Android

Update: Verizon explained in a statement that support for the LTE Nexus 7 is on the way:

The Google Nexus 7 is not yet a Verizon 4G LTE certified device, though it entered our process in August and we expect it will be certified shortly. Once the device is certified, we will work with Google to enable the device to be activated on our 4G LTE network.

Verizon Wireless’ certification process, which generally takes between four and six weeks, is one of the most rigorous testing protocols of any carrier, and is focused on guarding the safety and security of our network. Certification is done by third party labs approved by Verizon, and selected by the device manufacturer. Over the years, Verizon Wireless has certified hundreds of devices; information on the certification process is available to anyone at opennetwork.verizonwireless.com.

Verizon is committed to ensuring our customers have the best overall experience when any device becomes available on the nation’s most reliable network.

When Google first announced its new Nexus 7, the company said at the time that an 4G LTE capable version of the device would be available in the weeks to come. Up until now Google has had only a WiFi-only version of the tablet, but today it announced that the LTE model is finally available through Google Play in 9 countries.

Google announced that the LTE model is available in not only the US, but also in Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Japan, and Korea. In most of the countries listed above the 32GB LTE Nexus 7 is sold unlocked (for $349 in the US), but it’s also available with an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM directly from Google Play for U.S. customers. AT&T made things official in a press release announcing availability of the Nexus 7 only through Google Play.

https://twitter.com/VZWSupport/statuses/379946773730443264

Interestingly, word has it that Verizon won’t be activating the new Nexus 7 on its network. While there doesn’t seem to be a clear reason why the device wouldn’t be compatible with Verizon’s network (Google even showed a Verizon logo on stage when announcing the device), using a Verizon SIM card that’s already been activated with another device will apparently work on the new Nexus 7. The problem, according to AndroidCommunity, is that the Nexus 7 won’t work on Verizon’s CDMA network and only LTE. That means for users without LTE coverage the tablet wouldn’t work at all, and that’s likely the reason Verizon is yet to officially support the device. The carrier confirmed in a statement saying the Nexus 7 “is not yet a device that is Verizon 4G LTE certified. We’ll let folks know when it’s certified.”

You can get the Nexus 7 now in all of the countries mentioned above as well as Italy, which finally for the first time gets access to purchase Google Play devices today.

AT&T & T-Mobile preorders for Galaxy Note 3/ Galaxy Gear kick off Sept. 18

Jordan Kahn Sep 16 2013 - 9:18 am PT

Receive texts on your wrist? Yes, please. @SamsungMobileUS #GalaxyGear pre-orders start tomorrow. http://t.co/fDUmhOIodf

— AT&T (@ATT) September 16, 2013

Update: Sprint announced today that the Galaxy Note 3 will become available on October 4 for $349.99 on the usual two-year agreement. It will also have the Galaxy Gear companion smartwatch for $299.99 in Jet Black, Oatmeal Beige and Wild Orange.

AT&T has announced today in a tweet that preorders for the new Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which will act as a companion to the new Galaxy Note 3, will go up for preorder starting Wednesday, September 18. The carrier previously announced that the Galaxy Note 3 would begin shipping from its website on October 1. Through AT&T, the Note 3 sells for $299 on the usual two-year agreement. Samsung originally announced that the device would launch on partners around the world starting September 25.

T-Mobile also made things official for the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear today with a press release confirming that preorders, like AT&T, will also begin on Wednesday. On T-Mobile the device will sell for $199.99 down with 24 month payments of $21 with preorders expected to ship by October 2.
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Sprint reportedly to join monthly phone hardware payments craze on Sep. 20

Mark Gurman Sep 16 2013 - 6:51 am PT

Sprint is readying its own program that allows customers to roll in the cost of phone hardware in their monthly bill, according to CNET. Sprint’s program is reportedly called One Up, and it works in a similar fashion to the recently launched AT&T Next, T-Mobile Jump, and Verizon Edge initiatives.

All of the carrier programs principally work the same, with a few nuanced differences. Sprint’s One Up lets customers pick up a phone with no money down and pay for the device in 24 monthly installments. A phone that costs $649.99, for instance, will cost $27 a month (with the difference tacked on to the 24th payment). If a customer leaves the service early, that person is on the hook for the balance of the device cost, due the following month.

Unlike with a typical U.S. carrier contract, Sprint’s new program (like those from the other U.S. carriers) will allow customers to upgrade to a new device every year. The (subsidized) cost of the phone will be divided up into 24 installments and added to the customer’s monthly bill. A customer can trade-in that current hardware towards the new phone that they would like to upgrade to.

The new Sprint One Up program is claimed to launch on September 20th.

Sony’s TV stick offers full Google TV functionality, but only with this year’s Sony TVs

Ben Lovejoy Sep 16 2013 - 4:32 am PT

The Sony TV device spotted in an FCC filing last month was briefly unveiled by Sony in a blog post that has since been deleted. Engadget spotted the post for the Sony Bravia Smart Stick before it was pulled.

It’s an MHL dongle that runs both Google TV and Sony’s own BRAVIA apps. The features are just like Google TV boxes Sony has released before, with a remote (that the FCC filings showed is at least similar to the previous ones) that has QWERTY and voice search support. Additionally, its “picture-and-picture” feature lets users see a browser in one window and TV in another …
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Upcoming Kindle interface shown in new Fire leaks

Seth Weintraub Sep 15 2013 - 4:52 am PT

From the latest @evleak we can see the rumored new Kindle Fire third generation above. It would appear that Amazon is unfortunately keeping their big bezels and also their heavy proprietary overlay. From the image you can see updated UI improvements that will likely also hit the current lineup. We’re sadly not expecting to see a Google Play Store App like the recently announced Nook OS updates with hundreds of thousands of apps including Google’s Maps, Plus, YouTube, Gmail and more.

BGR caught the purported angular backside of this generation of Kindle earlier this week and together we can usually conclude that leak frequency increase means launch soon. As for specs, BGR’s source says:

Amazon’s new 7-inch Kindle Fire HD will feature a high-resolution 1,920 x 1,200-pixel display, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset clocked at more than 2GHz, 2GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, optional cellular data, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage.

The updated 8.9-inch model is said to feature nearly identical specs beneath its 2,560 x 1,600-pixel high-definition display, and it also includes an 8-megapixel rear camera.

We’re told both models are lighter and more comfortable to use than the current-generation tablets they will replace.

If you are in Amazon’s ecosystem, this could be exciting news. However we’d take the new smaller-bezel Nexus 7 with an Amazon app sight unseen.

HTC America makes about 20 percent of its workforce redundant in an attempt to ‘streamline’ operations

Benjamin Mayo Sep 14 2013 - 3:51 am PT

The Verge has learned that HTC has laid off about a fifth of its America division. It seems affected employees were informed yesterday, with the cuts affecting multiple departments. The Verge says the company has confirmed that layoffs have taken place, but would not offer more detail.

The Verge has also managed to get a hold of a letter to employees from Jason Mackenzie, the president of HTC America. He is quoted as calling this the “the most difficult day” of his career. He said that this measures are part of a broader plan to “simplify our organisation” and “sharpen our teams focus”. The full statement is included below.

Android

Nokia had Android running on Lumia phones before Microsoft deal

Jordan Kahn Sep 13 2013 - 3:06 pm PT

A new report today from The New York Times citing “two people briefed on the effort” claims that Nokia had Android running on the company’s flagship Lumia devices and considered switching to Android sometime after 2014. That, of course, was all before Microsoft began talks to acquire Nokia for $7.2 billion:

On one level, Nokia’s Android effort is not shocking. Companies often have “plan Bs” in the works in case they need to change course on strategy or want to help negotiate better terms with partners. Getting Android to run on Nokia’s hardware was not a Herculean engineering effort, according to the people familiar with the project.

Still, a functioning Nokia Android phone could have served as a powerful prop in Nokia’s dealings with Microsoft, a tangible reminder that Nokia could move away from Microsoft’s Windows Phone software and use the Android operating system, which powers more than three out of every four smartphones sold globally.

According to another source speaking with The New York Times, the Android project taking place at Nokia didn’t factor into negotiations regarding the acquisition. There’s no word on whether or not there is still a team at Nokia working with Android, but we’d imagine it won’t last for long after Microsoft completes its purchase.

Google testing new homepage design, shows off flatter logo, removes black bar

Benjamin Mayo Sep 13 2013 - 6:06 am PT

10 Comments

Google is currently split-testing a new Google homepage layout. The redesign is not drastically different to tradition, but Google seems to be testing a different look for its persistent top-bar. As shown, the black strip as well as most of the shortcuts to other Google properties have been removed. In this version, the only shortcuts in the top navigation are links to Google+, Gmail and Google Images.

Notably, this design uses the flatter logo previously seen in the new Chrome for Android beta. At the time, The Verge said a source refuted claims that this is a new logo, saying that the flatter look was only meant for places where the traditional logo would not display well, such as when printed onto banners. However, this homepage redesign shows that Google is at least considering to use this new logo as their main branding in the future.

The smartphone gold rush is underway: gold HTC one coming soon

Ben Lovejoy Sep 13 2013 - 4:58 am PT

With the gold iPhone 5s a very poorly-kept secret, it’s no surprise to see other brands getting in on the action. Engadget has received photos from a previously-reliable source (Sina Weibo, who leaked the blue model) of a gold-colored HTC One.

HTC could use a bit of a boost after a series of unhappy experiences.

It’s always next to impossible to judge the shade of a color from a photo, as angle and lighting can dramatically change the appearance, so we’ll have to wait to see whether this is something close to Apple’s champagne color or something more gaudy.

While many supposed parts leaks are fake, this one looks credible, and we suspect it won’t be the last gold smartphone we’ll see by the end of the year.

Twitter for Android beta updated to version 5.0 with all-new design

Jordan Kahn Sep 12 2013 - 2:13 pm PT

Twitter has just pushed out version 5.0 of its Android app to those that are part of its Android beta program. With the new release comes a brand new design that introduces a new slide-out menu on the left hand side, while still keeping the familiar tabs along the top of app and adding a few new ones for Trending, Activity, Find people. You’ll notice other areas of the app have been streamlined as well, but there’s not yet an iPad optimized version of the beta. There’s also a few features missing from the previous versions– like the ability to mark all tweets as read– but we’d imagine they will return before the redesigned app comes out of beta.

If you’re interested in joining up for the Twitter beta tester program, you can learn how to do so here.

(via AndroidPolice)

Leaving Google for Xiaomi nothing personal but “a dream job,” says Hugo Barra

Ben Lovejoy Sep 12 2013 - 7:32 am PT

Hugo Barra, Google’s former VP of Android product development, says his move to Xiaomi was planned long before it emerged that Sergey Brin was romantically involved with his former girlfriend.

In an interview with AllThingsD, Barra said that the opportunity to play a key role in the global expansion of the company dubbed ‘the Apple of China’ was one he could not resist.

“To me, right away, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, truly a dream job, this idea of building a global company which could be as significant as Google from the ground up,” said Barra. “It was just something that I will never come across, with a team whom I know, with a company that has DNA similar to my own and, on top of that, to live in Asia for at least some period of time” …
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Samsung responds to new iPhones: will focus on China, says 64-bit chips coming for Galaxy phones

Benjamin Mayo Sep 12 2013 - 7:09 am PT

In an interview with the Korea Times, Samsung executives respond to Apple’s recent announcements in typical Samsung fashion. In order to better compete with Apple in China, Samsung confirmed that it would focus more on the huge Mainland market.

For example, the company says it has received clearance from Chinese authorities to sell TDD-LTE devices, to enable Samsung to offer phones that work on the world’s largest carrier, China Mobile. As a result of “changing market situations” (i.e. Apple), Samsung is accelerating its schedule for releasing these Chinese-friendly devices. Apple is expected to announce a partnership with China Mobile to sell the iPhone before the end of the year.

In addition, Shin, Samsung’s co-CEO announced that Samsung’s next Galaxy phones will feature 64-bit architectures, to rival the A7 in the iPhone 5s.

“Not in the shortest time. But yes, our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality,” Shin said, adding he followed the media coverage of Apple’s new iPhone.

Shin’s noncommittal reply indicates that although 64-bit chips are on the roadmap, they will not arrive this year. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5s ships on September 20th.

While it is easy to make fun of Samsung for stereotypically copying everything Apple, it is important to remember that they are also likely making Apple’s 64-bit A7 processors.

Blue, the new must-have Glass app for live baseball fans

Ben Lovejoy Sep 12 2013 - 6:54 am PT

Choosing between the atmosphere of attending a live game and the information and commentary you get from viewing on TV could soon be a thing of the past thanks to Blue, a Glass app that feeds you real-time info while you’re watching the game.

Blue uses geolocation to figure out which ballpark you’re sitting in. It knows who’s playing and automatically starts presenting data to you as the game unfolds — stats for every player and pitch, even play-by-play descriptions. Watch a pitch fly by, then Blue will tell you its speed and type. Wondering what call the umpire just made or why that runner got sent back to first base? Blue will let you know …
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A behind-the-scenes look at Motorola’s U.S. Moto X factory in Texas [Gallery]

Jordan Kahn Sep 11 2013 - 7:37 am PT

2 Comments

The Verge has a great behind-the-scenes look at Motorola’s Moto X factory in Texas that is currently pumping out around 100,000 units of the new flagship device per week. We reported this morning that Motorola is currently shipping a disappointing 100k units a week, so it’s not that surprising to learn that around 200,000 square feet of the factory is not being used.

To accomplish this, Motorola partnered with Flextronics to refab a factory in Texas formerly used by Nokia. In a mere six months, the factory was completely updated and transformed to Motorola’s specifications, which including the hiring of 2,500 workers to make it run. Motorola did not actually make a final call to do manufacturing in the US until late 2012, but the factory was operational by August 6th of this year. The factory currently puts out about 100,000 devices per week, but Motorola says that it’s possible to scale it to tens of millions of units. Given that more than half of the over 400,000 square foot factory floor sits unused right now, that’s not too hard to believe.

It also spoke with Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside about why bringing assembly to the US was crucial for the Moto X’s MotoMaker customizations features.
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Motorola shipping (and not necessarily selling) a disappointing 100,000 Moto X phones a week

Ben Lovejoy Sep 11 2013 - 5:30 am PT

9 Comments

Reuters reports that Motorola is currently shipping 100,000 Moto X handsets a week – though not necessarily selling this number.

Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside said “When you set up to ramp a factory you need a plan, and we have shipment targets we need to make with our carrier partners, and where we need to be right now is 100,000 units and that’s where we are.”

Woodside would say only that direct sales to customers were “substantial”. Either way, we suspect the company must be secretly disappointed in the numbers …
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Google Play Music update adds ability to create radio stations based on genre

Chance Miller Sep 10 2013 - 6:41 pm PT

An update is rolling out to the Google Play Music app that bumps it to version 5.2.1204L. Notably, the update adds the ability to create new radio stations based on music genres. Previously, the radio functionality was only available for use by songs, artists, or your past listening history. It’s important to note, however, that an All Access subscription is required for unlimited radio use. Both iTunes Radio and Pandora have had the genre-based station feature for sometime now, so this is a much welcomed feature for Google Music.

Also new in the update is an improved download queue. Now, you have the ability to pause, resume, and cancel songs that are being downloaded at any given time.

All Access Genre Radio is here! Go to Radio or Explore, pick your favorite genre and enjoy unlimited radio based on the music you love.

New download queue that allows pausing, resuming and canceling

The update is available now on the Play Store.
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Roku for Android app allows streaming of video to set-top box – from some devices

Ben Lovejoy Sep 10 2013 - 5:46 am PT

The latest Roku for Android app allows video as well as audio and photos to be streamed to a Roku set-top box – but only for a limited number of devices.

Play your video from select Android devices to your Roku player. Supported models include: Samsung Galaxy SIII, Samsung Galaxy S4, Nexus 4, HTC One, and Nexus 7 (2012 model). Video playback requires Android 4.0 or later …
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Best Buy to offer blue HTC One variant starting September 15

Chance Miller Sep 9 2013 - 12:36 pm PT

Just as rumors suggested, Best Buy will begin to offer the HTC One in a Metallic Blue flavor beginning September 15th. While the retail giant doesn’t specifically confirm which carrier variants it will offer the blue model in, it simply teases that it will be available “with the option of 4G LTE service from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon.” Last month, a leaked document suggested that the blue HTC One would be available from Sprint, while we saw leaked images of the Verizon model.

The award-winning HTC One will be available in a stunning new Metallic Blue exclusively through Best Buy in the United States with the option of 4G LTE service from AT&T, Sprint or Verizon at the more than 1,400 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores as well as on BestBuy.comon Sunday, Sept. 15.

T-Mobile Moto X variant now available from Motorola for $599

Chance Miller Sep 9 2013 - 12:23 pm PT

Following launches on Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and U.S. Cellular, the Moto X is now available for T-Mobile, as well. As announced in a blog post by Motorola, the device is now available via Motorola.com for $599.99 without a contract and 16GB of storage. Currently the device is only available in Woven Black, as the Woven White color is listed as out of stock, though Motorola says it will be available soon. Keep in mind that the customizable Moto Maker software is still only available with the AT&T variant of the device.

Currently, it is not expected for T-Mobile to sell the Moto X in its own retail stores, as we originally reported back in July.

Moto X ‘Lazy Phone’ ads highlight ‘no touch’ interface, quick look camera

Seth Weintraub Sep 9 2013 - 10:28 am PT

2 Comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_JQxm53114

Motorola just released a trio of humorous ads touting features of its Moto X phone that don’t come in other phones. Above, highlights the abilities of the Moto X to respond to voice commands without touching the device. Two more goodies below show the shake to camera and quick look features. Both are great.
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Samsung says it sold over 38M Galaxy Notes, expects to sell 10M Galaxy Note 3’s

Jordan Kahn Sep 9 2013 - 7:52 am PT

We don’t usually get specifics on the number of devices Samsung sells each year, but ETNews reports that Samsung’s JK Shin disclosed in a meeting with the press recently that the company has sold over 38 million Galaxy Notes to date. That includes both the Galaxy Note 1 and Galaxy Note 2, but there’s no mention of how many units of each generation make up that total of 38 million. The company expects to sell even more units of the recently announced Galaxy Note 3 with Shin being quoted as saying “Over 10 million Galaxy Note 3 will be sold.”

The new Galaxy Note 3, which was unveiled last week during the company’s Unpacked event at IFA in Berlin, will go one sale early next month on several U.S. carriers.

Slimmer bezels mean Nexus 5 will have larger screen but smaller size than Nexus 4

Ben Lovejoy Sep 9 2013 - 7:25 am PT

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Developer Jack Underwood took the dimensions from the recent FCC approval of the LG D820 that has been pretty much confirmed as the Nexus 5 and compared them to the Nexus 4. The result? Despite a larger screen size with higher resolution, the Nexus 5 is actually smaller in every dimension.

If there were any lingering doubt about the match between the casings shown and the device slipped into the KitKat video, the animated GIF below seems to provide conclusive proof …
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Microsoft releases Xbox Music for Android with ad-free music streaming and cross-platform syncing

Jordan Kahn Sep 9 2013 - 6:45 am PT

Microsoft released a brand-new Xbox Music app for Android this evening. The app features ad-free streaming from Microsoft’s massive song catalog, with custom stations built around specific artists, songs, or albums. These playlists can be synced to your other Xbox Music-capable devices, such as an Xbox 360.

The app requires an Xbox Music Pass to work, which comes in both free or paid varieties. The app description doesn’t state that a paid subscription is needed, but free accounts are limited to only ten hours per month after the first six months of use. Microsoft also notes that offline listening is coming in a future update.

The Android app is available now for free on Google Play.

A full list of features in the app via Google Play below:

***An Xbox Music Pass is required to use this app.***

Xbox Music brings you all the music you love, every way you want it. Now you can access your Xbox Music Pass on your Android phone, Xbox, Windows 8 PC or tablet, and the web.

Xbox Music Pass on Android features:

• Stream ad-free music from a catalog of tens of millions of songs
• Add songs, albums, and playlists to your Xbox Music collection and access them from other device
• Create playlists that sync across your phone, Xbox 360, PC, tablet, and the web
• Listen to music while using your Android phone
• Enjoy a rich visual experience for searching, viewing, and playing back music

Amazon considers making its upcoming smartphone free (New statement: it won’t be)

Mark Gurman Sep 6 2013 - 1:07 pm PT

Update: Amazon has now said that the phone won’t be launched this year, and it won’t be free. “We have no plans to offer a phone this year, and if we were to launch a phone in the future, it would not be free,” Amazon said in a statement to AllThingsD.

According to Jessica Lessin and Amir Efrati, Amazon is considering making its upcoming, long-rumored smartphone available to consumers free of charge. However, it is unclear what strings are attached to the deal:

There are many unanswered questions about the plan and what strings will be attached for customers. One of them is whether Amazon would require its smartphone owners to pay for services such as Amazon Prime, the company’s loyalty program. But the people familiar with the matter said that Amazon wants the device to be free whether or not people sign up for a new wireless plan at the same time. (Wireless carriers typically discount the price of devices if customers sign up for a one- or two-year wireless contract.)

A launch date for the device is currently unclear. Like with the Kindle Fire tablets, past reports have suggested that the Amazon phone will run on a forked version of Google’s Android operating system.

Earlier this year, reports emerged with claims that Amazon is working on a bevy of products, including a phone with a 3D display, and various audio/media center devices. Amazon’s hardware development division for these products is (like Apple) situated in Cupertino.