Hot on the heels of the Android Auto announcement at Google I/O, Audi has already committed itself to the system in future vehicles. The German auto maker has issued a press release detailing that the first Android Auto enabled Audis will be available in early 2015. Audi's implementation of Android Auto will see it baked into the existing MMI in-car system, with drivers seeing a prompt when they connect up a compatible Android smartphone. It's important to remember that Android isn't taking over all of the running, Audi still has its own proprietary system underneath Android Auto run on the qox operation system
Good guy, Audi, also says that Android Auto will not make its cars incompatible with rival smartphone platforms. That's as important for us as it is for them. Audi will continue to offer an in-car experience no matter what phone you own, but it get's a little more special if you're running Android.
Audi Plans to Begin Introducing Android Auto™ Connection Into Vehicles in 2015 Android Auto will provide a seamless link for Android mobile car apps to function through the Audi MMI® infotainment system Motorists will be able to project apps and services optimized for voice commands and the driving environment Android Auto is the first innovation to come from the open automotive allinancy, a coalition of tech companies and auto industry leaders committed to bringing the Android platform to cars Audi, through its role as a founding member of the Open Automotive Alliance, plans to begin introducing Android Auto technology with all-new models launched in 2015.
Android Auto debuted today at the 2014 Google I/O annual technology conference in San Francisco as the first innovation resulting from OAA, a global alliance launched in January by Google, NVIDIA, Audi and three other automakers to extend the Android platform into cars.
With Android Auto, drivers will be able to seamlessly access their Android device car apps using Audi MMI displays and controls optimized for safe and intuitive operation on the road. The OAA is dedicated to building an open ecosystem around a common platform in order to drive innovation in the car, allowing automakers to deliver cutting-edge technology more quickly to drivers.
"As the leader in the emerging field of connected car technologies, Audi recognizes the importance of meeting our customers' mobile technology needs on their terms," said Ricky Hudi, Head of Development Electrics/Electronics, AUDI AG. "But we should only do this through innovations, such as Android Auto, that reduce distractions and improve performance."
Personal transportation and the personal need to stay informed are two crucial components of everyday life fulfilled by cars and mobile phones. Android Auto helps motorists move the access point for information from the palm of their hand to the built-in displays of their cars allowing hands to remain on the steering wheel and eyes on the road.
After connecting an Android smartphone in a compatible Audi, drivers will see a prompt asking if they want their apps to function through the MMI touch display and controls. The graphics and audio streams, including microphone input and all control interfaces, will then operate with Android Auto which is seamlessly integrated into the Audi MMI mobile media application framework developed by the Audi software joint venture e.solutions on top of the QNX Car automotive operating system.
Apps showing multimedia video content or text heavy displays will be disabled while the car is in motion, a feature that is standard in all Audi MMI systems. Drivers can easily switch from the Android view and the Audi infotainment functions as desired, or upon disconnecting their Android phone.
The addition of Android Auto in forthcoming models will not make Audi models incompatible with other smartphones. Audi has a proven track record of improving the integrated access to mobile devices in its vehicles while focusing first on avoiding distractions for drivers.
Update: Carphone Warehouse has also started selling the LG G3 online, with all three color variations available for purchase with next-day delivery. Original story follows.
Can't wait till next Tuesday to buy the LG G3? You're in luck, as UK retailer Unlocked Mobiles has started selling the device ahead of other outlets like Amazon. The retailer's website lists the G3 as being in stock and eligible for next-day delivery.
The website only has the black color variant in stock, with the gold version available for pre-order and an eventual launch on July 1. The white variant of the G3, which was originally thought to beexclusive to Carphone Warehouse in the UK, is also available for pre-order from Unlocked Mobiles, with an expected launch date slated for July 7.
All three color variants of the G3 are listed for £489 on Unlocked Mobiles, which is a smidgen over the £479 Amazon UK is asking for the device. Buy LG G3:
Sprint and Kyocera team up yet again to make that mid-range phone that does just enough to make you consider it if you're in the right price bracket
Sprint and Kyocera are a bit of a dynamic duo in the U.S. wireless market, releasing new devices together every time you turn around. Between Sprint itself and its prepaid carriers Boost and Virgin Mobile, Kyocera pretty heftily blankets the low- to mid-range market with solid, waterproof and often rugged devices. The Kyocera Hydro Vibe on Sprint is another entrant squarely in that mid-range group, offering a few neat features, respectable hardware and access to Sprint's Spark LTE network for just $29 on-contract or $229 without any agreement.
That's not a whole lot to ask for a phone with some pretty competent specs, including a quad-core processor, 4.5-inch display, complete waterproofing and a neat bone-conducting speaker. But in many ways it's just what everyone expected — the Hydro Vibe was never going to be a device with barn-burning performance or crazy features, it's meant to fill a very specific niche on Sprint's network that Kyocera has been filling for years. And they keep making these devices because people keep buying them — read along and see if you should consider being one of those customers with our full review of the Kyocera Hydro Vibe.
Hardware
It's pretty easy to pick out a Kyocera phone from a crowd, as its devices follow a distinct design language. They're not the most striking or svelte phones out there, and are often a tad on the thick side with many rugged design features. The Hydro Vibe is much the same, though it doesn't quiteyell "construction site gear" like some of the more purpose-built rugged phones from the manufacturer.
The Kyocera Hydro Vibe is a small and thick, by today's standards, with gratuitous use of hard plastic and a few different textures and finishes that try to make it look fancy but generally make it seem cheap. You've got a shiny chrome plastic rim that encircles the screen and down the edges, which then meets up with a shiny black plastic rim and continues to a textured removable back plate. There's a shiny chrome (but different shade from the other chrome) power button on top, volume keys on the left side and camera button on the bottom right. Kyocera painted its logo above the screen on a bezel that doesn't have a speaker grille due to its use of a bone-conducting speaker, and three capacitive keys are found opposite it on the bottom bezel.
Even without any overtly-rugged design elements, the Hydro Vibe is IP 57 water and dust resistant, meaning it can survive a dunk in water up to three and a half feet for 30 minutes — far more than you'll need in any usual situation with a phone. An added bonus is that Kyocera doesn't cover up any of the ports or buttons with little flaps (see, it is possible, Samsung) that will eventually break off anyway. It protects the removable battery, SIM and SDcard with a rubber gasket-sealed back panel.
This is a solidly-made device, and while I would be even happier with the design if Kyocera had cut back on the layers of shiny plastic, it isn't going to stand out as much as some of its previous devices. This is more of a "normal" phone done up in the Kyocera style, and that's not all bad.
Display quality
One of the first things to go when cutting costs on a device is the display, and that's exactly what has happened here. The Hydro Vibe shows off a 4.5-inch IPS display at 960 x 540 resolution, coming out to just 244 ppi. The fact that it's an IPS LCD helps with viewing angles, color reproduction and overall quality, but this isn't an industry-leading panel by any means. The low resolution is noticeable on icons, fonts and images, particularly because this is a smaller device that you hold a bit closer to your eyes in regular use. It isn't quite as bright as higher-end phones, and there's some noticeable light leakage at the bottom of the display, but those things are hard to complain about when you consider the price.
This is a far step above previous low-end Kyocera phones, thankfully, which had displays that were downright painful on the eyes. The odd color banding, noticeable display gap and odd grain are drastically diminished here, and we hope Kyocera continues on this path with future device displays.
Internals
For a mere $229 without an agreement or $29 on-contract, you can't really expect much in terms of internals. That being said, the Hydro Vibe has some pretty solid specs for the price, matching what you'd get for about $200 from any other manufacturer. You're getting a Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of (expandable) storage, a 4.5-inch qHD display and an 8MP camera. Sounds about right for the price point.
OS Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8926 1.2GHz quad-core
RAM 1.5GB
Display Size 4.5-inches
Display Resolution 960 x 540, 244 ppi
Cameras 8MP rear
2MP front
Internal Storage 8GB
External Storage SDcard up to 32GB
Radios CDMA / LTE
Sprint Spark
Connectivity Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
Dimensions 5.01 x 2.5 x 0.43-inches
Weight 5.9 oz
Battery 2000mAh removable
Water resistance IP 57 water and dust resistant
Sprint network
Talking about network performance is always a point of contention in any review, but even more so when we're talking about Sprint. While there are many places across the country that Sprint has deployed LTE, and even upgraded it with higher-speed Sprint Spark, my home market of Seattle is not one of those locations for some reason. Originally one of the launch areas for Sprint's first foray into 4G technologies, WiMax, Seattle is still sitting woefully in the age of 3G on the Sprint network.
Aside from the occasional blip onto LTE — which I've been seeing for several months off-and-on as it's built out — the entirety of Seattle is experiencing network speeds from Sprint that are the worst out of any major carrier. Sprint's 3G network struggles to provide over 1mbps download speeds (on a good day), and nothing over 500kbps on the upload, in the city. To be fair you can get those speeds practically anywhere I have traveled, including out of state, which provides some nice consistency but at some point you'd be happy to take slightly less coverage for actually usable speeds.
When I did happen to find some Sprint LTE, primarily around the SeaTac airport and in downtown Tacoma (if you're familiar with the area), I was pleased by the speeds available. The Hydro Vibe had no problem pulling upwards of 30mbps on the download and 5mbps on the upload, which is right in the range that we've come to expect from AT&T and T-Mobile, the other strong carriers here. Now it's just time for Sprint to actually expand that LTE coverage to more places — Seattle isn't the only major city in the U.S. that is still stuck on Sprint 3G and hating it.
Software
Kyocera has loaded up the Hydro Vibe with similar software to what we've seen on previous devices — a very last-gen design language, with blocky buttons and menus, superfluous animations and extra lights and sounds you just don't want. Performance is thankfully acceptable, but not amazing by any stretch. Considering the resolution of the screen and the hardware under the hood, the Hydro Vibe on paper has more than enough power to push around a build of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Sadly it seems Kyocera's software customization is letting us down a bit in the performance category, with a few unfortunate bits of choppiness and stutter around the interface at inopportune times.
We've seen plenty of devices running a Snapdragon 400 processor and even less RAM perform better than this, and it's sad to see it happen on what would otherwise be a very capable device. You can kill two birds with one stone and improve both the looks and performance of the device with a launcher replacement and uninstalling or disabling a lot of the pre-installed apps, but you still notice performance hiccups when you unlock the device and manage multiple apps. Single-app performance in terms of responsiveness, scrolling and interaction seem just fine, but the move between apps and through the interface is where you notice the slowdowns. There's nothing deal-breaking here, particularly for this class of device, but it's just not as snappy and responsive as someone would want when you take price out of consideration.
This is really a case where you wish that Kyocera would give up its thoughts of branding the software to fit the needs of it and its carrier partners, and instead go with something a little simpler and lightweight in order to improve both the visuals and performance.
Cameras
You'll find a no-frills 8MP camera on the back of the Hydro Vibe, paired with a standard camera interface that helps you take quick snaps and the occasional specialized shot. The interface itself is basic, gives you access to both stills and video with one tap, has a variety of simple shooting modes but most importantly is quick to let you tap to focus and capture pictures.
Bottom Line
Nobody that has the Kyocera Hydro Vibe on their radar when walking into a Sprint store will be comparing it to the latest and greatest from Samsung, HTC or LG — and because of its price point, it actually has a lot going for it. At just $29 on-contract or $229 if you're not ready for a contract extension, the Hydro Vibe actually does offers quite a lot.
You're getting an improved screen over previous models, acceptable internal specs, solid battery life and a competent camera. While the software is a bit of a drawback in terms of performance and looks, it's hard to be picky if you're trying to pinch pennies and get something that'll work well enough to tide you over for a while. Whether or not the Sprint network is a downside for you should probably be determined well before you start looking at which device on the carrier you'll be buying, so we can leave that out of the equation as well.
If you're looking for an inexpensive, waterproof, easy-to-hold, Sprint Spark-enabled device that you won't demand much out of in terms of intense usage, the Hydro Vibe may be a good choice when you're put between a rock and a price point. If you're able (and willing) to re-up a two-year contract, you should probably consider spending a little extra to get oh-so-much more, but for a certain set of consumers, this is a solid choice.
Amazon created a mobile device that speaks to its customer base perfectly, and the end result is the Fire PhoneTo the surprise of few, Amazon finally unveiled its first smartphone — dubbed the Fire Phone — today at an event in Seattle. What was surprising, though, are the specifics that surround this latest Amazon Fire-branded device. The long-rumored 3D interface is a reality, but it's done in an interesting way with specialized hardware and being implemented in tasteful portions, not just as a gimmicky feature.
It also sports a good number of user-friendly features that will appeal to the mass market, includinggreat camera specs, easy-to-use Fire OS software and the well-known MayDay button from the Kindle Fire tablets. But as is the case with any Amazon device, the Fire Phone is about far more than the specs.
The first thing to get out of the way is Amazon's 3D interface on the Fire Phone, which is all generated by a technology called Dynamic Perspective. It's part hardware and part software, combining to give you a really neat feature that is used generously throughout Fire OS and can also be tapped into by third-party developers. Four front-facing cameras and four infrared lights can be found around the front of the phone, each one specially-tuned to track your face movement and depth from the phone itself. That's paired up with the standard array of accelerometer, gyroscope and other sensors inside the phone to get a precise location of your head relative to the phone's display.
The end result is the Fire Phone knowing precisely where it is in relation to you, and then reports that information to any app or software layer that wants it. The main Fire OS interface has been turned to take advantage, providing 3D interface elements from the lockscreen to the status bar and inside of all of Amazon's first-party apps. The interface doesn't pop out at you as much as it drops down "below" the screen, giving you a sense of depth that's unlike what you're used to experiencing on a phone. The motion sensing lets you twist the phone to reveal slide-in panels from both sides of the phone, let you scroll up and down pages by tilting back and forth, and even view objects in 3D when browsing items in the Amazon marketplace.
The entire wrist and head gesture-based interface takes some time to get used to, to be honest, but once you get your bearings of what movements get you where, you find it's quite natural. There isn't anything unintuitive about it, it's all what you would expect to happen in the real world — move your head to either side, and you can see "around" objects on the screen. It will take some time to see how this works out for third party developers as well, but Amazon is quite excited about what they've seen from the few developers they've partnered with to make apps and games for release.
Going beyond the 3D features, Amazon is introducing a new feature called Firefly that is basically a barcode scanner taken to the maximum. You can scan any bar code, phone number, object, sign or person, and Firefly will do its best to recognize what's in the photo. Products can be searched for and found on Amazon, phone numbers can be called or saved and other items can be added directly to third-party apps that plug into the Firefly SDK. Going a step further, Firefly can watch TV and movies or listen to music and give you information on those items as well — TV and Movies will even be recognized down to the scene and exact timestamp that you recorded, letting you start watching on your phone via Amazon Prime Instant Video right away.
Firefly works by leveraging on-device processing to pick out the important parts of the items you scan, then comparing it to an image library on Amazon's cloud of over 100 million objects. The entire process is handled in-house by Amazon, and considering it's the store where you can buy just about anything, it has the database to recognize anything you'd ever want to.
On the hardware side, there's plenty to like about the Fire Phone. If you're at all familiar with a Nexus 4, you'll feel right at home here. The device is clad in Gorilla Glass 3 on both sides, with a soft touch feel around the edges between each pane. It makes the phone heavier to be certain, but it also gives a satisfying feel in the hand of a premium device. There are a couple exposed seams at the corners where the plastic comes together, but there's nothing out of place here that makes you think this is a budget device — and it shouldn't at $199 with contract or $649 without.
That's all backed up by a Snapdragon 800 processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM — more than enough power to run a 720 x 1280 display and handle all of the computation for the Dynamic Perspective and software features on-device. Does Amazon have a winner here?
screen shot
The Amazon Fire Phone is certainly a step in a different direction from phones today. This isn't just a spec-matching phone to go out and play toe-to-toe with the Galaxy S5 and LG G3 — it's Amazon's take on what a phone should be, and it's packed in enough features and use-cases into a single device that more than a few people will be interested in it. How much appeal it actually draws will ultimately be limited by its price and carrier restrictions, but as a first start for Amazon in the phone marketplace, we're excited about the Fire Phone.
Two months after taking the Nest Protect off shelves and issuing 440,000 recalls, Nest has announced that the smoke detector is now available for sale at a reduced price of $99.
Originally retailing for $129, the Nest Protect was removed from store shelves on April 3rd as it was found that a feature that allowed users to silence notifications with a hand gesture wasn't functioning properly. It was discovered during testing that the Nest Wave feature allowed users to unintentionally deactivate the alarm in the case of an actual fire.
Nest rolled out a software update within 24 hours that remotely disabled this feature, and has since provided a way for customers to return their smoke detectors for a full refund.
After a month and a half since issuing the recall, Nest has resumed selling the Nest Protect with the Nest Wave feature disabled. Users looking to disable the alarm have to do it the old-fashioned way — by pressing a hardware button. Nest has announced that it is looking into alternative ways users can disable the alarm, but it is likely that hand gestures won't make a comeback. Even without Nest Wave, the smoke detector comes with features that include smartphone integration, ability to detect high carbon monoxide levels and an auto diagnostic mode that checks the integrity of the system every night.
Would you consider buying a smoke detector that you can monitor with your smartphone? If you answered yes, click here to buy the Nest Protect for $99.
Update: The Nest Protect is also in stock to buy now from the Google Play Store for the same price. If that's where you prefer to buy your devices, then head on over and take a look.
Oppo has introduced their latest device, the R3, and is touting it as the world's thinnest 4G LTE smartphone. Measuring just 6.3mm (0.25 inches), the R3 is thinner than other LTE devices on the market, though it's not the overall thinnest. That title currently goes to the 5.5mm Gionee Elife S5.5. The Oppo R3 sports some mid-range specs that include a 5 inch, 1280x720 display, a 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor, a 2420mAh battery, 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and the like are all thrown in for good measure. On the exterior is an 8MP rear-facing camera, 5MP front-facer and microSD slot. The R3 runs on Android 4.3 with Oppo's ColorOS.
The Oppo R3 will be available in China this week for 2,299CNY (around $370USD). We're not sure if it will be available in any other regions in the near future.
Thoughts on the Oppo R3 — is thinner, better? Sound off in the comments!
may have brought the world the first Android tablets, but their latest smartphone takes a more budget-friendly line by going big and cheap. The Archos 50c Oxygen has a 5-inch 1280x720 IPS display (293ppi) slapped onto the front of a matte black body that measures just 7.64mm thick. What's inside isn't terribly impressive, but that's what you get at £179 (US$300) unlocked and off contract. What will you find inside? An octo-core Mediatek MT6592 Cortex A7 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. The phone sports a micro SD card slot (good for up to 64GB) along with dual SIM support — the Micro SIM slot offers up to EDGE, while the larger Mini SIM slot goes up into the HSPA+ range. Around back you'll find an 8MP BSI camera. The battery clocks in at 2000mAh.
The Archos 50c, disappointingly, ships with Android 4.2 onboard. Yeah, it's a brand new Jelly Bean phone when we're well into the era of KitKat. At least it comes with Google Play services.
Along with the 50c, Archos also has the 50b Oxygen en route. The design here is slightly changed and it clocks in a a millimeter thicker and has a lesser quad-core 1.3GHz Mediatek chip inside, and the camera's been downgraded to a 5MP model (but it picks up a 2MP front-facing unit). But more or less, the 50b is the same phone as the 50c — just thicker and cheaper at £129 (US$220).
Earlier this week we highlighted the best running apps on Windows Phone, iOS, Android and BlackBerry. All month we'll be looking at the top apps across a variety of categories related to fitness. Why? It's #MobileFit month! We're exploring the intersection of a healthy lifestyle and technology. When we posted those top rated running apps, we also included a poll for the various communities to select their favorite running apps. Those results are in. Here are the best running apps according to you.To refresh your memory, here are the posts for each platform. Check them out to find a handful of great running apps for your mobile platform of choice: Best run tracking apps for iPhone The best running apps for Android Best running apps for BlackBerry Top rated Windows Phone running apps
In each of those posts, we had a poll where you, the Mobile Nations community, could vote on your favorite running app. Here are the winners, as determined by you:
Looking forward to getting your hands on an invite to order a OnePlus One? General availability for the OnePlus One is currently slated for mid-to-late June. The initial batch of phones will be allocated to users who enter the contest and get invited to buy. Turns out those invites are apparently rolling out today.
Michael, an Android Central reader, just received an invite to grab the OnePlus One. They're offering up the 64GB variant of the OnePlus One. Check your email for an invite if you were hoping to pick up the handset.
The OnePlus One offers top of the line specifications at an affordable price. Check out our full review of the OnePlus One to learn more.
In case you were away from the Internet for the past couple of days, you might not know Amazon will be holding a press event in Seattle on June 18. It's more than likely that the briefing will introduce its first smartphone that's rumored to have a screen that creates 3D effects without glasses.
Now TechCrunch is reporting, via unnamed sources, that the 3D screen comes from technology developed by a Japanese company called Omron. It's called Okao Vision and, according to the story, its been modified by Amazon's hardware team to work on a regular LCD screen.
The technology is powered by four front-facing camera on Amazon's smartphone, which can detect and track human faces in order to provide realistic 3D effects. TechCrunch claims that Amazon's device will only have a limited number of uses for the 3D technology but the company apparently hopes that other developers will build apps that will expand its use.
The phone is rumored to have a 4.7-inch 720p screen, according to leaked renders of the product, along with a 13 megapixel rear camera, a quad-core Qualcomm processor and 2GB of RAM. It's supposed to be running Amazon's forked version of Android, FireOS, that's being used for the Fire TV set-top box.
So far, the name of the smartphone has yet to leak, and there's no word of a price tag and a release date, but there are less than two weeks to go before Amazon's press conference, so hopefully all will be revealed at that time.
What do you think about the prospects of a smartphone that creates 3D effects without glasses? Is that really cool and innovative or just a gimmick?
Some viewed it as inevitable that Yahoo would flip the switch for both Facebook and Google sign-in options to be disabled in favor of its own account system. The popular photo sharing service offers a solid platform for hobbyists to upload and share snaps they've captured with smartphones and/or more professional setups. If you access Flickr through Facebook or Google, you'll soon be prompted to create a new Yahoo account. "Starting this month, we will be requesting that everyone use a Yahoo username and password to sign in to Flickr. Eventually, Facebook and Google sign in will be removed."
The change hasn't yet occurred so rest assured you're able to access stored content on your Flickr account using connected accounts, but once Flickr removes support for both social networks there'll be no looking back. If you require a helping hand with moving across, or would like to find out more details on the switch, be sure to hit up the Flickr support forum (linked below).
What do you make of the changes? Will you continue using the service with a new Yahoo account? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
As promised in May, owners of Chromebooks can now view any movies or television shows they have rented or purchased from Google Play offline for the first time.However, that was not the only new addition for ChromeOS users in an update that was released Thursday. Google also announced that Info Cards will now show up for anyone watching a select number of movies from the Chrome browser. This will give film fans additional information on some of the movies when the clip is paused.
In addition, the company claims the update brings users improvements for Chromecast, along with a better local playback experience, for watching movies in the Chrome browser, although specifics were not revealed.
This is certainly a big update for Chromebook owners and makes their devices less reliant on WiFi connections for performing tasks. Do you think the addition of offline mode for Google Play Movies and TV in ChromeOS will make Chromebooks more attractive to consumers?
Angry Birds Space has just been updated with a whole bunch of new content. The 2.0 update features a whooping 50 new levels split up in two parts and as hidden bonus levels. New mechanics such as asteroid showers, gas tanks, and batteries have been introduced. There are NASA tie-ins galore, with Buzz Aldrin able to come in and save your bacon on a tough level, plus there's the challenge of finding research spacecraft like the Orion Crew Vehicle, OSIRIS-REx, Deep Impact, and Dawn.
Angry Birds has a wide selection of spin-off games, including a licensing deal with Star Wars that borrowed a lot of the zero-g mechanics of Angry Birds Space. This version is still particularly interesting in how the birds you fling orbit around various planets. If you don't have Angry Birds Space already, you can snag it in the Google Play Store above. How many of you guys are still playing Angry Birds? Have you made it far through Angry Birds Space?
Project Tango, a Google research project aimed at making gadgets aware of 3D space, has produced a new prototype that fits into a slim tablet form factor. Google intends to ship these out to developers later this year for $1,024, and have opened up a page where you can sign up for notifications. This bad boy packs some serious horsepower, including an NVIDIA K1 chip, a 7-inch 1080p display, 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, USB 3.0, and, of course, running Android 4.4. The real party's in the back, though. There you'll find a 4 megapixel camera with a massive sensor, a dedicated motion sensing camera, and depth sensor. Project Tango supports early-stage APIs so developers can use position, orientation, and depth data for Android apps written in Java, C/C++, and Unity. The new tablet follows on the heels of a relatively chunkier smartphone that made its debut in February.
We expected something like this was in the works, and there's certainly a Google Glass exclusivity vibe to how this rollout is happening, but even based on sheer looks and specs alone, this prototype looks very, very attractive. It'll be great to see what developers think about doing with it, and we've already seen a lot of potential with products like Occipital's Structure attachment. 3D printing, building room blueprints, and augmented reality games are just some of the areas to explore.
Anybody interested in keeping tabs on the device and potentially snagging one can sign up at the Project Tango site here. What would you guys like to see from a tablet that has full three-dimensional awareness? Consumers, is this a tablet you'd be willing to drop $1,024 for?
OK, folks. It's time to give away some more registration invites for this year's Google I/O developer conference, June 25-26 in San Francisco. To be clear, these codes will not get you into Google I/O for free. You'll still have to pony up the $900 general-admission fee, and find your own way to San Francisco. (See this page for complete details on that.) But for many, the financial and geographical hurdles are the easy part — actually being able to register was what's hard. So, we're happy to help Google help you.
For today's contest, just leave a post in this thread telling us your favorite announcement from a previous Google I/O. Maybe it's the Nexus Q. Or Google Glass. Or Google Play Services. Something. Anything. Let's hear it.
We'll leave this open through noon EDT Friday, then pick five winners at random. (Note that winners from Thursday's entries won't be eligible to win again, and you need only enter once here. We'll announce Thursday's winners soon.
LG's new flagship heralds the era of 'Quad HD' smartphones. But do you really need more pixels than an HDTV in the palm of your hand?
"It turns out there's a magic number right around 300 pixels per inch," said Steve Jobs, introducing the world to the iPhone 4 in 2010, "that when you hold something around to 10 to 12 inches away from your eyes, is the limit of the human retina to differentiate the pixels."
Though somewhat controversial at the time, the years that followed saw Jobs' "magic number" become a target rival smartphones would strive towards — and eventually surpass. And as LG prepared to launch its flagship smartphone for 2014 with a whopping 538 pixels per inch, the Korean company chose to address this point head-on.
"Steve Jobs was wrong," LG's head of smartphone planning, Dr. Ramchan Woo, told us at the launch event in London, "We love Steve Jobs, but he was wrong." Woo uses the example of high-quality printing, and the distinction between lines per inch and pixels per inch to back up his assertion. High-quality art books are typically printed at up to 300 lines per inch, he tells us, and to accurately represent this much detail you need around double that number in pixels per inch.
That's where the LG G3 comes in. With a 5.5-inch display packed with more pixels than any mainstream phone, LG is hoping the G3's visual credentials will help set it apart in an increasingly crowded high-end smartphone market.
A great display is a start, and there's no denying the G3 brings unparalleled sharpness to the table. But what about the rest of the experience? Can LG afford to field another plastic smartphone in an year when even Samsung is starting to think further outside the box when it comes to materials and build? And what about software design, where LG's typically lagged behind the pack?
For more, check out the Android review of the LG G3.
If you're a Pebble user who also happens to be rocking a Fitbit — there's a sweet watch face you may have missed. FitPebble connects to your Fitbit account from your Android or iOS device and displays your current stats right on your Pebble smartwatch. It's a quick and easy way to see your stats throughout the day. After installing the app on your Pebble, just login and FitPebble will collect your data and show it under the time on the watch face. It shows off total steps, distance, floors & active minutes. Each has a progress bar so you can see how close you are to your daily goal, and will also show a checkmark when you complete them. FitPebble makes it much easier to check in on your Fitbit stats at a glance, rather than having to open the Fitbit app or check your dashboard from the web. It's totally free to use and works like a champ. The perfect Pebble face to use during June for #MobileFit Month! You can grab FitPebble in the Pebble appstore, no companion app required.
T-Mobile has announced they're shaving off $100 from the price of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014for Father's Day. It's now $600, or $25/month over two years. If you'd rather be scraping around the bargain bin for your Father's Day present (how much do you love your father?), the Alcatel OneTouch Pop 7 is getting released on June 18 for a scant $168. Just keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Of course, T-Mobile is still offering 200 MB of free tablet data to anyone. The $100-off promotion runs until June 15, so head over to T-Mobile if you want to grab the Note 10.1 or . Do any of you plan on getting your dad a tablet soon? Would the Galaxy Note 10.1 be your top pick, or would you go for something more affordable like the Nexus 7, or this OneTouch Pop 7?
A few months after launching the Smartwatch 2, Sony has now launched its latest wearable product,theSmartBand SWR10 in the U.S. The company revealed it can now be bought on the official Sony Store website as well as its U.S. retail store locations for $99.99.The device has been designed as a waterproof fitness band which can track data from the wearer on their walking, running and sleep motion activites. It can also be linked to Android 4.4 smartphones so it can offer notifications on incoming calls and messages, among other things. The Sony SmartBand SWR10 can also be linked to the Lifelog Android app. Sony states: Lifelog collects data from both the SmartBand and your smartphone to tell a broader story of what happens in your life — fitness, location, weather, photos, music, personal notes (life bookmarks) and more. Lifelog displays the information in a colorful, versatile interface that helps you reflect on what you did each day and set goals for the future. Lifelog displays your activity in a colorful, multi-faceted interface that lets you view your information in various ways.
The device can also be set up to silently wake up its wearer without distrubing anyone else. In additon, it can control the play, pause and skip functions on a smartphone's media player by a combination of pressing the SmartBand's power button and tapping the band.
While the Sony SmartBand SWR10 comes in a black color, the company will sell additional bands in different colors sometime later in June on the Sony Store site. There's no word on how much those extra bands will cost. What do you think of the new Sony Smartband? Let us know below in the comments Source: Sony
Google Glass is one of the first devices to come to the wearables market that is truly next-gen. WhileGlass is available to the public in a beta form called the "Explorer Program," it is not ready for the consumer market right now. Setting aside all of the criticism about it invading people's privacy, the number one problem Google will have when trying to sell the headset is the way the device looks.
I have had Google Glass for over a year now and have loved the whole experience so far. It has changed how I view my public surroundings; however I'm constantly reminded of the awkwardness that comes from wearing a weirdly shaped device strapped to my head. Normally people would not notice something on a stranger's face as they walk by, but because of the unnatural form of the headband in conjunction with the Glass device itself, it tends to stick out like a sore thumb. When first seeing someone wearing Glass, it looks like they are wearing oddly shaped glasses. When that person actually realizes that you are not wearing glasses and does a double take to try and comprehend what you are actually wearing on your face, they tend to focus on the camera or the large battery compartment sticking out from behind the wearer's ear. So the question that is formed, is how to make Glass look normal and attractive enough for the average consumer to wear and use?
When Google first starting rolling out headset to its first round of Glass Explorers, they included two different types of "active shades" for the user to wear with Glass. The first was a traditional dark sunglass attachment that slides in between the nose pieces. These shades made for a perfect companion to Glass as it made it look a bit more normal and it hid the fact that there was a camera and prism protruding from your head. The second lens was the same shape and look as the previous one except that it was clear lens. As more Explorers came into the program, I saw more people wearing the clear lens to attempt to make Glass look more like glasses.
Almost a year after the Explorer Program launched, Google has finally announced several partnerships with different eyewear companies so that they can make their own frames for people to buy along side of Glass. This was and still is a huge deal when it comes to Glass because it is allowing people to wear the device and not have to wear contacts. In addition to allowing more people to use Glass, these new frames have revolutionized the way Glass hardware looks and feels. It went from being a metal band that wrapped around your head with a computer on it, to being a fashionable pair of eyewear that actually enhances the way Glass and the user looks. Personally, after getting my own pair of these new prescription frames, I noticed a lot less awkward stares and even received several compliments about how Glass actually looked nicer and more approachable.
While these partnerships are a huge leap forward, this option still does not let you fully customize the look and style of Glass. Luckily, there is one Glass Explorer that is taking this task into his own hands. This Explorer is named David Lee and he has started GPOP. GPOP is a reuseable decal that adds a different look and design to your device. With GPOP anyone can purchase skins for the headset that can change the look of the outward facing part of Glass. If you do have Glass or plan on one day getting it, I highly recommend looking over the always evolving collection of GPOP. In addition to what they have on the store, you can download a template from the site and even design your own skin so that you can completely customize your Glass.
So, while Glass in itself is a beautiful piece of hardware that has been crafted to look amazing, it can become an eyesore to look at and can attract a lot of negative attention. As a Glass Explorer myself, I know first hand that every once in awhile I want to change up how my Glass looks. With the use of the different official accessories from Google I could easily hide Glass but with the use of decals from GPOP, I am able to change up the look of Glass for different occasions. Either way, Glass is still in beta and available for anyone over the age of eighteen and living in the United States. So if you want to be apart of the awesome ride that is the Glass Explorer Program, you now know how to customize the look and feel of this wearable device.
It's an HTC One. Mostly. The HTC One E8 takes most of the specs we've come to know and love in the M8, but replaces the 4-"UltraPixel" camera with a traditional 13MP shooter, puts it all in a plastic body and calls it a day.The HTC One E8 is destined for China at first, with other regions to be announced.
Following are full specs for the HTC One E8.
Size------- 146.42 x 70.67 x 9.85 mm
Weight---- 145 grams
Display------ 5-inch, 1080p
CPU ------Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 at 2.5 GHz in Asia/China, 2.3 GHz in other regions
Software ------Android 4.4.2 with Sense 6 HTC BlinkFeed
Storage -----------16GB (about 10.6GB useable), MicroSD up to 128GB
RAM ---------2GB
Networks -----------2G/2.5G — GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (SIM1 & SIM2)
3G — WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps (SIM1)
4G — LTE: China: FDD 1800/2100 (FDD-B1/B3), TDD-2600 (TDD-B41) (SIM1)
SIM ---------------Dual nano SIM
Sensors --------------Accelerometer, proximity, ambient light, gyro, barometer
Connectivity --------3.5mm stereo audio jack, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz), DNLA, HTC Connect, microUSB
Sound------------- HTC BoomSound Dual front-facing stereo speakers with dedicated amplifiers Sense voice
Main camera -------------13 megapixel resolution, BSI sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 1080p video recording
Front camera------------- 5 megapixel resolution, BSI sensor, 1080p video recording
Audio playback------------ .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 10)
Audio recording--------- .aac
Video playback --------------.3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 10), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
Video recording ---------------.mp4
Location --------------Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS, digital compass
Battery-------------- 2,600 mAh non-removable Li-polymer
Talk ---------------time Up to 26.8 hours on 3G
Standby time ----------Up to 504 hours on 3G
Ac adapter----------- Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz DC output: 5V and 1A
Building on the fresh designs of the Titanium Collection, Google is announcing the "DVF | Made for Glass" eyewear collection to provide new frame styles for Glass. DVF, if you're not familiar, is iconic fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg — a great partner to have if you're looking to combine high fashion with high tech. Starting June 23rd you'll be able to pick up five new Glass frame styles and eight new shades, considerably boosting the number of options available for Glass.
The second part of this announcement is that you'll be able to pick up the new DVF Glass frames and shades from Net-A-Porter, an online fashion store, on the same day as they become available from the Google Glass store. M-Porter (the men's fashion side of the site) will also begin carrying the Titanium Collection frames for Glass at the end of June as well.
Sony is the latest handset maker to field a mid-range product with a large, five-plus-inch screen size. Announced this morning, the Sony Xperia T3 packs a 5.3-inch display, and at 7mm thick Sony says it's the world's slimmest handset at this screen size. Like the Xperia Z family, the T3's sporting a metallic trim around its edge, with a dedicated camera key and Sony's signature rounded power button, but with a more traditional rounded back. Unlike Sony's line of premium smartphones, there's no water or dust resistance rating.
We've got more, including photos and video after the break.
It's powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core processor with a 2,500mAh battery, and there's an 8-megapixel Sony Exmor RS rear camera, complete with the company's AR effects and other software tricks. Naturally it's loaded up with the latest Xperia UI, based on Android 4.4 KitKat. The display is an 720p Triluminos panel with all Sony's usual software-based image enhancement tricks. And naturally, 4G LTE connectivity is included as well.
Western markets might not get the LG G3 for another month or so, but the phone is already on sale in LG's home market of South Korea, where apparently it's selling pretty well. Korean outlet ETNews reports that the phone is shifting 25,000 to 30,000 units daily in the country, and that sales are 1.5 to 2 times that of last year's G2. The publication points out it's also ahead of the 7,000 to 8,000 managed by the Galaxy S5, though that phone's Korean launch was disrupted by an unauthorized early release on certain carriers, as operators looked to sidestep government-imposed sales bans.
Nevertheless, it puts LG well on its way towards achieving its target of 10 million shipments for its new flagship. The G3 went on sale on all three Korean carriers last Wednesday, May 28; a European and U.S. launch is expected in early July.
Source: ETNews; via: PhoneArena
Further reading:
LG G3 video walkthrough
LG G3 hands-on
10 things you need to know about the LG G3
With the Galaxy K Zoom now on (selected) store shelves in the UK, Samsung has taken the wraps off a specialized Vine app for its latest phone-camera hybrid.
The customized app will allow mobile videographers to use the K Zoom's 10X optical zoom capabilities in their Vines, a feature missing from the standard version of the app.
Today's press release doesn't state where the new version of Vine for the Galaxy K will be available from, but Samsung Apps is a good bet.
Any Galaxy K Zoom early adopters out there? Shout out in the comments!
Source: Samsung click the source to know more details
Update: T-Mobile has also posted an update page for the LTE Nexus 7, which it identifies as Android 4.4.3, build KTU84L. We're still not seeing the update on any devices. Here we go again. T-Mobile says Android 4.4.3 is coming to the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 today. Bugfixes and security enhancements are all that's on the changelog, and the build version is listed as KTU84M. Fixes are always good, but we'll not be holding our breath over this one just yet — it's hardly a surprise, and we've seen carriers jump the gun on this one already. Source: T-Mobile (Nexus 5, Nexus 7);
Acer's Liquid smartphones have come in unlocked flavors to Canada. Liquid The Acer Liquid S1, Liquid Z3, and z5 are now available at retailers across the land of moose and maple, and bring with them low prices and specs to match. They're not the latest and greatest from Acer, but they're cheap.
Normally, seeing a smartphone for CA$119 isn't terribly exciting — if that's the on-contract price. But Canadians can now grab a phone like the Acer Liquid Z3 for that price off contract. Granted, for that much you aren't getting a terribly exciting phone, what with its 3.5-inch 480x320 screen, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, and 3MP fixed-focus camera. But that's what you can expect when you start dipping down this low, even though the Windows Phone-powered Nokia Lumia 520 clocks in at even cheaper with notably better specs.
Moving upmarket is the Liquid Z5 at CA$199, bumping up to a 5-inch 480x854 display and a 5MP autofocus camera, plus a front-facing camera that's not available on the lesser Z3.
Topping the Acer unlocked range in Canada is the Liquid S1. CA$379 gets you a 5.7-inch 1280x760 display melded with zero air gap to the front glass, an 8MP autofocus camera with 1080p video support. Inside is a 1.5Ghz quad-core MediaTek processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB for storage (plus MicroSD expansion). It measures in at a reasonable 9.5mm thick.
All three Acer Liquid phones come with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with what look to be light customizations by Acer (good thing, considering the low-end specs), and top out radio-wise with HSPA+, there's no LTE to be had here. But that's what you get at prices like this.
Those interested can grab a Canadian-flavored Acer Liquid Z3, Z5, or S1 at the Acer online store, and possibly from other retailers in Canada, though we've yet to find any that fit that description.
spotify now lets users easily make their whole Spotify music collection available offline should they desire to do so. With just a single button press, you can now download every song under Your Music. This ability actually came to Android users as part of the recent security update.
In the iPhone app, open the sidebar menu and selected Your Music, and swipe over to Songs. Under the Shuffle Play button, and above the first song on the list, you will now see Available Offline next to a switch. Press the switch to make every song in your collection available offline on your device.
Remember that depending on how much music is in your collection, as well as your download quality settings, you could be downloading several gigabytes of music onto your phone. Be mindful of how much space you have on your phone.
This app also contains fixes for a number of bugs. You can download Spotify 1.2 from the App Store now.
Free - Download Now
Samsung has announced that five of its Galaxy devices have been approved for the U.S government's Defense Information System Agency (DISA) products list. The devices include the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy Note 3, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. All of them are using Android 4.4 (KitKat) along with Samsung's KNOX secure workspace platform, which includessystem-level encryption for enterprise-based apps.
This move means that all of these mobile products can be used by the Department of Defense on unclassified networks, along with other federal agencies. Samsung claims that it will offer the government a larger choice of products while also cutting down on costs. Samsung previously announced a general agreement with the U.S government that allowed for devices running KNOX to be used by their agencies.
Samsung says that in order to comply with the the standards set by DISA, the devices had to have over 100 requirements, including more secure encryption, intrusion detection and more.
What do you think about this move by the U.S. government to approve use of Samsung's consumer mobile devices?
Earlier last week, it was revealed that Samsung was working on its own VR headset, and that the manufacturer was working on getting its product available to the masses before a consumer version of the Oculus Rift hits stores. A new report from Engadget states that Samsung is in fact seeking Oculus' help in developing the VR headset. More details after the break.
Samsung will be getting access to Oculus' mobile virtual reality software development kit, which the manufacturer will use in powering the software experience offered by the headset. Samsung is already said to have exclusive access to an early version of the SDK and is currently developing a user interface for its VR headset.
Oculus, meanwhile, will be able to get early access to Samsung's "next-gen, high-pixel density OLED screens." It is believed that these screens will be of a resolution higher than 1080p.
Engadget states that although both companies will be sharing key technologies, their VR headsets will be vastly different to each other. With the Oculus Rift, Oculus is looking to deliver a headset that is tailored for gaming, while Samsung is said to be working on a headset that can be used for entertainment and media consumption purposes.
A key differentiator between both products is that Samsung's VR headset will not feature a dedicated display, but will instead use your smartphone's display. You plug in your phone to the VR headset through a wired connector (most likely micro-USB), and then use the display as the screen for the headset. The early dev handsets are allegedly running a Galaxy S4 as the screen, but the consumer-version of the VR headset is said to work with a Galaxy S5 or its successor.
The headset in itself features an accelerometer and other sensors that frees up the phone's processor, which is used to drive the software experience. The user interface, which is still in the nascent stages, allows you to navigate using motion detection and head tracking.
The unit even features standard Android navigation buttons like Home, Back, and Recent, but these are believed to not be used for user interaction. It is possible that these will be removed in future builds of the headset. Also, the ability to dock your smartphone to the headset means that you can use the rear camera of your smartphone to show "a video feed of the outside world to your eyes."
Samsung is also said to be exploring gaming options for this headset and might offer a gamepad through which you would be able to navigate the user interface and play games. Since Samsung's VR headset utilizes your smartphone's display and processor, the device itself will likely be more affordable than standalone VR headsets.
If you're rocking AT&T's version of the HTC One M7 and are eagerly waiting to make the switch to Sense 6, we have some good news. A HTC executive has announced that users AT&T One M7 users will start receiving HTC's latest UI starting next week.
Sense 6 was rolled out to Verizon's HTC One M7 earlier this week, with Sprint's version also receiving the update on the same day. T-Mobile's version was the first to receive the update amongst the US carriers. With AT&T also pushing out the update, all four major carriers in the US have finished their rollout of Sense 6 to last year's One M7. Sense 6 includes a host of changes that include a new Blinkfeed client that comes with new recommendation services, new camera app, better power management utilities and much more. With Sense 6, HTC has moved its apps to the Play Store, which means that individual apps can be updated with more ease in the future.
08:42
Unknown
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
