Android Phone Fans
Android Phone Fans |
- Project Ara still on track for early 2015 release, will run on modified Android L version
- Cosmos Browser now available for Android, lets you surf web without a data connection
- Motorola DROID Turbo benchmark boasts 5.2-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 805, 3GB RAM, and more
- Google provides new details on Android Auto – talks about design, architecture, and development process
- Best Android apps from September 2014
- Why did Google demand the Com 1 Android Wear IndieGoGo campaign be taken down?
- Waze 3.9 update introduces Places feature, allows users to edit business and residential information
- #GapGate for Galaxy Note 4? Early complaints of build quality fly in
- What do kids think about Google Glass?
- Latest Moto 360 update seems to bring a ridiculous boost to battery life
- OnePlus 2 confirmed for Q2 or Q3 2015; OnePlus says they’re thinking about a smaller form factor
- Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact receive root and custom recovery
- Samsung lets the puns fly in this insanely long 4 minute Galaxy Note ad [VIDEO]
- AT&T offers huge double data promotion until the end of October
| Project Ara still on track for early 2015 release, will run on modified Android L version Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:27 PM PDT It might still sound like science fiction, but it seems Project Ara is still on course for an early 2015 release. In a blog post posted earlier today, Phonebloks talks about how the Google ATAP team is gearing up to unveil the first fully functional Ara prototype smartphone — along with the release of a new Project Ara MDK — during their 2nd developers conference in December. What’s more is because Android isn’t designed to support dynamic hardware configurations, Project Ara is teaming up with Linaro to have the device run on a modified version of Android L, Google’s next major Android release expected to launch later this year (October is the date being whispered around the web). The modified Android version will allow for users to quickly and easily hot swap most of the Ara modules — with the exception of the CPU and display — without having to first power down the device. This includes camera modules, battery modules, and more. With partners like Toshiba, Foxconn, and more, all the modules will be sold in an online store or “Modular Marketplace” similar to the Google Play Store, and will need to be certified before being available to consumers. We expect to learn much more during the devcon where we expect to see various modules and features never before seen on a smartphone. Pretty exciting stuff! If you’re curious to learn more, you can check out Project Ara lead Paul Eremenko’s talk during this year’s Linaro Connect USA 2014 event (starts at the 44:10 mark). |
| Cosmos Browser now available for Android, lets you surf web without a data connection Posted: 29 Sep 2014 04:24 PM PDT It was almost 2 weeks ago we told you guys about a web browser making its way to Android that would allow users to browse the web without a data connection. Dubbed Cosmos Browser, the app is now officially available on the Google Play Store albeit, still in its very early stages of development. Still, you should be able to browse the web in a very limited fashion. How the app works is by sending an SMS messages to Cosmo’s backend, at which point it will find the source website strip it down to its bare bones HTML package, then send a zip file back over to your phone. After that, Cosmos will intercept the package, and display it for you inside the app. Sorry, folks. If you’re looking to get your jollies off, you’re going to have to get your Android porn elsewhere. No pictures here. For all those with data caps (or no data plans) dying to give it a shot, you can find Cosmos Browser via the Play Store link below. |
| Motorola DROID Turbo benchmark boasts 5.2-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 805, 3GB RAM, and more Posted: 29 Sep 2014 03:14 PM PDT If the state of Verizon’s now active “DroidLanding” Twitter account is any indication (that, and a variety of recent leaks), we’d be willing to bet Motorola and Big Red are gearing up to announce a shiny new DROID phone in the coming weeks. Rumored to launch as the “DROID Turbo,” we’ve already gotten a look at what the device may look like and although not the prettiest of Androids, the phone could carry some pretty impressive hardware under the hood. After rumors suggested as much, we’re seeing the device pop up again, this time in a GFXBench benchmark quoting specs like a 5.2-inch 2,560 x 1,440 display, Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB RAM, and a high resolution 20MP camera. Unfortunately, there was no mention of battery capacity, although a recent FCC filing may have outed something along the lines of a 3,500mAh. Yeah, despite its arguably fugly looks, this sounds like it could be the one Android device to rule them all (at least, as far as raw horsepower and longevity are concerned). It’s not uncommon for prototype or pre-production devices to make an appearance on the site, so this alleged Motorola Droid Turbo making an appearance really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Still, there’s always the chance something like this could be faked, so take it with a grain of salt for now. |
| Posted: 29 Sep 2014 01:51 PM PDT I think it’s safe to say we’re all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Android L, Google’s latest desert arriving later this year. But aside from a redesigned smartphone user interface with flashy new animations, it’s what Android L will introduce with Android Auto that really has our interest piqued. Up until now, information about Android Auto was a bit scarce. Sure, Google had a landing page with signup information about what it will do, but additional information about actual development was absent. Today, Google is now providing Android developers with a brief overview about Android Auto, detailing areas such as design, architecture, user interface, and the development process. Similar to Android Wear, Google is looking to keep things simple. Notifications will display in a very specific manner (just like Android Wear) and developers wont have too much leeway in how their apps can look when in media mode, Android Auto’s interface when handling music, podcasts, and other audio centric apps. For the most part, this means apps like Pandora will look nearly identical to apps like Google Play Music. While the general layout is off limits, developers can still choose their own icons, colors, or background images — but not much else. Android Auto provides a darker night mode, presumably switching on the fly once the sun sets (a feature we’ve seen in apps like Waze). This will not only ensure a much more uniform experience, but ensure drivers will be familiar with all Android Auto apps out if the box and keeps everything safe and kosher with local driving laws as well as automotive OEMs. Google also assures developers that the tight restrictions make their coding life much easier in that they wont have to maintain a separate app specifically for Android Auto since it’s using the same functionality from their existing app. If you’re a developer curious about learning more about Android Auto, or testing your app with the media client in the Android Auto SDK, hit up the source link below. |
| Best Android apps from September 2014 Posted: 29 Sep 2014 01:21 PM PDT Previous Best Apps of the Month Consider this your wake-up call. September has ended. Summer is now just a memory as the leaves slowly begin to change color and football dominates the weekends. One thing that doesn’t change is the constant stream of new Android apps. September was a little lighter on app releases, but we still had some excellent ones make their debut. Check out the best of the bunch below! Ask Me AnythingReddit has finally released an official app, but it’s only for one subreddit. Luckily it’s for one of the most popular and mainstream subreddits on the site: Ask Me Anything. With this app you can beautifully browse and participate in AMA’s. See when someone is actively answering questions, and get notified when popular AMA’s are trending. It’s an awesome app for Redditors. Bring! Shopping ListThere are many, many list apps available for Android. Bring! is a new list app that brings a beautiful UI, automatic sorting, Android Wear support, and list syncing. That last feature is a big focus in this app. Sync lists among your friends and family to keep everyone organized and up to date. Save time and money when it comes groceries. Chrome APK PackagerLast week we told you how to run Android apps in any Chrome desktop browser. It sounded awesome in theory, but in practice it was difficult. A new app called Chrome APK Packager makes the process infinitely easier. All you have to do is choose an app installed on your phone and it will be packaged for you to install in Chrome. Easy peasy. Comedy CentralGet the latest episodes of all popular Comedy Central shows with the new Android app. There are hours and hours of funny stuff to watch, assuming Comedy Central is included in your cable package. Get access to The Daily Show, Tosh.0, Key & Peele, Drunk History, Nathan For You, and great stand-up specials, Chappelle’s Show, and full seasons of returning series. CommuteDid you know MapQuest still exists? They do, and they actually make some really nice apps. The latest is called Commute. This app proactively monitors the road conditions along your route and alerts you to travel times and incidents so you know what to expect on your way to and from work. Commute is a nice option if you’re not a fan of Google Now. Hangouts DialerWith Hangouts Dialer you can finally call any phone number in the world from your Hangouts app using your data connection. This app is required to activate phone calling functionality in the Hangouts app. After installation, you can access all phone calling features directly from Hangouts or use Hangouts Dialer for a shortcut to the dialer screen in Hangouts. HomeTubeYouTube is a great tool for entertaining kids, but there is also a lot of inappropriate content out there. HomeTube allows you to select suitable content for your kids and then let them view it in a child-friendly interface. Kids can switch from watching a Curious George video to a Spider-man cartoon without requiring you to navigate them to the new content yourself. Less help from you is always a good thing. HorizonShooting videos in portrait mode has become a real nuisance to many people in the smartphone age. 99% of video players are in landscape mode, which makes portrait videos look terrible. Not to mention it cuts out a lot of the scene. Horizon lets you record horizontal videos no matter how you hold your device. Hold it upright, sideways or even keep rotating it while capturing. It’s magic. NoyzeThe Android volume control pop-up looks nice, but its placement is not ideal. It’s always right on top of whatever you’re doing. Many root apps allow you to mod the volume pop-up, but if you don’t want to deal with root you can use a new app called Noyze. You can choose from several themes, adjust colors, and even adjust volume for alarms and notifications. SupOn the surface this app looks like a cross between Snapchat and Skype, but there's more to it than that. When you send a "Sup" to someone they have 5 minutes to respond. If they accept the request it will open their camera so you get a live view of whatever they’re doing. You can even use on-screen controls to tell them how to move the camera. It’s free and fun. WhoSampledWhoSampled is an award-winning app from iOS now available on Android. With this app you can get answers to the questions “Where was this song sampled? Who covered my favorite artists? What remixes were made for this track?” WhoSampled is the music DNA discovery app that lets you explore the music connections in your music collection. Android Wear AppsAndroid Wear SpeedAndroid Wear Speed may be the simplest app for your smartwatch. All it does is display your current speed. You could be running, riding a bike, or driving your car. Just choose your units and go. OneNote for Android WearMicrosoft released a dedicated Android Wear app for their popular OneNote app. This app works with the “take a note” command, and allows you to add notes to your OneNote account. In order to use this app you will need the main OneNote for Android app. We wish Microsoft would have just added support to the main app. VimoGolfFor half the price of a bucket of driving-range balls, VimoGolf delivers a golf swing analyzer right on your wrist. Watch your golf swing at up to 200 samples per second, as captured by the built-in motion sensors of your Android Wear watch. Snag the app now for $2 before the price goes up. Wear Tip CalculatorNot many apps have taken advantage of the Moto 360′s circular display. Until now. Wear Tip Calculator is a beautiful and simple app for finding tip amounts. The UI is made up of a circle that is used to adjust the tip percentage. This is one of the first few apps that look great on the Moto 360. Previous Best Apps of the Month |
| Why did Google demand the Com 1 Android Wear IndieGoGo campaign be taken down? Posted: 29 Sep 2014 12:18 PM PDT We reported on the Com 1, a smart watch that was advertised to run Android Wear, a while back. The watch wasn’t attractive, powerful or noteworthy in any way other than a relatively attractive price tag, though it did catch our eye for being the first crowd-funded smart watch with Android Wear. It looks like there could be a bit of an obstacle keeping that from becoming a reality. Google issued a complaint for a takedown notice to IndieGoGo on grounds of the campaign using unauthorized intellectual property in its description. We imagine they’re referring to renders of the smart watch with Android Wear depicted. IndieGoGo complied, of course, and you’ll find that the campaign page is no longer viewable to the public. It’s a strange move by a company who isn’t known to be too harsh to folks wanting to use their imagery, name and software. Well, Phandroid and AndroidForums certainly didn’t fall under that banner, but they’ve remained relatively cordial otherwise.
One has to wonder if Google has an ulterior motive here, with said motive being to protect Android Wear and its ecosystem. Google made a statement by forcing Android Wear OEMs to conform to strict user experience practices and limit customization to pre-installed apps, likely in order to make sure the earliest Android Wear products could receive software updates as soon as they were available as it looks to grow from infancy to maturity. You’ll notice that all of the current Android Wear smart watches share nearly identical user interfaces outside of the few apps made specially for each device. We can totally see Google wanting to make sure there are no rebel smart watches out there by companies who haven’t conformed to usage agreements for folks to worry about. Android Wear is supposed to be headed to AOSP at some point down the line so they certainly won’t want to stifle platform adoption forever, but for now it seems Google would rather keep a tight grip on things until they’re ready to let everyone else come to bat. Of course, we’re not sure what’s going to happen once it actually does make its way to AOSP. As you know, Android for smartphones and tablets is available as a free and open source platform for anyone to use, but if you wish to use it with just the public license then you won’t be entitled to bundle the Google Play Store or Google’s crop of apps with whatever distribution you decide to release. There’s a good chance something similar will happen for Android Wear’s release. So, sorry Com 1 — you tried, but ultimately it looks like Google’s not willing to let anyone and everyone advertise Android Wear watches without proper authorization, and maybe that’s all for the better right now. Let’s hope things change as the platform continues to grow into its own. [via Crowdfund Insider] |
| Waze 3.9 update introduces Places feature, allows users to edit business and residential information Posted: 29 Sep 2014 12:12 PM PDT It was only a few months ago the folks at Waze introduced the 3.8 update allowing users to easily keep up with friends on-the-go. It was a useful feature that further solidified Waze as one of the true “social traffic and maps” service they’ve been touting for years. Today, the app is seeing yet another update to version 3.9 (Android 4.0+) and introduces a nifty new feature dubbed “Places.” Traveling to a location you’re not entirely sure is the correct place is never fun. With Waze 3.9, preview information on your destination will be shown to you when you plug an address into Waze’s navigation. This will help ensure you’re traveling to the right spot before you actually get there. Where is this information coming from? Well, from you. Located in the Report menu, Places allows users to edit normally inaccurate or incomplete information on businesses or residential locations. Everything from whether the place has parking (and where it’s located) or a drive-thru, to adding an exterior photo that will be displayed for other Wazers when they arrive at said location. Speaking of parking, Waze will now save your parking spot for you automatically, a feature we recently saw introduced in Google Now not too long ago. Here’s how it works. Once a Wazer has arrived at a destination, they can then add a photo or edit information on a businesses. Because Waze’s huge community will all be contributing (theoretically, that is), it doesn’t matter if you add a lot or little info — someone else will likely fill in the rest for you later. To help incentivize the adding of Places, Waze will be paying out major points bonuses if you’re into that sorta thing. Of course, since Waze crowd sources all its data from their users, you can sleep well at night knowing you’ve made the world a little less frustrating for drivers (while essentially doing a lot of Google’s work for them). Oh, and Waze also mentions search autocomplete now works everywhere in the world and they’ve also managed to squash a few bugs in the new update. For a quick overview on what’s new, check out Waze’s newly uploaded YouTube vid below. |
| #GapGate for Galaxy Note 4? Early complaints of build quality fly in Posted: 29 Sep 2014 10:50 AM PDT Samsung took a jab at Apple for #BendGate, but it seems they may have some build quality issues of their own to worry about. Recent reports out of South Korea after the Samsung Galaxy Note 4′s launch there this Friday tell of an issue where there is too much of a gap between the display and the sides of the chassis. The gap is big enough to fit something as thick as a business card in there. That may not be a huge issue at first glance, but that’s just enough space for hair and dirt to slide its way in, and it could be more susceptible to water and dust damage than any typical smartphone should. Samsung tests their smartphones quite rigorously as any fairly large company should so we’re not sure if this is a big oversight or something Samsung doesn’t see becoming an issue down the line. Either way, we’ve reached out to them to see if these reports are valid and if this issue is one to be worried about. If this is, in fact, a manufacturing defect, it won’t look well on Samsung’s decision to push the launch of the smartphone up by as much as a week or two. It wouldn’t be crazy to think that some mistakes have been made in mass production in their attempt to get these things on store shelves faster. Whether that decision was the right one remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure, though — we bet they are glad they didn’t lay it on too thick when they were ribbing Apple for the iPhone 6+’s embarrassing week in the media. [via ITToday Korea] |
| What do kids think about Google Glass? Posted: 29 Sep 2014 10:46 AM PDT When I was a kid, “cool new technology” meant games like Duck Hunt and Power Pad on regular Nintendo. That was 25 years ago, and to give you an idea of how long 25 years is, take a quick look at Nintendo’s TV commercial for Power Pad when it first came out: Each new generation of kids grows up in a very different world. Today, the Internet and mobile phones are everywhere. When I was a kid, neither existed. In 25 more years, how much more will technology change? Although it seems like “adults” make all the decisions, today’s kids have the answer. Like it or not, kids are the ones that decide what’s cool and what’s not, both now and in the future. And as they grow up, they’ll be the ones dreaming up, building, creating, designing, and making the cool new technology the world enjoys. So when one of my friends – an elementary school art teacher in Virginia- said her 5th grade class wanted to ask me some questions about Google Glass, I was happy to answer. In 25 short years, these kids will be making the world’s cool stuff, so we better get them pointed in the right direction. Here are a handful of their questions (and my answers) about Google Glass. What do you see when you wear them? How can you see what is happening around you while they are on?When you’re wearing Google Glass you don’t see anything… until you turn the screen on. You can turn it on by tapping the side of Google Glass or nodding your head in the air. When it’s on, it looks like a little computer screen is floating in the air, at the very top right. At first, it just shows a clock of the time, but by using your voice or your finger you can control Google Glass, and do things like take pictures, take videos, check sports scores, or even read and send messages to your friends. The “floating screen” isn’t directly in front of your eye, you’ve got to look up and to the right to see it, so it doesn’t block anything when you’re walking around. It’s also partly clear, so you can see what’s behind the screen. Here is the first video I made about Google Glass, showing exactly what it looks like to see through Google Glass: How close are the images to your eyes? Is it hard to get used to?The image is only a couple inches from your eye, but because it’s so small and not that bright, it looks and feels like you’re watching TV from 6 or 7 feet away. It does take some time to get used to Google Glass- at first it’s a weird feeling to have a screen attached to your face! It’s a combination of cool and weird, but after a few days, you get used to the way it looks and feels and it gets much more comfortable. How does it work?….if you activate it with your voice or by tilting your head up, does that get confusing when you move around or talk to people?The two ways to turn Google Glass on are by tilting up your head or by tapping the touch pad on the side. Google Glass isn’t perfect in every situation, so you need to be aware of your surroundings when deciding how to use it. If you’re in a loud place it might be hard for Glass to understand your voice. If you’re talking with a group of friends, it might be distracting if you’re moving your head around, saying voice commands, or tapping on your Glass. Google Glass is best for doing small things, like getting answers to questions and responding to messages when your hands are full. Just like anything else, you need to be respectful of those around you when using it. If you’re using it in a way that is confusing or annoying to other people around you, it’s probably best to not use it until later. Just like companies can make apps and games for phones and tablets, companies can also make apps and games for Google Glass. How Google Glass works in the future will depend on what great ideas people can think up. What do you think would be cool for Google Glass to do? How accurate is the voice command?…is it better than the iPhone? B/c that one isn’t good.Google Glass uses the same voice commands as other Android phones and tablets. From all the devices I’ve tested, I think Android (and Google Glass) have the best voice commands, but they’re still not perfect. The voice commands work best when you’re in a quiet place and can speak slowly and clearly. Google can even detect if you’ve got an accent, like Australian or British, and use that information to improve the voice commands. Sometimes, when you’re in a loud and crowded place, Google can still understand your voice commands perfectly. They have been working hard to improve voice commands every year and it keeps on getting better and better. Did you know you can use voice commands on your home computer, too? If you use Google Chrome you can set it up to use the same voice commands that Google Glass use and test it for yourself! How good is the camera for photos and video?The camera is my favorite part of Google Glass, but it is only okay compared to the camera on most phones. It needs to be smaller and lighter so it can fit on your head comfortably. The reason the Google Glass camera is so cool is that it’s always ready to go. Sometimes you miss the chance to take a picture because you can’t get your phone out of your pocket quick enough. With Google Glass it’s always right there: just press the camera button once to take a picture or hold it down to take a video. For example, I went on a bike ride with my brother (who is a bit of a daredevil), and took the picture and video below with Google Glass. If I didn’t have Google Glass, I wouldn’t have gotten either! It’s also hard to take good pictures or videos with Google Glass at night because there’s no flash. Here’s my family singing Happy Birthday to my dad through Google Glass… obviously I didn’t pay enough attention in music class! Is there sound? Can everyone around you hear it or just you?Google Glass has sound and it kind of tickles! There is a little speaker that presses against the side of your head, behind your ear, right where the glasses rest. The speaker vibrates the bone behind your ear (which tickles) and somehow – through the magic of science – your brain translates the vibrations into noise and you can hear sound even though it’s not directly in your ear. You can also add a headphone that plugs into Google Glass and goes directly in your ear, which is really helpful for using Google Glass to make phone calls or listening to music. Nobody around you can hear the sound unless they’re really, really close to you. Otherwise they just hear a quiet, muffled sound. How fast/well does it translate languages for you?Google Glass translates languages the same way that Google.com translates languages. So for example, if you went to Google and typed in “translate Hello! How are you? to Spanish” it would quickly pop up and show “Hola ¿cómo estás ?” With Google Glass you would do almost the same thing, but instead of typing, you would say out loud:
You would then see the same translation in your Google Glass display and it would read that sentence to you out loud in Spanish. Why is the design so ugly? I expect more from Google.Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Most people agree that Google Glass looks a little big and clunky, but that’s because this is the very first version ever made. As the technology gets better the design will improve. Just think about how big cell phones used to be: Or how big computers used to be: Eventually, Google Glass will improve in style and functionality, and to some degree it already has. Did you know Google is already working on contact lenses with technology built in, directly on your eye? And it’s very possible that in 25 years, kids won’t know what driving is like… because cars will all drive themselves. In fact, the very first cars with Android in them come out this year. So yes, we’ve come a long way in the past 25 years and we’re going to go a lot further in the next 25 years. Google Glass is one of many cool new technologies whose future depends on the upcoming generation of kids who love technology, deciding what the next cool thing should be. So what do you think? What would make Google Glass even cooler? If you can dream up a good idea, you can make it a reality! What the kids are saying about Glass
Thanks to all the kids for their interest! I’ve closed the comments, but if you’ve got any more questions, ask your teacher to contact me and I’ll make sure to answer them. |
| Latest Moto 360 update seems to bring a ridiculous boost to battery life Posted: 29 Sep 2014 10:04 AM PDT There were two major concerns with the Motorola Moto 360 when it first launched. The first was performance — the TI OMAP 3 chipset inside doesn’t seem to be favorable up against the tried and trusted Snapdragon 400 most other Android Wear watches use. The second was battery life — it was downright abysmal, and Chris will tell you that ten times over in his review. But it seems Motorola has effectively addressed at lease one of those areas. The latest update to the smart watch, firmware KGW42R, is delivering some rather impressive battery life. Many folks at the Android Wear subreddit have reported being able to make it more than 16 to 20 hours on a single charge before the device hits 40-50%. User RockItGuyDC’s report certainly puts a smile on our face:
That’s pretty insane for all that he was doing throughout the day. Motorola didn’t formally address what bugs were squashed in this upgrade nor did they tell us to expect better battery life as a result, but whatever change they made seems to have made a rather significant difference. For what it’s worth, there were sparing reports that the update addresses performance issues, though this reddit thread was focused squarely on battery life. We’ll be giving our own Moto 360 units a good run to see if all these reports are accurate, but with the overwhelming response from the Moto 360 community we’d say there’s nothing to worry about. Now, let’s see if we can’t get this thing’s availability up to par with the rest of the Android Wear gang. |
| OnePlus 2 confirmed for Q2 or Q3 2015; OnePlus says they’re thinking about a smaller form factor Posted: 29 Sep 2014 08:12 AM PDT While the OnePlus One is still considered to be in its infancy and there are many upgrades and improvements to be made, the company has confirmed that they are already thinking about its sequel. Carl Pei confirmed in an Ask Me Almost Anything on Reddit that the OnePlus 2 is most certainly in the works, and that they’re targeting a Q2 or Q3 release in 2015. We’re not surprised that they’re already looking into their next project, but it’s always nice to get official confirmation. Even more interesting is the second part of their response — they say they hear all the suggestions of going with a small form factor for the next device, and that they’re “thinking about it.” That doesn’t necessarily tell us they will look to break out of the phablet space with the next release, but it at least shows us they’re willing to explore all form factors. The OnePlus One launched to rave reviews, though much frustration was bred from the company’s invite system. A couple of early technical issues — such as yellowish displays and undelivered software features — have also contributed to the shaky launch, though many of those issues have already been cleared up. With OnePlus looking to ditch the invite system and go with a traditional pre-order system next month it sounds like all should be well. All that aside, the OnePlus One is a very fantastic device for its price tag, and we can’t wait to see what their next attempt at a smartphone will look like. |
| Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact receive root and custom recovery Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:54 AM PDT It hasn’t been long since the Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact’s debut, but the devices have already received root and a custom recovery for those looking to tinker with them. The former exploit can be applied to any handset with the official launch firmware and will enable you to use root apps and hacks. The custom recovery, which allows you to install custom after market ROMs once they start rolling in, requires an unlocked bootloader (though we hear that’s easy enough to obtain right now). It’s not that surprising that the Z3 and Z3 Compact have gotten exploited so easily. Developers have had plenty of time to play round the the Xperia Z2, and we imagine Sony hasn’t changed much to the base framework of those devices for this new set of hardware. Sony is also famously supportive of the development scene and they don’t tend to put the shackles on as tight as other companies might. XDA has all the goods for you here (Z3) and here (Z3 Compact) if you’re interested, but always know that you proceed at your own discretion and are responsible for what happens to your own device. [via XperiaBlog] |
| Samsung lets the puns fly in this insanely long 4 minute Galaxy Note ad [VIDEO] Posted: 29 Sep 2014 05:21 AM PDT Samsung’s latest ad for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 might not be the most effective way to sell someone on why they should buy a smartphone, but here it is — they’ve decided to pun it on up in a 4 minute splash of cheesy lines and dudebro humor. It consists of two guys playing a silly game where they have to force the word “note” into as many words or phrases as possible. I have to admit — much of it is pretty cringeworthy. I’m not even sure a ton of it is funny. But Samsung often likes to have fun and this is their way of doing it. We don’t imagine the entirety of this thing will be chopped into 30 second spots and put on major television campaigns, but it’s sitting above for you to enjoy if you have 4 minutes to spare today. Let us know what you thought of it down below. |
| AT&T offers huge double data promotion until the end of October Posted: 29 Sep 2014 05:02 AM PDT AT&T’s name doesn’t exactly scream value up against the likes of Sprint and T-Mobile, but it sure looks sweet today. Ma Bell has kicked off a huge double data promotion that will net you double the normal data of mobile share plans between 15GB and 50GB until the end of October. The plan is available for both new and existing customers, with the latter crop of folks even able to receive retroactive bill credits for the data they’ve already been paying for. Here’s how the plans now break down:
Of course, all these plans come with a smartphone access charge of $15 per month for AT&T Next and no-contract customers or $40 per month for those on two-year contracts, but note that it also includes both unlimited talk and text for all lines. Even better is the fact that the plans won’t last for a mere couple of years or so — AT&T says it’s yours to keep for as long as you keep service. Doesn’t sound too bad if you’ve been missing unlimited data and need a little more breathing room for month to month. The promotion began yesterday so be sure to call AT&T or stop by a store to get hooked up. There’s no telling when a promotion like this will make its way back onto the deals table so don’t lollygag on getting going with it. [via AT&T] |
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