Android

Samsung’s first-generation Android-powered digital camera is on clearance at Best Buy right now for a cool $149.99 (but currently only available for in-store pickup), which is a $300 discount off the list price of $449.99. This is $50 lower than the next best price for this model (at Newegg Flash), and the lowest price we’ve seen.

Xiaomi to hold a press conference on February 12th in San Francisco

Stephen Hall Feb 5 2015 - 9:28 am PT

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Xiaomi is known as being the rising star in the smartphone arena, making its way past LG last year to become the third-largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world. The success of the company is to be blamed largely on its Chinese reception, as it hasn’t launched a single device on this side of the Pacific.

That said, Xiaomi is going to hold a press conference in San Francisco, California later this month (via Android Police), but don’t get too excited if you’re hoping to hear about a North American launch, as the company has already confirmed that that’s not happening…

Swatch planning to introduce Android-compatible smartwatch and mobile payment service, CEO says

Zac Hall Feb 5 2015 - 7:45 am PT

Late Swatch co-founder Nicolas Hayek

While Swatch certainly won’t be partnering with Apple on the iPhone maker’s upcoming Watch despite an ill-fated rumor that surfaced last year, the watchmaker does plan to go toe-to-toe with Apple promising its own version of a smartwatch due out soon. Bloomberg reports that Swatch plans to bring its answer to the Apple Watch to market in the next 90 days, and unlike the Apple Watch, it will work with Android phones.

The device will communicate via the Internet “without having to be charged,” Chief Executive Officer Nick Hayek said in an interview. The Swatch smartwatch will also let consumers make mobile payments and work with Windows and Android software, he said.

It’s unclear if Swatch intends for its own smartwatch to also be compatible with iPhones like the Apple Watch or if the company is only targeting competing platforms, but Swatch CEO Nick Hayek’s claim that its Internet-connected watch won’t need to be charged will be interesting if the company does indeed deliver with functionality that competes with an Apple Watch or even Android Wear smartwatch.
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Android 5.0 Lollipop to begin rolling out to Sprint’s Galaxy S5 tomorrow

Chance Miller Feb 4 2015 - 2:49 pm PT

Verizon announced earlier this week that it had started rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop to its Galaxy S5 variant, and now Sprint is following suit by updating its own variant. As announced on Samsung’s FAQ page for the Sprint Galaxy S5, Android 5.0 Lollipop will begin to rollout to the device tomorrow, February 5th.

Sony announces another 1,100 job cuts in its Mobile Communications unit

Chance Miller Feb 4 2015 - 1:02 pm PT

Sony, after announcing last month that it was cutting 1,000 jobs from its mobile unit, has today revealed that it is cutting yet another 1,100 employees from its Mobile Communications business. Sony says that these cuts will trim the mobile unit down to 5,000 employees by March 2016. That’s a 28 percent cut to the department (via FierceWireless).

Deal Alert: LG G2 w/ 32 GB flash storage, 4G LTE, GSM (factory unlocked) $190 shipped (Reg. $299)

Stephen Hall Feb 4 2015 - 12:40 pm PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

An LG G2 has popped up on eBay via qualitycellz at a super-low price, shipped for $190. These usually retail around $300 or more, so this deal knocks a a bit more than $100 off the standard price. The LG G2 comes with a 5.2-inch display, a 13MP camera that also captures full 1080p video, a Snapdragon 800 processor, and a 4G cellular radio.
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How to watch the Grammy Awards live stream on your Android smartphone, tablet or computer

Jordan Kahn Feb 4 2015 - 11:01 am PT

The 57th annual Grammy Awards are scheduled to take place this weekend on Sunday, February 8th, and CBS just sent over details on the only official live stream of the event accessible through your Android smartphone, tablet or Chromecast connected TV.

Head below for all the details on how to watch official streams for the event on your computer and all of your mobile devices.

Android Smartphones/Tablets: CBS mobile app

CBS has broadcasting of the event locked down this year, and so for mobile users the only official live stream available of the actual awards show will be the CBS app (US only).

It will require a CBS All Access subscription, however, and is also only available in 14 major markets, including: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. It’s clear CBS is trying to push its All Access service, which offers next day access to TV shows, live TV in some markets, and on-demand content, but you can watch using a free trial and cancel before it expires…

Normally $6 month, you can take advantage of a free week trial of CBS All Access to watch the show.

The live stream kicks off at 8p.m. – 11:30p.m. live ET/ delayed PT.

The official GRAMMYs and CBS apps will have a live stream of the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony and red carpet festivities starting at noon PT/3 p.m. ET, and the app will offer a second screen experience of sorts for those viewing the awards on TV at home.

Stream the 2015 GRAMMYs LIVE with CBS All Access on February 8th at 8/7c! Get ready to tune in to the GRAMMYs live stream now by starting your free CBS All Access trial.

Online/Chromecast: CBS.com

Again, CBS will be the only source of a live stream online through its CBS All Access service. The good news is you can grab a free week trial of CBS All Access, which will give you access on mobile devices as well. This will probably also be your best bet for streaming to the big screen via the Chromecast extension.

Like on mobile devices, GRAMMY.com and CBS will have a live stream of the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony and red carpet festivities starting at noon PT/3 p.m. ET online, and also offer a second screen experience of sorts for those viewing the awards on TV at home. The main event takes place 8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. live ET/ delayed PT.

Apple working on Android app for new streaming service, developed entirely in-house

Stephen Hall Feb 4 2015 - 10:19 am PT

As was revealed this morning, Apple is planning to deeply integrate the existing Beats technologies into its existing platforms (like iTunes and iOS), and offer its own Apple-branded streaming service for $7.99 per month. But the Cupertino company also has plans to build its own Android app for the service, marking the first time Apple has built an Android application entirely in-house.

Google introduces Android 5.1 Lollipop, here’s what’s new (Running list)

Stephen Hall Feb 4 2015 - 8:42 am PT

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Google has this morning announced that Android One is coming to Indonesia, and with that updated their splash page for the initiative. Alongside detailing the three new phones that are soon coming to Indonesia, Google also mentions the latest official build of Android, the previously unannounced version 5.1 Lollipop. Keep an eye on this article between now and the official rollout of the software as we learn more about what the next version of Lollipop has to offer…

Android One initiative expanding to Indonesia w/ three affordable smartphones

Zac Hall Feb 4 2015 - 8:28 am PT

Android One, Google’s program focused on bringing high quality smartphones to developing markets at affordable price points, is expanding to Indonesia later this month, the company announced today. Indonesia will become the fifth country in which Google has rolled out the Android One program since the initiative was first introduced at Google I/O last year.
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OnePlus and Cyanogen put SwiftKey on the One by default

Stephen Hall Feb 4 2015 - 7:31 am PT

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In the spirit of bloatware—which oddly goes against basically everything the company stands for—OnePlus has decided that SwiftKey is an absolute necessity for every user of its One smartphone. The company has partnered with SwiftKey to bake the keyboard right in, and says users won’t have to download anything (besides the next update to the phone’s OS) to switch over.

OnePlus has collaborated with SwiftKey to integrate their top-selling keyboard app right into CyanogenMod 11S. OnePlus One users can now switch to the SwiftKey keyboard with the touch of a button – no downloading required.

The keyboard is coming as part of this month’s OTA update to CyanogenMod 11S, and after installing the update, users can head over to the Language and Input menu in settings to select SwiftKey.

Sure, this isn’t the update many would be hoping to hear about for the One, but the company also left us a little hint at the bottom of this blog post. “We’ve got something pretty sweet for you very soon,” it says, teasing the company’s plans to update the One to Lollipop.

The company also told us recently about its custom OxygenOS ROM, which the company says will further it’s goal of bringing a “bold, powerful, straightforward experience” to owners of OnePlus devices.

Microsoft launches free Picturesque lock screen replacement for Android devices

Mike Beasley Feb 3 2015 - 5:22 pm PT

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Microsoft has launched a new lock screen replacement for Android devices called Picturesque. The app comes from Microsoft’s Garage division, which the company describes as “a 24-hour idea factory.”

Picturesque features a daily wallpaper from the Bing homepage (which you can change by shaking your phone), the ability to search the web and browse the results directly from the lock screen (also powered by Bing, naturally), along with a news feed, weather updates, app notifications, and controls for your camera and phone calls.

The free lock screen replacement is available from Google Play now. You can find the full description and feature set listed below:

Verizon to become last Nexus 6 carrier, announces handset ‘coming soon’

Mike Beasley Feb 3 2015 - 4:08 pm PT

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The Nexus 6 is finally coming to Verizon Wireless, making it the last carrier to get the device. The availability date is currently unknown, but according to a new banner on the carrier’s site, the phone is “coming soon.”

Users can sign up for updates through Verizon’s website for updates on the availability of the Nexus 6. The Motorola-built device became available late last year. In our review, 9to5Google’s Dom Esposito said the phone “set a new standard for Android devices.”

Motorola $100 off $500 or $35 off $250: two-pack Moto 360 $450, Moto X (2nd gen) off-contract $400, more

Stephen Hall Feb 3 2015 - 1:08 pm PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

Yesterday Motorola was offering up codes to make this an even sweeter deal, but the Lenovo-owned company is today giving some nice cash back to those who spend more than $249.99 on their website. Spending between $249.99 and $499.99 will score you $35 off your entire purchase, while spending more than $499.99 will get you a whopping $100 off.
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Deal Alert: LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card for $0.01 w/ 2-yr agreement or $479 off contract

Stephen Hall Feb 3 2015 - 7:22 am PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

The LG G3 is now available from Amazon for $0.01 on-contract (or $479 off-contract) with a free $100 Amazon gift card. This effectively brings the off-contract price (which notably is still locked to AT&T) down to $379, and means Amazon is basically giving you a free phone and paying you $100 to renew your contract if you go that route.

The phone is definitely cream-of-the-crop in terms of 2014 Android flagships. The device has a 5.5-inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440, a 2.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, a 13-megapixel rear camera, and standard Bluetooth and LTE connectivity. To read more about the phone, be sure to check out our complete review.

There are two variants of the LG G3 that are currently sporting the free $100 gift card:

Samsung Galaxy S6: What to expect (Video)

Dom Esposito Feb 3 2015 - 7:07 am PT

Recently, Samsung sent out invitations to its Unpacked 2015 event during MWC 2015 in Barcelona, Spain, and we’ll be there to bring you coverage on all of the flagship smartphones announced. Samsung is expected to launch its Galaxy S6 along with a couple of other goodies, but what can you expect? Well today, we’re talking about all things Galaxy S6 and going over the anticipated specifications, hardware, design, and features…

HTC hits Apple and Samsung with cringeworthy rap battle, Dr. Dre and Jay Z not impressed

Seth Weintraub Feb 3 2015 - 5:36 am PT

[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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Motorola reports 10 million smartphones sold last quarter, up 118 percent year over year

Chance Miller Feb 2 2015 - 5:49 pm PT

Lenovo this evening has reported its calendar Q4 2014 earnings, and as is well-known, Motorola is now a part of the company, so the earnings are bit more interesting this time around. According to the earnings release, Motorola Mobility sold 10 million smartphones last quarter, which is up 118 percent compared to the year ago quarter.

Nexus 5 reappears on Google Play for $349/$399, ships in 1-2 days

Chance Miller Feb 2 2015 - 12:45 pm PT

Last week during its earnings call, Google acknowledged that it had been having issues keeping the Nexus 6 flagship in stock, and in a totally unexpected move today, the company has put the Nexus 5 back up on the Play Store. The device is listed at its original price of $349 for 16GB at $399 for 32GB.

Lollipop finally makes a blip on the radar, makes up a measly 1.6% of Android install base

Stephen Hall Feb 2 2015 - 11:02 am PT

Android Lollipop is definitely taking its time rolling out to the myriad of Android devices on the market, and until today it wasn’t even included on Google’s developer dashboards page. Today, though, reflecting the week preceding February 2nd, 2015, the page has been updated to show that Android 5.0 Lollipop now accounts for a tiny 1.6% share of the current Android install base.

Android Lollipop rolling out to Samsung Galaxy S5 on Verizon

Stephen Hall Feb 2 2015 - 10:34 am PT

Verizon has always been one of the slower carriers to update their devices to the latest and greatest firmware, but today it seems that the company is breaking that tradition. The Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Samsung Galaxy S5 started rolling out in some small international countries in December, but this is the first we’ve heard of an American carrier pushing the update.

Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce an operating system update to Android 5.0 Lollipop. This version brings Android beyond smartphones and tablets, allowing access to apps and Android services on other connected screens like TV’s, cars and wearables. The new material design offers complex animations, 3-D views and improved runtime.

You can find the announcement PDF for the update on Verizon’s website. In-mid-January, it was reported that Samsung was rolling out the update to the Galaxy S5 in the United Kingdom, following its tiered rollout in Poland, Spain, Russia, and Malaysia. This update, notably, is Android 5.0, not Google’s latest official build, which is 5.0.2.

(via Android Police)

Paranoid Android hits Lollipop in newly-released 5.0 Alpha 1 build

Stephen Hall Feb 2 2015 - 9:39 am PT

The team behind the second most popular custom Android ROM, Paranoid Android, has today updated the software to have a baseline AOSP Lollipop 5.0.2. Along with this first Lollipop-based build, the team has included a bunch of new improvements and features.

Today’s update is “ready to be used in public,” according to the Paranoid Android team. But keep in mind that this release is still an alpha build. “Hope for awesome buttery smoothness, be ready for a bumpy ride,” the announcement post says.

Here’s what new in this version:

Update the baseline to AOSP Lollipop 5.0.2

Improvements to Heads Up, such as an option to disable heads up interruptions completely

Add Quick Unlock

Extend the power menu

Animate the volume panel in a more material manner

Make it possible to skip songs using volume buttons when the device is locked

Add CM12 Theme Engine

Fix various small annoyances from AOSP

The last version of Paranoid Android was released four months ago, version 4.6 beta 5.

IDC: Samsung & Apple stay atop worldwide tablet sales as they lose share to “other” brands

Jordan Kahn Feb 2 2015 - 8:43 am PT

IDC is out today with its numbers on tablet shipments for Q4 2014 showing Apple & Samsung remained on top of the market both last quarter and throughout 2014 despite a slight drop in overall market share.

Apple sold 21.4 million iPads during the holiday quarter last year, which gave the company around 28% market share compared to 33% with 26 million units sold during the same quarter last year. Apple beats out number two Samsung, according to IDC, which grabbed 14.5% of the market in Q4 with 11 million units shipped. Samsung also dipped in overall market share from 17.2% with 13.5 million units shipped in the year ago quarter.
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Lollipop update for HTC One (M8) and One (M7) delayed as HTC misses 90 day goal

Stephen Hall Feb 2 2015 - 8:40 am PT