Android

AT&T has today pushed an update to the LG G3 (specifically model D850) over-the-air, and with it comes VoLTE support. That sounds great; who wouldn’t want some AT&T HD Voice goodness? Wait until you hear what else this update brings.

On top of VoLTE support, you’re going to get a couple of other goodies. AT&T Mail and Uber are also making their way to your home screen with this update and—if you want VoLTE—you’re just going to have to deal with that.

Here’s the full change log, as per AT&T’s support website:

What’s changing?

This software update includes:

VoLTE

AT&T Mail

Uber

You can expect the update to be rolling out OTA right now, and you’re going to want to make sure you’re connected to WiFi if you plan on updating.

Amazon Fire Phone gets KitKat, Bluetooth LE support in update to Fire OS version 4.6.1

Stephen Hall May 7 2015 - 7:43 am PT

The infamous Amazon Fire Phone is getting a substantial update today, bringing the device from Android Jelly Bean (yes, Jelly Bean) up to the almost not-ancient Android 4.4 Kit Kat. With this version of Android, the phone is getting a plethora of new features that—almost—help bring it into 2015.

Samsung’s “#TextsFromMom” Mother’s Day ad is more funny than sappy

Tom Maxwell May 6 2015 - 5:54 pm PT

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and Samsung has chosen to separate itself from advertisers going for your heartstrings with a much lighter advertisement titled “#TextsFromMom,” featuring the Galaxy S6 Edge.

The one-minute spot, as the title suggests, takes a look at how your mother probably uses (read: misuses) text messaging, and does so in a funny yet gentle manner. Anyone with a mother who took it upon herself to learn to text can sympathize and see their own mom in one or many of these messages. It ends with a reminder that you should call Mom this Sunday, not text her.

[protected-iframe id=”d603a218f395e450061ea4a5f0e213ee-22427743-41205376″ info=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/e7D5KvoXwRg” width=”560″ height=”315″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””]

What’s more, if you dial the phone numbers visible in the spot you get to hear what the moms had to say in their voicemail messages. You can also enter to win a Galaxy S6 Edge by sharing your mom’s funniest texts to Twitter with the hashtag #TextsFromMom. Nice job, Samsung.

10 things the Google I/O schedule tells us we’re going to see at the event

Chance Miller May 6 2015 - 5:10 pm PT

Google this morning officially shared the schedule for Google I/O 2015, and as you would expect, the schedule offers a handful of hints as to what we can expect to see at the event. We already told you about a few of the things Google has up its sleeve for this year’s I/O, but now we’re going to breakdown 10 things at which today’s schedule release has hinted…

Dropbox for Gmail Chrome extension updated, lets you attach entire folders & quickly save received files

Stephen Hall May 6 2015 - 3:10 pm PT

Dropbox has today updated its Dropbox for Gmail Chrome extension with several new features, including—most notably—the ability to attach folders and several files at once. The update also includes the ability to more easily send larger files, send files to anyone (regardless of if they have the extension or a Dropbox account), and the ability to quickly save files that you receive via Gmail to your own inbox.

Here’s the full change log:

Easily send large files. Just click the Dropbox icon in the compose window, select files or folders, and click Insert Link(s). No waiting for uploads to complete, no file size limit, and no eating up space in your inbox.

Say goodbye to zip files. Attach folders and multiple files instantly, without having to zip files up.

Send files to anyone. Even if they don’t have Dropbox or the extension, recipients can see and download the attachments you send them.

Quickly save files sent to you. Add files to your Dropbox with a click so you can access them anywhere.

You can grab the Chrome extension in the Chrome Web Store right now for free. It’s still in beta, so don’t expect everything to work perfectly, but it looks like the app is nearing a full release soon—as today’s release is version 0.9.6.

Google releases Games In Motion, a game to inspire developers with the potential of Android Wear

Tom Maxwell May 6 2015 - 12:52 pm PT

Google has today released an open source exercise “game sample” to GitHub which utilizes a handful of Android technologies to demonstrate to developers how they can create fun games using Google Fit and Android Wear.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: HTC RE w/ accessories $150, Galaxy Tab 4 $200, Moto X & 360 deals, more

Stephen Hall May 6 2015 - 12:22 pm PT

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:

HTC RE camera w/ free accessory bundle: $150 shipped (Reg. $260)

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1″ 16GB Android tablet: $200 shipped (Reg. $299)

Moto X (2014) unlocked 32GB for $350 (Reg. $550) OR 64GB for $375 (Reg. $600)

Moto 360 available for $180 (Reg. $250) for a limited time

Amazon free app of the day: White Noise (Reg. $2)

Black LG G Watch Android Wear smartwatch brand new: $130 shipped (Reg. $230)

Pebble Smartwatch for your Android phone: $80 (Orig. $100)

More new gear from today:

SanDisk Extreme SDXC/microSDHC cards up to 75% off, starting at $17 for 16GB

New! Amazon: 70% off jewelry + free next day shipping for Mother’s Day slackers
New! Daily Deals: uNu iPhone 6 Battery Case $43, RAVPower power bank $16, more
New! Headphones: Sennheiser HD 202 II over-ears $15, Piston 3 in-ears $16, more

More deals still alive:

Lexar 128GB Micro-SD Card (95MB/s) for 4K video recording, more for $86 shipped

Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker $179, UE Mini Boom $70, more
Kensington ClickSafe Keyed Laptop/Device Lock $17 Prime shipped (Orig. $40+)
Home: Philips AirFryer in black $120 (Orig. $220+), more
Stream Amazon Prime Instant Video movies at 30,000-ft in the air
Laptop bags: Belkin Messenger $20, Lowepro Passport $20, more
Nexus 5 + 1-Year Unlimited Talk-and-Text Shipped: $200 (Orig. $582)
Moto X (2014) unlocked 32GB for $350 (Reg. $550), 64GB: $375 (Reg. $600)
Revogi Smart Color Bluetooth LED Bulb $35 Shipped (Orig. $50, CA Tax Only)
Canon Refurb Cams: SL1 $300 (Orig. $550), Rebel T5 w/ lens kit $300 (Orig. $440), more
Netgear N300 Wi-Fi range extender for $25 shipped (Reg. $37+)
Mother’s Day Deals: Flower arrangements from $34, much more
Bluetooth Speakers: Sony SRSX5 $130 (Reg. $180), UE Mini Boom $70 (Orig. $100)
Multi-magazine subs from $4/yr: Wired, Men’s Health, ESPN, many more
Google doubling the free trial period for new Play Music All Access members
iPhone 6 MFi battery cases: UNU DX 3,000mAh $50, Anker Premium 3,100mAh $30
Spotify reboots its popular 3-month $0.99 Premium plan for new subscribers
‘ExoMount Touch’ Universal Car Mount $20 Shipped (Orig. $30, Tax only in CA)
Seagate’s recently released USB 3.0 Expansion drives: 4TB desktop $100, 1TB Portable $55
Wireless EarPod-style Bluetooth 4 headphones (compatible w/Apple Watch): $12 shipped
HBO NOW free trial offer drops to one week after initial promo period, sign up now
iTunes Free App of the Week: Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down! ($2 value)
Ring Wifi Video Doorbell w/ iPhone/Android app: $189 Shipped (Orig. $229)
T-Mobile is once again dishing up free MLB At Bat access to its customers ($20 value)
3.2-ft MFi Lightning cable + 2.4A Car Charger for $9 (Reg. $17)
Regal’s $1 Summer Movies promo includes The Lego Movie, Paddington, more
Free Xbox Live games for May: Mafia 2, F1 2013, CastleStorm DE, Pool Nation FX, more
Free PlayStation Plus games for May: Guacamelee!, Unfinished Swan, more

New products & more:

The GoSun Grill uses solar power to cook your food even at night

Tony Hawk rides again in new Pro Skater 5 for Xbox One and PS4

Disney infinity 3.0 has been revealed w/ new Star Wars & Avengers Play Sets

Samsung’s new SD cards bring faster speeds, larger storage for 4K video and photography
GE’s new lightbulbs have HomeKit compatibility and will help you sleep better
nexpaq’s iPhone 6 case enables killer features to be added and removed on-the-fly
Connected Cycle’s smart pedals will track your riding and help you find a lost bicycle
IKAWA’s coffee roaster brings the experience home w/ iOS connectivity and custom recipes
Give your iPhone a shake to create exciting videos with TomTom’s new Bandit action cam
Hulu just paid $180 million for Seinfeld, get the entire series for $65
Patriot’s USB-C Flash Drives are primed for new MacBook and Chromebook Pixel owners
The ON magnetic portable charging station from RUBIX takes inductive charging on the road

HTC posts record low April results amid poor One M9 demand

Tom Maxwell May 6 2015 - 11:46 am PT

2 Comments

HTC has just released its lowest revenue figures for the month of April in 6 years, attributable to lackluster sales of the new flagship HTC One M9, according to an analyst from Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co.

The company’s consolidated revenue was NT$13.5 billion (US$440 million) in April, down 38 percent year-over-year from NT$22.07 a year earlier. This figure is also down 33 percent from promising revenue of NT$20.02 billion posted only the month prior, in March. This is HTC’s lowest monthly revenue for April since 2009’s result of NT$11.4 billion.

Poll: What do you think Android ‘M’ will be called?

Stephen Hall May 6 2015 - 11:43 am PT

8 Comments

Android ‘M’ has been basically confirmed to be coming at this year’s Google I/O (thanks to an Android for Work Session description that has since been removed from the site), but that means one big question that always plagues us before the official launch of a major Android update is now upon us.

What do you think the “M” will stand for?

Qualcomm VP on Snapdragon 810 overheating issues: ‘the rumors are rubbish’

Mike Beasley May 6 2015 - 11:32 am PT

The Snapdragon 810-equpiped HTC One M9 lights up like a Christmas tree during a benchmark

You may recall reports earlier this year about the HTC One M9 overheating during benchmark tests, with many claiming the issue was due to a flaw in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor. Tim McDonough, the chipmaker’s VP of marketing has finally spoken out about the problem, claiming that the rumors are untrue and there is, in fact, no problem with the chip overheating…

LG is looking for ‘VIPs’ to apply for early access to its LG G4 flagship

Stephen Hall May 6 2015 - 11:04 am PT

LG has opened up a trial program for its to-be-launched LG G4 flagship, and will be giving the device to a “small group of VIPs” to give it a try before its official launch later this year. The program will also apparently include a “social media challenge” of some kind:

The all-new G4 is coming, but before the big release day, LG is giving a small group of VIPs exclusive access to the device through the LG G4 Trial Program. Best of all, you could be one of them. If you’re selected, you’ll receive a FREE brand-new G4 and a unique social media challenge to help you explore and show off the device’s full capability. Want to be considered for the program? To be notified when enrollment starts, simply sign up below. Spots are limited, so don’t wait.

The most front-facing (or back-facing?) change of the LG G4 is its new back cover design options, specifically the leather variant that LG has so widely touted. The device also packs some of the most advanced camera technology to ever be seen on a smartphone, including a new “Manual” photography mode and a F1.8 aperture.

As for specs, the phone has a 5.5-inch display, 3GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash storage by default. It’s ditching the Snapdragon 810 and packing the Snapdragon 808 SoC, and also sports a 3,000 mAh battery (which lasts more than a day on average).

We gave the G4 a quick look late last month, and a full review is on its way.

Sony officially announces its new Xperia C4 and C4 Dual selfie smartphones

Stephen Hall May 6 2015 - 8:05 am PT

Sony has today announced a refresh of its Xperia C line with the introduction of the Xperia C4, featuring a Full HD display and a “best in class” 5-megapixel front camera. I’m not the target audience for a selfie phone, but there’s definitely some kind of target audience out there somewhere that buys these things…

Sony Smartwatch 3 fails on waterproofing as Consumer Reports lab-tests 11 smartwatches (Video)

Ben Lovejoy May 6 2015 - 7:22 am PT

Consumer Reports ranked the Sony Smartwatch 3 bottom out of 11 smartwatches after it twice failed tests of its waterproofing claims. The well-respected non-profit carried out a rigorous set of lab tests on 11 competing watches, including the Apple Watch, Asus Zen, the LG G Watch R, Martian Notifier, Moto 360, Pebble Steel, Samsung Gear S and Sony Smartwatch 3.

The organization tested the watches for durability, water-resistance, health functionality, readability in bright and low light, ease of use, and ease of interaction …

Android

Report: Android switchers drive iPhone growth across EU in Q1 as Android increase US share

Jordan Kahn May 6 2015 - 7:18 am PT

New data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows that smartphone users ditching Android devices in recent months helped drive iOS growth across the EU. The data tracked the EU’s biggest markets in 1Q15— Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain— and shows iOS grew 1.8 percentage points from last year to 20.3% market share this year. That includes around 32.4% of new Apple customers switching from an Android device, according to the report, while Android lost 3.1 percentage points during the quarter. Although, in some markets, such as the UK, Android’s lead remained strong:
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Android

Xiaomi officially announces its 5.7-inch ‘Mi Note pro’ high-end beast

Stephen Hall May 6 2015 - 7:10 am PT

Xiaomi introduced the Mi Note back in January, and mentioned at the time that a “Pro” version of the phone would be coming at some point in the future. Today is that point in the future and Xiaomi has finally officially unveiled the behemoth of a phone that this new handset is. Alongside some new information about the phone, Xiaomi has also announced an official release date…

Review: Alcatel OneTouch’s Idol 3 is a solid budget smartphone option for 2015 (Video)

Dom Esposito May 6 2015 - 7:09 am PT

3 Comments

When you think of the word “budget,” rarely does it fit in-between the words “great” and “smartphone.” Well, you may not be super familiar with them, but Alcatel OneTouch has a new budget offering that’s not only a smartphone, but overall pretty great. Meet the Idol 3…

Motorola preparing to rollout Android 5.1 to several Moto X models

Chance Miller May 5 2015 - 2:45 pm PT

2 Comments

Update: Motorola has announced that Android 5.1 is officially now rolling out to the second generation Moto X.

It looks as if Motorola is preparing to rollout a wave of Android 5.1 updates. The company has just shared Android 5.1 Lollipop release notes on its website for a handful of its devices. Motorola has posted the changelogs for Android 5.1 on the 2nd gen AT&T Moto X, 2nd gen T-Mobile Moto X, and the U.S. model of the 1st gen Moto X.

LG Watch Urbane review (Video)

Dom Esposito May 5 2015 - 12:31 pm PT

3 Comments

The Watch Urbane is essentially LG’s Moto 360. This is going to be a classier Android Wear option, but it comes at a premium. We originally got out hands on the Watch Urbane at MWC 2015, but now we’ve had a chance to get to know it. The Watch Urbane is a great looking watch, but let’s find out if it’s worth your hard-earned cash…

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Moto X (2014) from $350, Moto 360 from $180, Lexar 128GB microSD card $86, more

Stephen Hall May 5 2015 - 12:20 pm PT

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:

Moto X (2014) unlocked 32GB for $350 (Reg. $550) OR 64GB for $375 (Reg. $600)

Moto 360 available for $180 (Reg. $250) for a limited time

Lexar 128GB Micro-SD Card (95MB/s) for 4K video recording, more for $86 shipped

Amazon free app of the day: Jumping Finn Turbo – Adventure Time (Reg. $1)

Black LG G Watch Android Wear smartwatch brand new: $128 shipped (Reg. $230)

Pebble Smartwatch for your Android phone: $80 (Orig. $100)

Samsung’s new SD cards bring faster speeds, larger storage for 4K video and photography

Review: iOttie’s Active Edge bike mount safely puts your smartphone front and center, exclusive 30% promo code

More new gear from today:

Stream Amazon Prime Instant Video movies and TV shows at 30,000-ft in the air w/ no extra fees

New! Games/Apps: Shadow of Mordor $20, TurboScan $1, iOS freebies, more
New! Laptop bags: Belkin Messenger $20, Lowepro Passport $20, more
New! Entourage Complete Series on Blu-ray for $85 shipped (Orig. $300), more
New! Daily Deals: Sol Republic Relays in black or white $40, more

More deals still alive:

Canon Refurb Cams: SL1 $300 (Orig. $550), Rebel T5 w/ lens kit $300 (Orig. $440), more

Apple 11-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (newest): $750 shipped (Reg. $899)
Netgear N300 Wi-Fi range extender for $25 shipped (Reg. $37+)
Mother’s Day Deals: Flower arrangements from $34, much more
Bluetooth Speakers: Sony SRSX5 $130 (Reg. $180), UE Mini Boom $70 (Orig. $100)
Multi-magazine subs from $4/yr: Wired, Men’s Health, ESPN, many more
Google doubling the free trial period for new Play Music All Access members
iPhone 6 MFi battery cases: UNU DX 3,000mAh $50, Anker Premium 3,100mAh $30
Spotify reboots its popular 3-month $0.99 Premium plan for new subscribers
Poweradd iPhone 6/6Plus cases (variety of styles/colors) $2 shipped (Reg. $8)
‘ExoMount Touch’ Universal Car Mount $20 Shipped (Orig. $30, Tax only in CA)
Seagate’s recently released USB 3.0 Expansion drives: 4TB desktop $100, 1TB Portable $55
Wireless EarPod-style Bluetooth 4 headphones (compatible w/Apple Watch): $12 shipped
HBO NOW free trial offer drops to one week after initial promo period, sign up now
iTunes Free App of the Week: Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down! ($2 value)
Ring Wifi Video Doorbell w/ iPhone/Android app: $189 Shipped (Orig. $229)
T-Mobile is once again dishing up free MLB At Bat access to its customers ($20 value)
3.2-ft MFi Lightning cable + 2.4A Car Charger for $9 (Reg. $17)
Regal’s $1 Summer Movies promo includes The Lego Movie, Paddington, more
Free Xbox Live games for May: Mafia 2, F1 2013, CastleStorm DE, Pool Nation FX, more
Free PlayStation Plus games for May: Guacamelee!, Unfinished Swan, more

New products & more:

GE’s new lightbulbs have HomeKit compatibility and will help you sleep better

Connected Cycle’s smart pedals will track your riding and help you find a lost bicycle
IKAWA’s coffee roaster brings the experience home w/ iOS connectivity and custom recipes
Give your iPhone a shake to create exciting videos with TomTom’s new Bandit action cam
Hulu just paid $180 million for Seinfeld, get the entire series for $65
Patriot’s USB-C Flash Drives are primed for new MacBook and Chromebook Pixel owners
The ON magnetic portable charging station from RUBIX takes inductive charging on the road

Developer builds a diabetes app for continuous blood glucose monitoring on Android Wear

Stephen Hall May 5 2015 - 10:34 am PT

4 Comments

Wearables are slowly but surely making their way into our daily lives, but one very critical aspect—health—is already helping to bring them mainstream. It’s something that every person is conscious of on a daily basis, and wearable device makers—as evidenced by the countless fitness trackers on the market—want to make it easier to stay on top of exercise, diet, and more. But another aspect of our health, chronic illness, is also big opportunity for wearables to make a difference—and they already are.

About half of all American adults have some kind of chronic illness, and diabetes is one of the most common. With the advent of smartwatches, we all now have quick access to at least one useful stat: our heart rate. But what if those with diabetes could just as easily monitor blood glucose levels? No mainstream smartwatch can monitor this alone, yet, but now one developer has released an app for Android Wear that will plug into a Dexcom CGM (continuous glucose monitor), providing glanceable updates every five minutes on blood glucose levels.

The Nexus 9 is receiving its over-the-air update to Android… 5.0.2 (Update: Factory images!)

Stephen Hall May 5 2015 - 9:32 am PT

Update: The 5.0.2 factory images are for the Nexus 9 are now available.

The Nexus 9 is now receiving an OTA update, not to the most recent Android 5.1.1 build, but to the older Android 5.0.2. While most Nexus devices received 5.0.2 months ago and have been more recently receiving Android 5.1.1, the poor flagship Nexus 9 tablet from Google was still stuck on 5.0.1 until today.

The update to 5.1.1 is expected to coming any day now, and one Googler recently said that the team is doing everything they can to push it as soon as possible. While we can’t be certain, it seems that this relatively small 23.3 MB OTA update might just be preparation for the bigger 5.1(.1) release.

We’ll keep our eyes on the factory image download page (5.0.2 isn’t available there quite yet for the Nexus 9), but until then, feel free to click the link below the download the OTA update file.

Android 5.0.2 (build LRX22L) for Nexus 9 OTA

Google reportedly planning to introduce A/B testing for Play Store listings at I/O

Stephen Hall May 5 2015 - 8:05 am PT

According to a report this morning from The Information, Google is planning to introduce an interesting new feature for Play Store listings at this year’s Google I/O developers’ conference. A common practice within apps themselves, new “A/B testing” would allow developers to test multiple versions of their app listings to see which ones bring the most conversions…

Sony rolling out new firmware update for Xperia Z2 & Z3 for improved Lollipop experience

Ben Lovejoy May 5 2015 - 6:55 am PT

Sony is rolling out a new firmware update for Xperia Z2 and Z3 devices, with a number of improvements and bug fixes for Android 5.0 Lollipop. The update covers the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet.

Sony has brought back the ‘close all apps’ button in the activity menu, enabled lock-screen notifications that work on all devices, ensured the LED light remains available in all sound modes and made a number of other bug fixes.

Sony first rolled out Lollipop to the Z3 last month.

LG Watch Urbane gets the teardown treatment, is actually pretty easy to fix

Stephen Hall May 5 2015 - 6:53 am PT

The disassembly pros at iFixit are at it again, this time tearing down the LG Watch Urbane. LG’s latest entry into the Android Wear space is considered by many to be the fanciest and nicest smartwatch available, but now it looks like we have the authority on device teardowns confirming that it’s also going to be pretty easy to pull apart on the off chance you’ll need to fix it yourself.