Android

• Android
• Fitbit
• Deals
• Android deals
• Google deals

FitBit’s Charge HR fitness tracker available for just $110 shipped (Reg. $150)

Stephen Hall Jan 9 2016 - 3:36 pm PT

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FitBit’s Charge HR fitness tracker has become one of the most popular of the company’s offerings in recent months, and now it’s back at just $110 shipped via eBay seller BuyDig (which has 99% positive ratings). That’s $40 off the retail price, and the lowest price we’ve seen…
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• Android
• Samsung
• smartphones
• tablets
• earnings

Samsung issues Q4 2015 guidance, profit up 15% year-on-year

Cam Bunton Jan 8 2016 - 2:50 am PT

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Samsung has issued its earnings guidance for the fourth quarter of 2015, and things look to be heading in the right direction, albeit slowly. Samsung estimates that its profit for the quarter reached 6.1 trillion Korean Won, or roughly $5.1 billion US Dollars. That was based on estimated sales worth 53.0 trillion Korean Won ($44B USD).

While other Android smartphone makers are struggling to make any progress financially, Samsung’s Q4 estimates (if accurate) will see them beat last year’s final quarter profits by 0.8 trillion Korean Won, or approximately $666 million USD. That’s an increase of 15% year-on-year.

If anything, it shows that Samsung’s 2015 focus on creating fewer, but higher quality handsets is working. A big part of that focus was moving away from the plastic flagships of the past to make solid, glass and metal handsets with market-leading specifications.

Rather unusually, however, Samsung did see a quarter-on-quarter drop from Q3 2015, in which it made 7.4 trillion Korean Won. Holiday sales are usually stronger than any other quarter for most tech companies, so Samsung may be a little worried to see the 18% drop from Q3 even if Q4 was an improvement on the same quarter in 2014. One explanation, of course, is that Samsung released its last high-end flagship smartphone right in the middle of Q3, while many other competitors waited until October/November.

As 2016 rolls in, the competitive landscape is only going to get tougher for Samsung. Companies like Huawei and Xiaomi are expected to renew their focus on markets where Samsung is normally very strong. And, if Huawei’s 2015 performance is anything to go by, Samsung should definitely be keeping an eye over its shoulder.

• Android
• developers
• Tango
• Intel RealSense
• RealSense

You can now reserve a Project Tango developer kit from Intel for $399

Abner Li Jan 7 2016 - 12:58 pm PT

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Windows 10 has a feature that can unlock a computer with a face in lieu of a password. The so called Windows Hello takes advantage of Intel’s RealSense camera and technology. Today, Intel is releasing a smartphone developer kit that has RealSense cameras, and also support for Google’s Project Tango…

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• Android
• Moto X
• Moto 360
• Motorola
• smartphones

Motorola offering $100 discount when you purchase new Moto X Pure and Moto 360 together

Cam Bunton Jan 7 2016 - 5:22 am PT

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Running up to the holidays, Motorola was offering some great discounts on its older Android and Android Wear products. Sadly, those same deals didn’t apply to the newer and rather fantastic Moto X Pure and Moto 360 from 2015. That changes this month, as the Lenovo-owned company begins offering money off for customers buying both products together.

Anyone buying the new Moto X Pure Edition (2015) and 2nd gen Moto 360 together will get $100 off at checkout. There’s no promo code to remember, just add the two products to your basket at Motorola.com in the US and the discount applies automatically. That means a package deal combining the two devices will cost you $599 for the base models, rather than the usual $699. Of course, adding extra storage to your phone or choosing a more premium material for the phone’s back or the Moto 360’s watch strap will cost extra.

This is the first time we’ve seen either of the new products with a significant discount anywhere in the US. The deal is available until January 12th, 10:59 Central Time.

• Android
• Samsung
• Samsung Galaxy S7
• smartphones
• Samsung Galaxy

Detailed Samsung Galaxy S7 renders published as Spigen cases land on Amazon

Cam Bunton Jan 7 2016 - 3:28 am PT

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With the Galaxy S7 expected to make its first official appearance next month at MWC in Barcelona, the number of leaks has increased, as has the quality of those leaks. We recently saw what claimed to be the schematics for the upcoming Android-powered flagships. More recently, some high quality renders were published by uSwitch, in collaboration with @OnLeaks.

As we’ve heard and read many times already, the S7 is unlikely to depart from the current design language of Samsung’s smartphones. It’s an all metal and glass affair, with a back which curves towards the edges a lot like the Galaxy Note 5. Not including the protruding camera, the phone is expected to measure 7.9mm thin, 142.5mm tall and 69.5mm wide. If accurate, the phone will be shorter, narrower, but slightly thicker than the Galaxy S6, more than likely to make space for the rumored bigger battery.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDd8_NrkH7I]

As well as these detailed renders which claim to accurately show the dimensions and design of the next Samsung flagship, a number of cases have already turned up for sale on Amazon, including a bunch from well-known manufacturer, Spigen. Some — like the transparent Ultra Hybrid — are available to order now with an expected release date of April 1, 2016. Cases from other manufacturers claim to be available from as soon as next month.

With the phone(s) not being official yet, it’s unlikely any of the images with the case listings are accurate. In fact, most appear to be renders of the current crop of Galaxy smartphones. What’s more, there’s always a chance the manufacturers haven’t received accurate schematics yet. We expect that once the phones are official, manufacturers will update the images.

While we expect many of these rumors and leaks to be accurate, it’s always reading with a helping of caution. Nothing is official until Samsung confirms it.

• Android
• BlackBerry PRIV
• Verizon
• T-Mobile
• Sprint

Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint will get the BlackBerry PRIV

Abner Li Jan 6 2016 - 12:15 pm PT

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Update: T-Mobile has made it official and is carrying the device starting January 26th.

In addition to arriving in more European countries, the BlackBerry PRIV will also be available through all four major carriers in the United States. BlackBerry CEO John Chen confirmed the news at CES today, but did not offer a timeline for when they’d be released.

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• Android
• BlackBerry PRIV
• smartphones

BlackBerry expands PRIV availability to Netherlands, Italy and Spain

Cam Bunton Jan 6 2016 - 9:05 am PT

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Last year, BlackBerry launched its very first Android smartphone. It was perhaps a sign that the company thought it needed a more widely adopted platform to have a chance of survival, or perhaps just that Android was finally secure enough to consider making hardware for. Either way, the first Google-powered BlackBerry is here at last. But it hasn’t exactly been widely available. Only shoppers in Canada, Germany, the US and the UK could get hold of one. Until today.

As the new year rolls in, BlackBerry has announced that it’s expanding availability to new countries. Now, consumers in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands can all order the BlackBerry PRIV for the first time. ShopBlackBerry sites in those countries have now been updated to include the Android-powered portait-slider.

We’re yet to see how big an impact the PRIV has had on BlackBerry’s fortunes. Over the past few years, the manufacturer has struggle to maintain relevance in a market saturated by low-end and feature-rich smartphones. Granted, those who have always enjoyed the BlackBerry OS still purchased newer devices like the Classic and Passport, but regular consumers saw no reason to continue buying them when iPhones and cheap Android devices could seemingly do more, and had many more apps available.

We’ll get a clearer picture of the PRIV’s performance over the coming quarters. Early indications are that it’s sold enough, and pleased enough customers that BlackBerry is already considering launching another Android phone with a different form factor at some point this year.

• Android
• smartphones
• Xiaomi
• Xiaomi Mi 5
• Weibo

Snapdragon 820-equipped Xiaomi Mi 5 will launch after Chinese New Year

Cam Bunton Jan 6 2016 - 4:56 am PT

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Xiaomi’s co-founder and SVP Liwang Jiang has confirmed on Chinese social network, Weibo, that the company is ramping up production of the Xiaomi Mi 5 ahead of a launch sometime after Spring Festival/Chinese New Year. The device will ship with the brand new quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor.

From the loosely translated page, it seems Xiaomi‘s production of the next flagship is hitting peak levels now to ensure that there’s enough stock for when the smartphone is released next month.

We don’t know much else about the Chinese manufacturer’s next smartphone. There have been rumors, as there always are, suggesting we’ll see a device equipped with a QHD resolution 5.2-inch display, giving it a huge pixel density of 565ppi. It’s also rumored to feature a massive 3,600mAh battery with Quick-Charge 3.0 support, suggesting we won’t see USB Type-C. Cameras are allegedly going to be 16MP and 13MP on the rear and front respectively.

As with virtually all of Xiaomi’s products, the Mi 5 is likely to punch above its price point. Pricing is rumored to be around the $300-$400 range, putting it right at the top of Xiaomi’s product line.

Perhaps more interesting than all the claimed specifications is watching to see if this device launches officially in more international markets. With Huawei stealing its thunder in China, Xiaomi needs to hit back and has been rumored to be planning a US launch at some point soon. With the Snapdragon processor inside, the Mi 5 could end up being its first major international handsets. Of course, that’s just speculation and wishful thinking. But it would be great to finally see the brand officially hit international store shelves.