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Stephen Hall

stephenjhall

Stephen is Growth Director at 9to5. You can find his current work at 9to5Mac, 9to5Google 9to5Toys, Electrek, and more. If you want to get in touch, follow me on Twitter. Or, email at stephen (at) 9to5mac (dot) com, or an encrypted email at hallstephenj (at) protonmail (dot) com.

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Motorola Gallery gets updated w/ Material Design enhancements, Highlight Reel on more devices

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 2:26 pm PT
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Motorola has today pushed out an update to its Motorola Gallery app, bringing a host of improvements across the board. On all devices, the app features an improved Camera Roll view with better sorting, a new app icon and Material Design enhancements, and quicker access to photo cropping. Also, you’ll find that the the app’s “Highlight Reel” is now available for both variants of the Moto X and the Droid Ultra.

As per the app’s description on Google Play:

For all devices:
Improved Camera Roll view with sorting by event and time
New app icon and material design enhancements
Quicker access for cropping a photo
Stability and performance enhancements
For Moto X (1st Gen.), Moto X (2nd Gen.), DROID Ultra family and DROID Turbo only:
Highlight Reel now available for Moto X (1st gen), Moto X (2nd gen) and Droid Ultra
More free music downloads to personalize Highlight Reels
As you might expect, you can grab the app for free.

Cyanogen teases upcoming OS 12 release w/ new boot animation (Video)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 2:04 pm PT
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Cyanogen recently gave itself a rebrand, and now the company has come out to share the new boot animation shipping with its upcoming Cyanogen OS 12. It’s definitely sporting the company’s slick new logo which, according to Cyanogen, “celebrates space, with minimal letterforms that don’t quite connect, giving the logo a sense of motion and a feeling of inherent energy.”


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Reminder: Registration for Google I/O 2015 opens tomorrow (Update: Today!)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 12:22 pm PT
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Update: Google I/O registration is now open.

Google I/O 2015 is right around the corner, scheduled to be taking place May 28th and 29th of this year at Moscone Center West. And in case you haven’t been following Google’s own countdown clock, we wanted to give you a bit of a heads up and remind you that registration for the event opens Tuesday. Just like last year, Google will be keeping registration open to the public for a couple days, and then will be holding a random lottery to see who gets to go…

You can head to the Google I/O 2015 registration page Tuesday at 9 AM PDT to register, and the cost will be the same as last year: $900 for a general attendee, and $300 for a student ticket. Before registration opens, make sure you have a Google account set up and ready to go, and it wouldn’t hurt to sign into Google Wallet to add the card that you plan to pay with. Head over to Google’s website to check out the event schedule.

9to5Toys Last Call: Nexus 7 (2013) $150, Fitbit Flex $80, Unlocked HTC One (M8) $325, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 10:56 am PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

ASUS Google Nexus 7 16GB 7%22 Android Tablet (2013 Version) | Groupon 2015-03-16 12-44-01

ASUS Google Nexus 7 (2013) 16GB 7-inch tablet: $149.99 shipped (Reg. $200)

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Fitbit Flex Activity Tracker $75 + $5 shipping (Reg. $100)

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HTC One (M8) 32 GB Android phone unlocked: $325 shipped (Reg. $700)

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Amazon free Android app of the day: Carcassonne (Reg. $5)

 

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 32 GB factory unlocked: $295 shipped (Reg. $500)

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LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card for $0.01 w/ 2-yr contract or $479 w/o

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SanDisk Connect 32GB Wireless iOS/Android Flash Drive: $35 Prime shipped (orig. $60)

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Nexus 5 Case, Spigen Slim Armor Case for Nexus 5: $9.99 shipped (Reg. $25)

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Amazon Gold Box – SanDisk storage up to 40% off: 128GB USB 2.0 flash drive $28, 64GB microSDXC $25, more

More new gear from today:

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Big USB battery/flashlight combos: Omaker 15,600mAh: $25, Power Vault 18000mAh: $30 shipped

More deals still alive:

JBL J56 BT Wireless Bluetooth on-ear headphones (black or white) $60 shipped (Reg. $90+) | 9to5Toys 2015-03-13 13-47-20

JBL J56 BT Wireless Bluetooth on-ear headphones $60 shipped (Reg. $90+)

New products & more:

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The Atlas Wristband can discern between different fitness activities

HTC One M9 test shows 131 degree surface temp while running GFXBench

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 8:40 am PT
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It looks like there is definitely some truth to evidence suggesting that the Snapdragon 810 has been facing some problems with overheating. Dutch site Tweakers has taken the HTC One M9 through a series of tests, and it looks like overheating problems with Qualcomm’s processor are still very much a valid concern. Specifically, while running GFXBench, the site has recorded the HTC One M9 to have a surface temperature of around 55 degrees Celsius—or 131 degrees Fahrenheit.


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Supposed renders of Sony’s Xperia Z4 smartphone leak out

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 7:36 am PT
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In case you didn’t catch it, Steve Hemmerstoffer of the well-known French site Nowhereelse.fr has started his own Twitter account specifically dedicated to leaks: @onleaks. He’s been really cranking them out lately, and recently showed us some purported press renders of the LG G4. He has a relatively decent track record, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see some of these things turn out to be legitimate…

Today, he has come out to show us a render of what he claims is Sony’s upcoming Xperia Z4 smartphone:

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Looking at the visual appearance of the software, it lines up pretty well with what can be found on the Xperia Z4 tablet that Sony launched earlier this month. The design of the clock, as well as the icons below (Video, Album, etc.) are all identical to their tablet counterparts—and they’re arranged similarly as well. The design of the device itself is notably unexciting, however, and it’s not much of a departure from its predecessor. (But that seems to be a common thread this year.)

Update: Hemmerstoffer has posted some more renders…

We told you this morning that Sony is finally launching Android Lollipop on the company’s 2014 flagship, the Xperia Z3.

‘Big’ HTC One M9 announcement coming on Wednesday

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 7:05 am PT
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Jason Mackenzie, the President of HTC America, has come out this morning on Twitter to say that the Taiwanese company has a “BIG announcement for US customers on Wednesday.”

It’s going to be aimed specifically at “US customers,” which makes me think the announcement will likely be stateside availability of the HTC One M9. I’m not sure if that would qualify as a “BIG” announcement in my mind, but we’ve definitely been waiting a while to find out when the device is going to be available.

Another plausible announcement could be an “HTC One M9 for Windows” device, a successor to the Microsoft-approved device that HTC launched in August of last year. That would be closer to something “BIG”, but I think HTC has an Android HTC One M9 that it needs to convince the world to buy before it can sell another variant of it.

Android Lollipop now rolling out to Xperia Z3 & Xperia Z3 Compact

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 6:41 am PT
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Sony has announced that it is now rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop update to its 2014 flagship Xperia Z3 smartphone and its Xperia Z3 Compact little brother:

We’re starting our Android 5.0, Lollipop upgrade from today for Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact.

You’ll see the upgrade hit first devices in the Nordics and Baltics, continuing to further markets, for more Xperia Z Series products, starting in around two weeks time* – we’ll share the latest here, as it happens.

After blending Google’s first Lollipop release with our Sony software, some of the goodies include;

  • Fresh, streamlined looks – based on Google’s material design, but retaining our minimalistic approach to interface and application design
  • New look notifications and lock screen – with fully customizable settings, so you only get the information you really need
  • Multi user profiles and guest mode – making it easy for family and friends to use your device, or the creation of dual environments for work and play…
  • Android for Work – not only are business-ready Xperia smartphones and tablets unique devices for work – with waterproof form factors, great battery life and productivity features – they will now also be part of the Android for Work ecosystem
  • Better storage control and customisation – with the option to easily move applications from internal memory to SD card – giving you more control over your content, particularly useful for devices with slightly less space

More than four months after the initial release of Android Lollipop to Nexus devices, some OEMs are still just now managing to push Lollipop to the masses. It’s no wonder why the Android Lollipop adoption rate is still barely above 3%.

9to5Google’s newsletter brings every day’s Google stories right to your mailbox

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 14 2015 - 8:27 am PT
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Screen Shot 2015-03-13 at 11.04.19 AMRedesigned for easier reading and a smaller download size, 9to5Google’s Daily Newsletter is a great way to get a roundup of all of our reporting in your inbox!

Between Android phones, tablets, Android Wear, Chromecast, and Chromebooks, there’s a ton of Google news to share with you every day. Our newsletter arrives daily at around 6PM Eastern Time, and wraps up all of the day’s news in a single convenient place. It’s a perfect way to quickly see what’s going on with Google, even if you’re reading offline.

9to5Google is committed to your privacy. We never spam or sell/share your email address with third parties.

Sign up here to get your first edition today! And you can use these links to sign up for the 9to5Mac and 9to5Toys newsletters, if they interest you!

Check out 9to5Google on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and RSS!

9to5Toys Last Call: HTC One (M8) $325, Galaxy Note 3 $295, LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 13 2015 - 12:04 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

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HTC One (M8) 32 GB Android phone unlocked: $325 shipped (Reg. $700)

 

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 32 GB factory unlocked: $295 shipped (Reg. $500)

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LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card for $0.01 w/ 2-yr contract or $479 w/o

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LG 34-inch UltraWide LED IPS Monitor w/ Thunderbolt: $750 shipped (Reg. $1,000)

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Nexus 5 Case, Spigen Slim Armor Case for Nexus 5: $9.99 shipped (Reg. $25)

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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 4G LTE 32GB unlocked: $479.99 shipped (Reg. $700)

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LG G2 w/ 32GB unlocked for GSM carriers: $210 shipped (Reg. $300)

More new gear from today:

JBL J56 BT Wireless Bluetooth on-ear headphones (black or white) $60 shipped (Reg. $90+) | 9to5Toys 2015-03-13 13-47-20

JBL J56 BT Wireless Bluetooth on-ear headphones $60 shipped (Reg. $90+)

  • New! Daily Deals: OtterBox Defender iPad Air Case $50, Toshiba 1TB Ext. HD $50, more
  • New! Games/Apps: Shades $1, Ultimate Hangman free, more iOS freebies

More deals still alive:

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Bluetooth Streaming Audio Adapters: Mpow $9, Aukey w/ hands-free calling $15

New products & more:

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LyfeLens dash cam pushes live video to your iPhone and doubles as a hotspot

Non-functional ‘Google VPN’ spotted in Android 5.1 to ‘protect you on open WiFi networks’

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 13 2015 - 10:12 am PT
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A new app has been discovered in the recently released Android 5.1 update called Google Connectivity Services (via Pocketables), and within—if you do a bit of digging and launch the “WifiAssistantOptInActivity” activity—you can find the above pop-up labeled as “Google VPN”. It looks like the Mountain View company could be preparing to launch its own VPN to increase security when joining an open WiFi network, and this might be the dialogue box that users will be presented with when doing so…
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Mickey Mouse Apple Watch face unofficially makes its way to Android Wear

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 13 2015 - 8:03 am PT
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The Apple Watch was once again shown off at Apple’s “Spring Forward” event on Monday, and it looks like the Android Wear community is already putting together some watch faces inspired by Apple’s selections. Ironically, first up is the iconic Mickey Mouse face that has been the brunt of many a joke in the Android community on Google+, and it looks like the XDA-Developers user who made it did a pretty good job of replicating the real deal…


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Google Code is joining the Google product graveyard, project creation disabled today

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 12 2015 - 1:26 pm PT
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google_code

Google has announced today that it is shutting down its project hosting service, Google Code. Its main competitor GitHub has long been seen as the ubiquitous code and project management platform, and even Google itself has long been moving its own open source projects “to meet developers where they are.” Google says that project creation on Google Code is already disabled…

Beginning today, we have disabled new project creation on Google Code. We will be shutting down the service about 10 months from now on January 25th, 2016. Below, we provide links to migration tools designed to help you move your projects off of Google Code. We will also make ourselves available over the next three months to those projects that need help migrating from Google Code to other hosts.

In August of this year, Google Code will become read-only, meaning users will not be able to edit or change existing projects. As the name suggests, however, users will be able to read and view project source until January 25, 2016 when the project hosting service will be closed completely. If you have a project that needs to be migrated off of Google Code, the company suggests you use the Google Code to GitHub exporter tool.

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9to5Toys Last Call: LG Chromebase $250, Verizon Moto G $30, iOttie Air Vent Mount $18, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 12 2015 - 12:24 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

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LG Chromebase 21.5″ all-in-one desktop computer (black): $249.99 shipped (Reg. $349.99)

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Verizon prepaid Motorola Moto G (black): $29.99 in-store pickup only (Reg. $99.99)

iottie-itap-magnetic-air-vent-mount-for-iphone-66-plus-sale-03

iOttie iTap Air Vent Mount for Android devices: $18 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 32 GB factory unlocked for GSM networks: $295 shipped (Reg. $500)

34-inch-lg-electronics-led-lit-monitor-w-built-in-speakers-um95-34um95-sale-01

LG 34-inch UltraWide LED IPS Monitor w/ Thunderbolt: $750 shipped (Reg. $1,000)

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Amazon free Android app of the day: DogWorld 3D (Reg. $2)

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Nexus 5 Case, Spigen Slim Armor Case for Nexus 5: $9.99 shipped (Reg. $25)

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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 4G LTE GSM N910A (Latest Model) 32GB unlocked for GSM networks: $479.99 shipped (Reg. $700)

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LG G2 w/ 32GB flash storage, factory unlocked for GSM carriers: $210 shipped (Reg. $300)

More new gear from today:

samsung-850-pro

Samsung 850 Pro 256GB 2.5″ Internal Solid State Drive $130 shipped (Reg. $180)

More deals still alive:

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JBL Pebbles Plug and Play USB Desktop Speakers $25 shipped (Orig. $60)

New products & more:

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Kitchenaid’s new Siphon Coffee Brewer brings fancy gourmet coffee to your kitchen

Dimensions compared: Apple Watch much smaller than Android Wear devices

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 12 2015 - 10:12 am PT
4 Comments

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The Apple Watch was once again shown off at Apple’s “Spring Forward” event on Monday, and many have been left wondering how the device compares to the Android Wear devices currently on the market. Technology has surely evolved a bit since the G Watch was announced, but how much have things changed?

There are several differences between the two platforms, but one that has now been brought to light is the device’s physical dimensions. Looking at Apple’s renders and images makes the device look big, but comparing its actual dimensions to Android Wear devices does the opposite. It’s tiny compared to most of what’s available today.


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LG reportedly working on a higher-end ‘G Note’ phablet

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 12 2015 - 8:45 am PT
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<a href="http://9to5google.com/2015/03/10/lg-g4-leak-lg-g-flex-2/">Purported rendering</a> of the LG G4

LG has already said that it is working on a phone that is a bit higher-end than its upcoming LG G4 handset, and it looks like the company might go with the familiar “Note” moniker to set this device apart from its siblings. A high-end large screen smartphone specifically called the “G Note” is reportedly in the works (via Korea Herald), and it looks like LG even applied for a trademark for the phablet earlier this month…


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Android 5.1 Lollipop OTA files start showing up for Nexus devices, here’s how to install them

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 12 2015 - 6:45 am PT
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Lollipop Forest

Google recently started publishing Nexus factory images for Android 5.1, but now download links for the over-the-air update are hitting the Internet. It likely won’t be long before your Nexus device has the update up and running (5.1 for the Sprint Nexus 6 started rolling out yesterday, for example), but if you just can’t wait to get your hands on those performance improvements, we’ve got you covered…


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Google releases its first Android Wear watch face: Street Art

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 11 2015 - 1:37 pm PT
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Google has today released its very first official watch face for Android Wear, and it’s called “Street Art.” The watch face features several artistic selections from the Google Art Project, and while you get a decent variety in terms of the art you might want on your wrist, the app doesn’t have many configurable options beyond that.

You can choose one of three display options: analog, digital, or minimal. Analog is a pretty standard analog set up, the digital face will put the time at the bottom of the screen, and the minimal face is actually an analog face that uses circles instead of numbers as not to distract the viewer from the artwork.

Head over to the Play Store to get the watch face for free.

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9to5Toys Last Call: Galaxy Note 3 $300, Amazon free app – Shopper’s Paradise, HomeRun Tuner $95, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 11 2015 - 12:54 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

$_12-1

Samsung N9000 Galaxy Note 3 32 GB factory unlocked for GSM networks: $300 shipped (Reg. $500)

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Amazon free Android app of the day: Shopper’s Paradise HD

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SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime 3-Tuner Network TV Tuner $89.99 + $5 shipping (orig. $149.99)

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Nexus 5 Case, Spigen Slim Armor Case for Nexus 5: $9.99 shipped (Reg. $25)

canon-imageclass-airprint

Canon imageCLASS AirPrint Wireless Color Laser Printer $150 shipped (Reg. $200+)

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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 4G LTE GSM N910A (Latest Model) 32GB unlocked for GSM networks: $479.99 shipped (Reg. $700)

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LG G2 w/ 32GB flash storage, factory unlocked for GSM carriers: $210 shipped (Reg. $300)

More new gear from today:

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More deals still alive:

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Groupon 10% off: Logitech iPad Air keyboard cover (refurb) $27, iPhone battery case $18, PS4 bundle $360, more

New products & more:

pancakebot-new-toy-01

Here’s a look at the “world’s first” custom pancake printer bot

Google launches new online ‘Google Store’ marketplace to sell its devices

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 11 2015 - 11:16 am PT
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Google has today launched the Google Store, a new marketplace separate from the Play Store that will let customers browse devices and products that were “made with Google.” You’ll find the wide variety of products you’ve come to shop for in the Play Store, including Chromebooks, Nexus devices, Android Wear smartwatches, and Nest smart thermostats among many others…


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HTC One E9 leaks, sports a flatter and thinner body w/ a 5.5-inch screen

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 11 2015 - 10:46 am PT
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It looks like another HTC smartphone, this time the One E9 (rather than the M9), is on the way to market sometime soon. The images have shown up thanks to Chinese regulators (via Engadget), and as you can see above, they actually don’t look that similar to last year’s HTC One E8 (which came to Sprint in August). This device has a much larger camera on its rear, and sports a larger 5.5-inch screen (which is a half-an-inch bigger than that of its M9 relative)…
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Alive and well: Google posts several new Google Glass engineering jobs on LinkedIn

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 11 2015 - 9:04 am PT
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glass

Google has really been shaking up the Glass project since it was graduated out of the experimental Google[x] lab and placed in its own division under Tony Fadell. We exclusively reported in February that Google was mixing up the Glass engineering team amidst this leadership shift, but that story focused mostly on the engineers that were being moved off the team to work in other Google divisions. Now we have further confirmation that the Mountain View company is indeed bringing on some fresh talent, as several job listings for Glass engineers have been posted to LinkedIn…
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Android 5.1 is rolling out to the Sprint Nexus 6 starting today (and the Note 4 is getting 5.0)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 11 2015 - 7:11 am PT
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Sprint has announced today that Android 5.1 is rolling out to the Nexus 6, marking yet another carrier launch of the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. Recently, T-Mobile said that the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 5 have already started receiving the update, and now it looks like the first Nexus from Sprint is getting the same…


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