Android Phone Fans |
- Google could be looking to Nest to build exciting new products outside of smart thermostats
- Plannning on upgrading your phone this year? Best Buy wants to give you $50 [DEALS]
- Google Glass US tour headed to Atlanta, GA Feb 8th and 9th (RSVP here)
- Ellen gave everyone in her audience an LG G Flex for her birthday [VIDEO]
- Google’s Q4 2013: $16.86 billion in revenue, Motorola operating at a $384 million loss
- Red Nexus 5 said to launch February 4th
- More states jumping on the ban Google Glass bandwagon
- Huge Dead Trigger 2 update brings 9 new environments, video sharing and tons more
- Rumor: Lenovo to make “one of the last” Nexus products
- Android Device Manager app now includes periodic prompts for account password
- Google Play Books update restores PDF upload functionality
- Will your next smartphone be a Motorola? [POLL]
| Google could be looking to Nest to build exciting new products outside of smart thermostats Posted: 30 Jan 2014 06:08 PM PST When Google first purchased Motorola to the tune of $12 billion back in 2011, some analysts predicted Google was in it only for the patents and to some extent, they were. But other than simply bolstering their patent portfolio to help defend Android her hardware partners, some saw it as an undercover move by Google to get into the hardware business. But now that Google is ready to call it quits with Motorola, who will the search giant turn to for building new hardware? The answer could lay in Nest. According to sources from TechCrunch, Google has big plans for Nest — whom they recently purchased for $3.2 billion – outside of building smart thermostats and smoke detectors. Does this mean we could see a Nest built smartphone or tablet in the future? Not so fast… It’s being said Google didn’t buy Nest solely for their popular thermostat, but to get a hold of their amazing product team. Have you guys ever seen a Nest up close? It really is a thing of beauty. Tony Fadell, Nest’s CEO, originally worked with Apple on both the iPod and iPhone, and when he left to found Nest, he managed to bring many ex-Apple engineers along with him. With Fadell more than capable of building shiny new gadgets for Google, it’s possible we’ll soon see Google Glass and the Chromecast joined by other innovative new products. Nest-built Android game console, anyone? |
| Plannning on upgrading your phone this year? Best Buy wants to give you $50 [DEALS] Posted: 30 Jan 2014 05:27 PM PST Those looking to upgrade their Android devices this year are being offered a sweet little deal from Best Buy. Simply register your phone number with Best Buy between Sunday, February 2nd through Feb. 15th, and receive a $50 giftcard that can be used anytime during the rest of the year towards upgrading your device. It’s pretty simple, but here are the steps.
Got it? Even if you’re unsure if you’ll be upgrading this year (perhaps you’re eying a different carrier or unsure if you want to extend your contract) there’s no pressure to actually upgrade through Best Buy once registered. Make sure you check out the full terms and conditions (sorry, the offer is only valid for upgrades and port-ins) via the sign up page below. |
| Google Glass US tour headed to Atlanta, GA Feb 8th and 9th (RSVP here) Posted: 30 Jan 2014 03:29 PM PST It’s been awhile since we heard from the Google Glass team about their road trip that first began late last year. Back in October, they made their first stop in Durham, North Carolina where, as shown in the video above, they had a pretty nice little turnout. Today, the Project Glass team is finally back announcing the next stop on their US road tour: Atlanta, Georgia. Those looking to get a firsthand look at Google Glass can head on over to the The Foundry at Puritan Mill (916 Joseph E Lowery Blvd NW), where the festivities will begin Saturday, February 8th and end on Sunday, February 9th — 10am to 6pm. During the event, you’ll be able to try on Google Glass for yourself, check out Glass’ new “Titanium” frames, chat it up with the Glass team, and munch on treats and drinks — all on the house, of course. Don’t forget you’ll need to RSVP if you plan on attending. Link provided below. Anyone planning on going? |
| Ellen gave everyone in her audience an LG G Flex for her birthday [VIDEO] Posted: 30 Jan 2014 02:53 PM PST Birthdays are fun. And where most people see it as an opportunity to receive cool gifts, sometimes it can be just as much fun to give out stuff on your birthday as well. This is exactly what Ellen did while shooting her special birthday episode where she showed off her upcoming Super Bowl ad for the new Beats Music app. Seems someone at AT&T was feeling especially generous, as Ellen later revealed that everyone in her audience would be going home with the all new LG G Flex. Man, we missed out. Watch the freakout in the video above. |
| Google’s Q4 2013: $16.86 billion in revenue, Motorola operating at a $384 million loss Posted: 30 Jan 2014 02:11 PM PST Google's earnings call kicked off moments ago, and we know you're all dying to know: how did the internet search giant fare in Q4 2013? Let's find out. Google posted $16.86 billion in revenue in Q4 of last year, with $4 billion in income. Two thirds of Google's revenue came from their sites, with $8.77 billion coming in from outside the US ($1.5 billion from the UK alone). Google’s chief financial officer Patrick Pichette shed some light on how the Play Store hardware sales helped drive their quarter-over-quarter growth saying, “ Nexus 5 was very strong for us, and the Chromecast was a best seller all quarter.” Even though Motorola managed to bring in $1.24 billion in gross revenue, they continued operating a loss, specifically to the tune of $384 million (an increase from the previous quarter's $248 million). Suddenly, Google unloading Motorola's dead weight is making a lot more sense. Despite missing expectations, Google's shares remained on the rise. Overall, Google's 2013 was better than 2012 so things are still on the up and up. |
| Red Nexus 5 said to launch February 4th Posted: 30 Jan 2014 01:28 PM PST From unlikely rumor to solid reality, it looks like we definitely are going to see this red Nexus 5 at some point in the very near future. New leaks have suggested that the alternative color option is set to launch in the Google Play Store beginning February 4th. Sprint is also expected to offer the device to their customers on-contract, though T-Mobile’s status is still up in the air. We reckon it’d be the same Nexus 5 folks are currently enjoying right now, except this one “pops” a whole lot more. It’ll come donned with a 5-inch 1080p display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera, either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage and more. You likely won’t have to pay a premium over the original $350 to $400 price tag, so get your wallets in shape and set the calendar for what could turn out to be an interesting Tuesday morning. [via Android Police] |
| More states jumping on the ban Google Glass bandwagon Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:53 AM PST As we inch closer and closer to the consumer release of Google Glass, the smart glasses have caught a lot of attention from those who concern themselves with legal issues. Particularly, Glass is being seen as a possible danger to road safety, with many folks considering the contraption too distracting to concentrate on driving. We’ve already gotten through the first major legal hurdle, with Explorer and digital masochist Cecelia Abadie challenging a ticket that says she was driving while using an illegal monitor (said monitor being Google Glass). That San Diego trial proved to be a half-win for the Glass-toting masses, though we were quickly reminded that the battle is far from over. While the judge ruled that it was allowable for her to wear the unit in the car, he ruled that she would be unable to use it in any way, shape or form while the vehicle is moving. But now it looks like Glass is about to jump right from the frying pan and into the pits of a very hot volcano. Wyoming Senator Floyd Esquibel (D) crafted and presented a bill that would ban the use of the device while behind the wheel of a vehicle. His main weapon in the fight? The notion that “common sense” should prevail:
Funny, that, considering cars come with “little computers” in them by default, such as advanced in-dash units which provide access to music, apps, and information. Let’s not forget the GPS devices and smartphones which are docked to folks’ windows on a daily basis, Mr. Senator.  Project Glass Team The issue with Google Glass is that it’s fixated more close to your face than those other devices. Still, many contend that the device is out of the way and doesn’t obstruct your vision as long as your eyes are facing forward as they normally would. You would need to deliberately look up at the monitor in order for it to affect your normal vision. Wyoming is joined by Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The goal is to make sure safeguards are in place before this technology seeds into the public and goes mainstream. The biggest challenge Google faces with all of this is proper education and getting these lawmakers to see that Glass doesn’t do anything to affect driving performance. Google knows this uphill battle is out of their hands, though, and all they can do is warn folks to pay extra attention and care when driving with Glass, and urge them to follow their local road safety laws. The situation will become especially tricky when people start wearing Glass as primary vision correcting devices. Google recently announced the Titanium Collection that would allow Glass Explorers to outfit their unit with prescription lenses. We’re not of the opinion that it’s wrong for these lawmakers to have concerns about Glass, but they should take a second look at the technology for themselves before passing judgment. Let’s hope they’re willing to at least listen to those who feel they’re wrong, and take the public’s thoughts into consideration before moving too fast on any solid legislature. How can you help? You can start by writing your local congressman and letting them know that you want Glass to be treated fairly throughout inevitable talks to have it banned on the road. [via NDTV] |
| Huge Dead Trigger 2 update brings 9 new environments, video sharing and tons more Posted: 30 Jan 2014 09:34 AM PST Madfinger games has been on an absolute tear when it comes to Dead Trigger 2 updates, and the first big one of 2014 is finally upon us. There’s a lot to take in with this upgrade, including tons of new environments, new ways to share your gameplay experiences with your friends and more. Here’s the full shebang: WHAT’S NEW in Update 0.4.0:
Of course, the upgrade is free, and it’s in the Google Play Store waiting for you to download it. Have fun! |
| Rumor: Lenovo to make “one of the last” Nexus products Posted: 30 Jan 2014 08:36 AM PST Some more bizarre news might be coming out of this whole Lenovo/Motorola acquisition story going on. According to leakster Eldar Murtazin, Lenovo will be responsible for making one of the final Nexus devices (whether that’ll be a phone or a tablet). It’s an interesting revelation, if true. Lenovo has had little success outside of their home market of China, so one has to wonder if they’ll be using Motorola’s prowess to help them achieve a device worthy of donning the Nexus name. Also lending credence to Motorola being the likely source for this supposed Lenovo Nexus is belief by Murtazin that the product will heavily focus on North American markets. That certainly wouldn’t bode well for Lenovo if we’re judging their history in the region, so it’s likely they’ll be putting Motorola to task for this supposed device. Of concern is that Murtazin is continuing to beat the “Nexus is dying” drum. That particular rumor came out by the same guy earlier this week, with Murtazin suggesting Google will retire the brand to make way for Google Play Edition products. It’d be a sad day to see that happen, but we apparently wouldn’t see the earliest of this move until 2015. |
| Android Device Manager app now includes periodic prompts for account password Posted: 30 Jan 2014 06:06 AM PST Google has upgraded their Android Device Manager app for Android to add more security features. To be more specific, Google has added prompts for your password both at application startup and whenever you need to switch accounts. This should ensure that only you can locate, wipe or lock your device from a remote location, which seems like a no-brainer considering the serious consequences that an accidental device wipe could have for some people. Google is also touting the typical performance enhancements and bug fixes, and — like always — we have no clue what those actually are. Regardless, you’ll want to get your hands on this upgrade as soon as possible. It’s in the Google Play Store, so be sure to download it and live with peace of mind knowing your device is fully protected. |
| Google Play Books update restores PDF upload functionality Posted: 30 Jan 2014 05:22 AM PST We were excited when a recent upgrade to Google Play Books finally added the ability to upload PDF or ePub books from our Android devices. We’d already had the ability to do that from the web, but sometimes you have to get those digital pages uploaded on the go. Unfortunately, Google removed that feature from the app shortly afterward, citing that it was only in experimental changes and that the feature wasn’t supposed to be go out in that build. Thankfully it seems the feature has graduated from “experimental” status as it has been restored in the latest upgrade present in the Google Play Store. To access it, you’ll need to enable PDF support in the settings menu. From there, touching a PDF file in downloads or email will ask if you want to upload the file to your account. Other changes to the app include the migration of Settings and Help to the main menu, as well as bug fixes and performance enhancements (including a fix that will now prevent the screen from sleeping when a book is being read aloud). As always, find it for free in the Google Play Store. |
| Will your next smartphone be a Motorola? [POLL] Posted: 30 Jan 2014 04:59 AM PST When Google first announced the purchase of Motorola, we weren’t sure what was going to come of it. Motorola still had a short pipeline to power through at that point, but eventually got to a point where they could begin work on their first line of smartphones that seemed to be influenced by Google themselves. The result was the Moto X, Moto G and Verizon’s exclusive DROID line-up. The phones were heralded for light user interface customization, great battery life and very useful features that anyone could appreciate. Motorola’s swift upgrades to KitKat across all their latest phones added about 1,000 more brownie points, and everyone suddenly found themselves in love with “the Google company.” Will that change for you? I’m asking because of the news yesterday that Google would be selling off the remainders of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for just $2.91 billion. While Lenovo hasn’t yet detailed their plans for their new purchase, we can’t be totally sure they’ll impact Motorola the same way Google did. In the same breath, we can’t we be sure they’ll allow Motorola to continue operating as a separate entity. Many would point to the Chinese company’s adoption of IBM’s ThinkPad line as proof that they’ll want to roll Motorola’s products under their own brand name, but it’s important to remember that this situation is different. Lenovo didn’t just buy a line of products — they bought an entire company. So I pose to you this question: will your next smartphone be a Motorola phone? Has your desire to back Motorola suddenly waned now that Google’s name is no longer associated with the company? If Motorola continued down the same path they’re on in terms of compelling and solid smartphone offerings, yet did it under Lenovo’s brand, would you still buy? As a DROID MAXX owner myself, I can’t say I wasn’t taken aback by the news, and I can’t say I didn’t immediately second guess my previous plans to stick with Motorola from here on out. That said, being an owner of three different solid Lenovo laptops in the past makes me willing to give the company a real chance to show me what they’ll be doing with ol’ Moto in the months and years to come before I pass absolute judgment. Let us know how you feel in the poll and comments section below |
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