AT&T’s Galaxy S5 gets FCC approval, just like you knew it would (update: T-Mobile too)
Samsung already made it clear that the Galaxy S5 would reach AT&T when it launched globally in April. Still, it’s nice to know the flagship is on track for an on-time arrival, right? The 5.1-inch phone just surfaced in a fresh set of FCC documents, which show a GS5 variant with AT&T-friendly LTE bands (2, 4, 5 and 17) and support for ANT+ sensors (handy for wireless heart-rate monitors and the like). Predictably, the phone also includes GSM, GPRS, EDGE and UMTS, for when you can’t manage a 4G signal. That still leaves lots of questions — how much will it cost? How good is this thing? — but we suppose we’ll just have to wait until April 11th to find out.
Update: Sure enough, a T-Mobile version of the GS5 has also surfaced at the FCC.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T, T-Mobile
The week’s best Android rumors: Nexus 6, Google Smartwatch, Galaxy Tab 4, and more
ZTE Nubia X
ZTE has a 6.3-inch device in the works, yet we’re still waiting on the hardware and software details. A photo surfacing of the phone, which could also be the Z7, gives us our first look at the minimal design.
Oppo Find 7
The Oppo Find7, which is expected to be announced in Beijing on March 19, may have a 50 MP camera, according to a leaked 8,160 x 6,120 resolution photo.
Dual-booting Karbonn
Indian OEM Karbonn is expected launch a dual-booting handset later this year, according to new reports. The smartphone is expected run both Windows Phone 8.1 and Android, however the other details remain unclear.
Galaxy Tab 4
In a Gear Fit advert, Samsung accidentally announced/leaked the Galaxy Tab 4. According to the photo, the Galaxy Tab 4 will come in 10.1-, 8- and 7-inch models. Let’s all be serious… you knew Samsung was planning a new Galaxy Tab.
Nexus 6
The latest Nexus 6 rumors suggest LG will again be the handset maker of choice for Google’s handset. Reportedly, the device will be a lighter version of the LG G3, a smartphone that’s yet to be introduced.
Google Smartwatch
More details surfacing this week seem to validate earlier chatter that LG will also be the company behind Google’s first foray into smartwatches.
Samsung Gear
Samsung has yet to clarify pricing for its upcoming smartwatch refresh however reports indicate the Gear 2 will be retail for 300 EU ($412 USD) with the Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit sellingfor 200 EUR ($275 USD).
Huawei’s octa-core CPU
Huawei’s upcoming mobile processor could be quite the monster, if recently uncovered benchmarks are an indicator. According to scores found on AnTuTu, the chipset rivals even Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 processor. there’s no word yet as to when we’ll see the octa-core CPU in devices; the Ascend D3 is alleged to be among the first to employ it.
Desire 610
AT&T is in line to carry the recently announced HTC Desire 610, or so says evleaks . The mid-range device may not arrive until after May, however, as that’s when HTC says the “global rollout” begins.
The post The week’s best Android rumors: Nexus 6, Google Smartwatch, Galaxy Tab 4, and more appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Play Music update brings playlist-related radio stations
A few updates have hit the Google Play Store in quick succession that bring some welcomed functionality to the Google Play Music app for Android.
The first of which sees the ability to pin radio stations for listening to them offline when you don’t have an internet connection, as well as bringing some improvements to the user interface to make it easier to navigate. For example, there is a new “Play Next” option included in the menu.
Following on from this, Google have issued yet another update today which allows users to listen to radio stations based on user-generated playlists. This will assist in music discovery by taking music that a user likes and recommending new content based on their current interests.
Here’s the full changelog for both incremental updates.
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HP quietly launches an 8-inch Android tablet for $170
Hewlett Packard is trying to pull off a flanking maneuver on the Android market, through low-profile launches of low-cost devices. We recently came across the company’s VoiceTab phablets during a side-show at Mobile World Congress, and now we’re looking at a more traditional 7.85-inch tablet called the HP 8. In return for $170, you’ll get a plain-looking device that, aesthetically, has more in common with last year’s Slate 7 than with the faux-metal VoiceTabs. However, since we’re making comparisons, we should also point out that the HP 8 has a worse display than both the Slate 7 and Dell’s rival Venue 8, with fewer pixels (1,024 x 768) spread out over a larger area. The software and internals seem functional enough, though: Android 4.2.2 running on a quad-core ARM chip made by the Chinese company Allwinner, with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, stereo speakers, and a just-about-okay 3,800mAh battery that promises up to seven hours of use.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, HP
Via: PhoneArena
Source: HP
Android 4.4.2 OTA update for the HTC Butterfly S rolling out Now
HTC appears to have been working quite hard lately to get its Android KitKat update out to all its HTC One handsets, only narrowly missing its promised target. The job of updating the rest of its devices, however, isn’t over yet and today we’ve been told that the Android 4.4.2 OTA update for the HTC Butterfly S is starting to roll out today.
The 737MB update brings the Butterfly S all the KitKat goodies as well as cloud printing support, Bluetooth profiles and security enhancements. If you’re not one to wait for OTA updates to get to you, you can head over to this XDA forum page where the update has been captured and ready for your download.
Presumably HTC is going to continue pushing out Android 4.4.2 updates, and the next in line could be the HTC Butterfly, A.K.A the HTC Droid DNA; I guess we’ll just have to see. Any Butterfly S users seeing the update yet? Let us know if you do in the comments below.
Source: XDA
Forget trivia night at the local bar, QuizUp’s now on Android
Android users looking for something to fill the hole that Flappy Birds once occupied now have a less trivial time sink in the form of QuizUp. As you’d expect from a trivia app worth its salt, it comes loaded with tons of topics (over 400) to choose from, including lifestyle, TV and literature. And, since it’s a social game, you can test your expertise in any of those subjects against friends and strangers. If the name QuizUp sounds familiar, it’s because the app was released for iOS four months ago and became its creators’ first smash hit — it did for Icelandic studio Plain Vanilla what Angry Birds did for Rovio and Draw Something for Omgpop.
QuizUp has already been downloaded over 10 million times on iOS, but (while it’s still getting 50,000 downloads a day) Recode says the number of new users has declined in the past month. Plain Vanilla CEO Thor Fridriksson believes, however, that an Android launch will reignite interest in the game. We’ve yet to see how the Android app will affect the iOS version, but it isn’t doing too shabby thus far: it’s been installed more than 10,000 times since it became available. So, don’t be surprised if a friend would rather hole up this weekend rather than go out and play actual bar trivia.
Via: Re/code
Source: Google Play
Verizon launches Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 with LTE for an eye-watering $850
Well, this is a pleasant surprise. We’ve known for a while that Verizon would carry an LTE-capable Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, but the carrier has just put the massive tablet up for sale without any fanfare. Not that it’s exactly an impulse buy. Samsung’s cellular-equipped slate costs a hefty $850 at full price, and you’ll only save $100 if you sign up for a two-year contract. If you’re determined to stay online while you draw your latest masterpiece, though, you can order the Note Pro today.
Filed under: Tablets, Wireless, Samsung, Verizon
Via: Pocketnow
Source: Verizon
HTC introduces entry-level Desire 310
We all are looking forward to March 25 when HTC will unveil the “All new HTC One”, which will be HTC’s next flagship smartphone. But HTC also has a soft corner for entry-level devices as well, and they just introduced a new budget friendly Android phone. Presenting the HTC Desire 310; a successor to Desire 300, featuring core HTC features like the BlinkFeed and video highlights.
The phone is made to go head to head with devices like the Moto G. With specs like a 1.3GHz MediaTek quad-core processor, a 4.5 inch display, a 5-megapixel camera, a 3-megapixel front-facing camera, dual-SIM card support; so overall, it’s not a bad package.
However, HTC is not planning to target developed markets with this smartphone, so it will be only available in Taiwan this April. HTC decided to focus more on “Desire” brand this year, and recently we also saw the Desire 816 which is a beautiful device.
What are your thoughts about this new smartphone? Should HTC bring it to US and UK markets as well?
Source: HTC
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Mad Catz Android game console first to get OUYA content
When OUYA announced it was expanding its gaming platform beyond its own hardware, it also said it’d share its first deal with a hardware manufacturer within two weeks. Well, it turns out that we only had to wait a couple of days, after accessory maker Mad Catz confirmed it’s signed a deal to bring OUYA’s software to its M.O.J.O. Android game console. The company says it’s already working to incorporate its new partner’s content and expects to roll out an update “later this spring,” giving die-hard Android gamers access to exclusive OUYA titles on top of regular Google Play and Amazon app store downloads. If this unexpected Android union leaves you pining for some dedicated console action, Mad Catz has slashed $50 off the price of the M.O.J.O. in the US, although the new $199.99 price tag is still pretty hard to swallow.
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Mad Catz (Businesswire)
Opera’s Android browser catches up to rivals with support for webpage video chats
Given Google’s Chrome dominance, it’s easy to forget that there are other Android browsers. Opera is one of the also-rans, and it’s just brought a new version with a nice round number, 20, for your consideration. It’s touting WebRTC as the main hook, which lets you do video calls straight from Opera to any recipient with another WebRTC browser. That includes Opera, Chrome or Firefox, since the latter two apps have actually supported WebRTC on Android for quite awhile. Other additions include a new UI layout that you can customize for tablets or phones, an update to the Chromium 33 core (yes, Opera now uses WebKit), search improvements and a new download manager. It still claims to use less data than other browsers thanks to its off-road function, so if you’re pushing that hard carrier limit, check the source.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile
Source: Opera
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