The Android hardware market in the US better make some shelf space as Chinese manufacturer Meizu states its intentions to come stateside. The company announced its plans to jump-start its entry into the US at the Consumer Electronics Show next month.
Residents of New Zealand, Hong Kong, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago take note as Google Play Movies are now at your disposal. In total, Google added an additional thirteen countries bringing the total available market count to 27. This is the right time for residents of those countries to grab a Chromecast, kick their legs up on the sofa and watch a movie. Unfortunately, TV shows are still only available through the US, UK and Japan with no timetable for additional countries.
Everyone loves a good surprise and that’s why we’re happy to see YouTube arrive on the Roku 3. The arrival happens simultaneously in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. The surprise arrival of YouTube includes features like:
Some of us never thought this day would come as Motorola quietly updates Moto Maker to include Bamboo backplates for the Moto X. We know at least four versions of the backplate are planned according to a leaked shot courtesy of @evleaks in early November.
As Samsung works to capture more of the Android gaming market with the release of a new controller, a new analytics study shows Android gaming is on the rise. Apple may be considered the dominant leader in the mobile gaming category and it remains steadily in the driver’s seat, but 2013 indicated the Play Store is moving up fast.
Amazon’s upcoming smartphone that may or may not truly exist is now set to launch in the first half of 2014 according to Digitimes. The world’s most prolific source of insider information with a track record that hits around 50/50 says Primax Electronics has “obtained orders from Amazon for compact camera modules for use in smartphones to be launched in first-half 2014.”
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Google does a lot well during the year, but perhaps one of the things Google does best is its year-end Zeitgeist. For the unfamiliar, Google’s Zeitgeist wraps up all the top searches for various categories during the 2013 calendar year in combination with a video, dedicated set of web pages and enough information to keep you interested for hours.
With the tablet world continuing to claw away at PC market share, a new report suggests Samsung could launch up to four new tablets in the first quarter of 2014.
Samsung’s riding the Android game train all the way to the bank with the introduction of the new Smartphone GamePad and Mobile Console app. The GamePad and app are made specifically to “enhance the gaming experience on Samsung’s popular line of Galaxy devices. Launched in response to the rapidly expanding global mobile gaming market, Smartphone GamePad provides consumers with a fun, convenient, and advanced gaming experience anytime, anywhere.”
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A big NSFW warning for all of you watching this anywhere you don’t have a little privacy as College Humor shows just how far Google will go to get you on board with Google+.
If you weren’t interesting in forking over $1500 for a pair of Google Glass before, perhaps the addition of this new game will change your mind. The folks at Android Central just discovered a new game called Glass Hunt, developed by Derek Johnson and Jason Malashock.
Google Ventures, the Google-backed group that “provides seed, venture, and growth-stage funding to the best companies” just released their 2013 year-end report. The group, which has previously backed major names like RetailMeNot, Uber and Nest reports more than 75 new investments this year totaling more than 225 companies in total.
It’s been a long time coming and even after a brief spout where we thought they would never arrive, Motorola is yet again teasing the wood backing for the Moto X. Advising followers to “Put this DIY project on hold. Trust us” with an image of wood back, we can only hope Motorola has plans to push this out in the next few days.
The LG G Flex, the curved body and “self-healing” device out of the Korean folks at LG is destined for Sprint. This info comes courtesy of famed Twitter tipster @evleaks who discovered the image and posted it online early this morning.
Amazon is pulling out all the stops to get a Kindle Fire HDX into your hands this holiday season with a brand new payment plan. Amazon unveiled the new plan (as discovered by PC Mag) in the past 24 hours that will allow customers to split the payments across a total of 270 days from the initial date of purchase.
Hot on the heels of the HTC One GPE receiving its own Android 4.4.2 update comes news that the Galaxy S 4 variant is now seeing the update arrive. Owners of the GT-i950G should start seeing the OTA update rolling out in the form of a 57.8MB update.
In a world where families can all share one household tablet, the introduction of profiles for Netflix is huge news. Gone are the days when you had to see a mix of suggestions with other people sharing the device, now it’s just your recent shows and movies.The newest update began yesterday, December 14th and introduces:
HTC One Google Play edition owners should look lively as they appear to be next in line for a software update to Android 4.4.2. According to an Android Police report, limited reports are beginning to arrive as HTC One GPE owners are starting to see the update arrive.
Oh Canada as the country’s Competition Bureau is targeting Google with a formal inquiry. Our neighbors to the north are eyeballing el Goog over concern the company is abusing its position as the worlds most dominant search engine.
A brand new Microsoft update for Skype for Android is including some new features as well as general improvements for users. The most notable addition in this update includes what Skype says is the first Android app to offer a “picture in picture window that lets you see your video call even when you switch away to other applications.”
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Cover, a brand new Android lockscreen first showed itself to the world at the tail end of October. The context-aware lockscreen notes which apps you want to use in specific locations and will present them on your lockscreen.
From 9to5mac.com
Surprise, surprise as a new Canaccord Genuity study shows the Galaxy S 4 as the most popular Android device at the nations four largest carriers. Unfortunately for Samsung, the nations largest carriers actually show the iPhone 5s as the top selling smartphone overall.
Google’s recently added privacy feature allowing users to install apps while preventing the app from collecting sensitive data is now gone. According to the EFF which questioned Google, they were told the feature had been released by accident and was experimental.
According to some a XDA-Developers forum thread, improved hardware for the Nexus 5 is now rolling out. The original batch of Nexus 5 devices is said to have suffered some minor hardware difficulties such as a protruding SIM tray, loose/noisy buttons and speaker-related issues.
