Android Authority this week – August 30, 2015
This late summer is hotter than anticipated, and we couldn’t be happier. The week before IFA brought us sneak peeks at smartwatches coming from Samsung, Motorola, Huawei, and LG. We’ve spotted the “Moto X Play for USA” a.k.a. the Droid Maxx 2. More details leaked out about the Huawei- and LG-made Nexus. The BlackBerry Venice revealed itself from all angles. We’ve got a glimpse of the Xperia Z5. And “Pengate” flared up, before predictably fading away into the annals of ridiculous tech scandals.
Inside AA HQ
Tickets have been reserved, accommodation has been arranged, meetings have been scheduled. IFA 2015 is coming and Android Authority will be all over it! This year, we’re sending a bigger team to Berlin, even though Samsung, the usual star of the show, decided to jump the gun.
Even without a new Note, there’s a lot of hot stuff to look forward to next week, from Sony’s latest Xperia(s), to a bevy of Android Wear smartwatches, and Huawei’s new Mate flagship. Josh Vergara, Lanh Nguyen, and Nirave Gondhia will be there, accompanied by yours truly. The show starts on Thursday, but all the good stuff will probably be announced the day before. Stay tuned!
Our reviews of some of the most anticipated phones of this year are progressing nicely. We’ve already brought you our look at the OnePlus 2, and our Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus reviews, from Josh and Lanh, are coming very soon!
This week, we have an extra giveaway for our loyal readers! We’ve teamed up with Huawei to give out three Honor 7’s. And don’t forget about our beloved Sunday Giveaway: today, we’re giving away an Oppo R7 Plus (and a selfie stick!). Good luck!
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
- Feature: Marshmallow is awesome, but it’s not perfect. Here are some ways it could be better
- Opinion: The S6 Edge Plus does not impress Matt – see the reasons here
- Review: Flagship killer or not, the OnePlus 2 is one exciting phone. Read our review
- Review: Affordable phones don’t have to feel cheap, and the Honor 7 is the latest example
- Opinion: The time of the $700 flagship seems to be coming to an end, but don’t count it out yet
- Roundup: School is coming, and these apps will help you stay on top of it
- Roundup: Know your ZOPO from your VIVO: 10 other Chinese brands you need to know about
Top news of the week
Smartwatches are coming
- Motorola, LG, ASUS and Huawei reportedly introducing new Android Wear watches at IFA
- (Update 2: two new photos!) Moto 360 (2nd gen) spotted in the wild
- Samsung Gear S2 hits the FCC suggesting two models, a standard and classic
- Huawei Watch up for pre-order: pricey, coming soon, potentially with iOS support
- Samsung executive teases Gear S2 smartwatch
Droid Maxx reborn
Next Nexus news
- (Update: some specs) Huawei Nexus leaks again in hands-on pictures
- LG’s Nexus 5 (2015) could be available from September 29, claims Korean website
- These could be the specifications for the new LG Nexus 5
BB Venice leaks some more
- BlackBerry Venice will come with BB10 features
- Exposed: The BlackBerry Venice caught from all angles
Don’t stick it backwards
- PSA: Reverse insertion of the S-Pen will break the Galaxy Note 5’s stylus detection sensor
- Pengate blues? Video shows how to safely get the Note 5 S Pen out
Xperia Z5 press images
Sound off
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Happy Sunday!
Photos of an actual physical BlackBerry Venice surface, give us thorough tour of the exterior
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While we’ve heard plenty of rumours about an Android-powered BlackBerry smartphone called the Venice over the last few weeks, but we’ve yet to see an actual physical BlackBerry Venice – until today. Thanks to an extensive leak out of Vietnam, the BlackBerry Venice has had a series of photos taken from all angles of a device, even showing off the clearly Android operating system that’s running on the device. Check out the photos below:
This is our first real opportunity to see how the slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard fits in with the rumoured 5.4-inch touchscreen display, and for the most part, it looks pretty good. What’s interesting about the software running on the device is that it looks remarkably clean looking – while it’s likely too early to say much, but the BlackBerry Venice looks to be running something quite close to stock Android, though they have made some changes to the multitasking window, for better or worse. We’ve still no word on when we can expect this device to be revealed, but now that we’ve seen one in the flesh, I think we can agree that the BlackBerry Venice is actually looking quite intriguing.
What do you think about the actual physical BlackBerry Venice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Tinhte.vn via Android Police
The post Photos of an actual physical BlackBerry Venice surface, give us thorough tour of the exterior appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
New photos of BlackBerry’s upcoming Venice slider phone leak
More photos of BlackBerry’s upcoming Venice phone with a slide out keyboard have leaked, giving a pretty detailed look at the phone’s design and keyboard. Aside from being a slider, the phone looks like any typical smartphone with a large touch screen, although it’s a little thicker than most phones on the market thanks to a keyboard housing.
Rumors peg the device sporting a 5.4-inch display with a quad-HD resolution, a Snapdragon 808 CPU paired with 3 GB of RAM, and an 18 megapixel rear facing camera. As far as software goes, it doesn’t look like BlackBerry will be modifying Android much at all, so we can expect a pretty standard version of Android Lollipop.
Still no official word from BlackBerry about this device, so take any info with a grain of salt. But with how many rumors and photos we’ve seen of the device, it’s hard to believe that it doesn’t become official relatively soon.
source: Tinhte
via: The Verge
Come comment on this article: New photos of BlackBerry’s upcoming Venice slider phone leak
BlackBerry’s Android-powered Venice phone surfaces in the wild
BlackBerry’s Android-based Venice smartphone isn’t just a figment of someone’s imagination… at least, if you believe Vietnamese resident Ba Minh Duc. He claims to have photos of the slider in action, complete with its hideaway QWERTY keyboard, 18-megapixel camera and curvy screen. This isn’t quite the phone you remember from 3D renders (or the once-teased BlackBerry 10 version), though. BlackBerry appears to have moved the power button to the side, and the body isn’t as slender in person as the renders would suggest. This is undoubtedly a work in progress, and it won’t be surprising if the Venice design changes more between now and release. Still, this is exciting stuff if you’ve been yearning for a phone that melds BlackBerry’s hardware and services with Android’s customization and wider app selection.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Via:
CrackBerry
Source:
Ba Minh Duc (Facebook), Tinhte.vn (translated)
Tags: android, blackberry, mobilepostcross, slider, smartphone, venice
Exposed: The BlackBerry Venice caught from all angles
In days long past, arguably two companies commanded high court among the grand arena of phones: Nokia and BlackBerry. Whereas the former took a path that many have criticized and lamented, the latter looks to be heading towards one Espoo should have embarked on from the onset: open adoption of Android. According to leaks and rumors, Waterloo plans to release several Android-based BlackBerry devices this Fall, one of which is the fascinating Venice. Thanks to the largest leak ever, it’s now laid bare for all to see:
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And here are shots of the back side and top of the device:
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Of particular interest is the top picture which clearly shows not only the SIM card slot, but also a second one, for microSD support. This will immediately alleviate any fears some might have held that the smartphone would pull a Galaxy Note 5.
Curious about the curve
The above leaked shot also reaffirms the clearly visible dual edged folded display. The subject of much discussion with respect to this product, it has been postulated that Samsung might be producing the panels, or perhaps even LG. Assuming either Korean manufacturer would be involved, there is also the hope that the Venice would thus make use of an AMOLED panel to provide stunningly saturated images.
Despite the “leaked” nature of the BlackBerry Venice, it actually made its debut months ago as an unnamed “slider” at MWC 2015 in Barcelona. At that time however, no mention or hint of Android was made, thus it was arguably overlooked. It is unknown as to if BlackBerry -the company- had always intended for this product to run Google’s mobile OS, or if a sudden decision was made after the fact.
The final newly leaked picture is a close-up of the camera module, which shows what looks like an 18-megapixel specification, as well as text indicating both OIS and Fast Focus technology will be on-board. Dual LED flash modules are located to the right side. We also get a very nice look at the textured, almost woven-type back the device is apparently going to make use of.
Currently, the list of rumored specs for the device are as follows:
- 5.4-inch Quad-HD display
- 18 MP rear-camera
- 5 MP front-camera
- 1.8 GHz Hexa-core (Snapdragon 808 chipset) 64-bit
- 3 GB RAM
Off to Italy…or California?
While the exact Venice that BlackBerry chose to name the device after may be a mystery -assuming Venice is the final name and the product does become official – one thing is quite clear: this product will arguably provide for a major shake-up in the industry. The emergence of a vested, established player into Google’s market would be a major boon to consumers looking for a secure platform, and it would also help to reinvigorate a company that has much to offer, if only were it to find a market to sell to.
Rumors have already indicated the device may be running a BlackBerry 10 skin when it releases this fall, on both AT&T and T-Mobile. Pricing is unknown, though with a curved screen it’s probably safe to assume it will not be a wallet-friendly one. It will supposedly be joined by other products as well, perhaps including a variant of the Passport.
For all those who lamented the protracted loss of BlackBerry, the latter half of 2015 is going to potentially bring forth a wealth of joy. What do you think of these new pictures? Does the product look even more promising than ever? Does the build have the potential to disappoint? Let us know in the comments section.
BlackBerry Passport running Android Lollipop gets spotted on camera
Signs are pointing towards BlackBerry releasing more than one Android powered handset this year. According to a tweet from Evan Blass, BlackBerry is planning to release a version of its Passport handset running Android Lollipop this year with a similar design to the BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition.
On August 19, Evan Blass posted an image on Twitter of what could be an Android powered BlackBerry Passport. Now we have a leaked video of the handset in its full glory.
The handset may just be for testing purposes so take this report with a grain of salt. In the video, the handset seems to have some version of Android Lollipop installed with BlackBerry’s own enhancements on top. These include the rumored Blackberry Productivity Suite of applications that we heard may come pre-installed on BlackBerry’s upcoming handsets. The initial codename for the handset has appeared and it’s called “Dallas.”
BlackBerry’s profits continue to plummet. The company’s last hope will be the so called ‘Venice’ smartphone along with the Android powered BlackBerry Passport. We are hoping the company unveils the handset’s shortly. Recent rumors point to a skin full with BlackBerry’s own apps and features build on top of Android Lollipop. You can see the leaked video of the upcoming handset below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: Evan Blass (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: BlackBerry Passport running Android Lollipop gets spotted on camera
What is the BlackBerry Venice all about? Should anyone care?
If you like to read up on the latest smartphones then you’ll know about the rumors concerning a new Android device from BlackBerry. We’ve seen a few BlackBerry Venice image and video leaks posted on Twitter by Evan Blass (@evleaks). The device is supposedly slated for release in November on all four big U.S. carriers. So far, BlackBerry has neither denied nor confirmed the phone will run Android. Is it for real? And if so, what is BlackBerry thinking?
The BlackBerry Venice
If you’ve managed to miss the details, the BlackBerry Venice appears to be a large smartphone with a 5.4-inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel, curved AMOLED display. Slide it up and you reveal a full physical keyboard. It will have a 1.8GHz 64-bit, hexa-core Snapdragon 808 inside with 3GB of RAM. There’s also talk of an 18MP camera with OIS and a 5MP front-facing camera.
We know the phone is real, because BlackBerry showed it off very briefly at MWC back in March, but we don’t know the specs for sure, and back then it appeared to be running BB10. What has really gotten people talking about it is the idea it will run Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the gate. This is based on a bunch of further leaks showing Google services and Android apps on the phone alongside BlackBerry services and apps.
Is it credible?
There are plenty of reasons to believe the Venice could be BlackBerry’s first official Android smartphone, but we won’t know for sure until the company actually says so.
The rumor definitely gathered pace in June after the BlackBerry CEO, John Chen, told CNBC, “We only build secure phones and BlackBerry is the most secure phone so, if I can find a way to secure the Android phone, I will also build that.”
The BlackBerry Venice also looks like it could be the fruit of a closer partnership with Samsung. At the start of the year we looked at the rumors about Samsung and BlackBerry. Samsung CEO, J.K. Shin, told WSJ, “We want to work with BlackBerry and develop this partnership, not acquire the company.” Could Samsung be involved with the BlackBerry Venice? It’s possible, especially if those curved edges are more than just cosmetic.
As for BlackBerry moving its services and apps onto Android, we know that’s happening regardless of this phone. Take a look at BlackBerry’s Play Store wares already. Chen was pretty clear at MWC about the change of strategy to push BlackBerry’s suite of solutions onto new hardware, “We are going to make sure our software addresses everybody’s phone — wearables, vending machines, a rice cooker in your house — anything that has an IP address.”
A BlackBerry Venice that runs Android 5.0 Lollipop, but with a unique BlackBerry veneer on top, delivering greater security and more BB services, is a definite possibility.
Wait a minute…
As much as this is all possible, would BlackBerry abandon the BlackBerry 10 platform? It seems a shame because the company finally got a lot right with BB10 and you can install Android apps on BB10 devices, though the experience isn’t always ideal. But regardless of the merits of BB10, it definitely came too late. According to IDC BlackBerry OS had a 0.3% share of the worldwide smartphone OS market in the first quarter of the year, down from 0.5% in 2014.
Some have suggested that the Venice will come in Android or BB10 versions. That seems like it would just confuse potential buyers. Dual boot isn’t really a viable solution either, it’s not exactly user-friendly and there’s little incentive for Google to agree. If BlackBerry wants success with this handset, then it needs to have some mass market appeal, but adopting Android could definitely be interpreted as throwing in the towel for BB10.
What’s the purpose?
Maybe the Venice is like a reference device that BlackBerry can use to show off a fuller integration of its services with Android and try and drum up more interest in software licensing. It can’t seriously be betting that it will sell enough handsets to get back in the game — that would go against what Chen has been saying about spreading BB’s software onto every device.
There’s a bit of a line to tread. If BlackBerry wants a major hit with the BlackBerry Venice then it will have to have some major USPs, but if it wants more customers using BlackBerry software it will have to roll it out on more Android devices. The latter looks more likely.
A few reports have mentioned BlackBerry’s acquisition of AndroidSecured domains. Try typing androidsecured.com into your browser and take a look. It’s clearly about bringing BlackBerry Enterprise Security to the Android platform, which could definitely be mutually beneficial. Android has security issues, BlackBerry wants on to more devices.
Why buy the Venice?
We took a look at 4 ways BlackBerry could be unique on Android a while back, but BES and BBM are already available on Android devices and maybe the BlackBerry Hub will join them soon. In terms of standing out from the Android OEM crowd that would leave the Venice with BlackBerry’s traditional crown jewel – the physical keyboard.
That could actually still be reason enough for a lot of people to buy it. There aren’t a lot of great options if you want a physical keyboard, though the size of the market for them is debatable. Samsung’s inclusion of the keyboard case for the Note 5 and Edge Plus suggests it thinks that there is some demand, and it also neatly displays how most BB keyboard alternatives are not up to scratch.
The BlackBerry Venice could well be the first official Android smartphone from BlackBerry ushering in closer integration of BlackBerry services and Android, but we’d surprised if that was retained as an exclusive for the Venice handset. If BlackBerry is going to secure a sizeable slice of the Android pie it will need to do it with software not hardware.
Are you excited by the prospect of a Blackberry running Android? If so, what about it appeals most to you?
BlackBerry Passport sports Android in demo video
An Android-powered slider may not be the only phone BlackBerry has pegged for Google’s mobile OS. Following the leaks of a device codenamed “Venice” that’s said to be offered in both Android and BB10 versions, a video of the recently announced Passport Silver Edition surfaced. The square QWERTY handset isn’t running BlackBerry’s software, though, it’s sportin’ Lollipop. In the video from Dudu Rocha Tec., a prototype version of the new Passport is equipped with what appears to be stock Android. It’ll be interesting to see if this phone also packs in some of BB10’s notable features like Venice is rumored to do. BlackBerry hasn’t tipped its hand on Android devices just yet, so we’ll have to wait and see if another model of the silver Passport will be the second model that’ll tempt those who prefer Google’s mobile software. BlackBerry is already working with Mountain View on a more secure enterprise version of Android, and a number of reports indicate that the company is planning it’s own Lollipop (or Marshmellow) phones in the near future.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Via:
Pocket-lint
Source:
Dudu Rocha Tec. (YouTube)
Tags: android, blackberry, blackberrypassport, mobilepostcross, passport
Blackberry Passport shown off in video running Lollipop
Last week the Blackberry Venice was shown off in several new leaked images and videos, and this morning we learned that Blackberry may be bringing BB10 features to its Android build. The evidence continues to pile up in favor of a Blackberry Android device, but if you’re still not convinced that Blackberry is toying around with Android, perhaps this latest video will serve as enough evidence.
As you can see, the unique Blackberry Passport is shown in the video above rocking Android Lollipop. Aside from taking us through the UI, not a lot is known about what we are looking at here. While it’s certainly possible that Blackberry is working on an Android-powered version of the Passport, that’s far from the only explanation.
Android-Blackberry hype and speculation won’t slow down any until Blackberry either releases the Venice or publicly denies it is working on Android devices.
For one thing, Blackberry could actually be using the Passport as a testing bed for its Android activity in preparation of the Venice, and not necessarily because they are planning an Android Passport variant. Another possibility is that this is nothing more than the work of an enterprising ROMer and isn’t an official Blackberry-supported Android build at all. In other words, don’t take this one at face value just yet, though anything is possible.
Regardless of what Blackberry is planning internally, it’s pretty obvious that the Android-Blackberry hype and speculation won’t slow down any until Blackberry either releases the Venice or publicly denies it is working on Android devices. Even the latter might not stop the rumors at this point. It is a bit curious that a company many wrote off as dead not long ago is now stirring up some much intrigue. Of course, it could just be that we’re all curious to see if Android can be the company’s saviour. That or we are just feeling nostalgic.
What do you think, would you ever consider a Blackberry Android device? If so, what kind of implementation would you prefer – a bottom-slider like the Venice, a side-slider, a Passport-like design, a traditional Blackberry keyboard device, or a full touchscreen model? Let us know what you think in the comments.
BlackBerry Venice will come with BB10 features
The upcoming BlackBerry Venice slider has leaked several times and based on previous leaks, the handset appears to be running a close-to-stock version of the Android OS. However, all is not as it seems as the handset could marry the stock Android interface with some of the features from the BlackBerry 10 operating system.
Another leak from perennial tipster Evan Blass (aka @evleaks) has dumped a list of APKs that are running on the BlackBerry Venice and as you can see in the picture below, BlackBerry is porting the best bits of Blackberry 10 to its Android device.
Looking at the list of APKs, there are a few that stand out and one in particular that could be very appealing; BlackBerry Hub is the company’s unified notifications centre and one of the most impressive things about the BlackBerry 10 OS; it’s a simple way to have all your emails, contacts, calendars, messages, notes, IM and even BBM all in one place.
What the leak does show is that BlackBerry isn’t going to be just another Android OEM and instead, will show that the modern BlackBerry smartphone experience is about more than the company’s in-house OS. Will the BlackBerry Slider draw people back into the BlackBerry ecosystem? It remains to be seen but I can’t wait to see the Venice slider in the flesh.
What do you think of BlackBerry’s Venice slider? Check out all the BlackBerry Venice leaks and let us know your views in the comments below guys!
AIVAnet 