Android

Motorola just started sending out invites for a September 4th event, and it appears that there are going to be four stars of that show. One of them is expected to be the much-rumored next-generation Motorola flagship dubbed the “X+1,” and once again, some benchmarks for a not-so-mysterious device with model number XT1097 have appeared on the internet (via Phone Arena). The latest tests show some of the very same hardware that has been rumored for this particular device in the past, and with the announcement not far off, there’s a good chance it’s real.

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0c6djpd8E]

We’ve known since June that Barnes & Noble’s next Nook ebook reader would be a co-branded Galaxy Tab 4, set to be launched on Wednesday. Digital Reader notes that the company has now emailed out a 30-second teaser video, showing reactions to the device – including one from Grumpy Cat … 
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LG’s G Watch and Samsung’s Gear Live

When Google unveiled Android Wear, it said that ASUS was among the partners signed up to release a wearable device, but since then, both companies have been quiet on the matter. In June, rumors started circulating that ASUS was working on a smartwatch that would be low-cost and appealing to consumers. Now, according to quotes from Focus Taiwan, ASUS may launch its Android Wear device as soon as next month at IFA next month.

ASUS CEO Jerry Shen told an investors’ conference Tuesday that his company could debut its smartwatch as early as September at the IFA electronics trade show in Germany, with aggressive marketing efforts to promote the device.

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IDC released its second quarter report for worldwide smartphone shipments by operating system today and in it noted iOS and Android accounted for 96% of the global market. That number, however, comes only as Android grew on the strength of higher sales of low-cost devices abroad.
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Earlier today, Motorola started sending out invitations for what appears to be an official launch for the Moto 360 and a few other devices. Almost immediately following the company’s announcement, emails started rolling out to I/O attendees who were told that they’d receive Motorola’s first Android Wear-powered smartwatch after its release.

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Today, LG announced the launch of the G Pad 8.0 LTE. If you think you’re having a case of déjà vu, you’re not. This is pretty much the same device that was announced a few months back, however this variant features built-in LTE-capable hardware. The G Pad 8.0 LTE also ships with LG’s QPair 2.0 software, which lets users pair their smartphone with their slate via Bluetooth to answer phone calls and send text messages directly from their tablet.

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/CZrGDo9Grgk]

Google has just posted four new Google Wear ads to its YouTube channel that show off the device in every day situations. Compared with the mostly technical videos Google has posted for its Android Wear wearables platform thus far, the commercials look a lot more like TV spots aimed at regular consumers.

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The Galaxy Note 4’s official public debut is just a few short weeks away, but it looks like an Indonesian retailer may have stolen Samsung’s thunder. Erafone has posted a listing on for Samsung’s fourth-generation Note smartphone on its website, revealing what looks like an complete list of the device’s specs. If accurate, the Note 4 will feature a 5.7-inch 1,440 x 2,560 Super AMOLED display, a quad-core Snapdragon 805 (SM-N910S) and an alternate version of the smartphone running an Exynos 5433 (SM-N910C).

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Aislelabs, a Toronto-based company offering in-store analytics and solutions for building mobile shopping experiences, today released a report examining how Apple’s Bluetooth iBeacon technology impacts battery life on iOS devices vs Android. The study found that Apple’s iBeacon framework, first introduced with iOS 7 to let iOS developers take advantage of Bluetooth beacons for sending location-aware notifications, actually performs better with Android, at least when it comes to battery life:
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Motorola is sending out invitations to a media event in Chicago that will be held on September 4th. The not so subtle invite displays a picture of a watch (Moto 360), a phone with an X (maybe a Moto X+1?), a phone with a G (we’re thinking Moto G2) and a headset that’s likely some type of new wireless accessory.

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Samsung and Apple will largely own the smartwatch market between them, predicts Jackdaw Research chief analyst Jan Dawson in a report being issued later today and seen by Re/code.

Dawson said that new players should “stay out of the market,” and existing players should scale back their plans.

“We do not recommend that existing vendors should maintain current levels of investment when market growth and the overall revenue opportunity remain poor,” Dawson said. “It is unlikely that more than one or two small vendors will be able to make a sustainable business out of smartwatches in the face of competition from Samsung and […] Apple” …

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Chinese company Lenovo, which is in the process of buying the Motorola brand from Google, has reported a 23 percent year-on-year increase in first-quarter profits to $214M, reports Reuters. The company also said that worldwide phone sales were up 39 percent, in line with recent IDC numbers.

While Lenovo recently became the market leader within China, CEO Yang Yuanqing said that the company will in future be focusing on more profitable overseas markets … 
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Image via Cnet

Last month Samsung ramped up the anti-Apple rhetoric with a new ad campaign that depicted iPhone users as “wall huggers,” constantly tethered to a power outlet due to the inferior battery in their non-Samsung smartphones. Today Cnet reports that the company has taken its campaign one step further by trolling real-life iPhone users at power outlets throughout major airports.

The new ads take the form of posters near power outlets that read, “Samsung Galaxy S5 with Ultra Power Saver Mode,” followed by a tagline that appears to poke at Apple’s own recent ad campaign: “So you have the power to be anywhere but here.” If you’d like to take a gander at the latest salvo in the ever-escalating flame war between Apple and Samsung, you’ll be able to do just that very soon at JFK, O’Hare, and Midway airports. Samsung says even more airports could be getting the ads if they’re successful in the first three.

Apple is currently planning to announce the iPhone 6 on September 9th, though rumors say it doesn’t look like the new model will provide much hope for the “wall huggers.”

A new report from The Information claims Google and HP have discussed the possibility of bringing a Google Now-like Android assistant to the workplace. Google’s Android unit has also reportedly been in talks with others about the functionality:
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A few weeks ago we heard that Motorola was developing Google’s next Nexus device and aside from a rumored 5.9-inch display, its specs were were pretty much unknown. Today, however, an alleged benchmark of the unannounced handset has hit the web and it tells the tale of a powerful up-and-comer. The device listed packs a smaller 5.2-inch 1440p display, a 2.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera capable of 4K video capture, a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter and Android L.

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Just recently, Samsung official unveiled its Galaxy Alpha smartphone and there’s already a full review to read through. We’ve already gone through most of the need-to-know information in our announcement article, but nothing beats pure human interaction and opinion, right?

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Small businesses looking to take occasional card payments without paying monthly fees now have a third option as Amazon has launched Local Register to compete with Square and PayPal Here – as we predicted last month over on 9to5Mac. The $10 card-reader is currently only compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 and S5, along with the Kindle Fire HD and HDX tablets, but more devices are expected to be added.

Amazon is undercutting both competitor services with a flat fee of 2.5 percent per transaction (vs 2.7 percent for PayPal Here and 2.75 percent for Square). Not enough? Amazon is sweetening the deal with a special introductory rate of 1.75 percent until the end of 2015, and will also credit the $10 cost of the cardreader in full against transaction fees … 
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