Android

VideoLAN has today launched several updates to VLC across its apps on iOS, Android, OS X, and every other platform where the app is available, marking the first time that the company has pushed such a massive coordinated release.  The new versions (with the main app numbered 2.2.0), include several features across the various platforms, and VLC says it took more than a year of volunteer work to put them together…

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A pupported Sprint promo image for Samsung’s Galaxy S6, set to be revealed on Sunday evening, was posted to a Reddit thread. The main thread link is to a Sprint pre-registration page, but a claimed Sprint employee posted the above image.

The images appear in line with earlier claimed leaks, but it’s of course not uncommon for fake images to be based on earlier ones. As Gizmodo notes, there is also inconsistent use of upper/lower case for ‘Edge’ in the image, suggesting it should be viewed with some caution … 
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It’s no secret that Samsung has been struggling recently, even going so far as to freeze salaries for all of its employees. In the wake of these issues, Business Insider has just published an extensive profile of the company and its struggles. The profile, which comes in at 3,000 words, details all of the highs and lows for the company, as well as its performance against companies like Apple and Xiaomi.

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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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If you’ve ever purchased a Moto X from Motorola’s website, you probably know a lot about the company’s Moto Maker customization tool. You can build your phone any way you want it, and there are an almost endless number of combinations to choose from. Now, Motorola is preparing to launch its Moto Maker interface for the Moto 360, allowing you to customize your smartwatch much the same way (via Wired).

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Google’s Sundar Pichai recently sat down with Forbes to talk about the Mountain View company’s ambitions in China, its relationship with Apple, and what its overall vision looks like. Some interesting quotes from Google’s Android and Chrome head have surfaced as a result, and among other comments, Pichai took a moment to respond to constant criticism from Apple that Google is in the business of monetizing its users. Pichai also touched on Google’s aspirations in China as well as the sponsored ad program it is testing in Google Play…

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Samsung, which recently froze the salaries of executives in response to falling profits, has confirmed to Reuters that it is now extending the salary freeze to all employees.

The cost-cutting move is the latest by Samsung Electronics, which in January reported its first annual profit decline since 2011, as it lost market share to Apple Inc’s new iPhones and cheaper Chinese rivals like Xiaomi.

The move comes a few days before Samsung is set to unveil its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6. Korean business professor and author of Sony vs Samsung says that the salary freeze is likely to “inject a sense of crisis into employees” … 
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When it comes to apps that journalists and writers hold dear to their hearts, iA Writer is commonly on the list. Its simplicity, functionality, and meticulous design sets it apart from the rest, but until today, the app was only available on iOS and Mac. Now, iA Writer is coming to Android, and its maker, Information Architects (hence the “iA” in its name), says that developing for Google’s mobile platform wasn’t nearly as bad as they thought it would be.
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Samsung had seemingly done an excellent job at keeping its upcoming Galaxy S6 flagship under wraps, but now an XDA Developers user has allegedly gotten his hands on at least one variant of the device. The pictures unfortunately are not of the greatest quality as the phone is wrapped in bubble wrap, but they do give us one of the best looks at what could be the device to date.

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Google just announced its new Android for Work program that will see it work with partners to bring Android into the enterprise. With Android for Work, users will have access to features like Work Profiles, a new Android for Work app, Google Play for Work, and new productivity tools.

Work profiles will offer users what Google described as a secure and “dedicated work profile that isolates and protects work data,” while the Android for Work app will offer a secure solution for mail, calendar, contacts, documents, web browsing and more. Google Play for Work, as you’d probably expect, will allow developers to deploy business apps and offer a central location for business users to find and download them.

The new platform could be seen as a reaction and competitor to Apple’s announcement last year that it would team up with IBM to bring enterprise services to iOS and push iPhones and iPads to business customers.

Google provided a break down of the features mentioned above, which it said will make up Android for Work’s “four key technology components.”
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Google announced today that a number of enhancements for Google Calendar on Android will be arriving for users over the next few days. Google says the new features and tweaks (listed below) are based on early user feedback from the latest version of the app.
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Update: Pictures of our Moto E box after the break…

Motorola sent out emails last week saying that they’d be shipping mysterious boxes soon with a surprise announcement within, and today many publications and journalists are receiving their boxes. We haven’t received ours quite yet, but the cat is pretty much out of the bag. Inside, Motorola announced the 2nd generation Moto E, the company’s latest fresh of its budget smartphone.
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Unlike most of its competitors, Samsung is embracing all of the crazy rumors about its upcoming devices and having a little fun with it on its website.

The images above and below were posted to a webpage on Samsung’s website teasing some absurd renderings of imaginary mobile devices based on rumors floating around online for the company’s upcoming next-gen Galaxy device. This is clearly Samsung having fun with the rumormongers, but we do expect its new flagship Galaxy S6 to make an appearance in the coming weeks…
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LG announced today that it’s beginning the global rollout of its new LG G Flex 2 smartphone that it first unveiled early this year at CES 2015.
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It appears that a series of promo videos have leaked which feature HTC’s upcoming M9 smartphone. The videos were originally published by @Upleaks which appear to be legitimate and straight from the marketing department over at HTC…

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IDC just released its latest numbers on the top smartphones by operating system showing Android and iOS continue to collectively dominate the market with both experiencing growth during 2014. Together, iOS and Android grabbed 96.3% of all smartphone shipments, which IDC points out is up from 95.6% in 4Q13 and from 93.8% in calendar year 2013.

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