Android

The HTC One (M8) has been one of the most anticipated smartphone releases in 2014. Following the success of the One (M7) wasn’t going to be an easy task, but somehow the company pulled it off. Well, almost. This is nearly one of the best smartphones for your money, but there are a few things that hold the HTC One (M8) just inches away from Android perfection.

With the M8, you’re getting an even better build quality than its predecessor. HTC claims that the One (M8) has a body constructed of 90 percent metal, which is a 20 percent boost over last year’s model. There is nothing about this device that feels cheap. It’s an epic win in the quality department. It may be a little slippery (and look like a stainless steel refrigerator), but overall I’m very happy with the build quality here.

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The Samsung Galaxy S5’s camera is a major selling point for the company’s new flagship smartphone, however a newly discovered bug may soon turn would-be buyers away from the device. There have been several reports across the web documenting an issue with the handset’s shooter — most notably its Verizon version  — that completely breaks the phone’s camera.

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Shortly after shipping its new flagship (and generally well received) smartphone, HTC’s Senior Vice President of design is departing from his role at the company. Scott Croyle, who HTC hired when it acquired his company One and Co. studios six years ago, will be transitioning out of his role as he prepares to focus on non-HTC projects, The Verge reports. As part of his exit, Croyle will consult with the company as his #2, Jonah Becker, takes over his responsibilities, HTC confirmed to the site. The report also shares that Drew Bamford, who leads development of the widely-critiqued Sense user interface, will now be in charge of all software and services…
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With the release of a new flagship smartphone, you can pretty much guarantee that Samsung will release a new marketing campaign taking jabs at the iPhone. But in the case of the Galaxy S5, the company has turned things up notch. In the past we’ve seen Sammy make subliminal references to Apple’s devices, but the company has never mentioned the iPhone by name.

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Google’s recent partnership to make the internet a safer place to play hasn’t stopped the company from working on its own products. The software giant recently opened up about a set of security enhancements to Chrome that make its famed browser safer and faster. Google anti-abuse research lead, Elie Bursztein published a post on the company’s blog detailing the measures taken to improve Chrome for desktop and Android.

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Earlier today longtime Senior Vice President of Engineering and head of Google+ Vic Gundotra made a surprise announcement that he was leaving the company. While there was no hint that anything at Google would be changing other than a possible promotion within the Google+ team to replace Gundotra, TechCrunch is out with a report claiming the executive shift will come alongside big changes for the Google+ service Gundotra helped create.

The report doesn’t offer much in the way of specific changes you can expect, but it does say that Google will be shifting the Google+ team under the Android team and “building “widgets, which take advantage of Google+ as a platform, rather than a focus on G+ as its own integral product.” It also says that Google will no longer require all products have Google+ integration:
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Last week, Google itself tweeted out an image that showed a slightly redesigned dialer app on Android. Not much appeared to be different in the app, though the action bar at the top was a new shade of blue, as opposed to gray. Now, more screenshots of a redesigned dialer app have leaked via an XDA thread.

These images show a few more changes, especially to the contacts portion of the dialer app. Instead of a list like the current dialer app, these images show a picture-heavy design with cards for each contact. If you have an image of the person, you’ll see it on the card, but if not, you’ll see a random color. Overall it looks very similar to the Gmail app and fits in well with the leaked Android app icons and calendar app.

The images come from a friend of the XDA user, who could very well be a Google employee judging by the contact names. Google has said before that it is refocusing on design, and with Google I/O 2014 right around the corner, it seems very plausible that we will see some redesigned apps be unveiled at the event.

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The folks at Hulu have expanded their recent Chromecast efforts and thanks to a new update the company’s Android app now moonlights as a remote control for the Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 game consoles. Users can pause, stop fast-forward and rewind content directly from their mobile device. This will definitely come in handy, because it takes the strain off your controller’s battery, which should be reserved strictly for gaming.

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If you recently picked up a shiny new Galaxy S5, there’s a good chance you’re looking for a great case or two. Luckily, there’s already a wide variety of accessories available to cover up your device without turning it into a brick.

We’ll take a look at the best five cases for the Galaxy S5 that will provide protection and/or style and not break the bank. The cases mentioned here are order by curent pricing/availability, but this will vary from day to day, so check out the associated links for more information.

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If you’re in the market for a new phone and a new projector, why not kill two birds with one stone phone? At least that’s what Samsung is hoping for with its projector-toting Galaxy Beam 2. Aside from its major draw, the Beam 2 sports a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and a low-res 800 x 480 4.66-inch display — we’re guessing Samsung wants you to focus on creating your own display with the projector.

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After a successful rum across PC, consoles and iOS, 2K Games’ popular turn-based tactical RPG XCOM: Enemy Unknown is now available on Android. Priced at $10, the strategic base building game puts players in the role of the commander who leads squads of soldiers through intense combat missions against a terrifying alien invasion.

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If you use Android, then download this app. That’s the recipe popular automation service IFTTT, or If This Then That, hopes you will follow as it debuts its software on the Google Play Store for Android users for the first time. The service has long had a web component for programming automating functions between a number of supported services, and it delivered an iPhone version about a year ago, and now it’s finally available on Android.

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Android 4.4.2 is now available for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, according to multiple media outlets and users. As of now, the software update is only available to the WiFi model of the device, but the 3G and LTE models are expected to follow suit. As a refresher, KitKat introduces features like cloud printing, immersive mode, updated status bar and an overall performance boost. 

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTLBCACEX2k]

Like it did for previous flagship Galaxy devices, Samsung has revealed that a new Swarovski designed ‘Crystal Collection’ Galaxy S5 is on the way. The company has teamed up with Swarovski several times in the past for special crystal studded versions of the Galaxy S4 and more recently a limited edition of the Galaxy Note 3 case.

The video for the new Crystal Collection Galaxy S5 was posted today to the SamsungMobileKorea YouTube page, so we know it will at the very least be arriving for the Korean market. Like previous Swarovski/Samsung team ups, we’re guessing the device will be limited to certain markets and might not make its way stateside. No word on pricing or any specs that differ from the regular version, but we’ll keep you updated if we hear more. 
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According to a report from mobile ad network provider Opera Mediaworks (via ComputerWorld), Android devices received more ad traffic than iPhones and iPads for the first time ever in the first quarter of 2014. The data shows that Android devices, including both phones and tablets, accounted for 42.8 percent of mobile ad impressions, while iOS devices accounted for slightly lies at 38.2 percent.

iOS devices still led in terms of revenue, however, receiving 52 percent of ad revenue. Android devices climbed to 33.5 percent of revenue, up from 27 percent a year ago. In terms of location, the United States still drives the most mobile ad traffic with 50.6 percent. Asia-Pacific countries were second with 23 percent, and European countries came in with 13 percent.

The sheer volume of Android devices obviously helped Google’s operating system take the crown for the most ad traffic. The IDC reported that Android smartphones made up 78% of all smartphones shipped, compared to 17.6% for iPhones. The fact that iOS led in revenue, however, still shows that iOS is still the more enticing operating system for developers and advertisers. For now.

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Given that the original HTC One (M7) was available in various colors, it only seems likely that its successor will also be offered in a variety of shades. Notorious Twitter leaker @evleaks has leaked a picture of the HTC One (M8) in a new red color. The device will reportedly be a Verizon exclusive, as evident by the Verizon and 4G LTE branding on the back.

The back of the device is entirely red, with the exception of the branding, camera, and a few black accents. Unlike the red Nexus 5, the front of the device is also red, aside from a small black bezel around the display.

Other than the new red color, the device has the same Sense 6 overlay, Duo Camera, BoomSound speakers, and unibody design. We wouldn’t expect to wait too long for an official announcement from Verizon and/or HTC.

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