Android Phone Fans |
- Google Now update helps you remember where you parked your car
- Verizon’s Sony Xperia Z2 leaked on Sony Google+ page
- Best Android Phones [May 2014]
- Amazon’s upcoming smartphone leaked in crisp and clear detail
- Phan Favs: The Best Messaging App for Android [RESULTS]
- Foursquare introduces Swarm, the new way to get together with your friends
- T-Mobile becomes fastest growing wireless company; over 2 million net customer additions for the first time ever
- Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy S3 KitKat upgrade now rolling out [Download Link]
- Deal: Verizon Mother’s Day sale takes $100 off the HTC One M8, Galaxy S5 and more
- Snapchat update adds text chat and video calling
- Deal: Motorola’s one-day $299 Moto X sale is now live
| Google Now update helps you remember where you parked your car Posted: 01 May 2014 05:59 PM PDT Google Now just keeps getting better and better. The latest update adds a handy new feature for those who can’t seem to remember where they parked their cars. The app will use its location wizardry to figure out where you parked your car, and will remind you of its location should you happen to forget. It won’t pinpoint its exact coordinates for you, but should give you a pretty good idea of its general area and save you the time it’d take to hunt it down. Neat. Simple. Useful. One of those features you didn’t know you needed, but might come to appreciate should you ever happen to get a mild case of amnesia. The update is rolling out now over in the Google Play Store so point your phone there and let it go to work. [via Google+] |
| Verizon’s Sony Xperia Z2 leaked on Sony Google+ page Posted: 01 May 2014 05:51 PM PDT Verizon is one of the last carriers we would have guessed to be in line for the Sony Xperia Z2. It’s not that they aren’t interested in getting some of the hottest phones, but Sony has been struggling to appeal to more than T-Mobile here in the United States. That could be changing soon, though, as Sony has accidentally leaked a Verizon-branded version of the device on their Google+ page. The page was quickly removed, of course, but not before the internet was able to archive the goodness for all to see. The Xperia Z2 is by far Sony’s best phone yet, although we still can’t seem to fall in love with those oversized bezels. It’s easy to fall in love with the rest of its tale of the tape, though, which includes a 5.2-inch 1080p HD display, a quad-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset, 3GB of RAM and more. With press materials seemingly being readied to get the marketing train rolling we could be seeing the device quite soon. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take too long for Sony and Verizon to come with the news we want to here. [via Android Police] |
| Best Android Phones [May 2014] Posted: 01 May 2014 12:05 PM PDT May has arrived and thoughts of summer vacation are already on the mind. The weather is heating up and so is the smartphone competition. A few newcomers made their debut in April shifting the balance of our rankings and forcing some of last month's contenders to the sidelines. Read on to find out what Android phone is the one you will want to have poolside come Memorial Day. 5 — Nexus 5The Nexus 5 might lack fancy features like fingerprint scanners, heart rate monitors, and waterproofing, but you can't really argue with what is considered Google’s benchmark implementation of Android for developers and users alike. The Nexus line is in need of an update (and will reportedly be revamped as part of the Android Silver initiative) if it wants to stay competitive with phones like the HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5 in terms of hardware, but a direct pipeline to Android updates from Google has its own benefits. Attractive off-contract pricing continues to be a major draw of this phone designed for Android purists. 4 — LG G Pro 2We get the sense that the G Pro 2 will quietly slide into irrelevancy, sandwiched between the launches of LG’s G2 and the G3, its upcoming followup, but for now it remains one of the best Android phones on the market, at least in terms of sheer device power and performance. A large display and powerful Snapdragon processing keep us lusting after the G Pro 2 even if hopes of a US release will likely vanish with the announcement of the G3. 3 — Sony Xperia Z2For all the fanfare surrounding the Xperia Z2 at Mobile World Congress, the phones launch came and went rather quietly this month. Sony's marketing and release strategy aside, the Xperia Z2 offers all the features you could want from a top-notch Android smartphone, including an excellent camera and crisp display, while bringing extras like waterproof construction. Package it in Sony's stylish design and it's enough to keep us begging the Japanese tech giant for a proper US release. Word on the street is that customers in the States will be able to pick up the device unlocked this summer. 2 — Samsung Galaxy S5The most high profile launch of April is a no-brainer for our top five, but the Galaxy S5 didn't show us enough to overtake the number one rank. A solid, if a bit iterative, upgrade over last year's Galaxy S4, the S5 mixes a beautiful 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with innovative features like a fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor. IP67 certification for resistance to dust and water might just be the phone's best feature, but Samsung's bloated software drowns out many of these positives. 1 — HTC One M8HTC has come a long way since the early days of Android and there is no bigger testament to this fact than the One M8. The latest flagship from HTC gets so many things right, from design and build quality to the subtly tweaked implementation of Sense 6.0 and Android KitKat. The release of the Galaxy S5, which threatened the One M8's spot on our list, only solidifies our opinion that HTC's offering is the Android smartphone to own. Honorable Mention
Phones to look forward toOppo Find 7/Find 7a This highly anticipated duo of Android smartphones will finally launch next month. The real question is whether or not buyers will take a gamble on the relatively unknown Oppo, a Chinese OEM lacking in international brand recognition. We found the Find 7a to be a strong device with impeccable hardware and bleeding-edge specs, but it's hard to predict whether or not the phone will see it's share of success. Say what you will about the controversy surrounding OnePlus as a company, but their OnePlus One handset is an intriguing Android device for several reasons, the most notable of which is its top-notch hardware compliment that will sell for a disproportionally cheap $300. The OnePlus One promises to be one of the best deals on the market, but there is doubt as to whether or not the company will meet consumer expectations. The early outlook, however, is hopeful. Rumor MillWith Samsung and HTC seeing their flagship devices for 2014 already reaching the hands of consumers, LG is likely not far behind. A recently announced May 27th press event could feature the debut of the LG G3, a smartphone rumored to house some ridiculous specs, including a 5.5-inch display with an insane resolution of 2560 x 1440. That's enough to get us mighty excited. Motorola's Moto X followup Likewise, Motorola will be holding their own press event this month, leaving many industry observers wondering just what we will see. Scheduled for May 13th, Moto is promising a device that is "made to last" and "built for all." This, of course, could be the anticipated followup to the Moto X, which is said to feature expanded customization options. It could be, however, that we see the low-priced Moto E instead. Amazon Best SellersCheck out Amazon's full list of best sellers to see where the phones we chose above rank, but here are the top 10 that didn't make our list for the month of April. These won't necessarily provide you with the latest or greatest Android device, but there are still some deals to be had on slightly older yet still adequate smartphones.
What say you?That's our list, what about yours? The battle between the Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8 is sure to stir up plenty of debate this month. Did we get the ranking right or would you have it differently? Let us know your pick for the top Android phone as of May 2014! |
| Amazon’s upcoming smartphone leaked in crisp and clear detail Posted: 01 May 2014 11:53 AM PDT Looks like things might be moving along quite smoothly with Amazon’s smartphone project, with the latest leak being as clear of a look as we’ve ever gotten of the device. The first time we saw this thing it was bundled up inside a rather ugly prototype case, but here’s our first look at its bare chassis. Note that the device in the picture is only a render, but the real deal should resemble it quite closely What can we say about it? Well, it looks like a smartphone — not a ton you can do that hasn’t already been done. The design is interesting, though, with Amazon going with what looks to be a cross between industrial strength and premium sleekness. Unfortunately we can’t tell what sort of material they’ll be using, but some combination of polycarbonate and metal certainly doesn’t sound out of the question. Amazon’s phone will likely use a modified version of the same Fire OS that’s found on Kindle tablets, which stand to highlight Amazon’s content library of books, music, movies, apps, games and more. It’ll be Android, but not quite like you’re used to. One unique aspect of this phone is how Amazon will be delivering data — they’ll be partnering with AT&T for “Prime Data,” if rumors are to be believed. Prime Data is rumored to be an exclusive data package for Amazon’s phone that will have a data cap for all but Amazon’s instant video and MP3 streaming. Not a bad deal if that ends up being true. The smartphone is said to be due in the third quarter of this year, and we’ll be just as eager as you are to see it finally brought into light. [via BGR] |
| Phan Favs: The Best Messaging App for Android [RESULTS] Posted: 01 May 2014 10:06 AM PDT Phan Favs is a recurring feature that turns the tables and asks you, the readers, about the best apps and games. It's your turn to drop some knowledge on us! Read more. Communicating with people is one of the biggest functions of a smartphone. There is an almost infinite amount of apps that can be used to communicate in some form. Which ones are the best? Last week we asked you to tell us which messaging apps you use. These apps could be used for SMS, instant messaging, video chat, or all three. After one full week we have tallied the votes. Here are your picks for the Top 5 Messaging Apps for Android. 1. HangoutsIn a landslide victory Google’s own SMS/instant messaging app was your top pick. Hangouts started life as Google Chat/Talk, but recently was converted to a proprietary messaging service. In the past year Google has also added the ability to send SMS with Hangouts, and made it the default messaging app on Nexus devices. It can do video chat, voice calls, group chats, send photos, and just about everything else you’d expect. 2. Textra SMSComing in at second place is Textra, a beautifully simple SMS replacement. This app aims to be a replacement for the bland SMS apps that come on most Android devices. It has a few different themes to choose from, over 800 emojis, animated GIF support, a quick reply pop-up window, group messaging, and so much more. If you just want something a little more feature-packed than the stock SMS app this is a nice choice. 3. Handcent SMSHandcent calls itself the “most popular messaging app on the Android platform.” It has certainly been around for a long time, and apparently people are still using the crap out of it. What Handcent lacks in design it makes up for with features. It has a handy pop-up quick reply windows, Facebook profile photo sync, tons of themes and skins, group chat, cloud backup, and so much more. 4. StockSometimes the SMS app that comes on your phone is good enough. Samsung, HTC, LG, and others all have slightly different stock SMS apps. If you don’t do a lot of texting you might not care what it looks like. Apparently a good portion of you fall into this category. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just because you can change the SMS app doesn’t mean you have to. 5. Evolve SMSOne of the best looking SMS apps available for Android is Evolve SMS. This app fully embraces all of the Android design guidelines, and looks great doing it. The interface allows you to slide easily between conversations, and a pop-up makes it easy to quickly respond. There is group messaging, gestures, widgets, themes, tons of emojis, customizeable notifications, and much more. *** Those are your picks! Thanks for sharing your favorite apps with us. If you think your pick got snubbed make your case for it in the comments. Check out the chart below to see how the voting went for the top ten apps. We’ll be back next week with another edition of Phan Favs. Don’t miss it! |
| Foursquare introduces Swarm, the new way to get together with your friends Posted: 01 May 2014 09:53 AM PDT It’s probably accurate to say Foursquare isn’t nearly as fresh of an experience as it was a couple short years ago, and the company is looking to do something about. They are calling it Swarm, a new app that separates the “where are my friends” portion of the experience. The base Foursquare app will still serve to be your headquarters for checking into wherever you go or discovering new places, but Swarm is where you’ll go to see where all your friends are and what they’re up to. Swarm makes it easy to share what you’re doing, who you’re with and to make plans with those nearby. Foursquare didn’t go too in-depth with why they couldn’t fit all of this into one app, but they did give us a hint of their future plans. They say Foursquare in its current state is like a digital Yellow Pages — they want it to be a lot more personal than that. They’ll be doing so by adding personalized recommendations based on past check-ins and ratings. We’re told to stay tuned, and we’ll be doing just that. As for Swarm? The app isn’t available quite yet, though it shouldn’t be longer than a quick couple of weeks before you’re able to play along. You can sgin up to be notified of its available right now if you’re interested. [via Foursquare] |
| Posted: 01 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT For the first quarter in T-Mobile’s storied history, the company has surpassed 2 million net customer additions. The exact number is around 2.4 million (1.3 million of which were typical post-paid additions) in case you were wondering. This would make it their 8th consecutive quarter with over 1 million additions, which thrusts them into the spotlight as one of the fastest growing wireless companies in America. T-Mobile’s revenues were up 47% year-over-year, though they still suffered a slight decline in average revenue per customer of about 1.4%. That decline represents a slowdown of a negative trend, though, as it’s an improvement over a drop of 2.9% from the previous quarter. Other choice numbers pulled from the quarterly results:
With that, it’s needless to say that T-Mobile has done something right with their un-carrier strategy, and they’ll certainly look to continue throughout 2014 (at least until someone buys them out, which analysts say could happen by the end of the year). [via T-Mobile] |
| Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy S3 KitKat upgrade now rolling out [Download Link] Posted: 01 May 2014 07:25 AM PDT If you still happen to be on a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S3 and have been yearning for KitKat, today’s your lucky day — they’ve unleashed the beast and it’s ready and waiting for you to download it. Sprint’s changelog wasn’t very detailed, as the only information they gave us was that it brings us up to KitKat. What does that mean? Better memory management, support for translucent system bars and the ability to easily specify your preferred messaging app, for starters. The full breadth of information about the latest version of Android can be had here, so give that a quick gander if you need to be caught up to speed. Once you’ve done all that, be sure to charge your phone to at least 50% and get on WiFi to check for it over the air (Settings > More > System Update > Update Samsung Software > Check Now). Don’t mind a manual flash? Grab the file from Google’s own servers right here, and don’t forget that you’ll have to be on the latest stock firmware (that means no root or custom ROM / recovery) to flash it. |
| Deal: Verizon Mother’s Day sale takes $100 off the HTC One M8, Galaxy S5 and more Posted: 01 May 2014 06:48 AM PDT More great deals for more great phones are rolling in just in time for Mother’s Day. Big Red (our affectionate code name for Verizon) is knocking $100 off some of their biggest and best phones. The latest flagships by HTC and Samsung — the HTC One M8 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 — are taken down to just $99.99 on a new two-year contract. Meanwhile, the phablet known as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 gets taken down to about $200. For what it’s worth, the HTC One Max has also been knocked down to $99.99 if you’re interested in the only phablet HTC has released to date. The deals are all sitting right here, and will be available to you until the day after Mother’s Day — that’s May 12th if you haven’t been keeping up on your calendar. Need to see if any of these phones are worth your hard-earned money? Look no further than the collection of handy links below. Samsung Galaxy S5 Review | HTC One M8 Review | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Review |
| Snapchat update adds text chat and video calling Posted: 01 May 2014 05:43 AM PDT Snapchat is getting a lot more chatty today with an upgrade that stands to make it a more viable all-around messaging platform. The newest feature — simply named Chat — allows you and a buddy to have a conversation using nothing but text. How’s it different from SMS, or something like Hangouts, Facebook Messenger or GroupMe? After both sides have viewed any message, that message will get whisked away just as photos do. They’ve even made it so that participants can strike up a video call if both are present in the chat at the same time (an exchange which obviously won’t be recorded). Snapchat may not have proven themselves as the most secure platform out there, but if you aren’t exchanging too many unpleasantries that you absolutely wouldn’t want anyone else to see it’s a very interesting platform for friends to chat in a different way. Head to Google Play for the upgrade. [via Snapchat] |
| Deal: Motorola’s one-day $299 Moto X sale is now live Posted: 01 May 2014 04:55 AM PDT If you didn’t already have your alarms set to wake up and get a Moto X for $299 this morning, then let this serve as a handy wake-up call. It’s simple: design your off-contract customized Moto X — either the 16GB standard edition, the 32GB standard edition, or the developer edition — and checkout. The latter two options cost just $24 more than typical pricing, so be sure to consider that if you think you might need more storage or want the flexibility of an unlockable botloader. The sale ends at 11:59pm eastern tonight so hop to it quick. |
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