Android

LG has just published a new teaser video for its upcoming G3 smartphone. The video doesn’t reveal much, but it definitely proves that most of the leaks we’ve seen recently were accurate.

According to this epic new video, the LG G3 looks incredibly thin and appears to have a brushed metal design (also leaked in gold), but we won’t know for sure until LG’s announcement. The video teases the G3’s optical image stabilization, referenced only by a moving camera sensor, and concludes with a tag line that reads, “Simple is the new smart” and the official announcement date of May 27th, 2014. Unfortunately, there’s not much else to see here, but the video does provide a look at the smartphone’s thin profile.

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Motorola has officially unveiled the Moto E. If you thought the Moto G was the company’s only budget smartphone, think again. The Moto E is redefining the industry with a launch price of only $129 in the US and £89 in the UK.

The Moto E may not be packed with the best specifications on the block, but it will certainly get the job done. Especially for the money. As far as specifications go, the Moto E has a 4.3-inch display covered by Gorilla Glass with a resolution of 960×540 (256ppi), 1.2Ghz dual-core Snapdragon processor, Adreno 302 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, a 1,980mAh battery, and runs Android 4.4.2.

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Based on all of the iPhone 6 dummy units we’ve seen, this rumored design closely resembles Apple’s fifth generation iPod touch, but that’s not all. As shown in the video below, the alleged iPhone 6 design looks very similar to another flagship smartphone released this year.

The HTC One M8 and iPhone 6 mockup look like cousins or long-lost brothers when it comes to their design. Of course there’s no confirmation that Apple is actually using this design for the iPhone 6, but almost all of these mockups have been manufactured based on “leaked” schematics and specifications.

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Update: If you click the “ALL” option and scroll down, Amazon now lists the LTE model, in both black and white, as shipping June 30th and costing $219.99.

When we reviewed the $179 Moto G earlier this year, we praised nearly every aspect of it. For the price, there was absolutely nothing better than it on the market. The one thing we missed, however, was LTE capability. In order to keep the cost of the device down, Motorola limited it to HSPA+ speeds. Today, however, two new variants of the Moto G have shown up on Amazon. A Black “Universal LTE” model and a white “Universal LTE” model.”

In order to view these variants, you have to visit the standard Amazon product page for the Moto G, then click on the “7 new” link. You’ll then see a list of places to buy the device from, aside from Amazon. At the top of that page is a list of all the variants of the device. Notably, two LTE models are now listed. Clicking on them takes you a standard “We’re sorry” page from Amazon.

According to a separate report out of Engadget Mexico, Motorola is also planning a Ferrari branded Moto G that will likely be red with a yellow Ferrari logo. It will reportedly launch in the second half of 2014.

It could be that this is just a mistake on Amazon’s part and that no LTE models of the Moto G are planned. It could also be, however, that this is a sign of things to come and that Motorola is planning to launch an LTE-capable variant soon. The latter corroborates with recent rumors that Motorola is planning some sort of Moto G successor, to be launched very soon. Either way, we’re going to keep our eye on the Amazon page.

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Google’s Chromebook might be busy trying to hammer the final nail in the netbook’s coffin, however the search giant’s Chrome OS platform will soon receive a little competition from a familiar operating system. Today, Archos announced its new ArcBook, a $170 touchscreen netbook powered by Android.

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Two of Valve’s most recognizable games are now available for the Android-powered NVIDIA Shield, after being teased last week to several online publications. The above crowbar — a tool that is used throughout Half-Life 2 — was sent to AndroidPolice‘s Michael Crider, depicting both an NVIDIA Shield device and the lambda, which represents the Half-Life series.

Besides Half-Life 2, Valve also released Portal for Android today. Both games are on sale at the Play Store for $9.99, though they are only compatible with the NVIDIA Shield.
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Perhaps warming up for tomorrow’s big announcement, Motorola Mobility introduced the Twittersphere to @MotorolaIndia, along with a tease for its next device. In addition to a nod to its Indian arm, the company tweeted a picture of a rocket blasting off with a caption that read “BIG day tomorrow!”

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When it comes to smartphones, Samsung has a history of pushing towards bigger displays, so why would the company treat tablets any differently? We’ve already seen a 12.2-inch slate from the South Korean electronics maker and according to GSMArena, an even bigger slab is already in the works. A device codenamed “Warhol” is in development and it will feature a 13.3-inch LCD with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. 

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Android Wear has been the talk of the town since its announcement a couple of months ago. This new wearable OS will hopefully provide the perfect mix of performance and functionality. LG and Motorola have been the first to jump on-board as launch partners and both the LG G Watch and Moto 360 have been announced.

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The G3 has been at the center of various leaks over the past month, but the latest is the most complete. The above photo (via PhoneArena) reportedly shows off the back of both the black and white models, and the front of what appears to be the gold model. While the photo isn’t exactly “high quality,” it does provide for a good look at the brushed metal effect of the back.
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A picture of a phone listed as the Moto E recently made a brief appearance on Motorola Mexico’s Facebook page, only to be pulled by its publisher. This quick sneak peek gave us a look at what we might see during the company’s media event on May 13th, however the Moto E’s hardware was still pretty much a mystery.

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Overall, the HTC J Butterfly had a good showing in several different markets, so why not give it a follow up? HTC might be doing just that, as famed phone leaker @evleaks recently posted a render of a device referred to as the “HTC B2” While there’s only a front-facing shot of this phone, it shows off a whole lot of display real estate. Also worth noting, is that unlike the successor to HTC’s other high-end handset, the B2 appears to be cutting back on the precious metals in favor of a more cost-effective build.

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The latest updates to the Android 4.4.3 AOSP changelog include references to two new Nexus devices (via Android Central). The first is the “Flounder” tablet, which was also recently referenced in builds of Chromium. This is likely to be a tablet or a phone, as Google has historically used fish-related codenames for such devices.

Perhaps more interesting is the mention of the “Molly” set top box.
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A seemingly drastic turn of events in the appeals court has reversed the ruling on some elements of the Google-Oracle trial.

The ruling enables Oracle to claim copyright ownership over some parts of Java. The crux of the trial was whether API names and constructs could be owned. The initial decision said that it couldn’t, giving Google a landslide victory. However, the appeal court papers now say the exact opposite:

For the reasons that follow, we conclude that the declaring code and the structure, sequence, and organiza- tion of the 37 Java API packages are entitled to copyright protection. Because there is an insufficient record as to the relevant fair use factors, we remand for further proceedings on Google’s fair use defense.

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Motorola has already announced that its next smartphone will be revealed on May 13th and that it will most likely be budget-friendly. An affordable phone isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however if a recent photo of the alleged Moto E is the device in question, consider us slightly underwhelmed. Posted and removed from Motorola Mexico’s Facebook page is a photo of what is said to be Motorola’s new affordable smartphone. Pictured next to the highly praised Moto G, the Moto E (or whatever it might be) looks like a throwback to about four years ago.

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Earlier this week, we received word that Samsung was working on an unannounced AMOLED tablet called the Galaxy Tab S. This new slate is rumored to ship in two different sizes: 8.5-inch and 10.5-inch. Pictured above is a purported shot of the latter. Obtained by SamMobile, the device’s appearance lines up with most of the recent rumors. At first glance, the Galaxy Tab S bears a strong resemblance to the Galaxy Tab Pro, however it sports a textured back similar to the Galaxy S5.

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Motorola’s website has been the source of various leaks in the last few weeks, and today we have another one. Captured in an image after the break by the @evleaks Twitter account, the website leaked only the name — no image or details are available. The device has also so far slipped by under the radar, with basically nothing being known about it.
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Bloomberg reports California’s Senate has passed a bill that will force smartphone makers like Samsung to implement “technology that would let customers remotely wipe data from their devices and render them inoperable when stolen.” Officials have been attempting to pass similar bills with no luck but have since made tweaks to the legislation removing tablets and other terms.

Under the new bill, smartphones sold in California must include the technology starting in July 2015. While the bill was passing 25-8, the margin in the Democratic-controlled Senate can change as absent members continue to enter votes. The state Assembly, also controlled by Democrats, will consider the legislation next.

Last year Apple and Google introduced new theft deterrent features just as government officials in San Francisco were increasing pressure on smartphone makers to implement such features. While Apple’s new “Activation Lock” feature requires an Apple ID and password to reactivate a stolen phone after being remotely erased/wiped by the owner, it fell short of a full-on kill switch feature that officials were hoping for and required the user to enable it. Google has since introduced similar features for Android devices.

Samsung and Google have yet to respond to comment on the bill, but an Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg the following:
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