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452 'Smartphone' stories May 2011 - April 2015
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OnePlus teases… something… for April 20

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 17 2015 - 10:31 am PT
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OnePlus is definitely known for their hype and their inability to actually deliver, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and hope that this isn’t yet another example of that. The company has this afternoon taken to its Google+ page to post the image above, teasing some kind of event or announcement for April 20th. “You’re invited,” the company says, but we don’t really know what we’re invited to.
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LG gives us another (unnecessary) peek at its upcoming G4 flagship

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 16 2015 - 7:26 am PT
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There isn’t much new to see of the G4’s externals, as we’ve pretty much seen the device from every angle possible at this point. But what we can gleam once again from the above image, posted by LG itself on the company’s Google+ page, is that the previous leaks were indeed legitimate renders of the upcoming handset.
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Huawei announces its P8 and P8max flagships w/ steel construction, spec bumps all-around

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 15 2015 - 8:10 am PT
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Ditching the Ascend name, Huawei has today announced its P8 flagship smartphone, most notably packing a steel metal construction and some nifty new camera features built around a 13-megapixel main shooter with optical image stabilization. Of course the software on the device got a bump into 2015 as well, bringing on board Google’s Android Lollipop (or at least Huawei’s version of it).
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AT&T’s LG G2 is now getting Android Lollipop

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 15 2015 - 7:40 am PT
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The LG G2 is one of the most trusty Android phones to have ever launched. Even to this day, it’s regarded as still one of the better buys if you’re looking for an Android phone unlocked under $200. Its tried-and-true horsepower is again being proven today, as the AT&T variant of the device is now receiving the latest version of Android—specifically 5.0.1 Lollipop.

On top of adding Lollipop, AT&T says that the update is also removing a couple things—namely the “Browser Bar and Famigo,” and “AT&T Code Scanner and Beats Music.” Keep your eye on your handset over the next couple of days to catch the new software, and as usual, you’ll need to be connected to WiFi to download the over-the-air update.

Watch the Huawei P8 announcement here (Livestream)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 15 2015 - 7:01 am PT
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Huawei is about to announce its next flagship, the Huawei P8, and you can watch the livestream of the global announcement right here. There’s not much known about the P8 besides the fact that Huawei is doing away with the “Ascend” part of its name, but the company is teasing a “Revamp the possibilities of light” motto for today’s event—meaning we might be seeing some kind of new screen or camera technology.
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9to5Toys Last Call: Galaxy S6 (unlocked) $699, Galaxy S5 (unlocked) $410, $100 off Moto 360 w/ Android, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 13 2015 - 11:59 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:

Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone 32GB (unlocked) GSM: $699 shipped (Reg. $899)

Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900A 16GB unlocked: $410 shipped (Reg. $499)

Best Buy offers additional $100 off Moto 360 with Android phone purchase

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 32 GB factory unlocked: $280 shipped (Reg. $500)

Amazon Gold Box – up to 70% off Crucial & Lexar flash storage: 128GB microSD $88, 1TB SSD $330, more

APC and CyberPower UPS Battery Backup Systems up to 55% off: APC 6-outlet $33 (Orig. $56), more

Review: SOL REPUBLIC’s Shadow wireless headphones w/ Bluetooth 4.0 offer an upgraded audio experience, $100 giveaway

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: Harman Kardon Bluetooth Speaker/phone $105, Toshiba Canvio 1TB External Hard Drive $50, Aduro Bluetooth Shower Speaker $15, more

More deals still alive:

D-Link Wireless N 300Mbps Range Extender: $25 shipped (Reg. $40)

New products & more:

On The Go stuffs nearly every must-have Android add-on into one tiny cube

Alcatel OneTouch announces April 21 pre-order date for Idol 3, promo $250 price tag

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 9 2015 - 7:24 am PT
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Alcatel first showed off its Idol 3 budget smartphone at Mobile World Congress about a month ago, and now the company has come out to announce the phone’s availability and pricing. The 5.5-inch version of the phone will be available for pre-order unlocked at an exclusive online price of $249.99 starting on April 21st, and orders will start shipping in May. Retail price for the phone will be a slightly higher $279.
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HTC introduces the One M9+ w/ fingerprint scanner, only available in China

Avatar for Stephen Hall Apr 8 2015 - 6:53 am PT
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We got our first look at HTC’s One M9+ handset weeks ago, but now the Taiwanese company has come out to confirm the phone is indeed the real deal. Don’t get too excited yet, though—as we expected, the smartphone will only be available in China. Most people probably won’t be too disappointed to hear this once they read more details about the phone, though, as it’s actually a pretty underwhelming entry…
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LG publishes official G4 teaser video

Avatar for Dom Esposito Apr 7 2015 - 12:05 am PT
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZdWPqpVbEk]

LG has just published an official teaser video for the G4. This device is expected to be unveiled at LG’s press event on April 28. The video embedded below teases one of the G4’s new standout features, an f1.8 camera. There’s not much else to see with the video, but it’s worth a watch to see if you catch anything else…


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Samsung Galaxy S6 gets dunked and brutally beaten, comes out mostly unharmed (Videos)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 30 2015 - 6:44 am PT
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Samsung water resistance

Every time a new flagship smartphone comes out, YouTube reviewers and testers like to push them to the limit and see how far they can go when brutally tortured—for science, of course. And now that the Galaxy S6 is landing in the hands of some buyers, these tests are finally starting to hit the internet. One YouTuber tests the phone’s waterproof abilities despite it no longer technically being waterproof, and another just absolutely smashes the phone on the ground to see what happens…


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Latest leaked renders give us a full-body view of the HTC One M9+

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 28 2015 - 3:58 pm PT
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We’ve been seeing a lot of leaked detaills about the HTC One E9 and (E9+) roll out lately, but now we’re getting yet another look at a phone being referred to as the HTC One M9+. HTC sent out invites for an April 8th event depicting a device that hasn’t been officially announced (which is assumed to be this “plus” version of the HTC One M9), but now Upleaks has come out with some new renders of the upcoming smartphone.


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OnePlus apologizes for missing deadline on Oxygen OS, says CM12 coming ‘as soon as possible’

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 27 2015 - 10:51 am PT
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OnePlus missed its March 27th goal for bringing its new Oxygen OS to the public today, and the company has now taken to its forum to apologize. It’s not exactly surprising to see this happen as OnePlus definitely hasn’t been known for being the most reliable deliverer of software, but it’s unfortunate nonetheless.
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Invites for April 8 HTC event go out to Chinese media, probably for ‘HTC One M9+’ announcement

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 25 2015 - 8:40 am PT
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Invites for an HTC event taking place in Beijing on April 8th, 2015 have reportedly been sent out to the Chinese media (via Nowwhereelse.fr). As you can see, the device shown on the image above is a bit different than the HTC One M9—it has a dual-camera set up and a circular main camera, rather than the single, rectangular shooter on the back of the new flagship. The render does look similar to the regular One M9 in some ways though, showing what looks to be the same dual-tone finish. In all likelihood, this is the rumored HTC One M9+.


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More leaked images of HTC One E9 appear, show a glossy backside

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 24 2015 - 9:51 pm PT
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Some images of the HTC One E9 appeared earlier this month thanks to a leak via Chinese regulators, showing a phone that sports a super-big camera on its rear and a 5.5-inch screen on its front. Hardware wise, Upleaks said earlier this month that the device will likely pack a 64-bit MediaTek processor, 32 GB of flash storage, 3 GB of RAM, a 20-megapixel main camera, and a couple different front shooter variants (either 13-megapixel or 4-megapixel “UltraPixel”). On the software side, it’s almost surely going to ship with Sense 7.0 (which launched alongside the HTC One M9).


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First teardown of the Samsung Galaxy S6 posted, looks difficult (Video)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 20 2015 - 12:04 pm PT
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The Samsung Galaxy S6 was only recently announced at the beginning of this month, but at least one person seems to have already gotten their hands on the device and given it the teardown treatment. Smartphone teardowns have definitely gotten more difficult as components continue shrinking and device designs have gotten sleeker, and based on this video, the Galaxy S6 is no exception…

You can find the full teardown over at iFixit (a site well-known for their comprehensive device disassemblies), but this one is a community contribution. It supposedly only takes 12 steps to take apart, but the guide is definitely an over-simplification if you have no experience tearing these devices down. Just removing the back of the S6 would probably be a challenge for the faint of heart.

You can check out the full teardown video below:

9to5Toys Last Call: $105 in free Android apps, HTC One (M8) $325, GoPro $100-$135 off, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 19 2015 - 12:12 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:

Up to $105 in paid Android apps for free: Kingdom Rush, Guardians of the Galaxy, more

HTC One (M8) 32 GB Android phone unlocked: $325 shipped (Reg. $700)

GoPro HERO4 Action Cameras: Silver w/ accessory bundle $400 ($535 value), Black 4K edition $400 (Reg. $500)

Amazon Gold Box – Canon imageCLASS D530 Monochrome Laser Printer/Scanner/Copier $69 shipped (Reg. $100)

Free $50 Play Store gift card w/ purchase of Nexus 6, Nexus 9, or Android Wear device

Amazon free app of the day: Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (Reg. $3)

Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900A 16GB unlocked: $419.99 shipped (Reg. $499)

Samsung Galaxy ALPHA SM-G850A 32GB 4G LTE: $279 shipped (Reg. $400)

ASUS Google Nexus 7 (2013) 16GB 7-inch tablet: $149.99 shipped (Reg. $200)

LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card for $0.01 w/ 2-yr contract or $479 w/o

More new gear from today:

WD Elements 1TB Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $50 shipped (orig. $70)

More deals still alive:

Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-inch Internal Solid State Drive $180 (Reg. $270)

New products & more:

Sony’s PlayStation Vue is now available, but how does it compare to Sling?

HTC says only Google Play Edition One (M7) devices will be getting Android 5.1

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 19 2015 - 9:55 am PT
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If you’re one of the unlucky few who’s still dependent on an old non-Google Play Edition HTC One (M7), a new Tweet today from HTC’s Mo Versi is not going to be the best news you’ve heard. According to the VP of Product Management, the One (M7) has received its last official software upgrade with the first version of Lollipop and won’t be getting Android 5.1.

That said, if you do have the Google Play Edition of the One (M7), this is great news. Not only will you be getting the update, but Versi says that it should be rolling out in early April.

In case you missed it, Wednesday was a huge HTC news day. The Taiwanese company came out to announce its Uh Oh protection plan, revealed that its M9 flagship will be hitting stores in the United States from April 10th, and Upleaks says the HTC One “M9+” should be coming out sometime in the next month or two.

Update: Mo Versi says to “Stay tuned.”

Upleaks says HTC One ‘M9+’ coming ‘end of Q1 or early Q2’

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 18 2015 - 7:21 am PT
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Upleaks has been the source of many accurate leaks this year, and today the anonymous person behind the account has come out on Twitter to “confirm” that the assumably plus-size HTC One M9 will indeed be called the “M9+” rather than the “M9 Plus”. Furthermore, correcting information that was shared previously, Upleaks now says that the device will be coming to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia as well.

As for a release timeline, Upleaks seems fairly confident that the HTC One M9+ will be coming at some point at the end of Q1 (which would mean late this month) or early Q2 (likely sometime in April). That seems like a pretty fast release considering HTC hasn’t mentioned this device at all yet. A larger-screened device to compete with Apple’s higher-end iPhone 6 Plus would be a pretty big deal.

HTC has a special event happening today at 9 AM PST, but it’s widely speculated to be focusing on the company’s new “Uh oh” protection plan for the HTC One M9. HTC has said that the announcement coming today is “BIG,” so maybe there’s more for us in store?

https://twitter.com/upleaks/status/578089434924511232

https://twitter.com/upleaks/status/578092047652925440

Don’t worry if you break your new HTC One M9 or want to switch carriers – HTC has you covered

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Mar 18 2015 - 6:27 am PT
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If you’ve ever said “Uh-oh” as your smartphone fell to the ground, HTC knows how you feel. It is today announcing a free, one-year protection plan for the One M9 smartphone, offering a free replacement if you crack the screen or drop it in water. The company will also replace the phone if you want to switch carriers.

HTC UH OH Protection provides consumers who damage their new HTC One M9 with an untimely fall onto the pavement or into a toilet with a free phone replacement within 12 months of purchase. Consumers who don’t take advantage of UH OH Protection within the first 12 months will receive $100 towards the purchase of a future HTC One.

The UH-OH program is an extension of the HTC Advantage cover offered on the M8, which was limited to screen damage and only lasted for six months … 
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New ‘LMY47E’ build of Android 5.1 for the Nexus 6 now available (Updated)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 17 2015 - 10:30 am PT
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Update: It seems this is the image that shipped with the Verizon Nexus 6.

Android 5.1 factory images for Nexus devices have been hitting the Google developers’ website for a while now, but a new build of the Nexus 6 image titled “LMY47E” has now been released (via Android Police). It’s unclear exactly what this build is for, but it’s notably just one letter higher than the one we saw appear earlier this month.

Oddly, Google hasn’t decided which one they would like to keep available, and there’s no word on which users should be going with. Both are freely up for download over at the factory image download page right now. So if you’d like to try your hand at flashing the higher build to your device, there’s definitely nothing stopping you.

We’ll update this post when we have word on what’s new in this version.

HTC One M9 test shows 131 degree surface temp while running GFXBench

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 16 2015 - 8:40 am PT
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It looks like there is definitely some truth to evidence suggesting that the Snapdragon 810 has been facing some problems with overheating. Dutch site Tweakers has taken the HTC One M9 through a series of tests, and it looks like overheating problems with Qualcomm’s processor are still very much a valid concern. Specifically, while running GFXBench, the site has recorded the HTC One M9 to have a surface temperature of around 55 degrees Celsius—or 131 degrees Fahrenheit.


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9to5Toys Last Call: HTC One (M8) $325, Galaxy Note 3 $295, LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 13 2015 - 12:04 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:

HTC One (M8) 32 GB Android phone unlocked: $325 shipped (Reg. $700)

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 32 GB factory unlocked: $295 shipped (Reg. $500)

LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card for $0.01 w/ 2-yr contract or $479 w/o

LG 34-inch UltraWide LED IPS Monitor w/ Thunderbolt: $750 shipped (Reg. $1,000)

Nexus 5 Case, Spigen Slim Armor Case for Nexus 5: $9.99 shipped (Reg. $25)

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 4G LTE 32GB unlocked: $479.99 shipped (Reg. $700)

LG G2 w/ 32GB unlocked for GSM carriers: $210 shipped (Reg. $300)

More new gear from today:

JBL J56 BT Wireless Bluetooth on-ear headphones $60 shipped (Reg. $90+)

  • New! Daily Deals: OtterBox Defender iPad Air Case $50, Toshiba 1TB Ext. HD $50, more
  • New! Games/Apps: Shades $1, Ultimate Hangman free, more iOS freebies

More deals still alive:

Bluetooth Streaming Audio Adapters: Mpow $9, Aukey w/ hands-free calling $15

New products & more:

LyfeLens dash cam pushes live video to your iPhone and doubles as a hotspot

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