Android

Smartphones built around gimmicks haven’t been that well received, but that won’t stop companies from producing them. Today, on its official Xperia Twitter profile, Sony posted a tweet saying “See your #selfies in a whole new light.” This cryptic message also included the hashtags “#GetTheFullPicture #Tomorrow.” Almost in tandem, a post from ePrice hit Chinese microblogging site Weibo revealing pictures of a smartphone referred to as the Sony Xperia C3.

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We told you late last week that Android Wear devices had started leaving the warehouse, and this week is seeing many of those orders reach their destinations. And with the devices now in more and more developers hands, countless apps have started appearing on the Play Store. It will soon get to the point where there are too many to keep track, but in the meantime we’re watching the Play Store closely for great (and not so great) new apps.
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AT&T announced today that it will begin accepting pre-orders for the LG G3 and G Watch tomorrow and that both devices will be available to purchase on July 11th. The South Korean electronics manufacture’s first Android Wear-powered smartwatch will cost $230, while the G3 will be available for no money down through AT&T Next 18 for $24.17 per month and $29 per month via Next 12. You can also buy the handset for $200 on a two year service agreement if you’re not fond of financing a phone.

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So far Google’s Android L preview, introduced at Google I/O last month, is only officially available for Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 owners, but today we get a port of the preview for the Nexus 4 thanks to the work of members at the XDA-developer forums.
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It’s quite certain that Twitter will at some point launch their own app for Android Wear, but for those that are just itching to be able to tweet from their watch right now, there’s an app called “Bunting” that will let you do just that. The name might be confusing, but I can assure you there’s nothing baseball-related here.

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Another alleged live photo of the rumored Samsung Galaxy F device has appeared (via GSMArena), and it appears to sport a bezel that looks very similar to another smartphone we all know very well. The rumored-to-be premium version of the Samsung Galaxy S5 has appeared in countless other leaks and live photos, but this is the first we’ve seen of the device close up like this.

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By default, the launch Android Wear watches (which are now shipping) only come with a select number of watch faces that packed in the OS. It was only a matter of time before developers developed their own, however, and it appears that there are now a few available. If you’re lucky enough to have an Android Wear device on hand, you can install them the same way you install any Android Wear app.

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OnePlus announced this morning that its flagship One smartphone, announced last April, will be updated to run the latest Android L operating system within 90 days of Google shipping the final release of the software. 
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Is was bound to happen, and it looks like it’s here. On the day that the first Android Wear device began shipping and only a few days after Google I/O attendees were given a free device themselves, one developer has demoed a home automation system using an Android Wear smartwatch to control it. And even more interestingly, it runs on Android applications that are already on the Play Store.

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Last night Google announced a new space for apps on the Play Store specifically for Android Wear software. In just a few short hours, this new wing has amassed a collection of 33 apps and shows no signs of slowing down. Apps like Runtastic Running & Fitness, MediSafe Meds & Pill Reminder and Hue Control and Lyft hit Google Play today along with a slew of others.

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Last month, Apple quietly unveiled a new feature in iOS 8 that automatically scrambles an iOS device’s MAC address when it is searching for Wi-Fi networks. It made this move as a security precaution, as some marketing and analytics companies use the unique identifier to collect users’ location history to help clients “improve store layouts, determine timing for promotions and sales, measure the effects of advertising, and set staffing levels and store hours.”

If you have an Android smartphone, however, the Electronic Frontier Foundation claims there remains a high risk that your device is broadcasting your location history to anyone within Wi-Fi range of you. “Wi-Fi devices that are not actively connected to a network can send out messages that contain the names of networks they’ve joined in the past in an effort to speed up the connection process,” the EFF writes.

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Android L is currently in the works and being sampled by a limited group of Nexus toting developers. If you’re suffering from a case of L envy and a Nexus 5 or 7 aren’t within reach, there’s now a way to bring the software’s look and feel to devices stuck on Jelly Bean or KitKat. An XDA member called “Adhi1419” has put together a theme that emulates most of Android L’s appearance, including its status bar icons, settings, calculator and ringtones.

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzMUTrTYD9s]

As Samsung has done with past TV commercials for its flagship Galaxy S5, its latest ad for the device again takes the iPhone head-on. The new ad, titled “Wall Hugger”, focuses on mocking the iPhone’s battery life while showing off the S5’s Ultra Power Saving Mode and removable battery features. And in usual Samsung-fashion, it also borrows a line from comments Blackberry executive John Chen made back in March… 
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For those lucky enough to be running the Android L developer preview for Nexus devices, the lead developer of Talon for Twitter Luke Klinker has released an early version of the popular third-party Twitter app based on the new Material Design user interface unveiled at Google I/O. Klinker has redesigned the tweet viewer and timeline over the past few days, and is now offering users a chance to test the app.

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HTC, which started losing money last October, has kept its promise to return to the black in Q2 this year according to unaudited figures revealed in a brief statement.

Unaudited quarterly revenue was NT$65.06 billion and net profit before tax was NT$2.76 billion. Operating profit was NT$2.43 billion, and net profit after tax was NT$2.26 billion

The company said in February that it planned to follow Samsung’s lead in making handsets across all price-points, stating that it had “missed a huge chunk of the mid-tier market.” Revealing further losses in April, the company said that it expected to return to profit in Q2 thanks to both new mid-range phones like the Desire 816 and its well-regarded flagship One M8 … 
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CNET reports that Samsung is partnering with bicycle manufacturer Trek and its factory race team to explore the options for integrating the company’s technology into future bicycles.

The company has begun testing some of its mobile products — such as the Galaxy S5, its Gear portfolio, and the Galaxy Note — on the Trek Factory Racing Team as they train for some of the world’s top races, such as the Tour de France. As they ride, the team will monitor their health stats, racing cadence, and speed, along with communicate about team strategies and race routes …

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Google tonight made a pair of enhancements to the Play Store for the lucky people with an Android Wear device. First off, the company has released the official Android Wear companion app for Android. This app connects with your Android Wear device (i.e. the Gear Live or G Watch) and allows you to control voice action preferences, adjust notification settings, and configure various other settings for your watch.

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