One of the worst-kept tech secrets in recent memory, the HTC One M9 was finally announced today on stage by CEO Peter Chou at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. None of the specs were much of a surprise though the 20 megapixel sapphire camera and new configurable DotView cover will make some headlines. Under the hood is Qualcom’s new flagship 810 processor which HTC calls the fastest mobile processor in the world.

As for the appearance, I’m not sure I’m a fan of the Dual-Tone finish tweeted below but that beats the Pink version of the M9 IMHO.

[tweet https://twitter.com/htc/status/572052425693138944]

Me? I’ll skip the Sense 7 and will take a GPE if/when it comes out thank you very much.

Huge gallery and hands-on video below. We’ll have more HTC updates as they happen.
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH7ljkGNm9o]

Yesterday morning the FedEx truck delivered a cute little diorama that represented a Motorola keynote event complete with reporter badge, stage, and most importantly a demo unit of the new Moto E. Very nice job Moto PR. Nothing like going into a review with a smile on my face in my blogger PJs.

More importantly, the product they shipped is a big winner. The new Moto E, if you like your screens at 4.5 inches and non-Retina, is about the best thing you can get out there at any price. The fact that it is $150 for the LTE version and $120 for the HSPA+ GSM pushes this phone into no-brainer territory.

This is a really good, well built device…
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LG unveiled its 2015 midrange smartphone lineup tonight during the Oscars (smooth). Named Magna, Spirit, Leon and Joy, they vary from 5 to 4 inches in size and carry decent specs across the board. The question for me is how badly has LG messed with the Lollipop that will go on these and of course base prices which will be unveiled at MWC  next week. Lots more imags, specs and even a press release below.
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In T-Moble’s new “Six Appeal” microsite, they throw out the above image which plainly shows the Galaxy S 6 profile with its curved display beaming out some magenta. March 1st is the day of announcement but something tells me we’ll hear more before then.

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LG has taken the Watch R and added a little class to it with the new ‘Urbane’. Specs-wise, it is pretty much a Watch R except with a thinner bezel and gold or solver trim with IP67 dust and water resistance. From the initial images, it does look nice.

“The LG Watch Urbane’s classic design and smart features make it the perfect smartwatch to complement our G Watch and G Watch R, which were designed as more casual and active devices,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “LG Watch Urbane is an important part of our strategy to develop wearable devices that are worn and viewed as everyday accessories, not electronic gadgets.”

More details including price, release date and more will be announced at Mobile World Congress at the end of the month. We’ll be there!

Head south for Press release and Specs…
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[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/566228843347050496 align=’center’]

I’m here, the event starts at 9ET. I’ll update as we go. I know my kids are stoked.

Announcements starting…embargos breaking…

The Cardboard View-Master is the fruit of half a year of design. When Mattel saw the Google Cardboard they knew it was the next generation of View-Master.

1940 – Viewmaster was introduced – Stereoscopic viewer.

[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/566238323224903681 align=’center’]

[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/566238660614688769 align=’center’]

• Can be bought via Google Play on the smartphone or on these little ‘reels’. That are probably SD cards in big cases.
• The physical is a tie to the past – 75 years of View-Master.
• Available this fall. For around $30. 4 reels will cost about $15 and have exclusive content.
• Will launch on Android but will be available on other platforms iOS, Windows and more. Specs of Android phone are fuzzy at the moment.
• These aren’t wearable. These are for kids and they should be able to put these on and take them off as they want. Not to zone out.
• Will be 1st experience with 3D  for many kids. Mattel wanted to do it right – This works really well out of the gate but nailing down the experience.
• Current Google Cardboard apps wil work with the new Mattel View-Master.
• Testing with lots of pediatric ophthalmologists out of St. Louis University and others to make sure this is safe for kids.
• Light-Gaming “treasure hunt” ideas are coming.
• Mattel plans to release its new Google Cardboard based VR toy on iOS by end of the year

[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/557914466818719745 align=’center’]

Everyone has known for years that RadioShack was dying. Heck, in 2007, the mainstream satirical Onion ran a story, Even CEO Can’t Figure Out How RadioShack Still In Business. That story hit between the time the iPhone was announced and when it was launched, to put it into perspective.

But modern smartphones actually helped keep RadioShack alive while, at the same time, undercutting its product business. RadioShack lived and died by smartphones.

Bloomberg reported yesterday that RadioShack was pursuing a bankruptcy plan, which would see it sell half its stores to Sprint, a few others possibly to Amazon and boarded windows for the rest. The WSJ previously reported that the price tag was in the $50M range.

I think Google needs to step in and take over RadioShack. Here’s why:
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvjDtaCkacQ]

I’m a bit speechless on this one. It makes Samsung’s sustainability report rap seem…still horrible. Huge tech companies, can we please not do this anymore?

It’s also probably not the smartest idea in the world to start a rap battle with the two companies affiliated with two biggest names in rap: Jay-Z (Samsung) and Dr. Dre (Apple). But we’re guessing Dre won’t be releasing a response any time soon. HTC also continues the cringeworthy in a full sit-down interview with the broke rapper from the 80’s that it hired for the video (below).

Lyrics provided via Engadget below:
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I’ve been using the Sprint LivePro Android Projector/Hotspot since its release in July and have been a huge fan of the feature set, particularly the DLP Projector. The LivePro is a simple idea: Take an Android 4.2 phone and with the click of a button, mirror a powerful DLP LED beam projector out of it.

That idea may sound familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Beam (or Beam 2) being the most popular of a small subset of phones that included a projector over the past few years.  The problem with the Beam and other similar phones is that 15 lumen lo-fi projectors only work well in the dark and even then, the battery only lasts about 20-30 mins while projecting. That’s after outfitting it with a super-sized battery which made the phone comically thick.

ZTE said to hell with the phone idea and added an even more massive 5000mAh battery and made the projector 100 lumens strong which gives it the ability to become a whole new type of product while keeping its Android 4.2.2 OS. The new form factor is a 4.7-inch square with a form factor similar to a current Apple TV but about 40% bigger in every direction…
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Both IDC (above) and Strategy Analytics (below) produced their smartphone maketshare numbers for Q4 and both show Apple and Samsung in a neck and neck race for total Smartphone sales for the holiday quarter. Notably Samsung’s numbers are down 11% while Apple’s are up 46% in year over year. Android folks shouldn’t be too alarmed however because the smaller Android makers are more than making up for Samsung’s demise with Lenovo/Motorola up 78%, Huawei up 42% and Xiaomi up a whopping 178%. Even the ‘others’ which include a rising LG were up 30% year over year.
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LG posted its quarterly earnings numbers today and boasted  impressive numbers in its smartphone group. Globally, Smartphone sales were up 24% but in the US alone, smartphones shipments were up 78% for the quarter year over year. LG ended the year having moved 59.1 million smartphones, bolstered by its popular G3 flagship. Those aren’t Apple numbers by any stretch but still very solid.

LG also posted growth in its home entertainment sector but a net loss overall for the quarter mostly due to charges related to shutting down its Plasma business.

SEOUL, Jan. 29, 2015 ― LG Electronics Inc. (LG) today announced net profit of KRW 501.40 billion (USD 474.81million) for full-year 2014, an increase of 125 percent over 2013 net profit. Operating profit increased significantly in 2014 to KRW 1.83 trillion (USD 1.73 billion) from KRW 1.25 trillion (USD 1.14 billion) in 2013, an increase of 46 percent. Full-year consolidated revenue of KRW 59.04 trillion (USD 55.91 billion) was mainly boosted by a 24 percent increase in smartphone shipments.

The LG Mobile Communications Company reported a 16 percent increase in annual revenue to KRW 15.06 trillion (USD 14.26 billion) with help from North America, where shipments increased 78 percent during the fourth quarter of 2014 from the previous year. Fourth-quarter revenue of 3.78 trillion (USD 3.48 billion) was 5 percent higher than the same period in 2013. A total of 59.1 million smartphones were shipped in 2014, an increase of 24 percent from the previous year, among 78.2 million mobile handsets sold last year. Expecting a challenging year ahead with greater competition globally from various manufacturers, LG will concentrate on improving its brand power, operating more efficiently, and focusing on selective key markets.

As it does for other Global emergencies, Google has opened up its Crises Map to consolidate all kinds of geo-info for folks in the Northeast and their loved-ones to get the latest info on the Blizzard of 2015.

When a disaster strikes, the Google Crisis Response team assesses the severity and scope of the disaster, and the relevance of our tools for the situation to determine whether and how to respond.

Stay safe out there!

[tweet https://twitter.com/googlecr/status/559829052648079360]

[tweet https://twitter.com/google/status/559864986269646848]

Matthew Inman writes the popular Web cartoon strip The Oatmeal and in a brilliant strategic PR move, Google gave him a ride in “the first real build” of its self-driving car.

The result is a well written piece on the optimism and pitfalls of this brave new technology. Spoiler:

The unfortunate part of something this transformative is the inevitable, ardent stupidity which is going to erupt from the general public. Even if in a few years self-driving cars are proven to be ten times safer than human-operated cars, all it’s going to take is one tragic accident and the public is going to lose their minds. There will be outrage. There will be politicizing. There will be hashtags.
It’s going to suck.

But I say to hell with the public. Let them spend their waking lives putt-putting around on a crowded interstate with all the other half-lucid orangutans on their cell phones.

I say look at the bigger picture. All the self-driving cars currently on the road learn from one another, and each car now collectively possesses 40 years of driving experience. And this technology is still in its infancy.

I say ignore the anecdotes, embrace the data.

I’m ready for our army of Skynet Marshmallow Bumper Bots.

I’m ready for the future. I’m ready for the marshmallows.

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVwHCGAr_OE]

There is no substitute. Above is Google’s 2014 year in Search video (international versions here). Google also released a bunch of top 10 search trends with Android devices making up half of the top 10 and 5 of the top 6 in the consumer electronics category.

Like 2014? Watch previous years’ videos below:

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Googlers in London are taking to Google Plus to show off their holiday gifts from the “World’s most generous company.” While the LG G Watches haven’t been fetching the highest prices lately, it is still a nice gesture. In year’s past, Googlers have been offered 7-inch Asus Nexus tablets or LG -made Nexus phones but with this year’s Motorola Nexus 6 fetching $650 + unlocked it might have gotten a little pricey for the 55,000+ strong employee base.
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Looks like OnePlus is giving you a chance to buy its $299 phone without an invite for a limited time. You might want to hurry because this (disputed) best low cost Android phone always sells out quick and unexpectedly. 
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6pPIG3EvAs]

One of my favorite Youtubers (along with Dom and Detroit Borg), @MKBHD did his year end Smartphone of the year roundup and can say I agree with almost every choice he made here. Almost.

Some small gripes however: He didn’t ding Samsung enough for its overlay in the ‘Big Phone’ category (IMO), I might have given LG more props for their camera and One Plus One shouldn’t have beat the Moto G 2014 as best budget. You can get 2 Moto Gs for the price of a One Plus – if you can even find one! That’s not to say the OnePlus isn’t a great budget phone and running Cyanogen mod almost makes it more of a game changer than the Sharp Aquos Crystal.

One other thing: I’m OK with the HTC One M8 as phone of the year as long as it is the GPE. Otherwise Moto X gets the nod

Like I said, I’m almost completely in agreement!

Spoilers below:

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From 9to5Toys.com:

Amazon’s Gold Box Deal of the Day is the Moto G 2014 edition 5-inch 720P smartphone for $149.99 shipped. That’s $30 off on this phone that receives quick Android updates to Lollipop and beyond and is unlocked for use on T-Mobile or AT&T in US or available for international shipping.  It is available in Black or White and available with US or Global GSM variants.  Other features

• 5″ 720p HD display
• Front-ported stereo speakers
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1.2GHz quad-core CPU
• Android 4.4, KitKat with guaranteed upgrade
• All-day 2,070 mAh battery, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, water-resistant splash guard
• US Compatibility: All GSM Networks including AT&T and (2G) T-Mobile
• Optimized to work with 3G (UMTS/HSPA+) networks when roaming outside the US
• Box contents: Motorola Moto G (2nd generation), wall charger, quick guides

This phone gets incredible reviews (4.6/5 stars) from over 500 Amazon reviewers. With your savings, you can get a Plantronics Bluetooth headset for $25 (50% off) shipped and/or nice cases which start at $2.

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mArrNRWQEso&start=150]

The MIT Technology Review does a profile on DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis who sold his company to Google for $600+M earlier this year. The guy is clearly a genius and has degrees in both neuroscience and computer science and typical Google acquihire. But what caught my attention after looking at what DeepMind does and what Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking worry about:

Hassabis’s reluctance to talk about applications might be coyness, or it could be that his researchers are still in the early stages of understanding how to advance the company’s AI software. One strong indicator that Hassabis believes progress toward a powerful new form of AI will be swift is that he is setting up an ethics board inside Google to consider the possible downsides of advanced artificial intelligence. “It’s something that we or other people at Google need to be cognizant of. We’re still playing Atari games currently,” he says, laughing. “But we are on the first rungs of the ladder.”

That all these smart people are afraid of what AI can do to humanity is chilling. It is slightly reassuring that Google is thinking seriously about the implications.

A video of Hassabis explaining his work follows:
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Google’s diminutive and cheap Chromecast is making strong headway against its competitors according to a report today by Parks Associates. Priced at $35 but now going for just over $20, the dongle, which is controlled by Apps on iOS and Android devices rather than a traditional remote has passed the almost forgotten Apple TV and is closing in on the king of streamers, the Roku.  Roku and AppleTV represented two thirds of the market last year but with entrants like Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV/Stick, the two dropped to around half the market.

The research finds Roku is still the leading brand with 29% of sales, but Google Chromecast (20%) has supplanted Apple TV (17%) in second place. New entrant Amazon Fire TV is in fourth place with 10%. Consumer content choices are also increasing, with Showtime and Sony planning to launch their own OTT video services to compete with Netflix and HBO.

“Nearly 50% of video content that U.S. consumers watch on a TV set is non-linear, up from 38% in 2010, and it is already the majority for people 18-44,” said Barbara Kraus, Director, Research, Parks Associates. “The market is changing rapidly to account for these new digital media habits. Roku now offers a streaming stick, and Amazon’s Fire TV streaming stick leaves Apple as the only top player without a stick product in the streaming media device category.”

Sticks are where it is at it would seem. Conversely, Google’s Nexus Player, introduced in October, has yet to make a blip but it might also show up in results next year.