Android Phone Fans |
- Will your phone work with SanDisk’s 128GB MicroSDXC card? Find out here!
- Google+ 4.3 Android app update brings horde of new photo features
- ASUS details Android 4.4 KitKat upgrades for several PadFone devices
- Deal: Verizon Moto X being offered through Moto Maker for a penny on-contract or $329 without
- AllCast update brings UI refresh, Muzei support, and more
- Google wants Project Ara to start at $50; Developers’ conference set for April
- Hands-on: Samsung Tizen prototype smartphone [VIDEO]
- All new HTC One leaked in new photos; HTC teases BoomSound on the New One on video
- Hands-on: Huawei Ascend G6 [VIDEO]
- Hands-on: Impala app offers true smart photography [VIDEO]
- OnePlus One smartphone will be under $400
- Hands-on: Qualcomm’s 4K reference tablet and the Snapdragon 805 processor [VIDEO]
| Will your phone work with SanDisk’s 128GB MicroSDXC card? Find out here! Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:22 PM PST Snag it while you can: Amazon is selling the new 128GB SanDisk MicroSDXC Card for only $119! The 128GB micro-beast was just announced at MWC 2014 and initially thought to cost up to $200. But wait, now (especially before buying) everyone is wondering: is your phone or tablet even compatible with SanDisk’s new 128GB MicroSD card? Will a SanDisk 128GB MicroSDXC card work in your phone or tablet?Officially, SanDisk has only announced support for the Samsung Galaxy S5. But technically, SanDisk’s 128GB card should work in any device that supports the MicroSDXC standard (buy/use at own risk). We went through the painstaking effort of documenting every single device that SanDisk claims is compatible with the 128GB card.
We’ve devices from the most popular manufacturers above but check out the full list at Android Forums. While we’ve done the research and these compatibilities are listed by SanDisk themselves – feel free to check SanDisk’s tool yourself – you may want to proceed with caution if that $119 could be better used this month. Again, they should probably work but the emphasis on probably: we take no responsibility if they don’t. For specific questions, find your phone on Android Forums and ask our friendly community your Android-related question! Tiny Card, Epic StorageI’m sure we’ll hear plenty of complaints – “$120 to $200? I might as well just buy a PS4 with 500GB and carry that around!” – but consider the actual size of SanDisk’s creation and just agree to be amazed. Compare it to storage products and capacities of yesteryear and complain not again: for it wasn’t long ago that Tech OG’s were retrieving storage – both input/output – uphill both ways in the snow. One of my key questions: if SanDisk can make a 128GB memory card the size of my pinky thumbnail, why can’t phone manufacturer’s build 200GB+ into the actual hardware itself? Make the damn thing a little thicker and give us outrageous memory and worthwhile battery life! And hey, Google, if we’re paying $1,500 for Google Glass do you think you could superglue one of these things on the side somewhere? The SanDisk Android AppWe’ve also heard a fair share of negativity regarding the ease of access for memory cards on Android, specifically in the case of how Kit Kat handles them. I’ve yet to try it but I’ve heard great things about the SanDisk Memory Zone App for Android whose entire purpose is to facilitate an awesome experience. We’ll definitely be giving it a try – and so should you – before passing judgement, even if it’s on a much smaller and more affordable card to start. Would you enjoy 128GB of extra storage?There’s a lot you can stuff onto a 128GB MicroSD card including 16 hours of Full HD video and more music than a hoard of groupies could listen to in a year. There’s also a lot to discuss in the comments, so have at it! [Via AndroidForums, Amazon] |
| Google+ 4.3 Android app update brings horde of new photo features Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:25 PM PST Google+ users can look forward to a new upgrade sitting in the Google Play Store, with Vic Gundotra telling us that this is another one that’s all about making the photo experience more awesome than it already is. The biggest feature for some folks will be the ability to edit a photo on one device, and seamlessly continue where you left on another device — all the while maintaining the original copy. Google is calling this “non-destructive editing” for what it’s worth, but it doesn’t need a cool name to be awesome. We’re also getting a host of brand new filters and creative tools such as built-in crop and rotate, and some of Snapseed’s best post-processed image tweaks. An “all” view will show you all of your devices from the cloud and from the device you’re viewing the photos on. Finally, you can now jump between photos by date in the “all” view to give you an easy way to flip through the tons of photos you’ve likely backed up to the cloud. Of course, Google is electing to roll this one out gradually so it may not hit your device right away. You’ll want to be patient as it could take a few days to reach everyone. If you’re not against checking, though, then head here and see if you can’t get in on all the new goodies. |
| ASUS details Android 4.4 KitKat upgrades for several PadFone devices Posted: 27 Feb 2014 11:36 AM PST ASUS has just announced plans to bring the upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat and the newest version of their Zen UI to several of their tablet and phone devices. The list isn’t terribly long, though we imagine ASUS isn’t done evaluating their plans for the entirety of their portfolio. Look straight ahead for the official list, including the regions they’re going out in and the time frames you can expect them:
Unfortunately that’s all we know for now, though the Taiwanese company did promise to share more accurate release date information as we get closer to these respective windows. We also don’t have a clue what the upgrades will add on the ASUS side of things, though everything from the base KitKat upgrade — including NFC host card emulation, SMS and home-screen management, and more — should be standard affair. [via ASUS] |
| Deal: Verizon Moto X being offered through Moto Maker for a penny on-contract or $329 without Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:07 AM PST Looking for a good deal on a Verizon Wireless Moto X that can be customized through the Moto Maker? Now’s your best shot, as Motorola is offering the device for just a penny whenever you buy it with a two-year contract. You can also grab it for $329.99 if you prefer not to be bound by the chains of cumbersome wireless agreements. So how do you get in on it? Simply design your Moto X at Motorola’s Moto Maker website, and after you’ve gotten everything you exactly how you want it simply use the code “VZWDEAL” at check out. Wait, do a little dance, wait some more and presto: you should have your own customized Moto X on your doorstep in no time. Of course, this deal won’t last forever so it’s wise to take advantage of this as soon as humanly possible. Head here to get started. |
| AllCast update brings UI refresh, Muzei support, and more Posted: 27 Feb 2014 08:18 AM PST Koush has made a reputation for being a lightning fast developer, so we’re not surprised that he just dropped a huge AllCast upgrade in the Google Play Store shortly after its initial launch. Today’s upgrade brings a number of great improvements, including a major user interface refresh, support for Muzei, general bug fixes for Chromecast and Playlists, and more. Here’s everything in all the details you’ll ever need:
And that just about does it. Everyone should be stepped up to the latest Google Play Services upgrade by now, so Chromecast should be working alongside all the other great features AllCast has. Upgrade it by heading to the Google Play Store as soon as possible. |
| Google wants Project Ara to start at $50; Developers’ conference set for April Posted: 27 Feb 2014 07:31 AM PST Google seems to be full steam ahead in trying to bring the concept of a modular phone to reality. Project Ara, if you don’t remember, is an original project of Motorola’s that conceptualizes a phone where you can upgrade individual components however you see fit. Whether that means upgrading storage, the camera, the processor and more, the idea is for users to build the phones they want. Google recently plucked the Project Ara team from Motorola before selling the OEM off to Lenovo, showing that they want to be at the forefront of this modular phone concept. We’re likely still far off from seeing anything available in the public eye, but Google is already thinking ahead to how much they want this to be offered for. According to an interview with Time, the company is envisioning an entry price of just $50. What’ll that get you? A display, a frame and a WiFi radio, for starters. Users can then walk up to kiosks to buy the pieces they want and need, and Google will even aim to provide software (likely Android-based) that users can easily customize for their own needs. Of course, Google knows $50 is a long shot, and knows that there’s still a bit of ways to go before we even see a consumer-ready product come to store shelves. Still, it’s nice to know they’re so deep into this thing that they’re already thinking about pricing and distribution. More evidence that Google is deep into Project Ara is recent revelation that they’ll be holding a Developers’ Conference this April (15th-16th, to be exact). This isn’t your typical conference, though — this one is being held online, giving everyone access to all the information and early tools they need to start thinking about building the tools that will make Project Ara a reality. The conference will feature live webcasts and interactive Q&A sessions. Google’s also inviting a few select developers to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View to digest everything in-person. We’re not sure what all of that will mean for Project Ara focus at the forthcoming Google I/O event, but you can bet we’ll be looking to find out when schedule details are released. All of this is leading up to a possible launch of Ara in early 2015, so strap your seat belts and hang onto something solid for what should be an exhilarating ride. [via Google+] |
| Hands-on: Samsung Tizen prototype smartphone [VIDEO] Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:40 AM PST With Samsung sitting high upon their throne as Android’s #1 manufacturer, it’s interesting to see them playing around with another open source mobile operating system. Although not specifically “Android” related, when we heard that Samsung was showing off and advertising Tizen — their rival mobile OS — at this year’s Mobile World Congress, we simply had to see it for ourselves. What we found when we arrived were a variety of Tizen-based Samsung hardware, hidden behind the Korean manufacturer’s now infamous prototype cases. After receiving a brief rundown from one of the Tizen reps, we noticed how scarily similar Tizen was to Android. In fact, many of the same Android actions (long pressing, widgets, back/menu/home hardware buttons), along with notification pulldown, are also present on Tizen. If you didn’t know it wasn’t running Android, chances are you wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference. A few neat tricks were the way Tizen handles icons and widgets — making them essentially one and the same. Icons can be resized and when extended, open to reveal widgets inside. Further extending will reveal even more information, and swiping down on the widget will reveal specific actions and/or controls. Samsung’s customized Android experience has never been known for being snappy and unfortunately, the same problem applies to Tizen. Don’t get us wrong, everything was rendering smoothly, we just felt the overall experience was a bit laggy (something that could be fine tuned in future updates). For those curious to see Tizen in action, feel free to check out our hands-on video below. With Tizen already coming equipped on the soon-to-be released Samsung Gear 2, it’s only a matter of time before it officially lands on other mobile devices — smartphones and tablets included. |
| All new HTC One leaked in new photos; HTC teases BoomSound on the New One on video Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:32 AM PST Mobile World Congress is dying down and all the big announcements are out of the way, but there’s still one big announcement we’re waiting on in the near future. We’re talking about HTC, of course, who is expected to reveal the all new HTC One — also known as the HTC M8 — on March 25th. We’ve been doused in links for the past few weeks, and yet another has come our way courtesy of a member over at HardForum.com. The photos don’t show us anything we don’t already see, though the poster was eager to give us their impressions. They note that it’s noticeably thinner than the HTC One, it’s insanely fast, and the front and rear camera were “amazing.” Unfortunately they didn’t get a chance to try out the dual cameras on the back. The poster also noted some major bugs, though those are to be expected for such an early unit. With that, HTC also teased BoomSound on the “All New HTC One,” except the company didn’t actually show the device. They blurred it out, natch, leaving us to our own devices to figure out what it is. Of course, we already know — you’re looking at the thing in the photos above — but let’s let them have their fun. They did seem to insinuate that the front-facing stereo BoomSound speakers on the New One have been upgraded with some sort of new technology, but they also masked those details behind a garbled audio track. We’re counting down the days until March 25th, folks, so it won’t be long before we’re let in on all the official deets. Check the video and photos out above. [Thanks, ____!] |
| Hands-on: Huawei Ascend G6 [VIDEO] Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:16 AM PST Huawei is very well known for their mid-end devices, especially in the US, where they don’t bring their higher-end smartphones. The manufacturer always brings a strong portfolio to Mobile World Congress. One of the main contenders from Huawei at MWC 2014 is the Ascend G6, an affordable smartphone with some cool features. It just might be the device for you if you are looking for good selfies and an affordable price tag! Huawei Ascend G6 specs
Huawei Ascend G6 performanceOf course, the device has its hiccups and issues, but for an affordable price it’s also not bad at all! This has a Snapdragon 400 processor, 1 GB of RAM and Jelly Bean. It’s not a high-end smartphone and shouldn’t perform like one. Will it get the job done, though? The Huawei Ascend G6 is definitely a worthy device for those looking to get an affordable smartphone. The specs are similar to the Moto G, which performs pretty well and fulfills a casual user’s needs. Furthermore, the G6 should perform better due to its lower resolution display. To us it felt much like Motorola’s budget phone, but this little guy packs a little something that we know many of you will enjoy. Huawei Ascend G6 is a selfie machine!Isn’t it annoying to have to turn your phone around every time you want to take a selfie? Aiming and trying to frame the picture multiple times is definitely no fun. This is usually due to the lackluster quality in front-facing cameras. Huawei aims to get rid of this problem by adding a 5 MP camera in the front of the device. The rear camera is still better with an 8 MP sensor, but 5 MP is pretty outstanding for today’s front-facing camera standards. We have always believed that this would be a very successful trend. People love their selfies and there is no reasy a front-facing camera can’t be as good as a rear one! Wouldn’t you agree? Price and availabilityThe device should be available for 200 Euros before the Spring. We say you should give it a look if you are looking for a budget phone that takes great selfies! |
| Hands-on: Impala app offers true smart photography [VIDEO] Posted: 27 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST Conventions like MWC are massive technology overloads. It’s easy to miss smaller things when you have devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5 being announced, but we have found an app that is quite the hidden treasure. The Impala app for Android was invited to MWC by Qualcomm, where they took over a small section of the booth. The app is not finalized because Qualcomm only gave them 2 months, but it’s impressive how far the developers have gotten. And after a few minutes I realized why Qualcomm wanted them there. What does Impala do?To put it in a simple way, Impala turns your phone into a smart camera/organizer. This software analyzes the image when you are taking a photo and optimizes your camera settings to make the photo better. For example, the app knows when you are shooting food, so it optimizes the camera settings to make your food look better. Likewise, the app can optimize photos of people. There is more than that, though. It actually gets a little interesting. This app can be programmed to pixelate hands, for example. Or maybe people don’t want pictures of faces, skin or anything else. As we can see in the video and image below, this device was programmed to pixelate hands. Impala’s organizational featuresThis software is doesn’t only take advantage of photo taking. It has post-photo features many of you will enjoy. Impala analyzes all your images and organizes them in categories for you. It worked amazingly in the demo. How well does it work?I have to say I was impressed by the performance of this app. They had images of cars, people, mountains, and many other categories in the gallery. Not a single image was in the wrong category, which is impressive. Categorization works like a charm! As for the settings, it looks amazing, but I will have to wait a bit before I set my opinion in stone. It’s something I would have to try more in depth to judge. I happen to love photography, so I am often a bit cautious with automatic settings. Release dateThankfully, I won’t have to wait long before this app is released! Impala representative told us the app was going to be released in about 2 weeks. Can’t wait to check it out! |
| OnePlus One smartphone will be under $400 Posted: 27 Feb 2014 05:32 AM PST One of the first things you can do when you launch your first smartphone is to price yourself out of the market, and OnePlus knows they can’t make that mistake. That’s why Pete Lau and his company were proud to announce that their device would come in at under $400. The announcement was rather suggestive, with OnePlus poking fun at other companies who tout numbers like “under $500″ when they really tend to mean “one cent less than $500.” So what does “definitely under $400″ mean? Well, it could mean $399.99, though OnePlus isn’t interested in setting a hard price point at this time. We imagine they’ll look to target that sweet $350 price point that Google has launched the Nexus 5 at, which — at the least — would definitely make many smartphone buyers stand up and take notice. Other factors sure to make folks take notice is the fact that the phone is being built from the ground up not only for CyanogenMod, but by CyanogenMod. If you don’t remember, CyanogenMod and OnePlus teamed up to craft their vision of what the perfect phone would be. We’re still not entirely sure what that vision entails, but we should be hearing more soon — the OnePlus One is due out in the second quarter of this year. |
| Hands-on: Qualcomm’s 4K reference tablet and the Snapdragon 805 processor [VIDEO] Posted: 27 Feb 2014 05:29 AM PST It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that mobile tech is advancing fast. With Android tablets now hitting the market with 2K resolution displays, we’d guess that it wont be very long before 4K displays soon becomes the norm. Qualcomm sees that future closing in fast and while touring the halls of Mobile World Congress, we came across the chipset manufacturers new 4K reference tablet. Running a Snapdragon 805 SoC, Qualcomm wants the world to know that when 4K devices inevitably hit the market, their Snapdragon 805 processor is already waiting for them. To demo the GPU prowess of the Snap 805, Qualcomm provided a demo of Gameloft’s Modern Combat 5 running in native 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160). We took the game for a spin in our hands-on video to see how well the 805 would hold up and surprisingly, the 805 didn’t even break a sweat. Frame rates remained exceptionally smooth, with no discernible stutter or dips in frame rate during gameplay. Qualcomm also pointed out that none of the games they were demoing were even optimized for 4K resolution or the chipset, a testament to the 805′s beefy GPU. You can expect Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 equipped Androids to officially hit the market later this year, with rumors that the first device could arrive as early as May. Our hands on video can be found below. |
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