Samsung Galaxy S5 release date leaked
While Samsung is usually pretty good with keeping their upcoming devices under wraps, an executive has let slip that Galaxy S5 will be released on March 13th.
Samsung is set to announce their next generation Galaxy device at Mobile World Congress next week, but details of when the Galaxy S5 would actually be available where rather scarce. Since the Galaxy S4 previously launched two weeks after last years MWC, the March 13th timeframe makes sense.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is likely to feature a 5.2-inch 2K display, an 8-core Exynos processor, 3GB of RAM, a 3,000mAh battery, and a 16-Megapixel camera, all powering Android 4.4 KitKat.
We won’t have long to wait to see what Samsung has in store for the Galaxy S5, and if the leak is anything to go by then it won’t be long before we’ll see it shipping either.
The post Samsung Galaxy S5 release date leaked appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Former HTC execs equip latest Kazam budget phone with LTE
Say hi to the Kazam Thunder² 4.5L Android smartphone. It’s an LTE-enabled follow-up to the original low-cost Thunder (without the “squared” sign) that launched in Europe last year. The brainchild of two HTC execs who decided to go it alone, the 4.5L offers a low-res 854 x 480 4.5-inch display, a Snapdragon 400 processor, 8GB of expandable storage, 1GB of RAM and a widely copied screen replacement promise. We’re missing the most important spec — namely, the price — but Kazam says the device should start arriving in select countries over the next few months. Meanwhile, the company has also added irksome mathematical symbols to its Thunder² 5.0 and Trooper² range, which have received minor spec bumps but are still 3G-only. Honestly, we’d normally be helpful and lay out all the details, but there’s only so many times we can press ALT-zero-one-seven-eight.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Glove’s new Android app finds the best cellphone carrier near you
Finding a reliable cellphone carrier is tricky when even a regional performance test can’t prove that you’ll get a good signal in your neighborhood. That’s where Glove’s new Android beta comes into play. The app monitors the areas where you use your phone the most, comparing them with crowdsourced quality reports; after three days, Glove will suggest the carrier with the best-rated service in those areas. Right now, the beta’s US recommendations are limited to New York City and San Francisco, and only with the top four carriers. You’ll also have to wait if you’re looking for the iPhone version. Still, the software may prove a huge boon if you’re thinking of switching providers.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile
Source: Google Play, Glove
New Google WiFi app could automatically log you into Starbucks and other public hotspots
Google is working on a new WiFi app that could take a lot of the drudgery out of accessing public hotspots. According to our sources, the search giant has built Android and iOS versions of an app that automatically authenticate and connect to its free hotspots inside Starbucks stores or wherever they are available. Google is currently trialling the Android app at its Mountain View HQ and has plans to offer an iOS app too.
For now it looks like a very limited test, and there’s no definite guarantee that Google will release it officially. Nevertheless, we hear that Google has internally discussed linking the app to its rollout of faster WiFi connections to all 7,000 Starbucks stores in the US, connecting Latte-drinkers to ‘Google Starbucks’ hotspots with no button presses required. Currently, Starbucks customers need to find the access point, open their browser and agree to Google’s terms and conditions. Google may also expand its partnership with Boingo, extending logins to locations where it’s footing the bill for free wireless. The app could utilize a users’ Google account and install a dedicated security certificate on their device to automatically authenticate devices when a connection is available.
It’s a little known fact that Google was one of the first companies to offer free city-wide wireless internet when it launched Google WiFi in 2006. The company rolled out over 500 streetlight hotspots across Mountain View to provide access to all of its residents, but as smartphones and tablet use boomed, the network struggled to cope with demand. Users were also required to log in with a Google account to access the service. We’re told that Google is working to improve connectivity in the city, and that it has specific plans to roll out Google WiFi to more locations across the US and Canada.
Speaking of which, the search giant has already donated $600,000 to equip 31 of San Francisco’s public parks with free WiFi for at least two years. However, its efforts to expand beyond that have been hampered by negotiations with city authorities and a lack of spectrum. To counter the spectrum issues, Google has teamed up with Microsoft, Motorola and major cable companies to lobby the US government to free up bands for unlicensed uses. Google has said it will provide Starbucks stores with a 100x speed boost in Fiber cities like Austin, Provo and KC, and is now exploring the feasibility of deploying fiber connections in 34 US cities. That could see it expand its Google WiFi footprint significantly.
Samsung Galaxy Tab PRO range available for pre-order in UK
Samsung’s upcoming PRO range of their Galaxy Tab lineup will soon be hitting stores in the UK on March 4th, but is currently up for pre-order online and as an added bonus Samsung will throw in a free 32GB microSD card.
Samsung’s online store is now taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Tab PRO 8.4 and 10.1 models priced at £349 and £449 respectively.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab PRO’s both feature a 2560 x 1600 resolution display and run the latest Android 4.4 KitKat. Included with the tablets is Samsung’s new Magazine UX, which has come under some scrunteny from Google for detracting away from the general look of Android, to a point where it is nearly indistinguishable.
The Galaxy Tab PRO 10.1 is powered by an Exynos octa-core 1.9GHz and 1.3GHz CPU, with the smaller Tab running with a 2.3GHz quad-core CPU.
Shipping will commence from March 4th for both the white and black versions of the 10.1 and 8.4 Galaxy Tab PRO.
Will you be preordering?
The post Samsung Galaxy Tab PRO range available for pre-order in UK appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Waze navigation app now reads destinations from iOS and Android calendars
Google-owned Waze updated its navigation app for iOS and Android just before the new year, improving the user experience with all manner of tweaks. Evidently, it neglected to add one specific feature, hence another update dropping today that’ll allow Waze to talk to the calendar apps on both those platforms. It means that if you’re organized enough to associate locations with calendar appointments, you can ask Waze to take you there with but a single prod from inside the calendar app. The navigation list within Waze will also auto-populate with destination info poached from appointments. Waze is eager to highlight the feature is easily disabled from within your device’s settings — you know, if you’d rather that Miley Cyrus concert date be kept as discreet as possible.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Waze (iOS), Waze (Android)
Samsung’s Android-powered Galaxy Camera 2 ships next month for $450
Looking to pick up Samsung’s much-improved Galaxy Camera 2? The 16-megapixel Android-powered shooter can be yours next month for $450. The device includes Jelly Bean under the hood, and unlike what we experienced with the original cam, this updated version felt quite snappy during our CES demo. There’s a 4.8-inch 720p display, WiFi connectivity (this model doesn’t support 3G/4G) and a boosted 2,000 mAh battery. The lens doesn’t appear to be improved, however, with a 21x zoom and an f/2.8-5.9 maximum aperture range. Samsung is also announcing pricing and availability for the NX30, which ships today for a whopping $1,000 with an 18-55mm kit lens. We think the company would benefit from a more aggressive MSRP there, given the competition in the mirrorless camera space, but if you aren’t turned off by the price, it does appear to be a solid option.
Make the world your instrument with Mogees and a smartphone (video)
It’s been awhile since we heard from the Mogees camp, but the device has finally hit Kickstarter. As a refresher, Mogees is a musical tool that uses a special mic to pick up surface vibrations and translate them into sounds via a mobile app. It’s sensitive enough to register everything from light finger drags on glass and coins moving around on a table, it comes in Android and iOS flavors and you can attach it just about anywhere to start crafting tunes. The basic setup runs £40 (about $67) and includes the app’s “classic” version and the microphone hardware. If you’re really into the idea and want to incorporate it into live performances or professional recordings, jump up to the “pro” version. This backer tier runs £60 (about $100), adding a slew of different audio settings within the software and a higher-precision mic. Just remember, use your judgment before tapping on whatever’s in sight — some will likely be annoyed that you’ve made the world into a drum machine.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: Motherboard
Source: Kickstarter
Google to hold its I/O 2014 conference on June 25th and 26th
Mark your calendars, everyone: Sundar Pichai has just announced that Google I/O 2014 will be held between June 25th and 26th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Registration info and other details are coming next month. It’s too soon for any big clues as to what will be unveiled this year, although Google used its 2013 I/O presentations to announce All Access music streaming, its first Google Play Edition phone and the Glass Developer Kit. We’d expect similarly grandiose things this time around, especially when the search giant wants to sell Glass to the general public before the year is out.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: Sundar Pichai (Google+)
Google’s Russian rival offers free alternative apps and services on Android
Android is famed for being an open-source operating system. Well, kind of. Anyone can cruise and caress Android’s code thanks to the AOSP, but if you want a package complete with Google’s services — like the Play store, Mail, Maps and better-than-basic apps for messaging, imaging, etc. — then you have to pay the piper. Yandex is to Russia as Google is to most other places, in that it’s the country’s most popular search engine, has its own browser and provides email and cloud storage services, among others. And now, with the launch of Yandex.Kit, it also has an alternative to the bits of Android only a licence’ll get you.
Available to those making devices for the Russian market, Yandex.Kit comprises 15 apps from browser, mapping, store and email clients to a launcher and dialer. (There’s a slimmed-down version of the firmware for outside Russia, too). Most importantly, it’s totally free, and has already attracted the likes of Huawei and local manufacturer Explay. Chinese firm Xiaomi forgoes Google’s wares in its Android-based MIUI OS due to censorship issues. Here, however, Yandex is intentionally wedging itself between Android and Google to erode any reliance on the latter’s ecosystem in Russia. The fact it allies you to Yandex instead being pure coincidence, of course.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Yandex
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