still being supported despite this pair of tablets being quite old in technology years. The short list of improvements includes improved overall OS stability and improvements to WiFi connectivity. AT&T Moto X owners who happen to be in the soak test can expect to find the upgrade under the Settings menu whenever they’re ready to go live. Xyboard owners can pull their upgrade down right now. |
| Chromecast support added to HBO Go for Android Posted: 21 Nov 2013 08:21 AM PST Listen up, Chromecast owners — a hot new app has been added to the list of apps which allow you to beam content from your mobile device to your TV. Google and HBO have announced that Chromecast functionality can now be enjoyed from the HBO Go app. Like any other app with Chromecast, this is a very simple and pain-free experience. Hit the Chromecast button for any content you’re watching, and it’ll be beamed over to whichever TV you have the media streaming dongle hooked up to so you can continue watching on the big screen. You’ll also be able to cast content from HBOGo.com using Google Chrome. Head to the Google Play Store for the update, and get the popcorn ready for those late night Game of Thrones sessions you’ll no doubt be looking to partake in. |
| We hope the Samsung Galaxy S5 ends up looking like what’s shown in this concept video Posted: 21 Nov 2013 07:36 AM PST Tons of people try their hand at concept renders for future versions of popular devices, but they don’t always turn out well (nor are they always realistic). But this Samsung Galaxy S5 caught our attention because it’s something we can see Samsung doing whenever they introduce their next flagship smartphone. The phone in the video features a curved design, except they imagine Samsung might finally ditch the plastic (and fake leather) from their current phones and adopt the metal finish we’ve all been waiting for. Samsung already did that with the Galaxy S4 Active, the rugged version of the Galaxy S4 that launched earlier this year. Specs of the beast in the video above include a 5-inch “2K” Super AMOLED HD display at 2560 x 1440 resolution, which would give us a ridiculous pixel density of 587 pixels per inch. They also imagine the phone will have a 64-bit Octo-Core chipset with 3GB of RAM, which is not entirely off the wall considering some top phones already sport those sorts of specs today. A massive 4,000mAh battery is envisioned, though we have a hard time believing Samsung could fit that inside the slim metal 5-inch chassis. For the camera, a 16 megapixel sensor capable of shooting 4K HD video is on this wishlist. Other features include Android 4.4 KitKat with a new version of TouchWiz, Samsung’s “S-Beats” stereo speakers, and more. It obviously wouldn’t be wise to put your faith into any of this happening, but it’ll be interesting to see just how close Samsung gets to this concept whenever they announce their next flagship at some point in 2014. |
| CyanogenMod confirms new hardware partner, but won’t tell us who it is yet Posted: 21 Nov 2013 06:42 AM PST Things are starting to get a little more interesting in this “official CyanogenMod phone” saga. We originally broke the rumor that the CyanogenMod Inc team would be looking to partner up with a hardware OEM to create the world’s first official CyanogenMod Phone. This phone is said to be designed from the ground up with CyanogenMod in mind. We had no clue who they’d be working with to make this mystery phone, but our sources told us to rule Oppo out. That was an interesting turn of events considering Oppo was the first OEM to get on board with CyanogenMod Inc by making the Oppo N1 completely open to flashing CyanogenMod. A bit of speculation led us on a wild goose chase to figure out who this mystery OEM was. Gionee was suspected, but a big swing and a miss caused us to continue the search. It wasn’t until Pete Lau from Oppo resigned from the company that things really started getting interesting. That prompted us to think back to a photo Steve Kondik posted prior to all of this, with himself and Koushik Dutta posing with the esteemed executive, noting that “they” were working on something extraordinary. Rumors then started to bubble up regarding a new brand Pete Lau was starting, and the dots began to connect. Now, CyanogenMod themselves are helping us connect even more of them. The team has decided to acknowledge all of the rumors, and confirmed that — yes — they are working with a new hardware partner. We’re told to be on the lookout for even more info in the weeks to come, so it won’t be long before the team comes clean and shows us the big announcement we’ve all been waiting for. The CyanogenMod phone is rumored to be launching with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset that has a quad-core 2.5GHz application processor. We’re not sure if this is a minor extension of the Snapdragon 800 or the newly-announced Snapdragon 805, but it stands to be a very powerful device either way. We’ll have to wait for more details before we can start imagining how this device will shape up, but it won’t be long before we’re treated to the goods in official capacity. [via Google+] |
| Verizon HTC One Max now available for $300 (or $25.22 per month through Edge) Posted: 21 Nov 2013 05:37 AM PST Sprint’s HTC One Max is already available, but Verizon customers were wondering when they’d be able to get their own oversized version of the HTC One (with an added fingerprint scanner and microSD card slot). This 5.9-inch beast is now available on Big Red’s nationwide LTE network for $299.99 following a new two-year contract. You can also get it through Verizon Edge for $25.22 per month, or outright for $599.99. The HTC One Max’s 5.9-inch display is outfitted with 1080p resolution. Much of the other internals remain the same with its 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 3,300 mAh battery, Android 4.3 (with HTC Sense 5.5) and more. The aforementioned fingerprint scanner will allow you to unlock your phone using a quick swipe of your finger, and will also allow you to launch up to three different apps based on which finger you use. The HTC One Max launched to little fanfare due to the Note 3′s beefier internals, with many folks believing HTC should have taken this opportunity to pull out all the stops. Is the One Max still a decent buy despite being a notch below the Note 3 in the tale of the tape? That remains to be seen, but you can expect our forthcoming review to address that very question. If you’re already decided, you can go ahead and purchase one from Verizon right now. |
| Posted: 20 Nov 2013 08:38 PM PST Chances are you’ve read about Coin, one of the most interesting new startups generating buzz around the net. Coin looks to slim up your George Costanza wallet filled with dozens of credit, debit, and membership cards. With Coin, all of those cards are combined into a single “smartcard” that can be used like a normal one. Coin also uses Bluetooth to communicate with your smartphone via the companion Android (or iOS) app. Using the included card reader (similar to Square), the user can swipe in a total of 8 cards into Coin (app stores an unlimited number), while a tiny button and LCD display allow the user to cycle between cards, passing it off to a clerk for payment. Since it was unveiled, the company has been receiving a ton questions from looky-loos, mostly involving Coin’s security. Today the company addressed security concerns in an online FAQ announcing a handful of new features that should help ease the minds of early adopters and potential buyers. Here’s some of the biggies:
And that should just about do it. For more fun questions and answers, head on over the Coin FAQ linked just after the video below. If you’re looking to pre-order a Coin for yourself, keep in mind that the introductory $50 price will soon rise to $100 on December 13th, so the clock is ticking… By the time Coin is released next summer, we can’t help but wonder if another company will swoop in and steal their thunder. With the Google Wallet Card Who knows, maybe Motorola will introduce their implantable NFC chips by then. I’ll take 2. |
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