Sprint rolling out Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M7) Lollipop updates today
Lollipop might be the biggest thing in Android these days, but for seemingly 98% of active users, it’s an out-of-sight yet always-on-mind waiting game. Late last year select markets in Europe received the Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5, though America has been waiting until recently. Likewise, HTC proclaimed that it would have the One (M7) updated to Android 5.X within 90 days of the OS release, yet the deadline came and went and the software is nowhere to be seen (unless you own a GPe device, of course).
Sprint will begin rolling out the Lollipop update deployment for the Galaxy S5 and the HTC One (M7) beginning on February 5th. The Galaxy S5 update will feature Enhanced VoWiFi UI and the removal of the Lumen tool bar in addition to Android 5.0. HTC’s Mo Versi took the opportunity to personally announce his company’s product update on Twitter, specifying Android 5.0.1 and that more carriers will be coming soon:
Sprint HTC One (M7) Owners! We've received TA on L OS (5.0.1) and will start OTA tomorrow! Others coming soon! #HTCAdvantage
— Mo (@moversi) February 4, 2015
For all those chomping at the bit, make sure to hit that “Check for Updates” button starting tomorrow!
(Update: in stores from 2/10) You can now buy Samsung’s Gear VR headset at Best Buy
Update: According to a SamMobile report citing sources close to Best Buy, the Gear VR will be available in 100 Best Buy stores from February 10. The stores will offer demos of the device in controlled conditions, and Samsung will use this initial rollout to gauge interest for the device, for a potential wider release in the future.
Original post:
The Samsung Gear VR has been available directly through Samsung and AT&T for a few months now, but other retailers have yet to begin selling it. Well, up until now. Best Buy is currently selling online the Gear VR for $199.99. Remember, you need a Galaxy Note 4 to power the headset, so keep that in mind before you make any big purchases.
If you can recall, the Gear VR launched as an Innovator Edition, which essentially means it’s still somewhat of a beta product. There aren’t a ton of apps and games available for it quite yet, but Samsung’s new Milk VR media content store should help bring more immersive content to the headset.
We went hands-on with the VR headset back at IFA last year, and we really enjoyed our time with it. If you have the Note 4 and are interested in virtual reality in the slightest you may want to check this out. It doesn’t have as much content as you might like, but that will likely change in the coming months. Take a look at the video below for more information on the Gear VR.
Are there any Note 4 owners out there that are planning on picking one up? Let us know if you grab one from Best Buy.
Huawei – Past, Present, and Future
Chances are good that you’ve heard of Huawei by now. In case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced wah-way and, according to IDC, the Chinese company is the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer in the world by shipments, claiming a 6.25% share in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Expanding from a solid base built on telecommunications and networking equipment, Huawei has been successfully breaking into the consumer market and expanding beyond Chinese borders.
Sales of budget and mid-range Android smartphones are booming in emerging markets. The Ascend brand is gathering pace as Huawei builds relationships with carriers. Meanwhile Huawei’s Honor line is all about direct online sales to consumers. All of this is underpinned by a solid position selling network infrastructure where Huawei has been locked in battle with Ericsson for years now.
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“Splendid achievement” or “action for China”
Both of our sub-headings are possible translations of the Chinese characters that make up the Huawei name. And they’re both fitting, though the multinational company would rather focus on the first one.
Huawei was founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei. He studied civil engineering at Chongqing University in the 60’s before serving in the Chinese army as an engineer. Just $5,000 got Huawei off the ground in Shenzhen selling telephone exchange equipment imported from Hong Kong, which was still under British governance back then.
Heavy investment in research and development enabled Huawei to start producing its own switches instead of importing. The C&C08 digital telephone switch in 1993 was a major breakthrough and key contract awards soon followed. It was politically desirable for the Chinese government to work with a native organization, something which would become official policy in 1996.
Focusing on the B2B market, Huawei showed considerable talent in building telecommunications networks and services at competitive prices. In the enterprise market it soon carved a niche providing equipment, software, and services. In manufacturing white label modems and routers gave way to set-top boxes and mobile phones.
Expanding internationally
Huawei dipped a toe in international waters in the late 90’s, but it wasn’t until after the millennium, in 2000, that it really ramped up its overseas efforts. Sales soared by over 500% in two years, as Huawei opened R&D centers and signed partnerships with major players like IBM.
A simple policy of undercutting the competition opened a lot of doors. By 2005 it was earning more from the international market than the domestic market and it made the Fortune 500 in 2010 with net profit of $2.67 billion. Last year Huawei made around $5.5 billion.
Expansion in the consumer smartphone market has been swift. Huawei may still be fighting for brand recognition Stateside, but growth is steady elsewhere.
“In 2014 we have seen sales in Europe double, a 700% increase in the Middle East, and a 200% increase in Latin America,” Kevin Ho, President of Huawei’s Handset Product Line told us, “We need to give consumers the perfect product, and give them some time to experience them and see how good these smartphones are.”
Huawei was a comfortable third in the worldwide smartphone market with a 4% share in 2012, which grew to 4.8% in 2013, according to Gartner. It was only Lenovo’s successful acquisition of Motorola that saw it leapfrog its compatriot, but Huawei has been looking over its shoulder too.
Honoring the e-commerce trend
Xiaomi is behind Huawei in fifth place in the worldwide smartphone manufacturer charts. It has built a successful business that’s largely based on listening to consumers and engaging marketing, combined with high-quality devices at lower prices driven by reduced overheads thanks to direct online sales.
“We see e-commerce as a worldwide trend, at around 10% of smartphone sales, but increasing every year. The Honor brand is an online only brand,” explained Mr Ho, “We are focused on the consumers.”
It appears to be working because the Honor brand went from sales of 1 million in 2013 to 20 million last year. There are plans to bring the Honor line to the States this year. Cutting out the carrier allows manufacturers to sell devices a lot more cheaply, but profit margins are still tight.
Ascending to greatness
While the Honor brand has been capturing the imagination of a younger audience and helping Huawei compete with the disruptive Xiaomi, the Ascend brand has helped it build relationships with carriers across Europe and other markets, though a deal with a US carrier remains elusive. The Ascend flagships also show a gradual shift towards the premium end of the market. We were very impressed by the Huawei Ascend Mate 7.
“The Ascend P7 is selling very well worldwide,” according to Ho, and “…the Ascend Mate 7 outsold the Galaxy Note 4 in China in November and December.”
The fact that the Ascend P8 will launch in London this April shows how important the European market is becoming for Huawei.
Conquering new markets
There are still a few stumbling blocks for Huawei to overcome. It has been dogged by allegations of IP theft, its internal structure and management have been questioned, and the US Government even described the company as a national security risk. None of these things can be confined to Huawei, and naturally the company refutes them.
Accusations like this are relatively commonplace, and there isn’t much transparency when it comes to national governments and their relationships with native technology companies. It’s not clear whether this has had any real impact on consumers, but you suspect it has something to do with Huawei’s difficulty in establishing a deal with a US carrier. It’s worth remembering that the company doesn’t need the U.S. to succeed, but it’s such a lucrative market that everyone wants a slice of it.
Continued expansion seems likely when you consider that Huawei still spends big on R&D to the tune of more than $6 billion a year. It also owns HiSilicon, but runs it as a separate semiconductor company licensing from ARM and designing chipsets for devices. That doesn’t mean it plans to handle the whole manufacturing side itself. R&D may lead to patents, but Kevin Ho makes it clear that Huawei will continue to partner with display manufacturers and other suppliers where it discerns the most value.
It will be interesting to see what Lenovo makes of Motorola, whether Samsung’s slide continues, and what Xiaomi can make of its alternative approach. Whatever way you slice it, Huawei’s prospects still look bright and it’s not fixed on the competition.
“There are lots of competitors, but there is no one we want to directly fight with,” explains Ho, “It is about getting the consumer to love our products. It is about giving consumers the best product. There is plenty of room for us to do our own thing.”
Xiaomi to hold a press event in San Francisco on February 12th
Xiaomi seems ready to step out from the security of its home markets in Asia, as the company will be hosting a press conference in San Francisco on Thursday February 12th. Company president Lin Bin and global vice president Hugo Barra will both be speaking at the event.
However, as the company has previously stated, Xiaomi is not currently interested in launching any products in the US market just yet. Instead, the conference is being used to introduce the Xiaomi brand to those who may not be too familiar with the growing company. After all, Xiaomi is about more than just low-cost smartphones, there’s a whole brand ecosystem and plenty of spin off products to tout, some of which may hold to key opening up other regional markets in the future.
That’s not to mention that some of the company’s recent and prospective investors are also based in the US, and Mr Barra has plenty of hands to shake.
“We can also confirm that Xiaomi will not be launching in the U.S. or entering the U.S. market this time, but this is an opportunity to get to know the company and leadership a bit more.” – Xiaomi PR representative
Xiaomi may indeed show off a few products in its growing portfolio, but we will have to wait and see exactly what Xiaomi has to say this time next week.
13 best Android survival games
Survival games bring out the caveman in all of us. The near constant tension that you could fail and perish at any second puts you on the edge of your seat and the constant danger helps keep you there. Survival games can cover a wide range of perspectives and many of them are very popular. In this roundup, we’ll look at the best Android survival games.
Dead Trigger 2
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Let’s start with a classic! Dead Trigger 2 is a first person survival shooter game where you must fend off hoards of zombies while you complete missions and attempt to survive. The development on this game has been consistent even if the IAPs are a little bit steep. The Dead Trigger series was one of the first really good first person shooters available on Android and it turns out that it’s a good survival game as well.
Duet
[Price: Free / $2.99]
Duet is an interesting and difficult puzzle game where you play as two orbs that revolve around a center axis. Your goal is to navigate them through a series of obstacles. This is far more difficult than it sounds, especially later in the game when the obstacles start to do things like disappear. Levels aren’t very long but nearly every one will have to tapping your screen like a mad man trying to get through and really, isn’t that what survival games are all about?
Five Nights at Freddy’s 1 and 2
[Price: $2.99 each]
Five Nights at Freddy’s 1 and 2 are survival horror games where you play as a security guard who is keeping watch over possessed animatronics. You have to keep your eye on them to keep them from moving and if they make it to the security office, you’re a dead person. Both versions feature roughly the same graphics and game play style so you can’t go wrong either way. It’s extremely creepy and highly rated.
Gears and Guts
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Gears and Guts is kind of a hybrid between a Twizted Metal game and a survival zombie game. You drive a four-wheeled death machine as you mow down zombies and try to save the city without being destroyed and eaten. There are three kinds of zombies, various types of vehicles and weapons to choose from, and all the blood and gore you could ever want in a zombie survival game. It’s also free to play which is nice.
Gun Bros 2
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Gun Bros 2 is sort of a top-down style shooter similar in game play to the old Contra games. Your goal is to mow down hoards of bad guys while surviving long enough to make it to the next level. This one is unique because it allows you to play online co-op so you and a friend can share in the survival experience. The graphics are colorful and effective and the game play is easy enough to learn. There are also multiple online modes, tanks, and boss battles.
Minecraft Pocket Edition
[Price: $6.99]
With all the fun mods, texture packs, and ridiculous creations you see in Minecraft, it’s really easy to forget that this is, in fact, a survival game! It’s true that you can craft, mine, and build things but you do have to defend yourself from bad guys as they come to spoil your good time. In fact, that’s why you build things, to hide from bad guys. Minecraft is a cultural phenomenon and tens of millions of people play it already. Why not you too?
Organ Trail: Director’s Cut
[Price: $2.99 with in app purchases]
The Oregon Trail was an amazingly cruel survival game where you had to watch family members die but continue to trudge on anyway. Since that’s not available on Android, Organ Trail is a great substitute. It contains the same basic game play elements and graphics as Oregon Trail but sets it in a post apocalyptic zombie world instead of colonial times. That means you still have to scrounge for supplies, fix issues with your station wagon, and yes, even kill your own family members if they get bitten.
Osmos HD
[Price: $2.99]
Osmos HD is an atmospheric puzzle game that won our best designed Android game award for 2013. In this game, you play as a little mote and you must absorb other, smaller motes in order to increase in size and become the biggest. Of course, that means larger motes can just as easily swallow you whole if you’re not paying attention and there are special motes that try to do that specifically. It’s a tough, but oddly relaxing game that is also extremely well executed.
Out There
[Price: $3.99]
Out There is one of the most interesting survival games on the list. You are an astronaut stuck out in the middle of space with nary a clue as to where you are or how you’re going to survive. You’ll have to befriend alien species and learn their language, make frequent pit stops for supplies and air, and generally just try to make it all work. It’s also one of the few games on the list without any in app purchases and you’re pretty much guaranteed to get your $3.99 worth out of this one.
Plants vs Zombies
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Plants vs Zombies is part tower defense, part survival game as you grow various mutant plants to defend yourself from the zombie onslaught. There are various kinds of plants that do various kinds of things like acting as a wall, firing at the zombies, and helping you obtain more sun power to grow more plants. It’s difficult but slow paced so you can take your time and plan things and it’s a great mainstream game.
Survivalcraft
[Price: Free demo / $3.99]
Survivalcraft is one of Minecraft’s most competent competitors. As the name implies, there are more survival elements in this title including the ability to freeze or roast yourself to death and plenty of enemies. Your animals may also be eaten by other animals instead of you. You can still build, mine, and craft just like in Minecraft so that element remains more or less the same. It’s a good alternative to Minecraft.
The Walking Dead: Season One and Season Two
[Price: Varies]
The Walking Dead series of games from Telltale games were a huge hit in 2014 and are among the best zombie survival games of all time. The graphics are far better than most and story line decisions carry over to later story line events and even into the next series of games. The only caveat is that each season is five episodes and you have to buy each episode individually which can get expensive over time. Otherwise, this is a must have game.
Zombieville, USA
[Price: $0.99]
Zombieville USA is an older game but one that many, many people enjoyed. It featured colorful, but simple graphics and an even more simple premise. As you play, you scrounge for cash an ammo which is then used to mow down more zombies. It’s a fun, goofy, and simple game with a cheap price tag. Do beware that the last update was in 2013 which means this may not work on some newer devices or on ART. Because of that, this game will likely be removed in future updates of this list, so get it while it’s still relevant!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android survival games, let us know in the comments!
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!
Here’s another look at the upcoming Galaxy S 6….in a case
We have a pretty good idea what the Galaxy S 6 is going to look like thanks to numerous leaks, but here’s another for your viewing pleasure. Unfortunately the device is in a case, but according to Venus case maker, whatever is visible is the real deal.
These images confirm the placement of the heart rate sensor and LED flash moving to the right side (from the bottom) of the rear camera lens. You will also notice that the volume buttons are now separate for both up and down, rather than a rocker. The device sure looks thin too as it’s supposed to come in at just over 7 mm.
Is the Galaxy S 6 going to be your next phone?
source: PhoneArena
Come comment on this article: Here’s another look at the upcoming Galaxy S 6….in a case
Swatch Prepares to Go Head-to-Head With Apple Watch
Swatch CEO Nick Hayek today revealed that the company has plans to manufacture and ship its own line of smartwatch devices with a launch target within the next three months, easily setting itself up against Apple’s recent confirmation of an April launch date for the Apple Watch (via Bloomberg).
Hayek previously displayed skepticism about smartwatches, in particular the idea of one from Apple, saying he didn’t believe it would be “the next revolution.” Hayek also previously dismissed the concept of a Swatch smartwatch initiative, arguing the company’s highest-end devices should already be called smartwatches because “they make you look smart.”
Apple and Swatch were rumored at one point to be joining together for a smartwatch, but Swatch quickly denied those claims last summer. Now, building on the decades of experience Swatch has accumulated over the years, Hayek voices determination in the face of going practically head-to-head with Apple on the smart wearables front.
“Entrepreneurs are practical people, and they care more about being successful than being consistent,” said Luca Solca, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas. “Hayek has always said they have relevant technology for a smartwatch — sensors, display, battery — and seems to be set to make the most [of] it. Better to have an option and a hand in this category than not to. Nobody can yet say how relevant smartwatches will be in the end.”
Some of the biggest claims Swatch makes about its upcoming smartwatch include the ability to connect to the Internet “without having to be charged,” undoubtedly a direct shot at Apple’s yet-to-be-confirmed battery life for the Apple Watch. The Swatch device will also include a form of mobile payments baked into the watch, but as of now will function only in a select few Switzerland-based grocery stores, with the company in talks to acquire more mobile payment retailer partners.
Under the looming launch of the Apple Watch, several other high-end watchmakers have shifted gears and decided to delve into the smartwatch market, including TAG Heuer and Montblanc’s “e-Strap” accessory band that attaches to traditional watches in lieu of buying an entirely new device.
Accessory of the Day: Belkin 12 outlet surge protector, $19.58
Protect your valuables and ensure every piece of equipment has power with a high-quality surge protector. This Belkin 12-outlet surge protector features a 6-foot cord, safety covers, detachable cord-management clip, and a lifetime warranty. Grab one for just $19.58 and you’ll have it within two days (Prime customers). Great buy!
Join Prime and get this deal with FREE two-day shipping!
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Stable version of VLC now available on the Play Store
VLC has finally released a stable version of its media player app on Android. The app was available in a Beta for quite some time now, so it’s relieving to know that the stable version is out as well. However, VLC has still kept the Beta version of the app intact for those who would like to play around with it.
The release of a stable version essentially means that the app will not have a lot of bugs and will be as functional as you’ve ever seen it. The app is competing with the likes of MXPlayer and KMPlayer on Android, so it has some competition going around.
VLC for Android comes with support for a wide range of codecs such as avi, mkv, mp4, mov, mp3, flac etc, so you can throw a wide range of video and audio files at it. It is a free download from the Google Play Store, so hit the link below to download the app.
Come comment on this article: Stable version of VLC now available on the Play Store
Study reveals that teens who use smartphones and computers excessively are less likely to fall asleep
A new study found on the BMJ Open Journal suggests that teenagers who use smartphones, computers and other electronic gadgets excessively prior to sleeping are likely to harm their sleep schedule. This isn’t exactly the revelation of the millennium, but the findings shed light on how it could impact the future of the teenagers.
It is said that people who use computers or smartphones an hour before going to sleep are 53% and 35% less likely to fall asleep, while missing at least 2 hours of sleep. This particular research was conducted among 10,000 teenagers (ages 16-19) in Norway.
Although the researchers haven’t been able to pinpoint the actual cause, it can be accredited to the bright display panels we see on modern electronics. The concerning aspect of this study is the fact that scientists have managed to correlate teenage sleep issues with future trouble such as drug abuse, obesity etc.
So if you happen to find trouble falling asleep, you might want to cut down on smartphone or PC usage prior to sleeping.
Source: BMJ Open Journal
Via: BGR
Come comment on this article: Study reveals that teens who use smartphones and computers excessively are less likely to fall asleep
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