Android Phone Fans |
- Dailymotion update brings Chromecast support
- Reminder: Registration for Google I/O 2014 starts tomorrow April 15th
- Google Glass receiving KitKat this week, introduces photo bundles and loads more
- LG G3 allegedly pictured in the wild, benchmark shows 2K display
- PSA: US residents can buy Google Glass tomorrow
- HTC One (M7) receiving Sense 6.0 update in May
- List of Moto X+1 custom back covers leaked, includes new leather colors
- Cortana vs Google Now: Battle of the virtual assistants [VIDEO]
- Google bought a company that makes solar drones, and we’re officially freaked out
- New Google app icons rumored to be on the way (and someone’s already recreated them)
- Verizon announces plan savings for month-to-month customers to jump to MORE Everything
- Documents show Android didn’t have touch input until after the iPhone was announced (but you already knew that)
- HTC One M8 said to be coming in plastic variant
- Samsung Galaxy S5 sales already said to be in the “millions” range
- T-Mobile UNcarrier Day 3 of 3: get rid of carrier overages
| Dailymotion update brings Chromecast support Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:16 PM PDT Chromecast addicts looking to squeeze every last ounce of functionality from Google’s tiny dongle can find yet another video app adding support. Today’s update comes to us by way of Dailymotion who — along with the usual bug fixes — has officially updated their app over the weekend with support for the Google Chromecast. Because not everyone is a fan of YouTube (I know, it sounds crazy), it’s always good to have alternative sources for finding curated and viral video content on the go. For those who love living on the bleeding edge, there’s also a Dailymotion beta community on Google+ to join up with if you’re looking for the latest updates before they officially hit the airwaves. Download link provided below.
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| Reminder: Registration for Google I/O 2014 starts tomorrow April 15th Posted: 14 Apr 2014 05:54 PM PDT If you’re the developer type, registration for Google’s annual developer conference starts tomorrow on April 15th and extends through April 18th. Registration was supposed to begin last week, but Google needed a little more time to prepare for this years’ registration process. Unlike the mad frenzy and rage inducing server crashes of the past, Google I/O registration is being handled a bit different this year. Instead of first come first serve, potential attendees can sign up over the course of a few days and then are randomly selected, getting their proverbial golden ticket. Google I/O 2014 is scheduled for June 25th – 26th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Registration begins at 5AM PT tomorrow morning. The regular price of an IO ticket will set you back $900. Those of the academic variety – students, faculty, and staff – you can get a ticket for much less, at $300. You’ll need a Google+ account and a valid credit card entered into Google Wallet. |
| Google Glass receiving KitKat this week, introduces photo bundles and loads more Posted: 14 Apr 2014 05:26 PM PDT It’s been awhile since Glass Explorers saw an update hit their Google Glass headsets. Back in December, XE12 rolled out to Glass offering some of the biggest features the device had seen up until then. In fact, because the update added so many new features (Google Glass Games), the Glass team mentioned it’d probably be awhile before we another update for the wearable. Google Glass gets KitKatToday the Google Glass G+ page is spilling the secrets on their latest update, said to hit headsets later this week. The changes? There are a lot of them, but probably the biggest (and strangest?) is that the Glass will finally be receiving an actual Android update, jumping from Ice Cream Sandwich all the way to Android 4.4.x KitKat. The Glass team promises Explorers should see improved battery life (every little bit helps). For developers, the new change means they can start writing apps using the latest Android SDK, as well as take advantage of the new features in the Glass Development Kit. Photo bundlesGlass will also handle photos and videos a little differently then before. Previously, your photos got mixed in with everything else on your timeline, making photos you took yesterday — or worse yet, last week — exceptionally difficult to find. With photos being bundled together, it makes it easier to find them without scrolling for hours. Reply with photos in HangoutsLast month, we saw the introduction of photo sharing with friends and family in Hangouts. In the latest update, Glass will now be able to reply to Hangout messages with a photo. Because a picture is worth a thousands words, this is a convenient way to quickly reply to a, “What are you up to?” message, without having to speak a word. Other changesThe Glass team also mentions they’ve tweaked the interface a bit for voice commands, making it easier to see recent/frequent commands at a glance (instead of scrolling through a huge list). Because the Glass Explorer program relies so heavily on its users’ feedback, they’re also making it even easier to send feedback with a new “tell us what’s on your mind” option in the Settings. But it’s not only additions we’re seeing in the Glass update for this month. Listening to Explorer feedback, the Glass team is making the executive decision to remove video calling in Hangouts using Glass, citing performance issues (and likely hardware constraints). Video calling was always a bit of a mixed bag, overheating headsets, killing battery life, and generally wasn’t very fun outside of WiFi. That, and the fact that the person on the other end couldn’t actually see you, well, it’s easy to see why less than 10% of Glass Explorers used this feature. The Glass team mentions developers are already hard at work at alternative streaming apps, so expect new additions arriving in the MyGlass store in the near future. All of these features, and apparently these are only the tip of the iceberg. Google mentions they’ll be updating us on all the smaller changes in the Glass Journal, and we’ll be keeping an eye out. |
| LG G3 allegedly pictured in the wild, benchmark shows 2K display Posted: 14 Apr 2014 03:47 PM PDT We’ve been seeing quite a few leaks lately pointing to the very real possibility that LG will be opting for a QHD “2K” display in the upcoming LG G3. Last week, a screen shot from the device showed us, not only a new minimal, “flatter” user interface, but it was the second time we were presented with alleged screenshots captured in — you guessed it — 1440 × 2560 resolution. If you needed further confirmation that LG will be kicking off the 2K spec arms race, Ubergizmo has allegedly received the first photo of the device pictured in the wild (well, a portion of it anyway). The picture, taken of the device just after it finished an AnTuTu benchmark to completion, lists off a few of the device’s specs, including its 1440 x 2560 resolution display (although the reported 640 dpi could be an AnTuTu glitch). What’s more is LG was reportedly able to confirm the resolution of the device to UberGiz. Last week, we saw the a possible LG G3 variant for Sprint pop up in a user agent profile (LG LS990). While the device listed a Snapdragon 800 processor, it’s entirely possible it was prototype device for network testing and LG will ultimately pop in an 801 in time for its consumer release. |
| PSA: US residents can buy Google Glass tomorrow Posted: 14 Apr 2014 03:00 PM PDT Tomorrow at 6am Pacific, Google will open the flood gates for one day only and allow any US resident 18 and older to buy Google Glass for $1,500. Unlike previous Glass Explorers, you won’t need a special invite email or special code from Google. All you’ll need to do is point your web browser over to the official ordering page to purchase Google’s wearable computer while supplies last. That’s it. While Glass will be purchasable by anyone meeting the above qualifications, you should know that this isn’t a public launch for Glass. The product is still in beta stages and currently evolving. Those that buy Glass tomorrow will be joining the tens of thousands already part of the Glass Explorer program and will continue to “beta test” the product while the rest of the world awaits the final consumer version. Should you buy Glass? I can’t answer that for you. I’ve been a Glass Explorer since the 4th of July last summer. I wear Glass everywhere. If I’m not at home, I’m wearing my Glass. I enjoy being an early adopter and love helping shape and grow a brand new platform for a entirely new era. I’m also a tech geek and I eat this sort of thing up. What are some of the things I use Glass for? Here’s a recent post of mine on Google+. The bottom line is, I love Glass, but it’s definitely not for everyone. While Glass has changed a lot over the past year, adding more functionality, gaining more apps, and extending battery life, a lot of the core concepts are still the same. Before making your final purchase decision tomorrow, check out our original Glass review here and feel free to ask in the comments as many of us from Phandroid own Glass.
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| HTC One (M7) receiving Sense 6.0 update in May Posted: 14 Apr 2014 02:10 PM PDT After successfully launching the HTC One M8 across multiple carriers in the US last week, don’t think for a second that HTC has forgotten about current customers of their previous flagship. Taking to his Twitter account, HTC President of the US reminded owners of the original HTC One (the M7) that the device would soon be receiving its update to Sense 6.0, as early as the end of May. So exactly what makes Sense 6 so special? Well, aside from HTC further refining the user experience by taking away some of the clutter and making the UI even more “flat” in appearance, other features include the ability to pause video while recording (a la Vine), new Sense color themes, and a timeline view in the gallery. Overall, it’s a worthwhile update, and one current HTC One owners should be excited about receiving in the near future. Let’s not forget that HTC recently dropped a few Sense 6 apps into the Play Store (BlinkFeed, Sense TV, and their Zoe camera app) which should find themselves suddenly compatible with the OG HTC One upon receiving its update to the latest version of Sense. We should note that the timeline given by HTC is more than likely in reference to the unlocked/Developer Edition HTC One models — not carrier versions found in the US. Because major software updates always require carrier certification before they’re pushed out to consumers’ devices, expect a slight delay before you see Sense 6 hitting your AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon HTC One. We’ll be keeping a close eye on HTC’s software update page for any changes. [Twitter] |
| List of Moto X+1 custom back covers leaked, includes new leather colors Posted: 14 Apr 2014 01:02 PM PDT While you were enjoying your Sunday BBQ, the man that is @evleaks was busy hand delivering his usual leaks onto the net. His latest? More (alleged) details on the rumored Motorola Moto X+1, the upcoming Motorola Moto X sequel we told you guys about a few weeks ago. This time around, it looks like Motorola might introduce new materials for customers to choose when customizing a smartphone on their site. Mr. Leaks provided a list of the available back covers to be found and while the usual colors made a return (along with wood), you’ll notice the addition of new leather options as well. We’re guessing these will look similar to back covers Samsung has been crazy about as of late (aka S Leather), although given Motorola’s history of using authentic wood back covers, these leather backs could feature real animal hide. Because… save the rainforests and all that. As we approach the summer time (when the Moto X+1 is said to makes its official debut) we couldn’t be more excited. Many Android “spec [Twitter] |
| Cortana vs Google Now: Battle of the virtual assistants [VIDEO] Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:42 PM PDT There is a new kid on the block, and her name is Cortana. Earlier this morning Microsoft released Windows Phone 8.1 for developers around the world. Included in that update is their new virtual assistant that they hope will compete with the likes of Google Now and Siri. Google has a huge head start when it comes to providing information to users, but Microsoft is not a company to take lightly. How does Cortana stack up against the mighty Google Now? Let’s take a look. Pre-Search InformationThe main feature that makes Google Now so great is all the information it can give you before you ask for it. Cortana also has this feature, which puts it in direct competition with Google. Cortana can give you information about news you’re interested in, sports scores, local weather, traffic, nearby events, and more. Google Now can do all of these things as well. They both have useful information at the ready, but it’s displayed in very different ways. Google Now displays things in cards. If you want to adjust how an item is displayed you tap the three dots icon in the top right. If you want to remove a card from your list you just swipe it away. Cortana separates things into categories with separation between them. You can tap a button to “see more” or “hide” the information. Whether or not you like the design of one more than the other will depend on your personal taste. If you like Android’s design you will definitely be favoring Google Now. Voice SearchThe biggest consumer-facing feature of these two services is the voice search. This is the one thing that people just love to play around with. Siri is playful and funny, but she doesn’t provide much useful information. Google Now and Cortana can do a lot more for you. They help you get things done quickly and easily by just talking. In order to test the voice search for these two services I created a list of 14 common questions you might ask.
As you will see in the video posted above, the results to these questions were fairly similar. In some cases Google Now was faster, in other cases Cortana was faster. The information given was also a bit different since they are using different search engines. One thing Cortana was better at was helping you take action after the initial query. For example, you can just say “yes” to setting a reminder instead of tapping an extra button. At the end of the day I was able to get the answer I needed 9/10 from both services. You should have no trouble with either one. Surprisingly, Microsoft has done an excellent job with Cortana in this initial beta release. They have already been able to do almost everything that Google has done. The battle for virtual assistants just got very interesting. Microsoft will continue to improve Cortana as time goes on, as will Google with search. There is one thing that we can know for sure from this comparisons: Siri is in trouble. |
| Google bought a company that makes solar drones, and we’re officially freaked out Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:26 PM PDT It isn’t unheard of for some of Google’s acquisitions to come with a bit of unease, but their latest one probably takes the biggest piece of cake of them all. The Mountain View company has confirmed the purchase of New Mexico-based Titan Aerospace, a company that specializes in creating high-altitude drone technology for use in… whatever. The company is said to begin interfacing with the team working on Project Loon, which is a vision that Google hopes can bring balloon-carried high-speed WiFi transmitters and deliver widespread connectivity for the masses. The Wall Street Journal also reports that Google could work with Makani, an internal team tasked with researching and developing airborne wind-powered turbines for more efficient energy. All of this sounds quite fine — in fact, it’s all kind of cool — but there’s one other harrowing thing Google could be looking to do with their new-found knowledge of drone technology. It’s said that the drones could likely be put to use for purposes of gathering and collecting data, likely to help improve Google’s mapping business. Google already employs the likes of self-driving cars and camera-equipped airplanes to take snapshots of the world for use in Google Maps, but Titan’s drones could bring a flexible, modular system that does all of that and more. That “more” could including anything from atmospheric sensors for recording climate data to delivering aforementioned airborne WiFi to countries that aren’t well-equipped for hard-line access. The drones themselves aren’t your Amazon Drone Delivery or consumer-focused Parrot AR Drone-sized pieces of equipment, either — the smallest drone Titan makes is slightly larger than a Boeing 767, which is a passenger cruiser that can seat anywhere between 181 and 375 people. Let that sink into your brain for just a second. Of course, Google’s intentions probably aren’t as scary as our brains will make them out to be, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the culmination of all these different pieces (Google has made a strong push to acquire robotics and AI companies recently) ends up being. |
| New Google app icons rumored to be on the way (and someone’s already recreated them) Posted: 14 Apr 2014 11:54 AM PDT It appears Google could be readying upgrades to their mobile apps to bring us a fresh set of icons for their services. The original story talks of a project “Moonshine,” which would simply bring updated app icons for various Google apps. Whether these icons are used on the web, on Android or both is something yet to be determined, but here they are in all their leaked glory: The supposed changes offer a more flat style than we’re used to, which is an element of design that’s certain to get more popular with Apple’s latest changes in iOS 7. The icons aren’t so dramatically different that they’re unrecognizable, but they’re different enough that people using their phones every day will take notice. Whether it’s pleasing to your eye is up to you. When should we expect them? Not sure, though we’d bet a bit of money that Google would make the change whenever they bring their redesigned Android apps we’ve been hearing about lately. And here’s a fun little corkscrew to all of this for you icon pack makers: someone has already recreated these rumored icons in vector format, giving you high-quality versions of them that you can use for whatever you see fit. The files are offered up in Adobe Illustrator format, so it’s going to take a tad bit of elbow grease to get them up and running in an icon pack. It’s just too bad Android doesn’t have built-in support for changing icons (though there are a few custom launchers out there that are up to the task). Let us know if any of you handy developers or themers do something with the icons below! [via Reddit] |
| Verizon announces plan savings for month-to-month customers to jump to MORE Everything Posted: 14 Apr 2014 11:03 AM PDT Verizon Wireless is announcing some new plan savings for those who still happen to be on month-to-month plans (read: those hanging onto their unlimited data for dear life). Starting April 17th, existing customers still on month-to-month contracts can get $10 or $25 off their monthly service by moving to Verizon’s MORE Everything plan. Here’s how you know which savings you’ll be entitled to:
And it’s as simple as that. New customers bringing a Verizon-compatible phone they already own or jumping onto an Edge plan are also entitled to these savings. It’s not quite the flat rate that T-Mobile provides under their Simple Choice plans, but it’s a start.
Unfortunately Verizon says this will only be available for a limited time, so you’ll want to take advantage as soon as possible once the floodgates open this Thursday. Existing customers will be able to login to their MyVerizon account and make necessary plan changes to get the savings they desire, so be sure to take care of that if you’re already currently eligible for the upcoming deal. [via Verizon] |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:51 AM PDT Not that we need formal confirmation, but some new slides presented in the Apple vs Samsung battle of 2014 have confirmed that Android originally didn’t implement a way to input commands, text or anything else by way of touch screen. As early as 2006, Android was designed to be a platform controlled by nothing but buttons. “Touchscreens will not be supported. The product was designed with the presence of discrete physical buttons as an assumption. However, there is nothing fundamental in the products [SIC] architecture that prevents the support of touchscreens in the future." We’d always assumed as much, with early snapshots of the Android SDK and Emulator portraying a Blackberry-esque device with trackpads and a full hardware QWERTY. What we actually ended up with was the G1 and a platform that was almost completely driven by touch. That platform got even more button-independent when the MyTouch 3G dared to ditch the hardware keyboard. The rest, as they say it, is history. For what it’s worth, the document confirms that all the other staples of the Android platform — such as widgets, notifications and user-made apps — have all been there from jump street. The point of the slide was to confirm that Google didn’t have intentions to introduce touch until after the original iPhone was announced in 2007, which should stand to help Apple in their whole “Samsung is copying us” hissy-fit they’re having. On the contrary, it confirms suspicions that Apple is using their latest battle against Samsung to target Android as a whole, which is the reason Google and the key executives responsible for Android have been pulled into the courtroom. [via Recode] |
| HTC One M8 said to be coming in plastic variant Posted: 14 Apr 2014 08:49 AM PDT Want a plastic HTC One M8? Me neither, but according to the latest rumors we could be getting one sometime soon. TMT Post is reporting that HTC is planning to introduce a plastic version of their 2014 flagship smartphone. What will the differences be? Well, it’ll be the same exact phone, except without all that plastic that makes it feel like something that costs a whole lot of money. The new version will apparently be lighter, cheaper and should quell the fears of anyone who thinks metal hampers the mobile experience. Apparently the device will sell for the equivalent of about $483, whereas the original is about $700. Those are pretty steep savings indeed, though it’ll be up to you to decide if that extra wadge of metal is worth another $200. [via G for Games] |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 sales already said to be in the “millions” range Posted: 14 Apr 2014 08:07 AM PDT Samsung will have plenty to celebrate this week after another successful launch of a flagship. According to ZDNet Korea, the company has already surpassed 1 million in sales, and the train doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Demand is reportedly outpacing supply in many European countries, with some customers having to be turned away at certain stores and carriers. The Galaxy S5 is said to be selling between 30% and 100% better than the Samsung Galaxy S4 did in the same time, lending credence to the belief that the Galaxy S5 was a more exciting jump over its predecessor than the Galaxy S4 was. It’s also possible that this feat was bolstered thanks to a simultaneous global launch as opposed to the staggered launch we’ve become used to. Either way, it’s good news for Samsung. It’s especially good news considering the stiff competition Samsung has had to deal with this go-round. It’s not often your launch of a flagship device is met with the launch of a legit competitor’s flagship at nearly the exact same time, so to be able to pull these sales numbers without much of an issue makes it all the more impressive. Of course, it’ll take a lot more than that to get the Galaxy S5 admitted into the illustrious 10 million club, but we have a feeling Samsung won’t have a problem achieving that. Were you one of the millions of souls who helped contribute to this sales feat? Let us know in the comments! |
| T-Mobile UNcarrier Day 3 of 3: get rid of carrier overages Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:56 AM PDT We thought T-Mobile would be announcing day 3 of their latest “UNcarrier” announcements last Friday — the first two days consisted of new plans and affordable connected tablets — but we had to wait a full weekend to hear anything (which CEO John Legere says was done to help support the launch of two of the year’s biggest smartphones). The day has finally come, though, with T-Mobile capping off this hat-trick with an announcement that they’re abolishing domestic carrier overages. “The old carriers' entry-level plans lure you in with a low monthly cost for a fixed amount of domestic minutes, texts or data. Once you go over those limits – even by a little – you're hit with bill shock,” said CEO John Legere in a blog post today. “On behalf of all U.S. wireless consumers, we're putting an end to the fear of getting one too many pics or clicking on one too many links – and bam. You're hit with overages. Not at the Un-carrier.” Simply put, they don’t want to charge you for accidentally sending a few too many texts or talking a couple of extra minutes. These changes will apply to all “consumer customers,” which likely means those on a business account might be subject to different rules. Regardless, it’s a pretty ballsy change, and T-Mobile is challenging other carriers to follow suit. They’ve gone as far as creating a Change.org petition that calls on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon to fall in line with the vision. T-Mobile has always been pretty bold about calling out carriers and forcing them to compete, but this is the first time they’ve done something to make that happen in a tangible way. Consumers can head to the petition here and sign it if they want to try and coerce these carriers into making similar changes. And if that doesn’t work, well, you can just as easily switch to T-Mobile. We’ll be awaiting the fine print on these changes before truly jumping for joy, but if T-Mobile’s other long string of unorthodox moves are anything to go by, we can be sure they aren’t pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes. |
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