Android Phone Fans |
- If these leaked specs from the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact are true, it just might be my next phone
- Protip: Want Ok Google everywhere on your Android device? Try searching it
- Watch this guy publish an app to Nokia’s App Store while paragliding [VIDEO]
- Android Wear smart watches receive KMV78V update
- Samsung is back to poking fun at iPhone users in new ‘Wall Huggers’ commercial [VIDEO]
- Official: Sprint LG G3 launches July 18th; pre-sales begin July 11th
- About those HTC Volantis and One Plus Tablet rumors yesterday… disregard them
- HTC finally turns a profit in fiscal Q2 2014
- Google Play Services 5.0 should be rolling out to everyone by now; here’s what’s new
- Deal: 20% off WikiPad gaming tablet and a free month of OnLive game streaming service
- Talon for Twitter receives Material design update exclusively for Android L users [DOWNLOAD]
| If these leaked specs from the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact are true, it just might be my next phone Posted: 03 Jul 2014 04:09 PM PDT Earlier this week we got a sneak peak at what could be the front panels from the upcoming Sony Xperia Z3 and Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. Other than it’s large bezels, the images didn’t reveal much. And while it seems crazy for some to think that Sony could already be looking to release a Sony Xperia Z2 followup, there was really nothing indicating the phone would launch anytime soon. Be that as it may, we were definitely intrigued at the idea of a Sony Xperia Z2 with updated hardware, (even if the Z2′s specs are more than adequate at present). Yesterday, XDA developer DooMLoRD tweeted out a screen shot allegedly taken from the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, along with some of the device’s specs. Let’s just say there may be a market for what Sony’s cooking up. Here’s what we could be looking at: Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (D580x)
Although the screenshot shows Android 4.4.2, we have no reason to believe the phone could at least ship, or immediately be updated to Android 4.4.4 which recently began rolling out to a number of Xperia Z devices. Although consumers normally have to compromise in areas like performance when looking for a smaller Android device, this Z3 doesn’t seem to sacrifice much. Still up in the air is the battery size or display resolution, but if everything checks out, it’s looking like this could be my next phone (providing it ever comes to the US). With the current trend of Android smartphones growing larger and larger every year, personally, I had given up hope that an OEM would ever release a smaller device with flagship specs. C’mon, Sony. Do it for me. |
| Protip: Want Ok Google everywhere on your Android device? Try searching it Posted: 03 Jul 2014 02:15 PM PDT Click to play GIF There’s a good chance that, by now, most of you have received the Google Search app’s new ability to enable the “Ok Google” hotword detection everywhere on your Android device, even while it’s sleeping (as long as it’s charging). It’s a super useful feature and one that, up until now, only the Motorola Moto X was able to pull off (although, the X still has the benefit of always listening, even when not charging. Because not everyone has received this new feature in their Google Search apps (something to do with a per-account basis), we though this latest tip might come in use for some of you. Apparently, a user on Reddit discovered the craziest trick to get the system-wide “Ok Google everywhere” up and running on his device: simply search for that term in Google Search. After that, you should be able to jump into your Google Settings and select Google Settings > Search & Now > Voice > "Ok Google" Detection and check "From any screen" to enable Hotword Detection from any app (even the lockscreen). While we haven’t been able to confirm if the trick works (all our devices received the functionality earlier this week), we’ve seen reports from Android users reporting success. Again, it’s not full proof, just one more hoop you can jump through if you want this new killer feature on your Android before the 4th of July weekend. Good luck! |
| Watch this guy publish an app to Nokia’s App Store while paragliding [VIDEO] Posted: 03 Jul 2014 11:54 AM PDT
Nokia’s on a mission to let developers know how easy it is to publish apps to the Nokia Apps Store with a very eye-opening contest. Dubbed the Xtreme Coding Challenge, they’ve invited developers to publish apps in extreme conditions. The developer in their first highlight jumped off the side of a mountain in Rio De Janeiro with a 3G-equipped laptop strapped to his chest and ended up publishing an app within 6 minutes, all before he landed. The fact that he didn’t have any experience gliding is even more ridiculous to think about. Of course, he wasn’t responsible for actually steering himself while doing all this as the paragliding instructor attached to his back likely handled all that, but impressive nonetheless. Nokia’s decision to skip the Google Play Store in favor of their own marketplace for Nokia X devices has left them in the dust in terms of readily available apps, so it’s no wonder they have to go to these measures to get the attention of developers. We’re not sure any sane developer will ever need the ability to publish apps within 6 minutes while they’re gliding in mid-air, but it’s nice to know that it can be done. Take a quick peek above. |
| Android Wear smart watches receive KMV78V update Posted: 03 Jul 2014 10:30 AM PDT The LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live have both received a new OTA upgrade today, bringing us up to version KMV78V on both fronts. The update came without a changelog, and we can’t seem to find any noticeable differences compared to the previous firmware. It’s entirely possible that the update is just doing some light housecleaning (your typical round of bug fixes and performance improvements) ahead of the device’s public availability next week, though we’ll keep digging to make sure Google didn’t tuck something away. We wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t the last small update before the watches begin shipping so stay tuned for any possible further developments that may arise before then. If you were one of the lucky 6,000 developers to receive an Android Wear smart watch at Google IO last week let us know how the new firmware is working out for you. |
| Samsung is back to poking fun at iPhone users in new ‘Wall Huggers’ commercial [VIDEO] Posted: 03 Jul 2014 10:29 AM PDT It’s been awhile since we seen Samsung take a jab at iPhone users. Samsung’s original smear campaign began with the Korean manufacturer’s first “Next Big Thing” ad spots, targeting blind consumers waiting in line for another incremental release of the new iPhone. Backed by a huge multimillion dollar budget, the ads were everywhere and seemingly effective too. Despite playing it safe in terms of design and build materials, we watched as Samsung further dominated the smartphone market with their onslaught of Galaxy devices. Today, Samsung is back and right where we like them: poking fun at iPhone users in their latest video, “Wall Huggers.” That’s what Samsung is calling all those sad little iPhone users desperately clinging to their wall sockets, looking for any available current to charge their depleting iPhones. Samsung goes on to show off their Ultra Power saving mode and the fact that, unlike many phones on their market, their Galaxy line features removable batteries for quickly swapping out with a spare. While the same fate could befall even Android users it’s only in recent flagships we’ve seen OEMs get serious about battery life. Yet another feather in Samsung’s cap, the ad effectively showcases one area in which the Samsung Galaxy S5 excels above all others. Even though the Galaxy S5 is far from perfect, battery life is a huge selling point as more consumers begin relying on smartphones for all their computing needs. Gotta give it to Samsung, they sure know how to drive a point home. Check out their latest video below. |
| Official: Sprint LG G3 launches July 18th; pre-sales begin July 11th Posted: 03 Jul 2014 09:40 AM PDT Sprint customers wondering when they’ll finally be invited to the LG G3 party will love today’s news. The Now Network has announced July 18th availability for LG’s 2014 flagship, meaning there are only a short couple of weeks before you’re able to walk away with one for $0 down and $25 per month for 24 months (if you’re “well-qualified,” of course). Don’t want to wait that long to secure an order? Pre-sales will begin July 11th. You’ll also be entitled to some rewards cards if you happen to buy your device through official Sprint channels, including their retail stores, website or over the phone within a few weeks’ time:
Sprint’s version of the LG G3 is equipped with their Sprint Spark LTE radios to give you access to the company’s faster and more reliable data network, though it should be pretty much the same as the phone we reviewed not long ago. Highlights of the LG G3 include a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 display, Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel OIS camera with laser-assisted autofocus and more. Let us know if you’ll be picking one of these up when they finally land. |
| About those HTC Volantis and One Plus Tablet rumors yesterday… disregard them Posted: 03 Jul 2014 08:01 AM PDT The wonderful thing about rumors is that they tell us about forthcoming products and developments well before they happen, giving us insight into the market and helping us make informed decisions based on what we expect to see down the line. The bad thing? They aren’t to be fully trusted, and that fact was reiterated in the latest hoaxing episode. Yesterday, we ran a couple of stories based on rumors from reputable leakster @evleaks. The first was that OnePlus was working on a tablet, with the second being a leaked set of specs for the rumored HTC Volantis tablet (5GB of RAM should have given off a red flag for that one). We’d go into more detail here, but there’s no need — the rumors are flat out false. The leakster admitted that he was duped into believing hoaxed documents and information as he sent the following tweet this morning:
And that’s all that needs to be said. Time to move on, folks. If anything, let this serve as a reminder that rumors are to be taken with the smallest of grains of salt, sand and whatever other minerals come to mind, because as I always like to say — nothing is official until it’s official. |
| HTC finally turns a profit in fiscal Q2 2014 Posted: 03 Jul 2014 07:47 AM PDT For the first time in about a year HTC has finally been able to announce that they’ve turned a profit in a quarter. It’s a result they expected after shifting their focus to mid-range smartphones and releasing the HTC One M8 back in April. The full numbers are as follows:
That’s nothing that’s going to make a boardroom jump for joy, but we’re sure they’ll be happy to get good news and a quarter in the black after a long streak of doom and gloom (they lost $64 million last quarter). It will take a more pointed approach for HTC going forward to make sure they don’t fizzle out before year’s end. Namely, the company’s efforts to bring more mid-range and entry-level options back to key markets in Europe and North America will have to step up in a big way. They’ve already made other changes necessary to sustain growth, such as deciding not to waste another $1 billion on a failed marketing campaign and selling off their portion of the Beats business, but more has to be done and HTC knows it. For now, they’re probably flicking a great deal of sweat off their foreheads with high hopes that their new strategy will help them regain solid footing in the months and years to come. |
| Google Play Services 5.0 should be rolling out to everyone by now; here’s what’s new Posted: 03 Jul 2014 06:03 AM PDT Google has announced that they have completed the rollout of Google Play Services 5.0 which should bring exciting new features for developers and users alike. Here is the short version of everything that’s new in case you need a quick refresher:
This release also enables the “OK, Google” hotword functionality from within any screen on your phone. Some folks might still not be able to access this option in Google Now as that is controlled by a server-side switch instead of an app update, but it shouldn’t be long before Google starts enabling it for everyone (I only just received the feature this morning). Enjoy! [via Google] |
| Deal: 20% off WikiPad gaming tablet and a free month of OnLive game streaming service Posted: 03 Jul 2014 05:26 AM PDT If you’re in the market for a decent gaming tablet that can be docked into a cradle with dedicated controls for getting your digital mayhem on, Wikipad wants to hook you up. They’re taking 20% off the WikiPad tablet, bringing its price from $199 down to a cool $159 with free shipping.
Adding even more to the value is the new partnership between WikiPad and the folks at OnLive, the online game-streaming service that lets you play console quality games without needing the hardware to run it natively. With it, you’ll get a free month of OnLive’s PlayPack subscription that gives you access to over 250 games to stream to your tablet. That typically costs $9.95 per month so it’s not a bad way to trial their service. They’re also throwing in a month of their CloudLift service (now worth $7.95 after a timely price drop) that allows you to stream select games you already own on Steam and other gaming marketplaces. CloudLift lets you play natively while you’re at home, and will easily serve up your goods over the internet whenever you need to trek away. Cloud saves sync automatically with your Steam account so you can easily pick up where you left off. Wondering what the WikiPad is packing to handle all this gaming goodness? Here’s a look at its now-modest spec sheet:
Decide you want in on this deal? Just head here and use coupon code E3WIKIPAD to get all the aforementioned discounts and bonuses. It might not be the most powerful tablet around these days but it sure sounds like a pretty good value if this is something you’ve been eyeing. |
| Talon for Twitter receives Material design update exclusively for Android L users [DOWNLOAD] Posted: 02 Jul 2014 10:11 PM PDT We’ve been following Klinker Apps’ work for quite sometime now. Makers of EvolveSMS, Sliding Messaging and more, developer Luke Klinker took to his Google+ page this evening to showcase his latest work. Turns out, he’s been hard at work redesigning his popular Twitter app, Talon, using Android L’s new Material guidelines. The animation heavy app isn’t exactly ready for prime time (even if it was, Google wont allow developers to publish Android L apps in the Play Store during the preview period) and it’s only available for devices running the Android L Developer Preview. You’ll notice a handy floating “+” compose button in the corner and although we can’t show it off in pictures, the app features a plethora of animations unique to Android L’s Material design (click on the expanded tweet view to see what we mean, you wont regret it). Klinker was kind enough to provide a direct download link to the newly updated app as a — you guessed it — early preview of what’s to come. With that in mind, he’s not looking for bug reports or feedback of any kind. At least not yet. This is merely a way for everyone can see and feel the beautify that is Matias Duarte’s Material design in action. Download link provided below.
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