Android Phone Fans |
- Motorola Boot Services updated, now Powered by Android [Video]
- HTC turns One M8 benchmark “cheating” into peformance boosting option, coming soon in a future update
- Google+ now shows the number of times your profile or content has been viewed online
- T-Mobile is killing off employer discounts starting tomorrow
- Republic Wireless Moto X heads to Motomaker April 1st – first 2,000 orders get wood for free
- Google Maps now lets you discover wild Pokemon in your area, gotta catch ‘em all! [VIDEO]
- Crackle, Rdio updated with Chromecast support
- Sprint LG G2 now receiving Android 4.4.2 KitKat
- PSA: HTC One M8 performs factory reset after 10 unsuccessful tries to unlock it [VIDEO]
- Apple is suing Samsung for another $2 billion, and Google’s been asked to help with this one
- Here’s our first glimpse at CyanogenMod on the OnePlus One
- Music Boss for Pebble update adds Chromecast controls
- New app: Coursera brings free education to Android
- How to root the Verizon HTC One M8 using WeakSauce by jcase
| Motorola Boot Services updated, now Powered by Android [Video] Posted: 31 Mar 2014 06:11 PM PDT Motorola has updated their Boot Services app on the Google Play store for Moto X and Moto G users. The latest update removes the “a Google Company” tag line and now just shows the plain Motorola logo seeing as that Lenovo has acquired the company. Following the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, Motorola is adhering to the new mandate from Google for the Moto X and Moto G, which now proudly display that they too are “Powered by Android”. In addition to updating the boot splash screen branding, Motorola has updated the entire boot animation just in time for April Fool’s Day. The new Motorola boot animation shows the Loch Ness monster, an alien flying a UFO, and a Sasquatch. Fun.
Download Motorola Boot Services on Google Play |
| Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:54 PM PDT We can’t say we’ve ever put too much emphasis on device benchmarks. While they could sometimes be an objective gauge of a device’s overall performance, more than often they amount to little more than fuel for fanboys touting their device’s superiority over another. It’s grown to be a tired argument in Android circles, and one we like to avoid. When it was discovered that Android OEMs like Samsung were actually playing up these scores for the fanboys, boosting the performance of their device’s only upon the opening of a benchmarking app… well, let’s just say it drove some to question everything they knew about life. Eventually apps like AnTuTu — which have built a reputation on delivering accurate reporting of a device’s actual performance, not hypothetical — created an alternate version of their app for those that wanted a more level playing field. This clever way of sidestepping device “cheating” in benchmarks is what lead to the development of AnTuTu X. After some folks with a Chinese HTC One M8 decided to test the device on both applications — the regular exploited version, and version X which judges real-world device performance (no cheating) — what they found wasn’t very surprising. The HTC One M8 topped the charts in the regular version of the AnTuTu, while AnTuTu X showed the phone performing coming in under devices like the Sony Xperia Z2 and Samsung Galaxy S5, all smartphones using the exact some Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC. When confronted about the 2 very different results, HTC did the unthinkable by not only owning up to the benchmark boosting, but by calling it an actual feature of the HTC One M8. Here’s the quote as told to Cnet:
Now, before you run out and grab your pitchforks, here’s how HTC’s situation differs from Samsung’s. In Samsung’s devices, they fire on all 8 cylinders only when a benchmark is running — not during normal use. This boost in performance isn’t readily made available to the end user. In the case of the HTC One M8, HTC says the performance increase when running a benchmark, while not available by default to better balance performance and battery life, can actually be enabled by the user in the M8′s developer options. Unfortunately, this “High Performance Mode” isn’t yet available to HTC One M8′s in the US (only China), but HTC promises it will arrive in a future software update. [via GSM Arena] |
| Google+ now shows the number of times your profile or content has been viewed online Posted: 31 Mar 2014 04:24 PM PDT Google’s budding social network, Google+, is seeing somewhat of a strange update today. In what could seen as little more than an effort to prove engagement on the site — and to address claims that it’s nothing more than a ghost town — profile pages will now show view counts just under the profile picture. The number factors in not only profile views, but every time someone has viewed the content you’ve posted from your account. Whether it was a wacky YouTube video, that wacky cat gif (hard “G”), or that picture of your lunch, it’s all tallied up and put on the front of your profile for all to see. Since these numbers are available to anyone viewing your page/content, Google also provides the option to turn them off in your Google+ settings. These numbers aren’t quite available on the Google+ apps for Android/iOS, but we’re guessing they’ll arrive in a future update. Should you find yourself on Google+ today, why not drop a circle ’round Phandroid and/or myself. Could always use a few more Android friends. Cheers. |
| T-Mobile is killing off employer discounts starting tomorrow Posted: 31 Mar 2014 02:49 PM PDT In what couldn’t possibly be any worse timing, T-Mobile has announced that — starting tomorrow, April 1st — the nation’s 4th largest network will effectively end all employer discounts. And no, this isn’t a joke. This means that anyone who was enjoying discounted service rates through their employer will soon be greeted with a higher monthly bill. As a sort of consolation prize, T-Mobile says that they’ll be giving a $25 T-Mobile gift card for every new employee device purchase which isn’t much, but at least it’s something. The logic, T-Mobile says, behind the move is that those old employers discount programs were designed to help big carriers close corporate contracts while using employees as their “bargaining chips.” T-Mobile doesn’t play that way. And while Legere would have you believe this is yet another phase in their Uncarrier movement, we’d be willing to bet it has more to do with Magenta’s overalls earnings slipping during Q4 of last year. Anyone out there soon to be affected by this new move? |
| Republic Wireless Moto X heads to Motomaker April 1st – first 2,000 orders get wood for free Posted: 31 Mar 2014 02:22 PM PDT Aside from the absurdly low service plans Republic Wireless offers on their “hybrid network” (a combination of WiFi calling and piggy backing on Sprint’s network when out and about), the Motorola Moto X was also another great reason to try out the MVNO. Having launched the Moto X back in November of last year, Republic Wireless is hoping to tap into prospective buyers’ creative side, by offering the option to make the devices truly “theirs.” The Republic Wireless Moto X will officially arrive tomorrow on Motomaker (we know, bad timing), giving customers the chance to pick up their own custom tailored — off-contract — Moto X on the cheap. As part of a special promotion, Motorola will be giving the first 2,000 orders receiving a complimentary wood back upgrade (a $25 value) but only if they sign up here. Sign ups don’t start until tomorrow at 11:00AM ET, with Motorola emailing promo codes to the first 2,000 who sign up. Republic Wireless mentions that because a phone purchased through Motomaker is coming direct from Motorola, you’ll need to go to them should you require support for the phone. Another thing to be mindful of is you’ll be paying more by buying through Motorola/Motomaker, with the 16GB model running $350 vs the standard white/black 16GB model purchased from Republic Wireless for $300. |
| Google Maps now lets you discover wild Pokemon in your area, gotta catch ‘em all! [VIDEO] Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:51 PM PDT Because pulling an April Fools prank on April 1st would be way too conspicuous, Google is kicking things off a little early this year. In an update to the Google Maps app, Android and iOS users can now search their area for Pokemon, as part of Google’s Maps’ Pokemon Challenge. Let us be clear — this is not a joke. Okay, so maybe the part in the the video that mentions you can catch Pokemon by snapping them with your phone’s camera. While that would be insanely cool, it’s only that part that’s the joke. By opening Google Maps, tapping on the search bar and pressing “Start,” you’ll notice the presence of new little critters in your area, more specifically: POKEMON. Tapping on them the little guys will let you catch them, with a total of 150 to catch in all. To view your Pokedex, tap on the search bar where you’ll see 2 new options at the top: “Return to the Pokemon Lab” and “View Pokedex.” If you’re having trouble finding Pokemon in your area, click on the Pokemon Lab option and you’ll notice the once former Googleplex is teaming with pocket monsters. It’s a fun little touch, one that takes us right back to the 7th grade. Anyone catch ‘em all yet? |
| Crackle, Rdio updated with Chromecast support Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:25 PM PDT Chromecast users have a couple of new apps to use with their $35 bundle of joy, as Rdio and Crackle have just been updated to add that functionality. For Rdio, you’re getting the ability to beam your music over to Chromecast. For Crackle? Your video. It’s as simple as that. Both apps will have a handy Chromecast button that should guide you along the way, and from there it’s as easy as heading to the app on your phone to control things like volume, pause, rewind, fast forward and skip. Google Play Store links for both are straight ahead, so get to it and enjoy being able to get more of your stuff up on the big screen! |
| Sprint LG G2 now receiving Android 4.4.2 KitKat Posted: 31 Mar 2014 11:58 AM PDT There’s no denying that even with the new flood of 2014 flagships hitting this month, last year’s LG G2 is still a powerhouse. Recently, we saw both the AT&T and T-Mobile variants of the device receive Android 4.4.2 KitKat, with neither hide nor hair of the update for Sprint or Verizon. Today, it’s finally time for G2 owners on Sprint to join in on the festivities (sorry, Verizon). Rolling out to customers’ handsets starting today, Android 4.4.2 brings about a host of new additions like the full screen immersive mode, and countless under the hood improvements that typically arrive with major firmware updates. Because it could take a few days before your G2 actually prompts you when an update is ready, you can always manually check for an update on your LG G2 by jumping into your Settings app > System Updates > Update LG software > Check now button. Because, who wants to wait? Once rebooted, you’ll now be enjoying the latest version of Android currently available and the peace of mind in knowing you’re part of the cool kids club. At least for now. Anyone grab the update yet? How’s it running so far on your G2? |
| PSA: HTC One M8 performs factory reset after 10 unsuccessful tries to unlock it [VIDEO] Posted: 31 Mar 2014 09:55 AM PDT There is nothing more frustrating than having to setup a phone after a fresh factory data reset. It usually involves countless hours of downloading and reinstalling apps, logging in, setting up your home-screen and getting your settings exactly the way you want them. It can be mundane, annoying, and a complete time suck. That’s why we felt it necessary to warn you about a new feature on the all new HTC One M8 that might sneak up on you one day and make your life a living hell. If you input your lock-screen pattern or password incorrectly 10 consecutive times, the phone will proceed to automatically wipe all your data as if you’d done a factory reset from the settings menu. Need proof? Resident masochist Rob Jackson did the deed on video, showing you the unfortunate result of being a forgetful person. The phone doesn’t give you any chance to reverse the action once you’ve reached that point, so if you’ve forgotten your pattern you’ll want to think long and hard each time you make an attempt, as there’ll be no turning back if you can’t successfully get in. There’s no setting to disable this behavior from what we can tell, which leaves it open to potential abuse. Perhaps a scorned loved one is upset with you and wants to do something to make you mad. Maybe your children want to play Angry Birds and they are repeatedly failing to input your password. These scenarios and many more could definitely spell trouble to even the most careful users. Thankfully the HTC One M8 does give ample warning to the user before this process occurs. After the first 5 unsuccessful attempts, the phone will prevent the user from trying to unlock it for 30 seconds. After that, an impossible-t0-miss message box will pop up for each unsuccessful attempt that you make. A genuine user will likely ask the owner of the device for help once they see all these ominous warning messages pop up, but some might just as easily dismiss the boxes without reading a thing. Unfortunately, a factory reset on the HTC One M8 includes a complete wipe of personal media from the phone’s internal storage. This means you’ll lose your photos and videos if they weren’t stored on the microSD card the phone thankfully supports. There are a couple of different things you can do to make sure this isn’t a problem for you in the foreseeable future:
Beyond that, just be careful and make sure you choose passwords and patterns that you’ll be sure to remember for a long time coming, and think about temporarily disabling lock-screen security if you expect your children or loved ones to be using your phone for an extended period of time. There’s sure to be a bit of resistance to a feature like this. While it might be noble in the name of security, it could produce some unwanted results. For some people, making sure a thief can’t factory reset the phone is key, as this could kill the use of “find my phone” apps. It also gives the thief the very access they were looking for without much help at all. We’d feel a lot better of HTC gave us an option to disable this, but those are the breaks. It’s there, and we have to deal with it in our own ways. Be sure to watch the video above if you’re curious to see how it happens in motion. PS: don’t forget that tomorrow is April Fool’s day, so make sure to keep your phone away from your prankster friends and avoid having this happen to you! [via AndroidForums.com, thanks Dwight!] |
| Apple is suing Samsung for another $2 billion, and Google’s been asked to help with this one Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:51 AM PDT It’s 2014, and times haven’t changed much at all. Bacon is still delicious, I’m still a few pounds too heavy, and Apple still hates Samsung. That last one is ringing true more than ever, as the Cupertino company has pulled Samsung into another high-profile patent dispute lawsuit seeking damages in the “billions” range. Apple is claiming that Samsung has infringed on five different patents as it relates to software, and are looking to get awarded $2 billion for the supposed infringement. Additionally Apple is seeking about $40 per Samsung device sold in royalties. Apple claims Samsung infringed on slide to unlock, as well as the “tap from search” feature that allows users to, say, initiate a call by tapping on a result after typing in a partial phone number or contact name in the search box.
“Apple revolutionized the market in personal computing devices,” said Apple. ”Samsung, in contrast, has systematically copied Apple’s innovative technology and products, features and designs, and has deluged markets with infringing devices.” On the contrary, Samsung fired back by saying they’ve “been a pioneer in the mobile device business sector since the inception of the mobile device industry,” and went on to suggest Apple has copied many of their innovations in the iPhone, iPad and iPod family. That Apple is focusing on software in this barrage of attacks is key, as it has reportedly prompted Samsung to seek the help of Google. Such a strong lawsuit could be seen as a means of indirectly attacking Android, with Apple using Samsung as the catalyst for their assault. Samsung is by far the biggest company there is in the Android smartphone race, after all, and this could have implications for all Android OEMs in the long run.
This isn’t the only thing going on in Samsung’s legal world as it pertains to Apple, either. If you don’t remember, Judge Lucy Koh awarded Apple a $900 million claim in the original hardware-focused patent spat that went underway two years ago. Samsung is currently appealing that ruling, and it will take quite a bit of time for the case to produce a solid end result. You know we’ll be keeping tabs on this case as the months (and possibly years) move on, so count on us to bring you everything you need to know about what’s sure to become one of the most important trials in the history of mobile. |
| Here’s our first glimpse at CyanogenMod on the OnePlus One Posted: 31 Mar 2014 07:31 AM PDT OnePlus has always said their version of CyanogenMod would be a little bit different than what users are used to from the custom ROM. The OnePlus One has been built from the ground up for CyanogenMod, after all, and it deserves some special attention for the first launch of this exciting new smartphone. But how, exactly, will it change? That story hasn’t been fully told yet, though early details confirm CyanogenMod will implement always-listening hands-free voice controls. A new leak today gives us a bit more, though, with the first shots of the lock-screen being leaked to Engadget. The lock-screen includes a healthy helping of Blue, natch, and feeds typical information such as time, date, battery life and latest messages and appointments. It also shows a nice blurred image to jazz it up a bit. All in all it looks aesthetically pleasing, and if you don’t like the lock-screen there are sure to be replacements that fit your needs in Google Play. The latest screens also confirm that the OnePlus One will utilize software buttons, so there’s our first bit of confirmation about the phone’s design ahead of its full unveiling taking place late next month. Further details from the leak confirm that this build will be KitKat based, with OnePlus’s fork specifically called CyanogenMod 11S. That’s all we have to go on right now, but all should be told April 23rd when they finally take the wraps off this thing. |
| Music Boss for Pebble update adds Chromecast controls Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:53 AM PDT Music Boss for Pebble is receiving a great new update that will bring key functionality for Chrome users. You will now be able to control your Chromecast’s volume and playback from your Pebble smart watch. It doesn’t cover the full gamut of features you’d probably need, such as shuffle and repeat, but you will be able to pause and resume playback, and adjust volume with ease. Music Boss works with many different media players, including Google Play Music, Netflix, Songza and more, and can bet setup to work only with apps which respond to media buttons. Setup isn’t too complicated, either — you can find the quick and easy steps to get your Pebble setup with your Chromecast right here. The app is $1.99 in the Google Play Store, but many users swear by its usefulness. Count your pennies up and head to the Google Play Store to buy it, and those who have already dropped coin for it will obviously be treated to a free upgrade. |
| New app: Coursera brings free education to Android Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:38 AM PDT Knowledge is power, but knowledge used to be very expensive. Thankfully we’re in an age where you can learn anything you could want to learn online, and that brought services like Coursera. Coursera, as you may know, provides free online courses from a multitude of different fields, including computer science, medicine, mathematics and more. There hasn’t always been an easy way to access Coursera from your mobile device, but a new app finally changes that — the official Coursera app for Android is now available for download in the Google Play Store. The app will enable a few different features:
The app looks solidly built, too, with Coursera falling in line with the latest Android style guidelines. There’s no good reason you shouldn’t give this app a try if you’ve been looking to pick up new skills or knowledge, so be sure to download it in the Google Play Store. Coursera implements the services of instructors from over 100 top institutions, from small research firms to professors from some of the world’s top universities. Their goal?
And that’s the truth. They don’t ask for much, though there’s a premium put on “Signature Track” courses (which go the extra mile to verify your coursework and will provide you with an official university-endorsed certificate for completing the course). You can find out more about Coursera over at their website if you aren’t already one of the millions of students taking advantage. |
| How to root the Verizon HTC One M8 using WeakSauce by jcase Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:15 AM PDT Verizon’s HTC One M8 may not have enjoyed a day one root, but it didn’t take long for one developer to do the deed. Prominent developer jcase has dropped the first root method for the device, giving users a way to get advanced access to their phones for things like backing your firmware up or overclocking. It’s called WeakSauce, and it’s available for use right now. Unfortunately this method does not give us S-OFF, but it’s a good first start to what should hopefully blossom into a very popular phone in the development community. So how do you get going with it? Here are the super simple instructions straight from XDA:
The exploit used in WeakSauce will gain root, and will mount a new xbin containing busybox and su. It’s not sticky in the sense that it can stick without an app, but as long as you have WeakSauce installed your device will automatically re-root on each boot. And that’s it. Want to uninstall? Simply uninstall WeakSauce, then uninstall SuperSu. Couldn’t be any more simple than that. Head over to XDA for troubleshooting support and download links, and be sure to donate a couple of bucks to jcase if you’ve got it — wouldn’t want to see a developer like that not be rewarded for his hard work, would we? [Thanks, Otis!] |
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