Friday, June 20, 2014

LG G Watch gets pictured again in the wild


Ready or not, here's another sighting of LG's G Watch. The soon to be released smartwatch based on Google's new Android Wear platform has been spotted out and about once more, this time as it lies flat on a wooden surface with a charging cable (that looks like it's microUSB) connected to it.
It's got a rubber band in this incarnation, as you can see.
The watch is asking its owner to install the Android Wear app on her or his smartphone first, so it looks like that will be a requirement for using Android Wear devices.
The G Watch is expected to become fully official next week during Google's I/O developer conference. The wearable will apparently be sold through Google's Play Store, it's been recently revealed.
It should be out in Europe this month, and elsewhere on July 1. It will be priced at €199 in Europe, and presumably $199 in the US.
The smartwatch has been rumored to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, a 1.65-inch touchscreen with 280x280 resolution, 4GB of built-in storage, 512MB of RAM, and a 400 mAh battery. It will be water and dust resistant. Its dimensions are 37.9 x 46.5 x 9.95 mm.
Its main competitors are likely to be the already released Samsung Gear 2 line as well as the upcoming Moto 360 by Motorola.
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Google starts rolling out Android 4.4.4 update

It's been barely a month since Android 4.4.3 started rolling out for Nexus devices and Google has already started rolling out the 4.4.4 update. But while this may not be as big an update as its predecessor (which itself wasn't especially big) it does take care of a major security issue.

According to the change log posted by Sprint, this update just brings a security fix. According to Android Police, it contains a patch for an OpenSSL bug, which would have allowed a man-in-the-middle attack. This is similar to the Heartbleed bug that was addressed in 4.4.3 update.
The OTA update is just rolling out for the Nexus 5 for now but Google has provided factory images on its website for the Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10. If you used Towelroot to root your device then it will remain unaffected.
It's been barely a month since Android 4.4.3 started rolling out for Nexus devices and Google has already started rolling out the 4.4.4 update. But while this may not be as big an update as its predecessor (which itself wasn't especially big) it does take care of a major security issue.

According to the change log posted by Sprint, this update just brings a security fix. According to Android Police, it contains a patch for an OpenSSL bug, which would have allowed a man-in-the-middle attack. This is similar to the Heartbleed bug that was addressed in 4.4.3 update.
The OTA update is just rolling out for the Nexus 5 for now but Google has provided factory images on its website for the Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10. If you used Towelroot to root your device then it will remain unaffected.
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Nokia teases the upcoming X2, to be announced on June 24

Shortly after the launch of its first Android phone — the Nokia X — Nokia will be releasing a successor in the form of the Nokia X2. Although the phone and the name hasn't been officially announced as such, the company has posted a teaser on its website with the tagline 'Green with envy'.

The new phone is set to be announced on June 24. From the rumors, the major changes to the phone include a dedicated home button, which is not present on the current Nokia X phones and caused confusion among the users (who were unaware you can press and hold the back button to go home).
Other changes include a bigger display, faster processor and 1GB RAM. We will find out for sure on Tuesday.
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Is Amazon's Fire phone a game changer?

Is Amazon's Fire phone a game changer?Every now and then, some company launches a device that’s bound to revolutionize the market, and, next thing you know, everyone else wants to make products similar to it - or at least to steal some of its features.
Yesterday, Amazon announced its first smartphone (simply called the Fire phone), and we were wondering if it could be considered a game changer. As you may know, one of the novelties that the handset offers is Firefly - Amazon’s new software-based service that uses the phone’s rear camera to recognize an impressive number of items (more than 100 million). After Firefly recognizes an item, it provides info about it, and allows you to instantly buy it. Having an Amazon Fire phone in your pocket means that you always have a pretty powerful shopping machine at your fingertips (which, let’s face it, isn’t necessarily a good thing for your bank account).

Shopping
Is Amazon's Fire phone a game changer?
capabilities aside, the Fire phone comes with a "dynamic perspective" 3D interface, which is years ahead of the 3D smartphone UIs we’ve seen until now. Amazon actually spent about 4 years developing the technology for this. The new interface doesn’t provide just visual treats, it also enables gesture-based commands (for example, you can tilt the phone to scroll through web pages).

Another thing that the Fire phone has is Mayday, Amazon’s free, live, on-device video support that almost instantly helps you use the handset at its full potential. You can see all the other new features of the Amazon Fire phone in this post.

The handset can already be pre-ordered, and will be launched on July 25. It’s available exclusively on AT&T, for $199.99 (32GB) or $299.99 (64GB) on contract. But you’re not paying just for the phone itself, as Amazon is throwing in a one-year Amazon Prime subscription, which normally costs $99.99.
 
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BBM to officially land on Windows Phone in July


BBM to officially land on Windows Phone in JulyWhile BlackBerry CEO John Chen was giving up some not so terrible news at the company’s quarterly earnings report, one of the things he confirmed was the availability of BlackBerry Messenger coming to Windows Phone.

It was back in March when BlackBerry said that we could expect to see the iconic instant messaging service sometime between May and July, and now Mr. Chen has confirmed that BBM will make that goal.

We knew long ago that Windows Phone would eventually get BBM, but it has been the better part of a year that we have been waiting to see the service expand beyond iOS and Android. At this point, we do not know how rich the feature set will be with BBM for Windows Phone, but hopefully it will at least have the same functionality that is available on BBM for iOS and Android.

No firm date was noted with Mr. Chen’s announcement, but at least we know BBM will finally be landing on Windows Phone in a few short weeks.
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WSJ: Apple's iWatch will come in different shapes and sizes, with more than 10 sensors


WSJ: Apple's iWatch will come in different shapes and sizes, with more than 10 sensorsCiting "people familiar with the matter," the Wall Street Journal claims today that the iWatch will come in more than one design version. The publication states that Apple will introduce several screen sizes, too, so it's not exactly clear if the design language of the wearable will stay one and the same, just with smaller and larger displays, or each chassis will be different in shape and form as well. We've been hearing for a while that Apple is testing many screen sizes for its fancy ticker, and more recently a 1.5" iWatch and a 2.5" wearable were bandied about, so there might indeed be merit in this latest rumor.

This goes to show that Apple is pulling out all stops when it comes to the iWatch, and not introducing a device it considers beta, like Apple TV, just to test the waters. The WSJ sources indicate that Apple has laden the iWatch with no less than 10 sensors, including health and fitness ones, in order to make it superior to existing smartwatch efforts. The team from Cupertino apparently has tried to address the chief criticism against current wearables, like Samsung's Gear line, or Sony's SmartWatch one, that those don't provide functionality you don't already have on your smartphone.

Thus, Apple has evidently tried to make the iWatch not only look good, but also provided unique functions that come in addition to, as opposed to duplicating smartphone features. As for the health and fitness sensors, Apple's new Health app and SDK hint at what might be included in the new iWatch - pulse, blood pressure and pedometer functionality, even glucose metering have all been speculated, and we can't wait for the first design tips to start flooding our inboxes. Still, the supply chain sources commented that the final specifications are still being ironed out, and yet Apple plans to ship between 10-15 million iWatch units by the end of the summer, ready for the fall announcement, and the eventual October release date.

source: WSJ
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WSJ: Apple's iWatch will come in different shapes and sizes, with more than 10 sensors


WSJ: Apple's iWatch will come in different shapes and sizes, with more than 10 sensorsCiting "people familiar with the matter," the Wall Street Journal claims today that the iWatch will come in more than one design version. The publication states that Apple will introduce several screen sizes, too, so it's not exactly clear if the design language of the wearable will stay one and the same, just with smaller and larger displays, or each chassis will be different in shape and form as well. We've been hearing for a while that Apple is testing many screen sizes for its fancy ticker, and more recently a 1.5" iWatch and a 2.5" wearable were bandied about, so there might indeed be merit in this latest rumor.

This goes to show that Apple is pulling out all stops when it comes to the iWatch, and not introducing a device it considers beta, like Apple TV, just to test the waters. The WSJ sources indicate that Apple has laden the iWatch with no less than 10 sensors, including health and fitness ones, in order to make it superior to existing smartwatch efforts. The team from Cupertino apparently has tried to address the chief criticism against current wearables, like Samsung's Gear line, or Sony's SmartWatch one, that those don't provide functionality you don't already have on your smartphone.

Thus, Apple has evidently tried to make the iWatch not only look good, but also provided unique functions that come in addition to, as opposed to duplicating smartphone features. As for the health and fitness sensors, Apple's new Health app and SDK hint at what might be included in the new iWatch - pulse, blood pressure and pedometer functionality, even glucose metering have all been speculated, and we can't wait for the first design tips to start flooding our inboxes. Still, the supply chain sources commented that the final specifications are still being ironed out, and yet Apple plans to ship between 10-15 million iWatch units by the end of the summer, ready for the fall announcement, and the eventual October release date.

source: WSJ
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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

New Moto X+1 images leak, veracity already questioned

New Moto X+1 images leak, veracity already questioned
The rumors surrounding the Moto X+1 (the assumed name of the Moto X follow-up) have been increasing, and we've even seen a couple images alleged to be the upcoming Motorola handset. Today, we're getting a couple more images, which seem to match those we saw before, and a little more on potential specs for the device, including possible SD card support.

We've heard before that the Moto X+1 would have a 1080p display and a Snapdragon 800 SoC. The new rumors that come along with the images don't mention the processor, but are claiming that the X+1 design will be something of a hybrid between the DROID ULTRA and the Moto X. This would likely mean a larger device (around a 5-inch display), but with the rounded edges and dimple on the back, like the Moto X. The appearance of the device in the leaked images makes it look to be in the 5-inch range. 

As far as the internals are concerned, the X+1 is said to come with 2GB of RAM in 16, 32, and 64GB models, but the interesting wrinkle is that the 64GB model may also include a microSD card slot for those who really need a ton of storage. It's a nice dream, but we would actually be more surprised if that were true, because it seems silly that Motorola would make two models of the phone for a feature with niche appeal. (We understand that many of you here love SD cards, but please keep in mind that you are the minority in that.)

The camera is also said to be improved, which is no surprise given that the camera was one of the most criticized aspects of the Moto X. The surprise there is that Motorola reportedly hasn't decided on which camera sensor to use in the final model. And, depending on which camera component Motorola chooses, the X+1 release could be anywhere from August to September. The general rumors so far have been pointing to an August release, but it is possible that a last-minute change to the camera could delay that. 

*Update* It is unclear how much, if any of this info is accurate. The source TK Tech News has said that the leak was bogus, but never updated the original report to reflect exactly what was meant by that. This whole mess could just be to get press for TK Tech with its new offer of a $25k bounty for hands-on time with the X+1. The images do still match leaks that we've seen before, and some of the specs sound reasonable. There has been no reason yet to disbelieve that the X+1 would have a 1080p display, 2GB of RAM, storage options up to 64GB, and an improved camera. The questionable info has already been labeled as such in the article. 

New Moto X+1 images leak, veracity already questioned
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Amazon Appstore now has over 240,000 apps, Kindle Fire developers often getting paid better than on other platforms

Amazon Appstore now has over 240,000 apps, Kindle Fire developers often getting paid better than on other platforms

Amazon is expected to unveil its first smartphone on Wednesday, and right before the big moment, the company has shared some big stats - the Amazon Appstore has reached 240,000 apps, nearly three times as much as it had last year. Moreover, Amazon’s Appstore serves the apps to customers in some 200 countries.

This is a big number for Amazon, but it is still far behind Apple with its 1.2-billion App Store, and Google with Android’s Play Store that had over 1 billion apps more than half a year ago.

Unlike Google’s Play Store, though, Amazon’s catalog is curated and the company points out that numbers are not all - it’s also about the quality of the applications, and the pay-outs to developers, where Amazon has done very well. Some reports even go on to claim that developers who publish exclusively on Amazon’s Appstore can make more revenue than on iOS.

The latest IDC survey (that you should read with a shade of doubt as it’s sponsored by Amazon) found that 65% of the 360 polled developers found Kindle Fire apps to bring them as much or more money as on other platforms, and 74% found ARPU (average revenue per user) to be again equal or better than others on the Kindle Fire.

This official statement by Amazon comes right on the verge of the unveiling of the Amazon ‘Kindle Fire’ smartphone that is expected to come with a whopping 4 front cameras to provide users with unique 3D-esque effects.

source: Amazon
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Samsung Galaxy Pocket 2 and Galaxy Core 2 Duos (both with Android KitKat) coming soon


Samsung Galaxy Pocket 2 and Galaxy Core 2 Duos (both with Android KitKat) coming soonSamsung already introduced more than 100 different Android smartphones since 2009, and it will certainly release many more from now on. Two of those “many more” handsets seem to be the Galaxy Pocket 2, and the Galaxy Core 2 Duos. Both can be seen on the website of a Vietnamese online store, although Samsung has yet to announce them.

Succeeding the Galaxy Pocket from 2012, and the Pocket Plus and Pocket Neo models from last year, the new Samsung Galaxy Pocket 2 is an entry-level device. The best thing about it is that it runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box. The handset features a small 3.2-inch QVGA display, dual SIM capabilities, HSDPA, 1.0GHz single-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, and a 2MP rear  camera.

The Galaxy Core 2 Duos is the Samsung Galaxy Core 2 that we first heard of back in April. It, too, runs Android KitKat, and supports two SIM cards. However, it’s more advanced than the Galaxy Pocket 2, offering a 4.5-inch WVGA display, quad-core processor (unknown maker), 5MP rear camera with flash, VGA front-facing camera, 768MB of RAM, and 4GB of expandable internal memory.

Samsung was supposed to release the Galaxy Core 2 in May, but that obviously didn’t happen. Anyway, both the Core 2 and Galaxy Pocket 2 will probably be available to buy in the near future in select markets.


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