Android Phone Fans
Android Phone Fans |
- Unlocked HTC One M8 receiving Android 4.4.4 update with EYE Experience starting tomorrow
- Misplaced your Moto 360 charger? You can now buy a replacement (or spare) at Best Buy
- Brace yourselves: you can now use stickers instead of text on Facebook comments
- Game Boy Color emulator and Bluetooth controller run flawlessly on Android Wear [VIDEO]
- Man behind Google’s Android lawn sculptures is taking volunteers for a new project
- OneCalc — a Material Design calculator that brings as much functionality as it does beauty
- Sony Xperia Z3 Compact now being sold in the United States via Sony
- US Cellular opens pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, launches October 17th
- Incoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 firmware upgrade said to greatly improve battery life
- T-Mobile’s Sony Xperia Z3 officially launches October 29th, pre-sales begin Wednesday
- First official Oppo N3 render shows possible return of the swiveling camera
- OnePlus and JBL team up for new affordable headphones
- LG G Watch on sale for $160 new, or $70 used through Best Buy [DEAL]
| Unlocked HTC One M8 receiving Android 4.4.4 update with EYE Experience starting tomorrow Posted: 13 Oct 2014 05:16 PM PDT Good news HTC One M8 owners! HTC Product Manger Mo Versi has announced that starting tomorrow, the unlocked models of the HTC One M8 will begin receiving HTC’s Android 4.4.4 update which includes their all new EYE Experience. This is the same updated camera app that will come out of the box on the HTC Desire EYE, HTC’s upcoming smartphone with dual 13MP rear and front facing cameras. If you want a taste of what to expect, check out the video explaining some of the new features below.
While this leaves out carrier specific models of the HTC One M8, Versi did mention that the T-Mobile version will likely see the update before November 7th, but he wouldn’t commit to an official date until we get a little closer to then. As far as everyone else, just keep your fingers crossed. This should be the final KitKat update until HTC makes the transition on over to Android L in the coming months. Can you feel the excitement? |
| Misplaced your Moto 360 charger? You can now buy a replacement (or spare) at Best Buy Posted: 13 Oct 2014 04:36 PM PDT We talked about it in our in depth review, but one of the best features of the Motorola Moto 360 was the fact that the smartwatch charges using the Qi wireless standard. That means if you’ve got another Qi wireless charger laying around the house, you could charge up the smartwatch using that as well. Be all that as it may, not too many wireless chargers prop up the Moto 360 for easy viewing of the docked bedside clock mode. Should you ever find yourself in need of an additional (or replacement) Moto 360 dock, you can now find them available at Best Buy for $40. A bit pricey, you’ll probably want to bookmark this for future use, especially given you wont be able to use this charger for anything other than your Moto 360. Don’t forget, you can also pair this with a portable charger for charging away from the outlet. |
| Brace yourselves: you can now use stickers instead of text on Facebook comments Posted: 13 Oct 2014 04:06 PM PDT It started with emojis, then images but starting today, you should start seeing stickers being used in lieu of actual words in the comments section on Facebook. What started out as a hackathon project by Bob Baldwin and Kwame Thomison, later rolled out to mobile users, and now finally, Android and iOS. We’re not sure if this required an update (or if it updated on Facebook’s backend), but you should find the new sticker button located next to the “write a comment” bar up and running in your app. With memes, apps like Yo, and the rise of all-photo or all-emoji social networks, is it possible our smartphones — with the vast wealth of knowledge they give the world access to — actually be responsible for the death of modern language? Maybe we should all just get with the times and embrace new communication methods like this? No. It’s the children who are wrong. |
| Game Boy Color emulator and Bluetooth controller run flawlessly on Android Wear [VIDEO] Posted: 13 Oct 2014 01:45 PM PDT We’ll be the first to admit, we initially scoffed at developers’ attempts at bring video games to the Android Wear platform. Whether it flappy bird clone Flopsy Droid, or the puzzler Tales of Pocoro, we felt like developers were missing the point at what Android Wear was, and what it was supposed to be about. But maybe we were wrong? After seeing Windows 95 ported to Android Wear last week, it’s clear the developers would continue to push Android Wear’s limits. That’s why it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to find that same crazy developer, Corbin Davenport, back again in a new video, this time showing off a Game Boy Color emulator ported to the handheld OS complete with functional Bluetooth controller. What is surprising is how well the whole thing runs, likely a testament of the Snapdragon 400 powering the whole thing. Have to admit, we’d love to see how the Moto 360 would stack up, not so much in performance but in the battery life department where the TI OMAP seems to struggle (also, the circular display would be challenging).
As shown in the video, after installing the MOGA app and VBC emulator on the Samsung Gear Live (running Android 4.4W), everything works just as it would on your smartphone, with the smartwatch nestled snugly inside the MOGA’s clamp. If you want to experiment for yourself, you only need a little knowledge in the ways of ADB and can follow Corbin’s directions in his blog post here. Of course, the question of how practical this could be in the real world remains. Those of you who’ve been around the gaming scene for awhile may remember Nintendo’s Game Boy Micro, a Game Boy Advanced with a tiny 2-inch display you could clip on your keychain. Android Wear devices really aren’t much smaller, and if you don’t mind carrying around a MOGA controller in your pocket, you could have everything you need for some quick gaming sessions. [via WiiUDaily] |
| Man behind Google’s Android lawn sculptures is taking volunteers for a new project Posted: 13 Oct 2014 12:00 PM PDT Building up hype for his latest project, the man behind Google’s lawn sculptures — Giovanni Calabrese — is teasing his latest project as he heads to Google’s HQ in San Francisco to perform some routine maintenance. It’s no secret that Google is preparing to formally announce the actual dessert name behind their next version of Android, currently known as Android L. While we’re all left guessing as to what that name could possibly be, (Lollipop? Lemonheads? Laffy Taffy?), Mr. Calabrese seems to be under the impression it could be Licorice. In fact, he’s been teasing the name all over his Google+ page. But is it more like trolling? While it’s entirely possible he knows exactly what the next Android version will named (he does need an adequate amount of time to complete the project in time for Android L and the Nexus 6 unveiling, rumored to arrive later this month) — there’s no way he would flat out reveal the name ahead of any formal announcement. Something tells us he’s just not that stupid. The hyping of his arrival in California is likely nothing more than a way to drum up a few extra volunteers for his current project which involves the touching up of existing lawn sculptures with a fresh coat of paint (gotta get everything looking nice for all the photos/videos that will be taken once the new Android L statue is added to the mix). If you’d like to help, Calabrese is looking for local volunteers who can commit to helping touch up the sculptures for 5 days. According to him, you’ll even get a sneak peek at his latest “secret” project which we think will be called anything but licorice. |
| OneCalc — a Material Design calculator that brings as much functionality as it does beauty Posted: 13 Oct 2014 11:25 AM PDT Not many people are in need of a calculator more robust than that’s typically offered on their phones by default, but for those who do then this app should grab your attention. OneCalc is a full-featured calculator that has a large suite of functions, from basic calculations to support for graphing, unit conversion and a matrix calculator. That’s respectable enough for almost anyone who needs more than your typical addition and subtraction. It even has an RPN (reverse Polish notation) mode for those who prefer that sort of thing. But more than that, this app is downright beautiful. The developer has worked to implement Material Design since the new design language was first revealed by Google at I/O. It’s clean and beautiful, and it’s all laid out in a very easy to use and view layout. It even has advanced Material Design animations, such as a ripple effect when touching buttons or switching calculator views and types, or a nice subtle pulsating animation when touching some of the app’s bigger buttons. And above all that, it’s free. It certainly deserves a download if you’ve been looking for something like this, so head to Google Play and give it a shot on your phone or tablet. |
| Sony Xperia Z3 Compact now being sold in the United States via Sony Posted: 13 Oct 2014 10:39 AM PDT While carrier availability of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact might not stack up to the flagship bigger brother, you still won’t have much issue getting one if you’re prepared to pay full price. Sony is now selling it in the United States via their own website for $530. That’ll get you the device unlocked for full use on AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks. The Compact line of Sony’s flagship smartphones have turned heads due to breaking away from the “smaller means less powerful” mold other manufacturers have stuck to. Sony’s belief is you shouldn’t have to compromise performance for size, so they threw in a Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and a nice 4.6-inch 720p display. It also features a 20.7 megapixel rear camera, a 2.2 megapixel front camera and will be coming with Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box. It’s worth noting that Amazon is actually selling the thing for $10 cheaper, and their listing (being fulfilled by Worldwide Distributors) promises free shipping. Not a bad route to go if you’re not keen on shopping directly with Sony. Let us know if you’ll be picking one up. |
| US Cellular opens pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, launches October 17th Posted: 13 Oct 2014 10:12 AM PDT It looks like US Cellular won’t be late to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 launch party on October 17th here in the United States. The carrier has officially opened pre-sales for the device, and have slapped an October 17th ship date on the thing should you choose to buy it. Pricing seems pretty standard — $300 on a two-year contract, or get it for $0 down and pay it off over the course of 24 months (about $32.09 per month on an off-contract price tag of $770). The Note 4 is sure to be the hottest phone of the holiday season. Its top line specs (including a 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 display, 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB of RAM, 16 megapixel camera and more) coupled with the unique features made possible by S-Pen go toward a phone worth spending hundreds for. You can make the decision to spend those hundreds by heading to US Cellular’s website. |
| Incoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 firmware upgrade said to greatly improve battery life Posted: 13 Oct 2014 09:55 AM PDT Samsung has issued the first firmware upgrade for their Note 4, and early reports are that it greatly improves battery life. Folks outside of South Korea haven’t had a chance to use the phone yet so any reports of unsatisfactory battery life have gone unnoticed, but this update should ensure no one has any issues once it heads to the rest of the world later this month. There were no other notable or visible improvements aside from some under-the-hood things Samsung likely worked on. As such, this is a pretty small upgrade that clocks in at just 36MB, small enough for any decent 4G connection or limited data pool to handle. Folks lucky enough to be owning the phone already (one Amazon third-party retailer is selling it unlocked in the United States) should head to the Settings > About Phone menu to get started (you’ll be looking for version XXU1ANJ4). [via SamMobile] |
| T-Mobile’s Sony Xperia Z3 officially launches October 29th, pre-sales begin Wednesday Posted: 13 Oct 2014 08:50 AM PDT T-Mobile has formally announced availability of the Sony Xperia Z3, the latest flagship device from the Japanese company. The landing date for the Xperia Z3 is set for October 29th, though you can claim yours as soon as Wednesday as pre-sales will have begun by then. What’s more is that T-Mobile says folks who pre-order the device could have it ship and arrive before October 29th, something most carriers aren’t willing to tell you in these situations. That should give you all the more reason to pre-order if you’ve been waiting for its arrival. It’ll cost you $26.25 per month for 24 months and $0 down under T-Mobile’s new Simple Choice plans where contracts are a thing of the past. That calculates to a full retail price of about $630 before taxes and fees, which is not a bad deal for what you’re getting. The Xperia Z3 is loaded with a Snapdragon 801 chipset, 3GB of RAM, a 5.2-inch 1080p display and a massive 3,100mAh battery that should get you through a couple of days with no issue. It’s also waterproof, so you can go swimming with it and whatnot. It’s definitely one of the finest phones we’ve ever seen coming out of Sony’s camp and we’re glad it won’t be long before it makes its way to the states. [via T-Mobile] |
| First official Oppo N3 render shows possible return of the swiveling camera Posted: 13 Oct 2014 07:50 AM PDT Oppo is ramping up teasers of their upcoming flagship for late 2014. It’s the Oppo N3, and we’ve gotten our first official look at a render of the device thanks to a post on the company’s Weibo account. The photo doesn’t tell us much, though though the clear separation of the camera module from the rest of the phone’s chassis indicates we could be seeing the return of the swiveling camera as featured on the Oppo N1. That particular phone used a swiveling mechanism to allow you to take rear or front-facing photos with the same high quality sensor, and for its time it was one of the few phones that emphasized high quality photos on both sides of the device (the HTC Desire EYE brings a lot more heat to that category these days, though). Bringing more attention to that camera module is what appears to be a leather or faux leather material placed around the sensor and LED flash. It’s clear Oppo is proud of the work they’ve on this line’s camera and they want to continue to place importance on it in marketing. Rumored specs for the device include a 5.9-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB of RAM and a 13 megapixel camera sensor (which could be of the Sony variety if the N1 is anything to go by). Oppo has a history of loading their flagships up with impressive specs so it’s not hard to believe it’ll have such a stout set of internals. The device will be offered in either stainless steel or an aluminum lithium material according to previous rumors. Some have suggested Oppo will offer both of the models in separate packages, though until we get official information from the horse’s mouth we won’t be making too many assumptions. Oppo has an October 29th event planned for Singapore where they’re sure to unveil everything we need to know about their latest creation. [via GforGames] |
| OnePlus and JBL team up for new affordable headphones Posted: 13 Oct 2014 06:40 AM PDT A $40 pair of headphones isn’t the most exciting bit of news to be had on a Monday morning, but OnePlus seems to be quite excited about a new partnership with JBL. The two have come together to introduce the JBL E1+, an affordable pair of headphones designed to let the OnePlus name and signature color shine through. This in-ear set of cans features 9mm drivers and a sound frequency range of 10hz through 22,000hz. OnePlus says it delivers booming base and crisp sound throughout the mid-high range. The in-line volume and music control buttons stand to be important features for folks who need to change or pause music at a moment’s notice, and the ability to snap a photo using the buttons doesn’t seem to hurt its tale of the tape. Unfortunately we don’t know when the headphones are expected to launch as OnePlus only gives us a “coming soon” estimation. Be sure to check them out over at the OnePlus website right now. |
| LG G Watch on sale for $160 new, or $70 used through Best Buy [DEAL] Posted: 13 Oct 2014 05:30 AM PDT This is a pretty good deal for those who’ve been wanting to try out Android Wear but didn’t fancy dropping a minimum of $200 on a first generation smart watch. Best Buy has the LG G Watch on sale for a cool $160. That’ll get you a brand new watch that’s never been touched before so you don’t have to worry about quality issues. Want one for $70? That sounds even better, though you’ll have to put up with the fact that someone has owned it before. That particular deal is going on through Best Buy’s Cowboom, a daily deals site that’s delivered some pretty decent deals over its short life thus far. Unfortunately this isn’t a factory refurbished item, so Best Buy can only guarantee that the condition of the item is “satisfactory.” We imagine they wouldn’t ship something out that didn’t work or had a broken display, but don’t be surprised if you see some wear and tear on the thing once it arrives. The timing of the sales are quite interesting as we know LG is planning to launch their round G Watch R as early as today in South Korea. Could be that Best Buy is preparing to make some room on store shelves by offloading inventory of the original LG G Watch, though LG has yet to announce any specific launch plans for the new smart watch outside of their home territory. Let us know if you’ll be taking advantage of the deals in the comments below. |
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