Sprint Moto X becomes last to receive Android 4.4 KitKat, update rolling out now
After watching Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Moto X users get their Android 4.4 updates, it appears that Sprint users are finally joining the club. Reports are coming in that Moto X devices on Sprint’s network began receiving OTA KitKat updates today, and the rollout is expected to continue over the next few weeks.
A post in the Sprint Moto X forum outlines what the update should bring, although there may be some other features or tweaks that made it into the final release.
Has anyone with a Moto X on Sprint received an update notification? Let us know in the comments!
The post Sprint Moto X becomes last to receive Android 4.4 KitKat, update rolling out now appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Instagram announces Direct, for sending photos and videos to friends
Instagram just announced a new feature for their popular image and video-sharing service, and they’re calling it Instagram Direct. In essence, it works the same way as posting a photo or video to Instagram, except that users can select specific people or groups of people to see it.
It’s essentially almost like a direct message, but with visual content in it. Users can also see when each person has viewed the photo or video. Those receiving this content can view, like, and comment on it as if it was a normal Instagram post.
Instagram Direct is live now, and an update for the Instagram app should be available in the Google Play Store. If you want to give Direct a try, make sure you check for that update!
The post Instagram announces Direct, for sending photos and videos to friends appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Fleksy’s Predictive Touch Keyboard Comes to iOS Apps with New Developer Tools
Fleksy today announced that its predictive touch keyboard is now available for iOS developers to incorporate into their apps through an SDK, allowing developers to replace the default iOS keyboard with Fleksy’s popular alternative keyboard.
Fleksy’s keyboard includes a number of features including sophisticated prediction and autocorrection, as well as swipe-based functions such as space and delete. The Verge has more on the launch:
Bringing Fleksy to other iOS apps is not without its challenges. Unlike Android, which is open to all sorts of third-party keyboard creations, Apple gives you its keyboard and nothing else. Developers can build their own special keyboards on an app-by-app basis, though it’s uncommon. Google’s done that with a handful of its iOS apps, while Wolfram Alpha’s special search app keyboard takes up nearly the entire screen with custom buttons. Although it was rumored Apple was considering opening up to third-party keyboard makers, ultimately it didn’t. But it did throw developers a bone by simplifying its software tools, says Fleksy founder Ioannis Verdelis.
“With every new version of iOS the work required on our part to build a keyboard SDK has reduced significantly,” he says. “We’re [now] doing stuff on iOS that integrates the keyboard deeper than it’s ever been integrated.”
Fleksy’s iOS SDK initiative launches today with four apps:
– BlindSquare: Combines location and FourSquare information to assist visually impaired users in their daily lives [Direct Link]
– GV Connect: Phone and SMS client for Google Voice users [Direct Link]
– Launch Center Pro: Application launcher with shortcuts for frequently accessed tasks [Direct Link]
– Wordbox: Clean and simple text editor [Direct Link]
Fleksy plans to continue work with select app developers to bring its keyboard to their apps, eventually moving to open up the program to all interested developers.
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Galaxy Note 3 Lite entering production stage?
We heard whispers of a “lite” version of Samsung’s latest flagship device, the Galaxy Note 3, just last week. Now, sources in Korea are reporting that Sammy has already begun production on this device. According to sources, 500,000 units will be produced in January 2014, followed by 1.5 million in February. These dates line up with the latest rumor, which puts the Note 3 Lite in position for a launch at Mobile World Congress.
Rumored specs for the Note 3 Lite include a 5.49-inch LCD display and an 8MP camera. These are both bump-downs from the Note 3, as is expected from a model that will launch at a cheaper price.
Reports are coming in that Samsung hopes the Note 3 Lite will comprise 30% of all Note 3 sales combined. That will be a tall order to fill, especially given that an 8MP camera isn’t considered fantastic anymore. More on this as it develops.
The post Galaxy Note 3 Lite entering production stage? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Oppo teasing Find 7 on Twitter, launching soon
Oppo has been moving up in the smartphone world in the past year or so with their Find 5 last year and the CyanogenMod-powered N1 from earlier this year. It’s no surprise that they’re not slowing down, and they’ve just begun teasing what’s likely to be their latest flagship device: the Oppo Find 7. The official Oppo Twitter account has posted a few images that give very little information, but confirm that the Find 7 is coming.
The Find 7 is expected to be a powerhouse, with rumored specs including:
- 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 display
- Snapdragon 805 processor
- 3GB of RAM
- 13MP rear camera
- 5MP front-facing camera
- LTE
- 4,000 mAh battery
Oppo didn’t offer a timetable for the launch of the Find 7, although we expect it to be fairly soon. Given the recent whispers about Samsung launching the Galaxy S5 early next year, Oppo might want to jump ahead of the curve with the Find 7. If the rumored specs turn out to be real, this device could be a major player in the Android game.
The post Oppo teasing Find 7 on Twitter, launching soon appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Fleksy will let developers bake its keyboard into iOS apps
At long last, the default iOS keyboard is no longer your only option when it comes to text input on an iOS device. That is, if the app you’re using has signed on to a new SDK released today by Syntellia’s Fleksy, a predictive touch keyboard that exited its Android beta just last week. Fleksy actually debuted a standalone iOS app over a year ago as an option for those with visual impairments, which was recently updated to 2.0 to play nicer with iOS 7. Its new SDK, however, lets developers incorporate Fleksy as an alternate keyboard in any app, a first in iOS history. So far the only programs that have confirmed Fleksy as a keyboard option are Wordbox, GV Connect, Launch Center Pro and Blindsquare. Unfortunately, users are unable to install Fleksy on a deeper OS level, so you’ll have to be on the lookout to see if any of your favorite apps get on the Fleksy bandwagon. While we wait for that to happen, iOS users can go on and try any of those aforementioned apps to finally get a feel for a freedom Android users have had for awhile now.
Source: Fleksy
O2 reprices 4G contracts, 1GB plans now start at £17 per month
Now that O2′s caught up to its UK competition with the launch of pay-as-you-go and data-only 4G plans, the network’s revisited its standard contract tariffs and taken some sting out of those monthly charges. Two-year contracts now start at £17 per month for 1GB of data (unlimited everything else) and go up to £27 per month for 8GB. These are O2 Refresh plans, mind, so there’s an additional monthly bill that goes towards the 4G handset you’ve opted for. In comparison, the cheapest 24-month contract we could find with EE was £19 per month for 500MB of data, 1000 minutes and unlimited texts, as long as you stump up £30 for an Alcatel One Touch Idol S.
O2′s altered its one-year SIM-only plans, too, now offering 1GB of data for £21 per month, 5GB for £26 and 8GB for £31. Monthly damage on EE for the same data caps are £21, £31 and £41, respectively. O2′s revamped tariffs benefit new customers, sure, but there’s something in it for existing ones, too. Anyone already on a 4G plan will get a bump to their monthly data limit, and those with 3G contracts can now jump seamlessly over to 4G, as long as their plan is for at least 1GB and they have a 4G-compatible phone. And, if they need to upgrade to an LTE handset, they can leverage a 25 percent saving on the outstanding line rental. We know you love tables, and you’ll find one breaking down all of O2′s new prices below the fold.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Via: Pocket-lint
South Korean Court Dismisses Samsung’s Patent Lawsuit Against Apple
A judge representing the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea has dismissed a Samsung lawsuit stating that Apple had infringed on three of the company’s patents, removing the opportunity for Samsung to receive monetary benefits and impose a sales ban on the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, reports Reuters. The verdict comes after a August 2012 ruling by a South Korean court declaring that Samsung and Apple had violated each others patents, ultimately resulting in the sales ban of some older products from both companies in South Korea.
A judge at the Seoul Central District Court said Apple products such as the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad2 did not violate Samsung patents on short message display methods and messaging grouping features.
The court ruled against a sale ban on the products and threw out Samsung’s claim for 100 million won ($95,100) in damages.
“We are glad the Korean court joined others around the world in standing up for real innovation and rejecting Samsung’s ridiculous claims,” Apple Korea spokesman Steve Park said.
In the same ruling, the court also fined Samsung 25 million won (approximately $23,785) for violating the “rubber banding” patent that enables a visual effect when scrolling through a document on a touch-screen device.
Last year, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple a total of $1.05 billion after a U.S. jury found the South Korean company guilty of willfully violating multiple Apple patents. Back in March, Judge Lucy Koh struck $450 million from the $1 billion awarded to Samsung after deciding the jury may have miscalculated the damages due to a misunderstanding of patent issues.
A retrial held last month found Samsung liable for $290 million in damages. The company replying to the verdict by filing a motion to halt payment, requesting a reevaluation of the validity of No. 7,844,915 covering Apple’s “pinch-to-zoom“ gestures. The motion to stay the damages however was denied, with a reevaluation of the pinch-to-zoom patent still set to take place.
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Alliance for Wireless Power introduces Rezence as its consumer-friendly brand
The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) was formed over a year ago to come up with a wireless charging solution that would allow for greater spatial freedom when charging your favorite gadgets. “A4WP” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue however, which is why the group today announced its consumer-facing brand, hereby known as Rezence. The release states that the name was derived from the words resonance and essence, which tells the tale of how the technology works — that of non-radiative magnetic resonance — and how it can be used to charge all kinds of devices, not just phones. Indeed, the alliance teased us that a major PC OEM has just got on board, and will reveal more about it at CES next month.
The logo, which is simply the letter Z with an electricity symbol running through the middle, will be used on all devices that have gone through A4WP certification. This way, consumers will know that any surface with the logo will play nice with a Rezence-compatible item. Geoff Gordon of Qualcomm, who’s also A4WP’s marketing committee chair, tells us that the introduction of the Rezence brand goes hand-in-hand with the certification program it’s about to roll out by year’s end. Indeed, they’ve just completed their third and final Plugfest, which is an event where electronics makers get together to ensure interoperability of a certain standard. While we’re not sure just what devices will be incorporated with the Rezence technology — that’s up to the individual member companies to decide — it seems we’ll finally be able to see the fruits of A4WP’s labor sooner rather than later. To find out more about Rezence and A4WP, go on and hit the source link below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc
Source: Rezence
Amazon opens digital PlayStation store in the UK
While Microsoft is slowly ramping up the price of exclusive Xbox One digital games in the UK, PlayStation 4 owners could soon witness the opposite. Following its launch in the US, Amazon has launched the PlayStation Network store on the other side of the Atlantic, letting you buy digital Playstation 3, Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita titles, as well as season passes and DLC, through its website. Although Amazon offered a number of launch promotions in the US, including $5 credit on digital orders, the company isn’t spreading the love to the UK and currently matches Sony’s PSN pricing. However, Sony’s decision to let PlayStation owners shop around for digital titles looks set to increase competition, lowering prices and helping you discover a Knack for finding the best game deals.
Filed under: Gaming, Sony, Amazon
Via: Eurogamer
Source: Amazon UK
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