Android Phone Fans |
- LG says all-metal G3 would have cost $300 more than regular price
- Contract-free Verizon Moto G now only $50 [DEALS]
- Android 4.4.3 factory images now available for Nexus 4, 5, 7, and 10 [DOWNLOAD]
- Here’s our first solid release date for the LG G3
- Top 6 ways iOS is becoming more like Android
- Google Now is killing Android apps
- Shots Fired: Apple takes aim at Android at WWDC 2014 iOS 8 reveal
- T-Mobile Nexus devices getting Android 4.4.3 today
- Pushbullet beta comes to Google Play for fearless explorers
- Samsung’s first Tizen phone is finally here — beginning of the end for Galaxy?
- HP finally reveals new SlateBook 14 and 11-inch Chromebook
- Dell brings us a pair of new Android-based Venue tablets at Computex 2014
- ASUS announces range of new Android tablets, including a “5-in-1″ Android/Windows hybrid
| LG says all-metal G3 would have cost $300 more than regular price Posted: 02 Jun 2014 05:50 PM PDT We still don’t have any sort of official pricing of the LG G3, but we figure it’ll hit somewhere around current flagships offered by rival OEMs. Boasting some of the most high-ended specs you can throw on a smartphone, there’s no question LG is going to have to cut some corners if they hope to keep profits high on the device. One area some were a little confused/let down on was LG’s choice to once again go for plastic on the flagship. While metal is no doubt more premium feeling, it’s clear plastic is more economical. But exactly how much more would an all metal LG G3 run you? Well, according to LG’s Vice President of Mobile Design Chul Bae Lee — around $300 extra. In an interview with TrustedReviews, Lee defends his company’s choice to go with a faux metal plastic, citing costs they simple couldn’t pass on to the consumer. He also mentions metal would have made the phone heavier, more slippery, and added to bulkier bezels all around. Well, we’re not sure hot HTC managed to pull it off, but then again they haven’t been posting the most spectacular financials. Maybe there’s some logic behind plastic after all. |
| Contract-free Verizon Moto G now only $50 [DEALS] Posted: 02 Jun 2014 04:59 PM PDT Last week we told you guys about a wicked deal on a contract-free Motorola Moto G for Verizon Wireless. Normally priced at $100, the phone saw its priced slashed to only $70 on Amazon. Now it looks like Best Buy is 1-uping that deal, offering the prepaid Verizon Moto G for only $50 straight up. While you’ll no longer be tied down to a contract, don’t forget that this model will only connect to Verizon’s 3G — no 4G LTE here, folks. Still, even at $50, the Moto G makes an excellent WiFi-only device media player for the kiddies, or there’s even talk that the phone can be activated on a normal Verizon Wireless line (with a contract), just don’t hold us to it. Directions are as follows:
Link for the $50 Moto G at Best Buy provided below. Hurry, we’re not sure how long this deal will last. [Best Buy: Moto G $50] |
| Android 4.4.3 factory images now available for Nexus 4, 5, 7, and 10 [DOWNLOAD] Posted: 02 Jun 2014 03:41 PM PDT After T-Mobile tipped us off that Android 4.4.3 wold be arriving today, Google has just released the new factory images for the Nexus 4 (build KTU84L), Nexus 5 (build KTU84M), Nexus 7 (2013 + 2012), and Nexus 10 on their images and binaries download page. You can either sit tigh and wait for the update to hit your device over the air, or download and apply via fastboot if you have knowledge in that sorta stuff. Have at it! [Google factory images | Drivers | AOSP] |
| Here’s our first solid release date for the LG G3 Posted: 02 Jun 2014 03:27 PM PDT We know many of you are anxiously awaiting the release of the LG G3. The most decked out, spec’d out phone this year, we watched as all 4 major US carriers were quick to announce the phone was indeed coming, but wouldn’t commit to a solid launch date. Well, according to The Verge, we now have a better idea of when we can expect to see the phone outside of its homeland of Korea. The UK retailer Carphone Warehouse has confirmed that the phone is gearing up for a July 1st release, with pre-orders beginning tomorrow. And the bad news? Apparently, it looks as if wireless charging will not come standard in the Korean or US models, although it will come standard in every model outside those regions. Probably not the best news, as we saw last years, the LG G2 for Verizon Wireless was the only model to feature wireless induction charging standard. The good news is that with a removable back, it’s entirely possible we’ll see LG release wireless charging backs for an additional sum of money, or the wireless charging Quick Circle flip case is always another viable option. For those that missed it, don’t forget to check out our hands-on video with the LG G3 below, and a quick gallery of photos in the original post here. |
| Top 6 ways iOS is becoming more like Android Posted: 02 Jun 2014 02:13 PM PDT For many an Android fanboy, we know enough about Apple’s shortcomings with iOS not to be swayed by the prospect of a few dozen more applications and games. For many years, we’ve watched as Apple — slowly but surely — began implementing many of Androids best features into iOS, repackaging them as their own. This year’s WWDC 2014 was no different and those of you that watched the live stream of the event know that Apple was up to their same old tricks, reinventing many features we as Android users have been enjoying for years. We ain’t even mad. They made a good effort. Now, let’s take a look at best 6 “new” features in iOS 8, and see how they compare with their Android counterparts. Keyboard with predictive text / 3rd party keyboard supportIt’s probably the biggest pet-peeve many have had with iOS since its not so humble beginnings: lack of 3rd party keyboard support. Apple confined all its users to their keyboard, and their keyboard only. Why? Because they know best. To be fair, Apple’s keyboard is one of the better software keyboards and for iOS 8 and the inclusion of predictive text (ala Google Keyboard), makes it even better. But that’s only half the equation. The other half is that after all these years, the new Tim Cook lead Apple is finally allowing 3rd party keyboards in the App Store. I know, it’s almost silly to watch as iOS fanboys everywhere lauded the new move, but when you’ve been in shackles for so long, it’s easy to get excited at the ray of sunshine peeking through the crack of a cell wall. While no 3rd party keyboard apps were specifically mentioned, we did see a mockup of Swype working on iOS 8 and we’re sure SwiftKey is already busy coding up something for iOS 8 as well. WidgetsJust like we saw with 3rd party keyboards, we’re seeing another big with the slightly more “open” iOS this year. Addressing complaints since the dawn of iOS, Apple is finally introducing — wait for it — widgets in iOS 8… Well, sort of. No, you can’t place them on the homescreen. Instead, developers can take advantage of new APIs that they can use to place widgets inside of Notification Center. They’re pretty functional too, showing information like sports scores or eBay auctions. But don’t expect to see the same robust widgets that we’ve enjoyed on Android all these years. As so often is the case, iOS’ implementation is much more simple. Actionable notificationsAndroid’s notifications panel saw a major redesign back during Ice Cream Sandwich and it only got better in Jelly Bean. Apple, still being somewhat new to the concept of notifications (Notification Center debuted back in iOS 5), is now finally introducing new actionable notifications for iOS 8. Soon, users will be able to interact with their notifications while inside another app, without having to jump inside another app to respond or address a notification. Sliding down a notification banner will display actionable items, giving users the ability to reply to SMS messages, address calendar events, or like a comment on Facebook. Once again, it’s not the same robustness we’ve seen on Android, but something is better than nothing. MessagesFor iOS 8, Apple is introducing a handful of new features that brings Messages closer to Hangouts than ever. First up, iOS users will soon be able to send their location to other friends and/or family, handy when you don’t feel like searching for or typing up an address. Also new is the ability to send short video or voice messages. Once again, useful when you’re hands aren’t free to type something out. If you’ve been using Hangouts on iOS, you’d know that a few months ago they added the ability to send video messages (although it’s not available in the Android version yet). So we’ll hand it to Apple, they done did good. What’s more is messages can be set to self-destruct a la Snapchat and they also added new options for group messaging so users can finally leave group chats, or rename them. Apple is also making it extremely easy to receive calls and messages from your phone on your OSX computer. Of course, you can do this right now using Hangouts and it works whether you’re using OSX or Windows. However, we will admit, Apple’s implementation is nice in that it works right out of the box with little-to-no setup. Extensions (sharing)The crowd went nuts when Apple announced the extensions for iOS 8. Essentially a way for apps to communicate with one another, it’s just another feature we’ve long enjoyed on Android for countless releases. Of course, Apple is using it a bit differently in that developers will first need to enable this feature in their apps. Once (if) they do, it will be possible to open up a picture in the Photos app, and share it to a photo editing app. We know, your minds are blown. The benefit Android has is that sharing is built into the core OS. In other words, “It just works.” Always-listening SiriIt’s a killer feature found on the Motorola Moto X (and technically possible on any Snapdragon 800 device): the ability to send voice commands to your phone without ever touching it. Apple is adding this breakthrough new feature in Siri for iOS 8, allowing users to speak the command, “Hey Siri,” (much like “Okay Google Now”) and further direct the phone to perform searches, or queue up Shazam to identify a song. *****Before we leave, we just want to say we’re not trying to start a flame war. Although it can be fun to play devil’s advocate, we get it. At the end of the day, both mobile Android and iOS are great and serve their specific purpose. While we agree that it can be irritating to watch another company bite/copy/steal some of Android’s best ideas, it’s just the evolution of modern software and something that comes with the turf. Borrow one idea, improve it, and so forth. We’ve felt for awhile now that mobile OS’ will soon match each other in terms of features, and at the end of the day, which platform you align yourself with is your prerogative. Still, when it comes to openness, customizations, and options — we still choose Android. |
| Google Now is killing Android apps Posted: 02 Jun 2014 01:56 PM PDT As some of you may know, last week I went away on my honeymoon. I am not someone who does a lot of traveling, so whenever I go on a big trip I download a bunch of travel apps that I think I will need. TripIt, Yelp, Foursquare, and Delta Airlines are a few of the apps I tried. Something very interesting happened while using all of these apps, and it’s something I’ve noticed in the past. Google Now was providing much of the same information that all of these apps could, and it was doing it equally as well or even better. By the end of the trip I uninstalled most of the travel apps and just relied on Google Now. Other Google apps have had the same effect on me in the past. On the surface this may sound great, but could it be the beginning of the end for Android? The GoodAs I mentioned above, Google Now is great for consumers. At the airport it was invaluable for quickly locating gate numbers and flight times. Google Now updated with new information faster than Delta’s own app when one of my flights got delayed. It would also get the gate number for connected flights faster than any other app I used. Having all of this information just a swipe away was incredibly handy. Google Now can do much more than just travel. It was also telling me the weather at my destinations without me ever having to ask, and remembering where we parked our car. Of course, as you know, Google Now also provides suggestions for nearby places and events. The list of applications that were created to do these sorts of things is gigantic. Now it can all be done with one app from Google. So where is the problem? Remember how popular Dolphin Browser was back in the day? Now that Google Chrome has come along you hardly hear about it. Other Google apps like Keep, Hangouts, Play Music, Play Games, Device Manager, and Drive have stepped on the toes of popular 3rd-party offerings. The BadOne app being able to do the job of many other apps is great for consumers, but not for developers. Suddenly the app that you spent time and money on has been replaced by an app that comes pre-installed on most phones. Some phones can even access Google Now right from the launcher with a swipe to the left. This is an unfair advantage over other Android apps. It’s no surprise that Google Now and other official Google apps have had an impact on developers. One example of this happening is in our Phan Favs polls. In one poll we asked you to tell us which apps you use to check the weather. There are hundreds of great weather apps available in the Google Play Store. Many of them have powerful tools, but the super simple Google Now came in 4th place. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it’s always there and you don’t need to install an app to do it. When we asked about messaging apps you picked Hangouts by a landslide, and in our music poll you selected Play Music by a mile. So what?Developers get turned off when consumers stop downloading apps because the core OS can do most of the things they need. One recent example of this is Microsoft’s Windows Phone. In the beginning Microsoft built it to do almost everything you would want without the help of apps. You could even use Facebook and Twitter without installing an app. I don’t need to tell you about the app problem Windows Phone has now. iOS was the opposite. If you don’t install any apps on your iPhone there isn’t a ton that you can do. Hence the need for apps and the massive App Store that followed. Right now Android is closer to iOS on the spectrum, but it is quickly filling up with more Google apps. As we’ve found out in our Phan Favs polls, Android users are flocking to Google’s own app offerings. This is good for Google, but it could be bad for the future of Android. Developers are the life blood of any successful ecosystem. What about you? Do you find yourself using less and less 3rd-party apps in favor of Google’s apps? Has Google Now replaced other apps on your phone? Do you think these things are bad for Android? Let us know! |
| Shots Fired: Apple takes aim at Android at WWDC 2014 iOS 8 reveal Posted: 02 Jun 2014 11:51 AM PDT An Apple event wouldn’t be an Apple event without them trying to take shots at the competition. After going over the (awesome-looking) new changes to Mac OS X Yosemite, Apple decided to talk about iOS 8 and all the new changes they’re planning to bring. But before they dove into the meaty bits, they took a quick few minutes to talk about none other than Android. Tim Cook had no problem ridiculing Android from several different angles. For starters, he says most of the folks who first bought an Android phone and then bought an iPhone afterward basically admitted to making a big mistake. He used that infamous 97% customer satisfaction value to back that point up, natch. Timmy also went on to cite the other typical numbers folks use to bash Android. He reminded us that only 9% of Android’s install base is on the latest version compared to 89% for iOS. And of those running Android, over a third of them are still running a version from over four years ago. He cheated a bit there: the only way he could have come to that conclusion is if he lumped Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread together, with the former being just about three years old. That’s what the numbers found over at the Android Platform Distributions site tell us, anyway. And let’s not forget to mention the fact that Gingerbread is only 3.5 years old — not a far cry from 4, but his statement is certainly not factual. Regardless, the point stands and stings: a ton of people are still on what can be seen as archaic versions of Android. He bent the truth a little by claiming that those on older versions of Android don’t get new features. We all know that’s not quite true considering Google has a habit of delivering new features using apps and updates to Google Play Services, some of which are compatible with all versions of Android dating back to Froyo. Also, last we checked not all iPhones and iPads got all the latest features in those iOS upgrades (we’re looking at you, Siri). Finally, Cook didn’t disappoint by pulling out the “hot” new buzzword that everyone uses to bash Android — mobile malware, and how Android is subject to 99% of it (though how much of it actually affects end users is an entirely different matter all together). We’re not surprised that Apple is looking to bash Android into the ground at every opportunity they can get. That’s marketing and business, and it isn’t quite as taboo as when the company was still being run by the late Steve Jobs. But there’s something to be said about plucking obscure numbers out of the air in selective fashion while dodging the ones that truly matter — Android’s 79% of the global smartphone market share as of January 2014. Sure, Android’s popularity may be more about accessibility (namely, its ability to meet the price point of any budget) than anything else, but at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter how Android ascended to the throne: it only matters that it got there. Truth be told, iOS 8 looks quite nice. Apple’s finally crafted an upgrade that feels more evolutionary than iterative, and it’s the first time in a long time that it doesn’t feel like they’re playing catch-up to Android. But it’s going to take a lot more than new features, petty shots at the competition and skewed information to recapture the huge sector of the market they lost while they were lollygagging for the past few years. The ball is in Google’s court now, and a Google event wouldn’t be a Google event without a few jabs of their own. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Google will fire back at I/O later this month by introducing lots of exciting new features because it finally seems like Apple is bringing some real heat. Be sure to keep tabs on all the latest from Apple’s WWDC 2014 by heading to our friends at iSource. |
| T-Mobile Nexus devices getting Android 4.4.3 today Posted: 02 Jun 2014 09:49 AM PDT T-Mobile has announced that several of their Nexus devices — including the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and 2013 Nexus 7 — should be getting Android 4.4.3 starting today. As expected, the update isn’t big and doesn’t bring much in the way of new or exciting features. It’s mostly a bug fixer that should do a decent amount of house cleaning. T-Mobile’s release notes don’t go into too much detail about said changes, though, so we’ll have to wait for some coders to get their palms greased and dive in head first. Those with the Nexus Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 should be looking for version KTU84L, while the Nexus 5 should be getting KTU84M. The updates are identical in size at around 54MB each, and you should be able to come up from almost any prior version (as long as you haven’t rooted or installed custom ROMs, obviously). The staggered OTA process is expected to run between June 2nd and June 9th, after which you’ll be able to apply it manually if you so please. Head to the Settings > About Phone menu to check for updates, but not before making sure you’re on WiFi and charging your battery up to at least 50%. [via T-Mobile 1 | 2 | 3] |
| Pushbullet beta comes to Google Play for fearless explorers Posted: 02 Jun 2014 08:31 AM PDT Pushbullet already pushes out (no pun intended) features at an alarming pace, but if you need to be at the very edge of development you can now participate in their beta program via Google Play. It’s as easy as joining a beta program has ever been — join the community here, then opt into the beta here. Simple, no? From there you’ll be delivered updates of all the latest features before they’re ready for gen-pop. They also announced an update to their Windows app that adds support for notification mirroring so be sure to check that out if you’re into that sort of thing. [via Pushbullet] |
| Samsung’s first Tizen phone is finally here — beginning of the end for Galaxy? Posted: 02 Jun 2014 08:09 AM PDT Samsung’s finally done it, folks — they’ve brought their first Tizen-based smartphone. It’s the Samsung Z. No Galaxy in the name, naturally, because it doesn’t run Android. It’s very much a Samsung phone, though. It features TouchWiz with S Health 3.0, a fingerprint scanner, and a heart rate monitor. It has a 2.3Ghz quad-core processor 2GB of RAM. And it even has that familiar faux leather back that some of Samsung’s latest products have been sporting. Unfortunately the display doesn’t quite match up at 4.8 inches and 720p resolution, but that’s good enough for any decent smartphone.     So what now? Is Samsung going to make a full-fledged attempt to replace their Android-based Galaxy lineup with Tizen-based offerings like they did with smart watches? By extension, is the Samsung Galaxy line doomed? And by further extension, is Android doomed? Not likely. Samsung still has a long way to go if they want to ween off the alc– I mean, Android. Tizen doesn’t currently have much developer support, and even if Samsung begins courting a good deal of developers it wouldn’t be able to match up to the prowess of Google Play. And we all know users go where the apps are (which is probably why Microsoft is having a tough time finding solid footing in the smartphone space). The short answer is that this shouldn’t be worrying anyone. We’re sure Samsung would love to someday blossom into Apple and produce all their own software and hardware, but that day likely isn’t around the corner or even up the street. They have to start somewhere, though, and this is where they’ll begin. [via Samsung Tomorrow] |
| HP finally reveals new SlateBook 14 and 11-inch Chromebook Posted: 02 Jun 2014 06:47 AM PDT HP has revealed two new notebooks that Android-loving folks might want to consider. First is a refresh of their 11-inch Chromebook laptop, which features improved battery life at 6.5 hours and a host of new colors to choose from, including Ocean Turquoise. You still get built-in 4G connectivity and 100GB of Google Drive space, and everything else that comes with your typical Chromebook experience. HP says to look forward to it in July for just $280. More interesting is the new Android-based SlateBook 14, which HP accidentally leaked back in April. For $430, you’re getting a 14-inch device with a 1080p touchscreen, NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 chipset, between 16GB and 64GB of internal storage, 2GB of RAM, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.0 port, 1 HDMI 1.4b port, and an HD webcam. You’ll also get about 9 hours of battery life. Not too bad if you don’t need a powerhouse PC to do simple, everyday tasks. It’ll be available for purchase starting July 20th. Let us know if you’ll be looking to pick either of these up in the weeks to come. |
| Dell brings us a pair of new Android-based Venue tablets at Computex 2014 Posted: 02 Jun 2014 06:08 AM PDT Dell is taking another stab at the tablet market with a new pair of Android tablets. Announced at Computex 2014 in Taipei, the Dell Venue 7 and Dell Venue 8 take center stage for the company’s round of tablet announcements. The numbers in their model numbers refer to their size, of course, and while both tablets are largely the same there are a few key differences to note. The biggest difference will be in the resolutions — the 7-inch model sports 1280 x 800, while the 8-inch model bumps it up to 1920 x 1200. The processors also differ slightly, with the 7-inch getting Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom Z3460 and the 8-inch getting the edgier 2.13GHz Z3480. Both are derived from the Merrifield line, and feature dual-core architecture, 64-bit instruction sets and 1MB of on-board cache. Finally, these two employ different front-facing camera sensors — a 1-megapixel shooter for the 7-inch model and a 2 megapixel shooter for the 8-inch.     That’s where the differences end, though, as nearly everything else is the same. Those specs include 1GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel rear camera, and run Android 4.4 KitKat. Dell gave us a quick look at the accessories you can expect to be able to buy, including a wireless charging cradle, a rotating folio case, a keyboard folio case and portable Bluetooth speakers.
Both tablets are expected to arrive July 1st in WiFi-only flavor with price tags of $159 and $199 for the 7-inch model and 8-inch model, respectively. Dell says LTE versions are on the way as well, though we’ll have to wait for further word on pricing and availability for those. [via Dell] |
| ASUS announces range of new Android tablets, including a “5-in-1″ Android/Windows hybrid Posted: 02 Jun 2014 05:35 AM PDT As we expected, ASUS had a lot to show at Computex Taipei this week. New Fonepads, new MeMoPads and new Transformer books are aplenty here, so let’s not wast any time jumping into what’s new. MeMO Pad 7 and 8For starters, we’re getting two new MeMo Pad models — one in a 7-inch outfit, and one that’s just an inch larger. The 7-inch MeMO Pad is billed as a 64-bit Android device thanks to Intel’s quad-core Atom Z3745 chipset (clocked up to 1.86GHz). It’ll feature a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera, and also has “high definition” resolution — 1280 x 800, to be exact. MeMO Pad 8 steps things up just a tad with its Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core chipset clocked up to 2.3GHz. ASUS calls it the world’s lightest 8-inch Android tablet at just 299 grams, and it also doesn’t have much girth at 7.45mm thin. This particular tablet is said to have “full HD” resolution, so we can expect 1080p at the very least. It also houses 802.11ac WiFi and an LTE modem inside for those who prefer to get their data from a cellular network. Fonepad 8Next up to bat is the Fonepad 8, which is basically a huge phone. It’s an 8-inch kit with 1280 x 800 resolution, and has Intel’s 64-bit Atom Z3560 quad-core processor at 1.8GHz. It also features dual front-facing speakers for those who value booming sound. For software, Android-based ZenUI is on-board with a new flat design and over “1,000″ software improvements. Whether all those improvements are tangible remain to be seen, though ASUS says features like “What’s Next” and “Do It Later” are among the many other enhancements that will help you in your day-to-day life. Transformer Book VMoving up the food chain, we run into perhaps the most interesting device yet — the Transformer Book V. ASUS is calling this the first 5-in-1 device thanks to its ability to run both Windows 8.1 and Android either in tablet or laptop mode, as well as an Android phone that can be docked inside the tablet. As a laptop, it features a 12.5-inch HD display, a “next-generation Intel chipset,” and can run both Windows 8.1 and Android (you can swap between the two modes at the easy touch of one button). It’ll also house 1TB of storage when docked. Take it off the dock and you can still run Windows 8.1 and have access to up to 128GB of internal storage, though you’ll need to dock the 5-inch Android phone inside the tablet in order to switch to Android. As far as that phone goes, it houses a quad-core Intel processor itself, as well as LTE and a 2,500mAh battery. ASUS had other goodies to show off, such as new high definition monitors, all-in-one Windows devices and Windows notebooks. You can read more about those at the press released linked below. No word on when and where we can expect to see any of these devices, but that doesn’t keep us from being excited about their arrivals. Let us know how you feel about all of these in the comments below! [via ASUS] |
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