Android

Want to do something nice for mom on Mother’s Day, but flowers make her sneeze and candy goes against her strict diet? Then perhaps a few books and magazines from Google Play’s Mother’s Day sale will bring a smile to mom’s face on her special day.

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Google let iFixit open up one of its 200 prototypes of the Project Tango phone, an Android phone that uses highly-sensitive 3D motion-tracking and measurement to create automatic maps of interior locations.

The device is a really neat piece of kit, and Google believes that developers will find plenty of uses for it. For example, use the phone to scan the interior of your home before you go furniture shopping, and it will create an accurate 3D model of your home complete with measurements. Take the phone to the store with you to see exactly how furniture might fit … 
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If you’re keen to get your hands on one of Google’s modular Ara phones, the bad news is you’re going to be waiting a while: the company has said at its first developer’s conference they won’t go on public sale until January of next year. You will, though, be able to configure your own phone using a Moto Maker style tool that will allow you to not only select your components but add customized colors and designs to them as you do … 
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Google has agreed to back a new initiative along with a host of Android manufacturers and all of the major U.S. cellular carriers that would require all smartphones manufactured after July 2015 to come with specific anti-theft features. The program is the latest attempt to prevent theft of smartphones, which some have blamed for increasing crime rates.

To this end, Google introduced the Android Device Manager application last year, allowing users to locate or wipe lost or stolen devices. Today’s agreement between the carriers and handset manufacturers essentially states that all parties will ship this type of system on new phones.

Specifically, the required anti-theft measures are broken into four kinds:

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Cyber security vendor FireEye recently announced that Google has patched a software flaw that left Android users open to phishing attacks. The firm says that it identified a malicious app that could modify the icons of other Android software applications. The strategy behind this attack, would be to trick an unknowing Android user into clicking a false app icon that would direct them to a phishing website.

These bogus sites would then try to steal their personal information. Some of the permissions attacked by the malware include  “com.android.launcher.permission.READ_SETTINGS” and “com.android.launcher.permission.WRITE_SETTINGS.” These permissions allow an application to reconfigure an Android device’s launcher, including its software icons.

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[vimeo 91688685 w=700 h=365]

Matias Duarte — the man behind the design of every version of Android since Ice Cream Sandwich — recently took the stage with Joshua Topolsky of The Verge at the Accel Design Conference in San Francisco to participate in a fireside chat on topics ranging from Android, the future of mobile, design methodology, and wearables.

The video is available on Vimeo (via AndroidPolice), and includes 37 minutes of talk between the two. The beginning covers Duarte’s thoughts on design methodology, and he stresses that good design is always a middle ground between appearance, emotional appeal, and usability — perhaps a shot at iOS 7’s stark interface.
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This slim-bezel smartphone we have here, is said to be the LG isai FL headed to Japan at some point in the future. The press shots surfaced on Twitter via @evleaks and may hint at LG’s design philosophy for 2014.

This could indicate a possible design format for the Nexus 6 or LG G3. The isai FL features the same backside volume rocker design that was first introduced on the LG G2, but has a body style similar to the Nexus 5. Either way, there’s no way to ignore those beautiful slim bezels.

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According to a new patent application filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (via Galaxy Club), it looks like Samsung may be planning to take Google Glass head-on. While this isn’t the first time Samsung has filed a Glass-like patent, the application reveals what appears to be a cross between Google Glass and a Bluetooth headset. As odd as that may sound, there could be some practicality behind this idea.

As mentioned in the patent application, Samsung calls this device “Earphone,” but other rumors have suggested that this device could be called Gear Glass or Galaxy Glass. The patent doesn’t describe exactly what this device would be used for, but it looks like Google Glass may have some tough competition in the future.

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2OEKL1w__4]

The first Project Ara developer conference kicks off at 8:30 AM Pacific Time this morning, and will take place today and tomorrow. While Project Ara was originally developed inside of Motorola, the project is still owned and operated by Google. While Google’s sale of Motorola to Lenovo will soon be completed, the Advanced Technology And Products (ATAP) team behind Project Ara is one part of the company that Google is holding on to. Project Ara’s goal is to create a smartphone with interchangeable components and the developer conference will also see the release of the Ara Module Developers’ kit:
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Boy Genius Report has posted its knowledge of Amazon’s next smartphone. Although it technically hasn’t been confirmed to be an Android device, it is almost certain that it will be powered by Android at some level, given Amazon’s existing Android ecosystem. BGR claims to have the first pictures of the phone, shown above.

According to the report, the phone will feature a 3D interface. This feature is enabled through a set of four front-facing Infrared cameras that track the position and orientation of the user’s face. The user interface can then update in response to facial movements. Apparently, the four sensors are located in each corner of the front face. The Wall Street Journal reported that the product would feature a 3D interface last week and is set for a June launch.

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According to a teardown and component analysis by IHS (via Recode), Samsung’s flagship device costs roughly $256 to make. That price includes the bill of materials, as well as the estimated assembly cost.

In an interview with Re/code, the leader of this teardown Andrew Rassweiler noted that Samsung’s smartphones have been going up in cost. However, Rassweiler also stated that, “Inside we see mostly a lot of recycled components that we’ve seen before. There’s really nothing special inside where Samsung is pushing the envelope,” although he did give credit to Samsung for the water-resistant design. 
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfhLZZWBn5Q]

The same German security researchers who demonstrated a hack of the iPhone 5s Touch ID fingerprint sensor have released a video showing that the same hack also works with the Samsung Galaxy S5.

The hack relies on photographing a latent print from something like a glass in a bar, then using lab techniques to transfer the image of the print into wood glue, which is then applied to someone else’s finger to activate the sensor … 
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Supposed specs for LG’s upcoming flagship smartphone were spotted on Sprint’s internal device database by MyLGPhones (via PhoneArena). The upcoming G3, internally known as the LG LS990, will have a 1440×2560 display — that’s four times 720p, which is considered HD, and twice the resolution of current flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One (M8). All of those pixels will be in a panel that is rumored to be 5.3 inches, making for roughly 530 pixels-per-inch — almost double the dots-per-inch of photos and text in magazines.
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Since its release back in December, AllCast has become one of the most useful apps for owners of Google’s $35 Chromecast. This afternoon, the app, developed by Koushik Dutta, was updated with support for yet another source to beaming content from your Android device to your Chromecast. With this update, you can now stream content from your Google Drive account to your Chromecast, via the AllCast app.

The feature is still in an early beta, but it actually works quite well. The interface within the app still needs work, though, For instance, you simply see a list of all your videos and images, which can be rather cluttered for people with a lot of files stored in Drive. Folder support is in the works for the next update, however, according to Dutta.

In addition to Google Drive support, the update also includes various bug fixes, including a fix for those whose Chromecast and Android device were disconnecting after 30 minutes. The full changelog is below:

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