The real HTC One mini 2 press render has been revealed, still shows only one rear Camera
Yesterday, we posted an article that appeared to leak the design of the rumoured successor to the HTC One Mini, the so-called HTC One mini 2. What we didn’t know was that the picture was in fact a photoshop hoax (see the picture in question here), but thanks to leaker extraordinaire, evleaks, the record has been set straight today. In an image tweeted earlier today, we see three coloured variants in the HTC One mini 2 press render with a slightly different design to its bigger brother, the HTC One M8.
While the photoshopped photo from yesterday wasn’t far off, we do see some subtle design differences between the mini 2 and the M8, in particular the single rear camera and the single LED flash. Any further changes to the design are even more subtle, like the slightly less prominent BoomSound speakers, but it’s notable that the black bar below the screen is still present. We’re expecting hardware specifications which aren’t unlike those from the Motorola Moto G, but the price and availability of the phone probably won’t be known till after the device’s launch later this year.
What do you think about the real appearance of the HTC One mini 2? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: Twitter via Phone Arena
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HD Widgets 4 Brings in a Complete UI Overhaul – APP OF THE WEEK
HD Widgets 4 is now rolling out to the world, and hopefully you have grabbed yourself the newly designed version. HD Widgets has been one of those apps that has been around for awhile, and some how Cloud.tv has kept it relevant throughout the years. I have used it since the very beginning, and with this new update, I have become even more impressed with it.
HD Widgets 4 brings in a completely new UI, and it was one of the sexiest UIs out there. When clicking on your widget, and if you are using the Colorform widget, you get a colorful UI in that Colorform looks, and it now gives you the weather throughout the day. Before you would just get the highs and lows of the day, but they finally brought in the temperatures throughout the day, which makes planning travels even better. I have always been a fan of the Colorform look because I dig the minimalistic look to it, and somehow they made that even better. How did they make it better? Color. You don’t just get a white icon anymore, you can actually change it from the plain white icon, to having some color in it, for instance, having the sun orange, and the moon purple. It’s those little changes that go along way.
The UI brings in that slide-out UI that is becoming the standard in the Android ecosystem, and they made the background a little transparent because, why not? You guys need to head over to their G+ community to become a beta tester so you can be given all the elegance that I talked about in this post, and in my video run-through below. Click the provided links to become a tester, and let us know just how much you are loving the new update.
Play Store Link
HD Widgets Community
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The top 3 Android apps to get you ready for the NFL Draft 2014
The NFL Draft 2014 is due to start on the May 8th which means American football season is going to be on us again very soon. So in anticipation of the NFL festivities starting, we’ve listed the top 3 Android apps you should have to get you psyched for the NFL Draft and the NFL Season.
1. NFL Mobile
No list about NFL apps can be without the NFL’s official mobile app. Having only recently been updated to include features to help you track the NFL Draft 2014 including a Draft Tracker and guest drafts as coined by expert pundits.
Once the Draft starts, you’ll also be able to live stream the proceedings and when the real season starts, you’ll be able to use the app for live scores, your fantasy teams, and much more. Oh, and if you’re a Verizon customer, you can subscribe to some more Premium Features which give you even more bonus material.
You can pick up the NFL Mobile app on the Play Store for free (links below).
Application: NFL Mobile
Price: Free
2. NFL Game Pass
Yes, you could say it’s cheating to include the second official NFL app on the Google Play Store, but you won’t have the full experience of the NFL unless you’re watching it with the NFL Game Pass app.
While the app itself is free, you do need to purchase a subscription to watch the live-streamed games; the preseason subscription is currently $39.99 USD and there will be plenty more subscription options once the season starts.
Application: NFL Game Pass
Price: Free (with Game Pass subscription)
3. NFL Pro 2013
And of course, to round out our top 3 list is a game, specifically NFL Pro 2013. They might be last year’s players and teams, but there’s no better or more widely played NFL game on Android. And best of all, it’s free-to-play.
NFL Pro 2013 gives you a very broad experience of NFL, ranging from letting you control players in first-person perspective to even letting you take the hands-off approach and managing a team’s performance. If there’s any game to get you in the mood for the NFL 2014 season, NFL Pro 2013 is probably going to be it.
Application: NFL Pro 2013
Price: Free
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FTL: Faster Than Light on Android could be a future possibility according to designer Justin Ma
FTL: Faster Than Light was the surprise indie game story of 2012 whereby indie developer Subset Games managed to produce a game that was so addictive and engaging for its players that it has warranted an iOS version and an updated Advanced Edition release earlier this year. It’s not often that indie developers hit gold like this in an industry that is increasingly thriving with indie projects, but in an interview with Pocket Gamer, designer Justin Ma and Subset Games intend to use their success to help launch their future projects which could include FTL: Faster Than Light on Android.
While Ma says that “we’re really PC guys at heart” and that I doubt we’ll start a project with touchscreens in mind”, they’re surprised at the sales performance of FTL on iOS despite its higher pricing than most other games on the App Store. In that same vein, Ma says that “we’ll be looking into the possibility of getting FTL onto Android tablets” which is definitely something I think we’d all love considering how popular FTL has been on every platform it has touched. As for whether Subset Games is planning a sequel to the game that shot them into the limelight, Ma says “I wouldn’t entirely discount the possibility, but it’s definitely not something we’ll be diving into any time soon.”
Would you be interested in FTL: Faster Than Light on Android? Have you played the game on PC or iOS, and what did you think of it? Share your experiences with us in the comments.
Source: Pocket Gamer via Phone Arena
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If you want to make an Android phone with Google, here’s some of the rules
Before large (and even larger) sums of money were asked of Samsung and Apple, the legal brawl between the pair kept dragging a third party, Google, into the discussion. A big part of this was the Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA) between the internet company and Samsung which laid out how the latter would support the former in patent claims. Now the spotlights on this agreement, with a recent class action suit claiming that parts violate antitrust laws. Recode‘s uploaded the agreements between Samsung, HTC and Google, which touch on some of the rules of making an Android smartphone.
According the paperwork, If manufacturers want to use a single Google app on their forthcoming Android phone, then you have to install all of them. Even Google Play Newstand. Other (obvious) points outline that Google must be the default search engine (we’re shocked), and that the search box (and some apps like Google Play, then Android Market), be “at least immediately adjacent to the Default Home Screen”. And if you’re a smartphone maker willing to forgo Google Maps, Gmail and the rest, well, there’s always that open source version.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Google
Via: Recode
Source: Samsung’s MADA, HTC’s MADA
How would you change Nokia’s Lumia 620?
When Nokia launched the Lumia 620, it looked as if the company had perfected the formula for what an entry-level smartphone should be. The hardware and performance was great despite the slow internals, Windows Phone 8 worked well and it was priced to move. A year later and the Moto G may have supplanted this as your go-to budget device, but we want to know your feeling on what the last 12 months with the 620 has been like. What do you love, what do you hate, and what would you change?
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
Source: Engadget Product Forums
NYC inks deal to put train tickets on smartphones
Part of New York City’s train system is set to get a 21st-century kick in the pants. Digital tickets that live on commuters’ smartphones will soon be introduced thanks to a deal inked between the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Board and Masabi, one of eleven companies that offered to build such a system for the city. The pact follows a — presumably successful — trial conducted between Masabi and the MTA in 2012. Not every locomotive route will see paperless ticketing at first; only the Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Railroad are scheduled to be equipped with the new tech.
Once the program is firing on all cylinders, users will be able to buy tickets and present them to conductors using only their phones. While the setup will be a first for the Big Apple, a number of cities already have similar schemes. Masabi alone has has similar ticketing programs in Boston, San Diego and even Long Island. There’s no firm launch date in place for the MTA’s solution, so don’t expect to see it running in a matter of weeks. Ben Whitaker, Masabi’s CEO, told the Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog that the MTA system is so massive that “planning, training and testing” will take a fair amount of time. For now, dead-tree tickets will still have to do.
[Image credit: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Flickr]
Filed under: Transportation, Software
Microsoft’s Innovation Center to school citizens on technology, help startups in Miami
Miami is going to get a whole lot geekier if Microsoft has its way. The software giant has recently announced plans to open its first US-based Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC) in the sexy city later this spring, with more stateside locations to follow. The Miami MIC will focus on four different audiences: academia, the local Latin American community, government and start-ups, and it’s said that each group will benefit in its own way. Students, for example, will have a place to net specialized training and pick up valuable tech-related job skills. Will Smith’s favorite burg will also serve as a part of Microsoft’s CityNext program, which uses locals to create “healthier, safer and more sustainable” places to live. Only time will tell if the siren song of South Beach will have an adverse effect on any of the above, though.
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Filed under: Microsoft
Via: Microsoft News
Source: Microsoft, The Official Microsoft Blog
White House wants immunity for telecoms that surrender customer data
American telecoms already have legal immunity when they cooperate with the government’s warrantless wiretapping, and they may soon be in the clear when they supply customer data, too. As The Guardian has learned, the White House is asking for legislation that would grant immunity to anyone obeying requests for phone records once companies are in charge of that information. The request isn’t surprising, according to an unnamed senior official — it’s in line with existing measures that shelter companies when they respond to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court orders.
Whether or not the administration gets its way is another matter. House intelligence committee members have written a bill sparing telcos from legal liability, but it’s currently stalled; the White House doesn’t like that it would let the government demand phone data without a judge’s approval. There’s also a rival bill that, if it escapes committee, would defund large-scale data collection within the US. However, it’s safe to say that carriers will push hard for a law offering immunity. While they don’t necessarily believe that scooping up phone records en masse is constitutional, they certainly want to avoid lawsuits.
[Image credit: The White House, Flickr]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Internet
Source: The Guardian
HTC One (M8) Mini 2 leak reveals a single rear camera
Notorious leaker Evleaks has taken to Twitter to reveal what looks like the HTC One M8 Mini or what it is actually being called the HTC One Mini 2 according to the leak, dropping the M8 designation.
In addition to the name change, it seems that the HTC One Mini 2 won’t have the same Duo Camera setup as seen on the HTC One M8, but instead will have a single 13-Megapixel camera.
HTC One mini 2, 2014 pic.twitter.com/s3wXCD1gyA
— @evleaks (@evleaks) May 4, 2014
The upcoming HTC One Mini 2 will run Android 4.4.2 KitKat with the latest Sense 6.0 UI and will be powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor running at 1.7GHz. In addition, the device will have 1GB of RAM, a 4.5-inch display, and a 720 x 1280 resolution, with 16GB of internal storage via a microSD card.
So there doesn’t seem to be any surprises when it comes to the look of the device, but it seems HTC have chosen to drop the M8 naming convention the big brother device seems to have adopted to differentiate from its earlier version.
The post HTC One (M8) Mini 2 leak reveals a single rear camera appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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