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New HTC Desire 5xx handset by the name of ‘A16’ leaks via Evan Blass

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 21 2016 - 9:01 am PT
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Don’t get too excited. While HTC does have an “A” line of HTC One smartphones, the above leaked handset renders (via Evan Blass) are actually a refresh of the company’s mid-range Desire line. That’s according to famed leaker LlabTooFeR who told us just a couple of weeks ago that there are two new Desire handsets scheduled to be released before HTC comes out with the “Perfume” HTC One M10 sometime after Mobile World Congress. According to Evan, the above images are of the Desire phone codenamed A16, making it a Desire 5xx phone…


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Samsung Galaxy S7 edge retail box leaks leading up to official announcement

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 21 2016 - 8:27 am PT
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Samsung is set to announce the Galaxy S7 Edge in just a couple hours, but the leaks (of which there have dozens) aren’t over yet. Now, we’re getting our first look at the retail box for the Galaxy S7 Edge, all but confirming several specs that have previously been speculated (via SamsungViet).


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Opinion: Besides tablet improvements, where is Google going with Android N?

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Feb 19 2016 - 12:48 pm PT
6 Comments

One of the reasons why I initially fell in love with Android was Google’s ability — often showcased on an annual basis in May or June at I/O — to always push technology forward, reinvent itself, and even dare to go a little overboard before making sure that everything was under control.

Most notably, since the end of 2011, Ice Cream Sandwich started to look as a more mature OS, one whose direction was beginning to make sense, appear clearer, as Android itself was soaring, soon to be the most adopted mobile operating system on the planet. What we know as “Holo”, a good-looking visual style for the system, was introduced, and coupled with bleeding-edge devices such as the Galaxy Nexus it made for a pretty sweet package.

But now, 5 years after the Galaxy Nexus was released and with Lollipop’s new design under its belt, where is Google going next?


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Evan Blass seemingly confirms previous LG G5 leaks with new image

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 19 2016 - 9:33 am PT
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First details about LG’s upcoming G5 smartphone first showed up 2 months ago, and the first sketchy renders followed shortly after, but it wasn’t until just recently that the phone first appeared in the flesh on the Dubai equivalent of Craigslist. Now, after seeing the phone in a dummy shell, its Quick Cover case officially unveiled by LG, and benchmarks revealing its performance, Evan Blass has come out just days before the phone’s announcement to all but confirm everything we’ve seen thus far…


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New images show every Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge variant from just about every angle [Gallery]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 19 2016 - 7:51 am PT
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If you haven’t seen enough of the Galaxy S7 already, we’re here to fix that. In a new series of leaked renders (via @onleaks), we now have a look at every variant of both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge from several different angles. Another new image also recently surfaced showing — for the first time — the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge next to each other…


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Google building a new engineering team in Singapore, plans to train 100,000 developers in Indonesia as it refocusses on southeast Asia

Avatar for Cam Bunton Feb 18 2016 - 6:25 am PT
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Google today announced a couple of new significant moves as it plans to refocus on development in southeast Asia. It will build its first engineering team dedicated to the area, in Singapore, and has promised to help train up to 100,000 developers in Indonesia within 4 years, in a bid to get more content out in the country, using its own national language(s).


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Google patent reveals concept for real-time voting, right on the search homepage

Avatar for Cam Bunton Feb 18 2016 - 4:58 am PT
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A new patent has recently been granted to Google which conceptualizes real-time, online voting. The example used in its graphic portrays a made-up reality TV show called ‘Top American Singer’, and shows how you would only need to click on a contestant’s image to vote. No calling or texting a premium rate number required.

In the patent, it’s clear Google is imagining this would be used for things like reality shows where contestants get voted off. It would be ideal for shows like American Idol, although there is potential here that it could be used for more consequential events like a political leadership campaign.

As you’d expect from any Google Search based interface, the web page would also show news and content related to the campaign.

While it may not launch the concept as an official product, Google has long been experimenting with real-time election tracking. During the recent US political campaigns, Google’s search tool has been updating with poll results during debates.

In an age where everything appears to be heading towards being internet-based, it’s hard to imagine a future without online voting for the next state senator, US President or UK Prime Minister. Whether or not it’ll be as open and insecure as a simple Google vote is debatable. That would of course need to be a highly encrypted bespoke application, rather than a Google Search interface. But, for TV shows, the Google solution seems promising.

 

Google CEO Pichai appears to side with Apple in series of vague tweets on FBI encryption battle

Avatar for Chance Miller Feb 17 2016 - 6:54 pm PT
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It has been a wild 24 hours when it comes to smartphone encryption and user privacy versus national security. Last night, a U.S. judge ruled that Apple must help the FBI obtain data from a passcode-locked iPhone 5c used by one of the gunmen in the fatal San Bernardino shooting. Just hours later, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded by posting an open letter on Apple’s homepage saying that Apple would not comply with the court’s request. Now, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has chimed in on the matter, saying that he agrees with Cook.


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Deal: Buy a Moto X Pure Edition 64GB, get a free first gen. Moto 360 ($200 value)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 17 2016 - 2:06 pm PT
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Moto X Pure Edition is one of the best phones that launched last year, and now you have even more reason to buy one. Just last month we gave it a “3 months later” second look (spoiler: we still think it’s great), but Motorola wants to make the deal even sweeter with a free Moto 360 Android Wear watch…
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: LG Watch Urbane (refurb) $155, Amazon 6-inch Fire HD $90, free Chromecast w/ Spotify Premium, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 17 2016 - 10:53 am PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

LG Watch Urbane Android Wear smartwatch (refurb): $155 shipped (Reg. $200+) | A4C

Amazon’s 6-inch Fire HD Wi-Fi tablet: 8GB $70 or 16GB $90 shipped ($30 savings)

Spotify tempts new Premium subscribers with free Google Chromecast offer

Spigen micro USB cable 5-pack $7.99 Prime shipped (Reg. $10) w/ code KGCS66BA, USB car charger $3.99 Prime shipped (Reg. $9) w/ code AFFK33YM | Amazon

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Games/Apps: Mario Maker Wii U + game of choice, amiibo, more $309 ($390+ value), more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Cambond 10-ft. Braided Nylon MFi Apple-Certified Lightning Cable $11 (Reg. $17), USB-C Cable, more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

The Coleco Chameleon retro gaming console is sure to appeal to any Millennial

NERF’s Fall 2016 line includes battery-powered 70MPH blasters, Alien designs, more

Freedom 251 $4 smartphone reportedly rips its home screen icons straight from iOS

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 17 2016 - 9:11 am PT
1 Comment

Update: A new hands-on video shows the $4 iPhone clone in all its glory (embedded below).

We told you earlier today about the insane $4 Freedom 251 phone, and now at least one publication has managed to get their hands on the device. Initial impressions aren’t great, and it looks like this phone — unsurprisingly — is just a mess of copyright infringement. Not unlike many other low-end offerings from dozens of overseas manufacturers, the phone pulls a lot of “inspiration” from the Cupertino company’s smashing successes…


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‘J’ in Alphabet is now ‘Jigsaw’, formerly Google Ideas

Avatar for Cam Bunton Feb 17 2016 - 3:04 am PT
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Google Ideas, Google’s think tank, has officially split off from the rest of the Google products to become its very own sub-division of Alphabet. J, in the company’s ever growing list of companies, now stands for ‘Jigsaw’. Jared Cohen is Jigsaw’s newly appointed president, having run as the Director of Google Ideas for some time. Eric Schmidt announced the move in a Medium post.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSD $90, ad-free Trivia Crack $0.10, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 16 2016 - 10:48 am PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSD for Android phones: $90 shipped (Reg. $100) | Amazon

The popular ad-free version of the Trivia Crack app for Android drops to just $0.10 (Reg. $3)

USB Power: KMASHI 20,000mAh Quick Charge 2.0 Battery $25 (Reg. $40), 10-ft. Braided MFi Lightning Cable $11, more

Daily Deals: D-Link AV2000 Gigabit Powerline Starter Kit $60, more

Aukey 2-in-1 Mini Clip-on SmartPhone Camera Lens Kit $9 Prime shipped (Reg. $15)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Home: Hoover Upright Vac $79 (Reg. $130), MIU color-changing humidifier $30 (Reg. $40+), more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Beats by Dr. Dre Solo 2 On-Ear Headphones now half off: $100 w/ free shipping (Reg. $200)

Beats by Dr. Dre Solo2 Wireless Headphones Active Collection: $230 (Reg. $300)

Beats Studio 2.0 Over-Ear headphones (multiple colors) $150 (Orig. $300)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

The new Assault on Hoth LEGO Star Wars kit recreates every detail with flawless execution

The latest Monopoly goes digital with an ATM to manage properties & bank accounts

Glass: Enterprise Edition appears again in newly-granted Google patent [Gallery]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 16 2016 - 8:27 am PT
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Earlier this year, we told you across several exclusive reports that new Glass hardware was in development, namely a variant of the device reworked with the enterprise in mind. Now, a couple months after getting our first look at the device in the flesh, a newly-granted Google patent provides us yet another look at the elusive remnant of a less than ideal Glass of the past…


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Sony has already discounted the hard-sell Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact by $50+

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 16 2016 - 7:22 am PT
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Sony has had a lot of pricing problems with the Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact, and Z5 Premium. It seems like the company thought that its phones somehow stood out from the crowd (which they do in some ways), but it’s clear that the market just doesn’t see it. After reducing the phones’ prices before even launching them, Sony has now dropped them yet again by $50 and $60…


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Project Loon has successfully delivered video-capable speeds as it moves into carrier testing

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 16 2016 - 5:25 am PT
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Google’s parent company Alphabet told a TED conference in Vancouver that its Project Loon Internet-delivery balloons had successfully delivered speeds of 15Mbps – fast enough for streaming video. It is preparing for carrier tests in Indonesia and elsewhere this year.

Alphabet X head Astro Teller said that the company tried a lot of unsuccessful balloon designs before finally finding one that was up to the job, reports Re/code.

There were shiny balloons and round balloons and balloons that looked like giant pillows. But eventually the company found a design that could be made cheaply and still navigate precisely. That balloon, Teller said, last year travelled around the world 19 times over 187 days last year.

Teller also shared a key part of the company’s approach to Alphabet X projects, along with details of two which the company has abandoned …


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Google’s latest Android ad is just as beautiful as it is simple [Video]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 15 2016 - 3:11 pm PT
4 Comments

Google has today uploaded its latest “Be together. Not the same.” ad to YouTube, and it’s a profound statement of how the company views its mobile platform, as well as how it views competitors. In the ad, dubbed “Monotune,” an unnamed pianist plays a tune in two versions: one using all the piano’s normal variety of keys, and the other on a special piano Google rigged to play the same note on all its keys…


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Opinion: Can the LG G5’s ‘modular’ features breathe new life into the smartphone market?

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Feb 15 2016 - 1:35 pm PT
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When looking at the landscape of Android flagship smartphones, I rarely find it easy to pinpoint a single manufacturer that, in one way or another, has consistently been able to meaningfully innovate one year after the other. More often than not, the OEMs have a go at things that are then removed the following year, or that in some way fail to broadly introduce a proper trend, like for instance the first attempts at fingerprint sensors or stereoscopic cameras…


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Report: Alphabet seeking an R&D site for its self-driving cars near Ann Arbor, Michigan

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 15 2016 - 8:29 am PT
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According to a report over the weekend from Crain’s Detroit Business, Google/Alphabet is seeking an R&D site for its self-driving cars near Ann Arbor, Michigan. This report comes as FCC documents last month revealed that the Mountain View company was planning to bring the cars to four new cities. Kirkland, Washington officially became one of those locations two weeks ago, and as we noted, a location near Ann Arbor makes perfect sense to be one of the next bunch…
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BandPage, a startup that helps artists connect with fans, has been acquired by YouTube

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 12 2016 - 11:42 am PT
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BandPage, a startup whose goal is to make it easier for artists to connect with their fans, has today announced that it has been acquired by Google’s YouTube. “More than 500,000 musicians use BandPage to reach & build deeper relationships with music lovers everywhere,” the company says, and now it’s going on to build those relationships for YouTube instead…


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Latest update to Google’s Clock app lets you resize its home screen widgets

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 12 2016 - 9:29 am PT
3 Comments

Google recently pushed out an update to its Clock app, and this one’s a game changer. You know the clock widget that lets you put analog and digital clocks on your home screen? Until now, dragging it around and resizing the widget simply changed its alignment. Now, when you resize the widget, the clocks themselves actually change size too…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Nest (2nd gen.) $170, Fitbit Charge $80, 5-Port USB hub $24, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 11 2016 - 12:52 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Daily Deals: Nest 2nd Gen Learning Thermostat $170, Cable Modem $50, more

Fitbit Charge Wireless Activity & Sleep Band w/ OLED display: $80 shipped (Reg. $130)

Tronsmart Titan 5-Port USB Charger: $24 shipped w/ code USBTITAN (Reg. $38) | Amazon

Beats Studio 2.0 Over-Ear headphones: $150 shipped (Orig. $300)

Free MP3 downloads from hit artists like Adele, Ed Sheeran, 1D, more

Anker mega-review: PowerCore+, PowerDrive+, and PowerPort+ USB Quick Charge 2.0 & 3.0 gear is some of the best money can buy

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

RAVPower USB-C/A Charger $38 (Reg. $56), uNu w/ Lightning Cable $12 (Reg. $20)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/697817821871521792 align=’center’]

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Moto X Pure Edition 32GB Unlocked Smartphone: $375 shipped (Reg. $400+)

Amazon offers rare 25% discount on Kindle Unlimited subscriptions: 6-months $45 (Reg. $60), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

OMBEE’s modular standing desk turns any table into a upright workstation

The new Andy Warhol Where’s Waldo book is perfect for any Pop Art connoisseur