Download Samsung Galaxy Alpha’s official wallpapers
Samsung announced it’s premium built Galaxy Alpha smartphone recently. The device is pretty much what lots and lots of leaks have been pointing at. Plastic (or polycarbonate if you will) built with a metal trim around the device sporing a 4.7″ 720p Super AMOLED display, 2GB of RAM and a 12MP rear-facing shooter. On the… Read more »
The post Download Samsung Galaxy Alpha’s official wallpapers appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Shazam restores Spotify sharing and tests Beats Music for good measure
After unexpectedly dropping the ability to listen to tagged tracks on Spotify in the UK and other countries, Shazam has re-added the service to its free app in most locales. The original issue came about thanks to a deal with Deezer, which replaced Spotify in in Germany, Mexico, the UK and Brazil (the premium paid app always worked). On top of adding Spotify back to the latest iOS and Android apps, Shazam is also reportedly testing Beats Music integration on iOS, giving users the ability to stream entire tagged tracks. The iOS Shazam app already works with iTunes for previews, and Shazam will soon power Siri tune recognition in iOS 8 — so Beats could be a tit-for-tat. As for Spotify, we’re still not sure why it’s back, but we wouldn’t be surprised if metrics dropped or money was involved at some point. Meanwhile, we’ve reached out for more information.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software
Via: 9 to 5 Mac
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Google’s experimental Hangouts app borrows inspiration from Facebook
Ever since it ditched Google Talk and integrated everything into Hangouts, Google’s messaging service has become pervasive on mobile and the web. While the search giant routinely adds new features, a bigger update could be on the way, at least according to a new leak from Chrome tinkerer Florian Kiersch. He got his hands on a recent test build of Hangouts, known internally as UltraViolet, that shows Google is testing a new interface that mimics the “chat heads” found in Facebook’s Messenger app on Android. According to Kiersch, floating profile icons are just one of the many UI changes expected to come to Hangouts in the near future, but thanks to the experimental nature of the leaked browser app, it’s the only new feature we’re able to lay eyes on, at least for now.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Via: Android Police
Source: Caschys Blog
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The future of phone chargers: self-aware and integrated into everyday objects
Here’s a horror story everyone can relate to: You download a cool new app or an OS update, only to find that it eats through the phone’s battery relentlessly, frequently leaving you with nothing but a tiny sliver of red on the gauge. While some aim to solve this issue by developing a new breed of batteries, a California startup called Qnovo and Qualcomm are each working on charging technologies instead. Qnovo, for one, has developed software that can analyze a battery’s temperature and the voltage passing through it, as well as determine your charging habits.
See, lithium-ion batteries perform more and more poorly the more they’re charged, but this program can gauge how much power the battery can absorb in as little time as possible without damaging it. The company claims that any phone loaded with its software only needs one-third the usual amount of time it takes to get a full charge. That’s apparently shortened even further if the program is paired up with Qnovo’s chip, which was designed to manage the charging process.
Qualcomm, on the other hand, has been working on a magnetic resonance system that can turn everyday items into wireless chargers for the past seven years. For instance, restaurants and cafes can use the system to transform tables into chargers. You can also install it on your car, inside the head and arm rest or the glove compartment. The company aims to make wireless charging available everywhere, so you won’t have to hunt for a power outlet.
According to Qualcomm senior director of wireless power solutions, Mark Hunsicker, wireless chargers based on his company’s technology might be available by the end of 2014 or early next year. As for Qnovo, company CEO Namin Maluf says he’s been talking to phone manufacturers, and you might see the startup’s software and chip on some smartphones slated for launch in 2015.
[Image credit: Getty/JGI/Jamie Grill]
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile
Source: MIT Technology Review, CNBC, Qualcomm WiPower, Qnovo
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Pegatron Reportedly Lands 50% of 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Orders for This Year
Apple supply partner Pegatron has won a contract that will see it produce 25 million of the estimated 50 million 4.7-inch iPhone 6 units to be shipped this year, reports DigiTimes. It was reported in January that the company would be awarded 50% of the orders, however a report in May pegged that number at 15%.
The report also notes that the rest of the orders for the iPhone 6 are expected to go to Foxconn, who has helped produce iPhone 5s and other Apple devices. Pegatron’s relationship with Apple is said to also have grown tighter recently, as the supplier has managed assembly for the iPad mini and the iPhone 5c throughout the past year. It is currently unknown which supplier will take care of orders for the 5.5-inch iPhone 6, although the larger device could see constrained supply this year due to production challenges.
Apple will publicly unveil the iPhone 6 for the first time at an event on September 9, with a launch for the 4.7-inch version likely coming a week later as with prior years. In addition to a larger display, the phone is expected to feature a thinner, curved bezel and incorporate a faster A8 chip, an advanced camera, and iOS 8.
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Lenovo now ships more smartphones than PCs
Lenovo has been rapidly expanding beyond its PC-focused roots for some time, and today it crossed another important milestone: it’s now selling more smartphones than computers. The Chinese tech firm’s handset shipments surged 39 percent year-over-year in the fiscal quarter that ended in June, reaching 15.8 million; in contrast, it “only” delivered 14.5 million PCs over the same period. Nearly all the phones (13 million) went to the company’s homeland, where it’s well-known for both its budget devices and high-end flagships like the recently-launched Vibe Z2. Lenovo’s claim that it was the top Chinese phone maker during the quarter is up for dispute, however — estimates suggest that Xiaomi was the top dog by a significant margin.
Other divisions aren’t exactly hurting, either. Lenovo now has close to 20 percent of the worldwide computer market, and its tablet shipments grew a whopping 67 percent over the past year, to 2.3 million. That was enough to make Lenovo the third-largest tablet maker, behind Apple and Samsung. There’s no telling whether or not its forays into wearables and other newer categories will prove as successful, but it’s good to know that Motorola’s future parent company is very healthy.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong]
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile, Lenovo
Via: Reuters
Source: Lenovo
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Motorola Nexus Shows Us Benchmarks! Moto 360 has Great Battery Life? – ManDroid Daily
Welcome Android friends to the ManDroid Daily. It’s hump day, and how about that huge “Shamu” Motorola Nexus phone. Apparently according to a benchmark, the phone actually has a 5.2-inch display as opposed to a 5.9-inch display. That is relief to some of us, and hopefully it is loaded with goodies. Enjoy the video!
Android News
Moto Nexus benchmarks
Galaxy Alpha officially announced
Moto 360 battery life
ASUS Smartwatch might be announced at IFA
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Moto 360 battery life could be as long as two and a half Days
The Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch is possibly the most anticipated wearable device of 2014, yet we actually know remarkably little about it. Apart from the fact we know it will be running Android Wear as an operating system and has an ambient light sensor that differentiates it from the other Android Wear watches, we don’t really know what’s going on under the bonnet of that beautiful, round watchface. A big criticism of its Android Wear stable mates, the Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch, is that their battery life is dismal, only lasting about a day, something that is becoming a depressing standard among smartwatches. The Moto 360 battery life, however, may be up to 2.5 times better than that after Italian blogger, Luca Viscardi, suggested his prototype Moto 360 lasts up to two and a half days.
This would be a significant feather in the cap of the Moto 360 if this turns out to be true on the full production model, as smartwatches developed by phone manufacturers have erred on the side of inconvenient thanks to their lacking battery life. We’ve heard that the Moto 360 also makes use of Qi-wireless charging to recharge its battery, another major concern with the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live, so it seems like the Moto 360 has dealt with the major concerns of its main competitors. This isn’t to say that the Moto 360 won’t have its own issues, but it is look pretty good.
What do you think of a two and a half day battery life for the Moto 360? Let us know your thoughts.
Source: Luca Viscardi via Phone Arena
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The ASUS Android Wear smartwatch may be announced at IFA 2014
We have previously heard that Taiwanese manufacturer, ASUS, is working on an ASUS Android Wear smartwatch, and it appears likely that the device could be announced at IFA 2014 in Berlin next month. Whereas the offerings from Samsung, LG, and probably Motorola too, have costed about $199 USD, it has been hinted that the ASUS smartwatch will undercut them all, priced at around $99-149; not too shabby. Furthermore, ASUS CEO, Jerry Chen, says he prefers the appearance of the ASUS offering over wearables from the other manufacturers (but of course he would!); frankly, it would be hard to out do the Moto 360 on style, but we’ll hold our reservations.
Chen also commented about the future of wearables at ASUS, saying:
“We’re dreaming big about the future of wearable devices, but the dream will not come true this year or in the first half of next year, because the market demand has not picked up”
And that’s probably true; despite the fact that we in the Android community have pored over the new and future Android Wear devices, they have yet to become truly mainstream in the same way that smartphones have become part of our lives. Still, it’s an exciting time, and we can’t wait to see what ASUS brings to the table, particularly at such an attractive price point.
What do you think about the ASUS Android Wear smartwatch? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments.
Source: Focus Taiwan via Phone Arena
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‘Real Housewives’ is going mobile for TWC customers, break out the pinot
When you stop to think about it, NBC’s reach goes quite a bit beyond just broadcasting Parks and Rec on Thursday nights — the Peacock Network owns a slew of cable channels too, including Bravo. Starting this week you can catch the latest exploits of whichever Real Housewives cast you favor, regardless of what city you’re in, so long as you are (or know) a TWC subscriber and have a device with the respective network’s apps near by. The new channel line-up includes USA Network, Syfy, Telemundo and the Golf Channel, with NBC Sports Extra and Golf Live Extra, with the rest of NBC’s networks rolling out sometime in September. And don’t worry Bright House customers, as follows tradition you won’t miss out on Leslie Knope’s farewell season either, regardless of if you catch it live or on demand.
[Image credit: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Time Warner Untangled
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AIVAnet 