Android Phone Fans |
- Motorola Migrate update adds iCloud transfer service for iPhone users making the switch
- Dropbox update finally fixes Camera Upload issues on Android 4.4.2, adds new picture-only setting
- Confirmed: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in new Rose Gold will be a Verizon Wireless exclusive
- Moto X in bamboo, ebony, teak, and walnut wood finishes now available on Motomaker
- Blackberry stock surges on 80,000 unit “government bailout”, Android still activating 1.5 million daily
- “100 According to Google” app brings beautiful look back at 2013
- Get 25% off select Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 accessories from Google Play [DEALS]
- LogMeIn shuts free service down, introduces new Android app
- North Carolina firefighter wants to develop Glassware to help fight fires [VIDEO]
- Verizon Wireless adds 1.7 million subscribers in Q4 2013; 70% of them on smartphones
- LG G Flex launches in over 20 European countries next month
- Beats Music launches today; seems to be coming for all major US carriers
| Motorola Migrate update adds iCloud transfer service for iPhone users making the switch Posted: 21 Jan 2014 06:42 PM PST It’s never been easier for iPhone users to make the switch to the Moto X. Back in October, Motorola announced that they added iCloud compatibility to their transfer service on Motomaker. Today, they’ve officially added support via the Motorola Migrate app as well. Previously, Motorola Migrate only supported the transfer of important photos, videos, text messages, call history and contacts using Android devices. Now, ex-iPhone users can quickly and easily transfer all their important content using the app. We can’t help but think this should be a feature built into the core Android OS. Maybe in a future update? Download link for all you ex-iPhone users below.
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| Dropbox update finally fixes Camera Upload issues on Android 4.4.2, adds new picture-only setting Posted: 21 Jan 2014 06:03 PM PST Hallelujah! An update to Dropbox has hit the Play Store addressing incompatibility issues caused in Android 4.4.2 KitKat. For whatever reason, the app stopped background syncing pictures when using the Camera Upload feature. This meant you’d have to do everything manually (a real pain in the ass), or use a different service altogether (like Google Drive) to keep everything sync to the cloud. Thankfully, the boys at Dropbox have finally patched everything up, even adding a new setting to limit Camera Uploads to only pictures, helping you keep some of that precious cloud storage free. Have it!
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| Confirmed: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in new Rose Gold will be a Verizon Wireless exclusive Posted: 21 Jan 2014 05:20 PM PST After Samsung introduced new color options of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 back in early December, we weren’t sure which, if any, would be headed stateside. Fast forward to earlier this month where @evleaks had it on good authority the “Rose Gold” Note 3 would be headed to Verizon. Today, those rumors have officially been confirmed by Samsung who’s announced that the Rose Gold Galaxy Note 3 will be offered exclusively at Verizon Wireless. No word on a specific release date or if the Rose Gold will also be offered in black, but just know it shouldn’t be much longer. [Samsung] |
| Moto X in bamboo, ebony, teak, and walnut wood finishes now available on Motomaker Posted: 21 Jan 2014 04:48 PM PST It’s been a long time coming, but those who’ve been putting off ordering a Moto X in hopes of picking one up in one of those all natural wood finish can finally have at it. Announced a few days ago but officially arriving on Motomaker today, the Moto X can be outfitted in retro-premium styled bamboo, ebony, teak, and walnut wood finishes for only an extra $25 on top of the base price. That’s not a bad deal given bamboo originally debuted at $100 (ouch) back in December, a stark contrast from previous leaks that once suggested a $50 premium. As usual, you still have the option of choosing between white or black Moto X faces, along with 18 different colored accent trims — all for $75 with a 2-year agreement, or $475 (32GB) off-contract. Hit up the link below to start custom fitting yours right now. |
| Posted: 21 Jan 2014 04:04 PM PST It’s no secret that Waterloo-based Blackberry was on their biggest downward spiral ever in 2013. The company, which has conceded tons of market share to the likes of Apple and Google due to lack of innovation, was almost sold off to financial vultures last year. They also had to let go of thousands of employees, and it wasn’t until private investors decided to come in and save their skin that they could step back and regroup to navigate the tough waters that 2014 would bring. It looks like they’ve finally gotten their first bit of good news, though, as it has been revealed that the Pentagon has tapped Blackberry for 80,000 new handsets for use on a “new network.” That commitment, which sounds like it has the potential to add more handsets over time, will continue a longstanding partnership between Blackberry and various arms of the American government. The new units will look to be hooked up to the Department of Defense’s management system by the end of this month, according to a statement by the Defense Information Systems Agency. That bit of good news allowed Blackberry to see stocks rise as high as 8% in both the US and Canada since the announcement was made. While that wasn’t a huge spike in the price (it’s still hovering around $9.93 per share as of the time of this writing), it was the best news Blackberry has enjoyed in a while. Will “Government Bailout” be enough?That commitment by the Department of Defense is a testament to Blackberry’s continued focus on enterprise, government and security, areas where Android’s biggest OEM Samsung and their archrival Apple have had a tough time breaking into. Samsung has been working to improve their worth in those spaces with the cleverly-named KNOX security suite (the Department of Defense approved KNOX-equipped phones for use in the middle of last year), but it hasn’t been enough to woo the Pentagon to order 80,000 phones for employee use. But you have to wonder if this is simply just a nice governmental band-aid on a bigger problem. How long can Blackberry survive on the business of the United States government? How many more of these, for lack of a better term, bailouts can they rely on before they have to find a way to sustain long-term growth? As big and as important of an entity as the Pentagon is, it’s clear that catering to nothing but high enterprise and government is not going to cut it. There are hundreds million more consumers out there looking to buy iPhones and Android phones above all else, and Blackberry isn’t doing nearly enough to cater to those folks. Blackberry vs Android and iOS: By the NumbersTo put Blackberry’s new 80,000 unit sale into perspective, we thought it’d be fun to take a look at recent daily activation numbers and sales figures for competing platforms (to make it fair, we included only one of Samsung’s biggest smartphones):
Just think about that for a second: Samsung and Apple are activating more phones in one day than the Pentagon will in this rare purchase. For Samsung, that’s not taking into account sales of the highly popular Galaxy Note line. For Apple, we won’t even get started on the 1.4 million units they’re preparing to ship off to China Mobile for the iPhone’s impending launch on the carrier. Should the Pentagon order any more units, they probably still wouldn’t be able to come close to what their competitors are doing right now. This sale is like a drop in the bucket — nay, a drop in the swimming pool — in comparison. Finding new ways to do old businessBlackberry obviously has bigger fish to fry than that first-time sale, though. They’ll look to continue making money from BES security services and support that the Pentagon will likely have to subscribe to, but that alone still might not be enough. That’s probably why Blackberry has found the need to embrace iOS and Android in more ways than one. On the consumer side, the successful launch of Blackberry Messenger on competing platforms (40 million downloads in 60 days between Android and iPhone) says a lot about the state of their business. On one hand, it puts their foot into the door for selling services on platforms that are doing immensely better than they are. On the other, it helps keep existing consumers tied to their own brand. Gone are the days where BBM alone is going to sell a handset — it’s a useless tool if all of that person’s friends defect to iOS and Android. It’s a win-win situation for Blackberry in that regard, and it’s the only choice the company had in staying relevant in this fast-changing mobile ecosystem. And while Android and iOS haven’t done much to threaten Blackberry’s dominance in enterprise, you can tell Blackberry will not take any chances. Beyond BBM, Blackberry also confirmed that they were working on security solutions and BES support for competing platforms. This would allow them to continue to sell security and support even if their handset business happened to vanish overnight (and would validate suspicions that Blackberry could eventually sell off their OEM business to become a software and services company). We obviously don’t want to see another competitor drop in this lopsided race, so let’s hope this instance is more than just a one-time confidence booster and a delay to an unfortunate demise. |
| “100 According to Google” app brings beautiful look back at 2013 Posted: 21 Jan 2014 01:23 PM PST We might be exactly three weeks out of 2013, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to step back and take a look at the year. We’ve already done a great deal of reminiscing with the base Zeitgeist 2013 site, but that required a desktop browser to take full advantage of. That is no longer the case, though, as Google has released an official app to do just that. It’s called “100 According to Google,” an app made in conjunction with Pretty Good. Just like the Zeitgeist site, this app presents a collage of pictures related to all of 2013′s biggest moments, trends and stories, giving you a beautiful way to flip through the year’s most searched trends. The app features stunning design that emphasizes the top trends in areas of Sports, Technology, Music, Entertainment, Events, People and Celebrities. Whether it was the hugely successful Samsung Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5S or the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, you’ll see that consumers got plenty excited about new tech in 2013. All of that and more can be found in the app here, so download it for free and give it a quick spin if you’re interested. [Thanks Joseph!] |
| Get 25% off select Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 accessories from Google Play [DEALS] Posted: 21 Jan 2014 12:11 PM PST Many of you expressed discontent with the prices of some of Google’s accessories for the Nexus 7 or Nexus 5. Sure, they have to make money somewhere, as selling a phone like that Nexus 5 for just $350 can’t be too good for their pockets. But if you were one of those not down with paying $30 to $50 for cases that aren’t exactly screaming quality, you’ll be glad to know you can get them a bit cheaper for a limited time. Google is offering 25% off select accessories for the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 over in the Google Play Store. Here’s a quick rundown of the cases, as well as a look at the prices you can get them for after the discount:
Those prices are still a bit tough to swallow after the discount, but if you had your heart set on getting these accessories right from Google, then this is about as good a deal as you’re going to get. Note that not all colors or variations of these products are in stock, and not all shipping times are the same. Head here to check them out for yourself, but be quick as Google is only offering this promotion for a limited time. |
| LogMeIn shuts free service down, introduces new Android app Posted: 21 Jan 2014 11:24 AM PST LogMeIn made some pretty big changes today, folks. In order to “address the evolving needs” of their customers, LogMeIn has completely taken away the free, limited service that allowed users to remotely control and access their PC. Instead, they’ll be unifying their offerings and serving it up for an annual fee of $49 (which actually isn’t that bad for what you’re getting). That’ll get you remote access to up to two of your computers using their apps on Android, iOS, and desktop, as well as remote printing capabilities, two-way file transfer and more. To top that burger of an announcement off, LogMeIn has also introduced a cleaner, sleeker Android app that does its best to follow the design guidelines set forth by El Goog. It’s never good to see free apps fade away, but LogMeIn seems to have caught on to the fact that subscription-based models work. Just ask Microsoft with Office365 and Photoshop with the Creative Cloud. The industry has quickly moved to monthly and annual subscriptions for software after seeing it work for the likes of music, TV shows and movies. Of course, there are several alternatives out there if you aren’t interested in what LogMeIn has done. We’re a tad fond of TeamViewer, for starters. Otherwise, you can login to the LogMeIn app to find out more about what you’ll need to do to transition to the new subscription-based model if you weren’t already on it. Oh, and if you bought the paid Android app, LogMeIn is planning on sweetening the pot (because, hey, something you paid up to $30 for is no longer available). Free users will have 7 days from the day they next log in to use the app before they’ll be forced off of it, so enjoy it while it lasts, folks. [Google Play via LogMeIn] |
| North Carolina firefighter wants to develop Glassware to help fight fires [VIDEO] Posted: 21 Jan 2014 07:57 AM PST There are tons of cool ideas for Google Glass app floating about, and some have already become reality. But for some reason, our heart warms up even more when we hear about a story like that of Patrick Jackson. This Google Glass Explorer also happens to be a firefighter for Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He wears a third hat as a developer. So what do you get when you throw all three of those ingredients into a big pot? A desire to make Glassware that will help firefighters save lives. Patrick’s dream is to be able to deliver firefighters a hands-free tool that will allow them to be alerted to fires, track down hydrants, pull up extraction details for vehicle fires, building plans for structure fires, get exact direction to fires and more, all by using their voice. The hands-free aspect is especially important for firefighters, who often have heavy gear on and might be tasked with carrying people to safety, moving hazards and obstacles, handling hoses and more. Being able to find what they need without having to use their hands, and without having to turn their eyes away from potentially dangerous surroundings, would be very key. It’s ideas like these that make us extremely excited for Google Glass and its future. While we love the games, the cool entertainment and information apps, and the ability to record life in our perspective, it’s the stuff that’ll help improve and save lives that really make us believe Google is onto something special. While we don’t have any deep details on this project yet, Patrick Jackson says it’s been an immensely useful tool so far, and he is continuing to test and explore Glass’s use in fire service.
We reckon following his Google+ page is a good place to start if you’re interested in supporting him and seeing how far this thing can go. Watch a quick clip of his vision of what he’s trying to do above. [via Google+] |
| Verizon Wireless adds 1.7 million subscribers in Q4 2013; 70% of them on smartphones Posted: 21 Jan 2014 06:35 AM PST We wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam let out a slight chuckle after T-Mobile’s unCarrier shenanigans netted them 1.6 million subscribers last quarter. The nation’s largest carrier has just announced that they’ve trumped that number by 100,000 by adding 1.7 million net subscribers in Q4 2013, bringing them to 4.1 million net postpaid additions on the year. Some other food for thought from the company’s financial presser:
There are a lot more details to be had at the source link, but that’s about the end of the juicy bits. Not all of Verizon’s changes have been popular. In fact, you might argue that a vast majority of them haven’t been. But the company must be doing something right to be experiencing such healthy growth quarter after quarter and year after year. Perhaps a big, reliable network is the single most important thing a carrier can offer, because no matter how expensive Verizon gets, folks still flock to Big Red. [via Verizon] |
| LG G Flex launches in over 20 European countries next month Posted: 21 Jan 2014 05:49 AM PST The United States won’t be the only place you’ll be able to pick up an LG G Flex this quarter. LG has just announced European launch details for the device, which features a 5.2-inch 720p display, 2GB of RAM, Snapdragon 800 processor, 13 megapixel camera, 3,500 mAh battery and more. The company announced that folks in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Sweden and Austria, as well as many other unnamed countries, would all be enjoying the smartphone starting next month. We don’t get solid and exact details for any of these countries, though we imagine that the world’s major carriers and retailers will help announce plans for their specific regions whenever the time is right. We went hands-on with the LG G Flex at CES, finding its combination of unique form factor and powerful specs quite interesting. We might even say this device moved us more than the LG G2 did. I guess being virtually indestructible with a self-healing back has the ability to do that. [via LG] |
| Beats Music launches today; seems to be coming for all major US carriers Posted: 21 Jan 2014 05:23 AM PST It wasn’t long ago that AT&T announced Beats Music, the newest music service that they hope will entice many of their customers to pony up $15 per month (per family) to listen to all the music they want. They’re launching that service starting today, if you don’t remember. While AT&T originally made it sound like they would offer exclusive access to the service, their exclusivity only comes in how they offer the service. For starters, they seem to be offering decent value for those on family plans. That $15 per month covers up to 5 lines and up to 10 devices on a single account, meaning costs per person might only come to be about $3 per month on a 5 person account. Not too shabby. Of course, the value fades away if you’re on a single line account, with AT&T offering these goods up for a less attractive $10 per month. AT&T is also offering a 90-day free trial, while those on other folks will only get the standard 7 days. So what makes Beats Music different from established services like Google Play Music, Rdio, Slacker, Spotify and many more? AT&T’s hoping it’s the fact that their playlists and suggestions curated by music industry professionals will set them apart. Not everyone needs people in the music industry to tell them what kind of music they should like, but there it is anyway. Unfortunately the Google Play Store link Beats gave to everyone isn’t yet active, though the fact that the app is currently live in Apple’s App Store leads us to believe it won’t be long for the Google Play version to go live. We’ll be sure to update this post once that eventually happens. Beats is hoping the video above, as well as the contents at the source link, will be enough to convince you to jump in and press play. [Update]: Looks like the app is live, folks. You can grab it from the link up above. [via Beats Music] |
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