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Posts tagged ‘Lenovo’

8
Sep

Android Wear is coming to China with Motorola’s help


Motorola's 2nd-generation Moto 360 smartwatch

Android Wear smartwatches have been available in many places for a while, but not China — the platform’s dependencies on Google Play and Google Now weren’t going to fly when Google refuses to offer some services in the censorship-heavy country. Motorola isn’t deterred, however. It’s releasing a version of the new Moto 360 in China with local services in place of their Google equivalents. Mobvoi will handle both search and voice recognition, third-party stores will offer apps and Sogou will handle navigation. It definitely won’t represent the familiar Android Wear experience, but it will give Chinese Android fans a wearable option they haven’t had before.

So why is Google willing to compromise on its historically tight control over Android Wear, especially when it isn’t likely to make much if any money on Chinese sales? Google doesn’t say much in its chat with The Verge on the subject, but this is likely about giving the platform a foothold that it wouldn’t have otherwise. Unlike with phones, there hasn’t been a version of Android Wear that China-focused manufacturers (like Motorola’s parent, Lenovo) could use. If Google didn’t bend, it would effectively hand the Chinese smartwatch market to Apple, Samsung and other companies that are either building their own platforms or creating decidedly unofficial Android watches. This sets a baseline where Google can deliver its core experience and push updates relatively frequently.

Filed under:
Wearables, Mobile, Google, Lenovo

Comments

Source:
The Verge

Tags: android, androidwear, china, google, lenovo, mobilepostcross, mobvoi, moto360, motorola, smartwatch, sogou, wearable

8
Sep

Moto 360 heading to China without Google Now or Play


moto 360 ifa aa (2 of 18)

Google’s Android Wear platform is looking to make inroads in China with the second generation Moto 360. However, the smartwatch won’t quite be making the move with all of its features intact. Google Now and the Play Store will be notably absent from the smartwatch, as Google’s services are still banned in the country. Instead, Mobvoi, which is based in China, will be providing local search and voice recognition software for the smartwatch.

Google has had to do quite a bit of re-engineering to strip out some of its core services from Android Wear, according to David Singleton, Engineering Director for Android. As well as removing core search and app functionality from the wearable OS, subtle localization tweaks, such as changing “Ok Google” to “Ni hao Android” has also taken considerable effort.

The end result is that Android Wear remains mostly familiar, but there’s clearly some additional fragmentation to the wearable platform now, which is something that the search giants tried to avoid by preventing OEM forked versions of Android Wear. Chinese app developers will be able to install apps onto the Wear devices, which will obviously have to come from third party stores. As well as MobVoi’s voice features, Sogou will be providing the default map software for Android Wear.

“For Android Wear and wearables in general, we still feel the market is really early … There’s a real need to be able to iterate quickly.” – David Singleton, Engineering Director for Android

Google appears to be taking a major interest in the Chinese technology market once again, especially with the Huawei built Nexus on its way. Although, the company may still struggle to capitalize on widespread Android adoption in China without ready access to the majority of its services and the longer development times associated with localization. Recent sources from The Information and the Wall Street Journal suggest that Google may be planning to launch a censored Chinese version of its app store, which would certainly help Google gain some grip on Android in China.

7
Sep

Motorola scrapped a Value Tier Moto 360


moto 360 ifa aa (14 of 18)

Motorola recently announced its second generation Moto 360 smartwatch, which comes in classic and sport versions. New information states that a third Moto 360 Value Tier model was also in the works, but the project was cancelled before it ever entered production.

Moto 360 Value Tier conecpt

Imaan Naeem, an Industrial Designer at Motorola, has revealed that the Value Tier smartwatch was designed for the youth market and has also provided some concept images and photo-realistic renders of what the smartwatch would have looked like.

Although she didn’t share exactly what made the Value Tier 360 cheaper than the other models, a closer look at the renders reveals a plastic trim on the case, the heart rate monitor is missing, there’s a proprietary metal contact charging port rather than support for wireless charging, and the wrist band options are limited to just the NATO bands.

Moto 360 Value Tier conecpt 1
Moto 360 Value Tier conecpt 2
Moto 360 Value Tier conecpt 3

Although we don’t know how much this Moto 360 version would have ended up costing, the missing features and the name suggest that it would have cost quite a bit less than the new Moto 360’s $300+ price tag. The market is rather devoid of very affordable cost Android Wear devices, so such a watch may have been a good first purchase for those who are still unsure about the whole smartwatch idea. Naeem didn’t reveal why the Moto 360 Value Tier was cancelled. Perhaps Motorola simply chose the Sport option over a lower cost model?

Do you think that Motorola missed out on the opportunity to release a more cost effective smartwatch, or is the lack of features not really very appealing?

7
Sep

Motorola scrapped a Value Tier Moto 360


moto 360 ifa aa (14 of 18)

Motorola recently announced its second generation Moto 360 smartwatch, which comes in classic and sport versions. New information states that a third Moto 360 Value Tier model was also in the works, but the project was cancelled before it ever entered production.

Moto 360 Value Tier conecpt

Imaan Naeem, an Industrial Designer at Motorola, has revealed that the Value Tier smartwatch was designed for the youth market and has also provided some concept images and photo-realistic renders of what the smartwatch would have looked like.

Although she didn’t share exactly what made the Value Tier 360 cheaper than the other models, a closer look at the renders reveals a plastic trim on the case, the heart rate monitor is missing, there’s a proprietary metal contact charging port rather than support for wireless charging, and the wrist band options are limited to just the NATO bands.

Moto 360 Value Tier conecpt 1
Moto 360 Value Tier conecpt 2
Moto 360 Value Tier conecpt 3

Although we don’t know how much this Moto 360 version would have ended up costing, the missing features and the name suggest that it would have cost quite a bit less than the new Moto 360’s $300+ price tag. The market is rather devoid of very affordable cost Android Wear devices, so such a watch may have been a good first purchase for those who are still unsure about the whole smartwatch idea. Naeem didn’t reveal why the Moto 360 Value Tier was cancelled. Perhaps Motorola simply chose the Sport option over a lower cost model?

Do you think that Motorola missed out on the opportunity to release a more cost effective smartwatch, or is the lack of features not really very appealing?

7
Sep

Lenovo Vibe X3 passes through China’s TENAA certification process


lenovo-vibe-x3-tenaa

Rumors about Lenovo’s latest round of smartphone releases can be traced as far back as February of this year. Back then the rumor was that Lenovo would launch the Vibe P1, Vibe S1, and the Vibe X3 at MWC 2015. That didn’t happen, however Lenovo did announce the Vibe P1 and the Vibe S1 at IFA 2015 along with the PHAB and PHAB Plus, as well as the YOGA Tablet 3 and YOGA Tablet 3 Pro.

So what about the Vibe X3? According to official documents posted on China’s TENAA website, the Vibe X3 has been sent to the telecommunications equipment certification center in China.

The 5.5 inch Lenovo Vibe X3 sports a full HD display, 3GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808, and runs Android Lollipop 5.1.1. The rear facing camera is reported to be a huge 21MP, while the front facing camera is said to use a 8MP sensor.

As can be seen from the TENAA photos, it looks like the device has a fingerprint reader and dual flash. Also if you look carefully, you can see there are two front facing speakers.

The Vibe X3 has yet to be officially announced by Lenovo, but since it has now been certified by TENAA then we can expect it to appear soon. The model described supports 2G, 3G, and 4G, however looking at the supported frequencies it looks like this phone is only designed for the Asian markets, however that doesn’t mean that Lenovo won’t release an “international” version.

7
Sep

Lenovo starts rolling out Android 5.0 update for the A6000 in India


Lenovo A6000

Lenovo has finally started pushing out the long-awaited Android 5.0 update to all unlocked models of the A6000 located in the India. In terms of added functionality, this upgrade brings the the latest build of the open-source operating system to the handset, as well as a multitude of bug fixes and stability improvements.

Hit the break for the full changelog.

  • Material Design: You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device – from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets.
  • Notifications UI & Priorities: In order to alert you to the mosttimely and relevant information, the format and behavior of notifications have evolved:
    • notifications will appear on the lock screen and are intelligently ranked by type and who sent them.
    • you double-tap to open one, swipe left or right to clear one, or clear all notifications from the bottom of the list.
    • you can set the priority and privacy of notifications for each application.
    • very high priority notifications will pop up briefly over other applications so that you can take action.
    • when you dismiss a notification on one device it will be dismissed on your other Android devices, if they are connected to the Internet.
    • you can further tailor how notifications behave with the new Downtime and Ambient Display settings (see below).
  • New Interruptions & Downtime Settings: You can tailor how interruptions behave, choosing to allow all, none, or only priority interruptions.  You can personalize what counts as a priority interruption (reminders, events, calls, messages) and even tailor them to be from only contacts you specify.  The Downtime setting will allow only priority interruptions during the times and days that you specify.  e.g. allow only priority interruptions on the weekend.
  • Recent Apps (Multi-tasking): The redesigned Overview space (formerly called Recents) will include both applications and separate activities within those applications.  For instance, each open tab in Chrome will also appear here along with recent applications; both your Gmail Inbox and a draft email message will appear as separate cards.  This provides a consistent way to switch amongst tasks.
  • Flashlight: Lollipop includes a new flashlight option as part of Quick settings (swipe down with two fingers from the status bar to see it).
  • Pin a view/app: Screen pinning allows you to keep a specific app or screen in view. For example, you can ‘pin’ a game and your child will not be able to navigate anywhere else on your phone.
  • Battery: The Battery settings panel now shows an estimated projection for how much time you have left while discharging or charging.  You can also enable a new battery saver mode that will save power by reducing performance and most background data operations to extend your battery life.
  • Smarter Internet Connections: With Android Lollipop, your phone will not connect to a Wi-Fi access point unless there is a verified Internet connection. This feature improves hand-offs between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, helping to maintain your video chat or voice-over-IP (VoIP) call as you switch.
  • Performance: Your phone now uses the new Android Runtime to help optimize application performance.  After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimization process.  Note that the optimization for ART requires more space.
  • Security: Encryption can now use a stronger 256-bit key to help protect your data.  Note that the stronger key willonly be used after you perform a factory reset on Android Lollipop.  Otherwise encryption will continue to use 128-bit key.  You can turn on encryption in the Security settings menu.

If you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that the update is ready for your device, you could always search for the upgrade manually. To do so simply follow the four steps below:

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Scroll to the bottom and tap on “About Device”
  3. Hit “System Updates”
  4. Tap on “Check for update”

Come comment on this article: Lenovo starts rolling out Android 5.0 update for the A6000 in India

6
Sep

Android Authority this week – September 9, 2015


huawei mate s aa 9

It was the week of IFA, and some of the biggest names in technology delivered once again. Sony launched a new generation of the Xperia Z series, including the bombshell Xperia Z5 Premium, the world’s first 4K smartphone. Samsung managed to wow us with a Tizen smartwatch that actually looks sleek and compelling. Motorola brought out its refined Moto 360 2nd generation.  Huawei introduced the impressive Mate S and the long-delayed Huawei Watch. Lenovo and ZTE continued their quest to conquer the market with affordable, but competent devices. Startup Nextbit showed off a fresh take on the cloud-centric smartphone concept. And maybe the hottest news of the week: details on the upcoming LG Nexus 5X.

Inside AA HQ

Having a team that is spread out throughout the world has its perks, but one drawback is we don’t often get to see each other IRL. That’s why big shows like IFA and MWC are special for us on a personal level. Not only we see each other, we get to meet up with our colleagues, friends (and competitors) in the blogosphere and media. And for people that spend their days literally staring at screens, that’s a blast.

Lanh working his magic at #IFA2015 #note5 #xperiaz5premium who wins?

A photo posted by Android Authority (@androidauthority) on Sep 4, 2015 at 3:21am PDT

http://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js

Josh, Lanh, Nirave and I have had a good time in bustling Berlin, bringing you what we hope is some of the best IFA coverage around. But the show still goes on, so keep it tuned for more posts and videos over the next couple of days.

This week, we brought you our exclusive report on the Nexus 5X. Coming September 29 at an affordable price, the Nexus 5X will probably be targeted at the mass market, and that makes us happy – more people will be enjoying Android in the most Googley way possible, and we can’t wait to see the new device (and Huawei’s Nexus) in action.

Is 4K even remotely necessary on a smartphone screen? The debate will rage on for years, but Full HD is still a great choice, especially if battery life is what you’re after. From my hands-on time with the Full HD Xperia Z5, it’s a lovely piece of gear. If you want to win one, our weekly giveaway is the place to go – best of luck to everyone!

sony xperia z5 & z5 compact & Z5 premium aa 20

The stuff you shouldn’t miss

Top news of the week

Xperia, now in 4K

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Gear S2 is here, and it’s impressive

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Moto 360, take two

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Huawei Mate S

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New Lenovos

lenovo yoga 3 ifa aa (13 of 22)

Nexus 5X coming soon

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Nextbit Robin: perching in the cloud

nextbit ifa aa (2 of 8)

Axon Elite

ZTE AXON Elite ifa aa (16 of 21)

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5
Sep

Here are the videos you don’t want to miss this week – September 5th, 2015


sony xperia z5 & z5 compact & Z5 premium aa 24

IFA 2015 is just now wrapping up, and we’ve been working extremely hard to bring you the best Android coverage from the trade show. Tons of technology manufacturers have unveiled their new devices for the year, and we got the chance to go hands-on with many of the new offerings.

Sony took the wraps off the highly-anticipated Z5, Z5 Compact and Z5 Premium, and we also got the chance to check out the newest smartwatches from Motorola, Samsung and Alcatel OneTouch. We even managed to bring you full reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+.

Without any further ado, here are the videos you don’t want to miss this week.

Hands-on and first impressions

Sony Xperia Z5 first look

Sony has just unveiled its newest flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z5. Does this new model come with any notable upgrades compared to its predecessor? Josh goes hands-on with the new Z5.

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium first look

Sony surprised us all with the launch of the Xperia Z5 Premium – the world’s first smartphone with a 4K display. But is that what consumers need? Lanh finds out in his first look at the Z5 Premium.

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact first look

Alongside the Z5 proper and Z5 Premium, Sony took the wraps off its latest small offering, the Xperia Z5 Compact. Is this new device worth your hard-earned cash? Josh goes hands-on with the Z5 Compact.

Motorola Moto 360 (2nd Gen.) first look

It’s finally here, folks. Motorola has taken the wraps off its newest Android Wear-powered device, the Moto 360 (2nd Gen.). Let’s take a quick look at what the Lenovo-owned company changed this time around.

Samsung Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic hands-on

We have finally gotten to go hands-on with the latest wearable from Samsung, the Gear S2. Let’s see what this new Tizen-powered wearable has to offer!

ZTE Axon Elite first look

The ZTE Axon Elite is the international version of the original ZTE Axon, but what’s the difference? Josh goes hands-on and takes a first look at the new Axon Elite.

LG Watch Urbane Luxe first look

LG created one of the best Android Wear devices of the year with its Watch Urbane, and now there’s a newer, pricier option in town. The LG Watch Urbane Luxe sports a coat of 23k gold… yes, really. Check out the video above for more info.

Lenovo YOGA Tablet 3 Pro first look

Lenovo has just announced its latest addition to the YOGA line, the YOGA Tablet 3 Pro. Check out Josh’s first look at the new tablet in the video above.

For the sake of saving space, we’ll link you to some of the other great hands-on and first impressions videos you may have missed this week:

Reviews

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review

The Note 5 is one of the best smartphones currently available on the market, but it also comes with a few major caveats for some users. Check out Josh’s full review to learn more.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ review

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge is one of the better looking smartphones out there, but does the company’s Plus iteration bring anything new to the table? Let’s find out.

Epson Moverio BT200 Smart Glasses review

In the technology world, virtual reality and augmented reality platforms are just now making their way into consumer products. You may not be entirely familiar with this product, but perhaps you should. Gary reviews the Epson Moverio BT200 Smart Glasses.

Head-to-head

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5 quick look

Two of the hottest smartphones go head to head. Check out Lanh’s quick comparison of the Xperia Z5 Premium vs the Galaxy Note 5.

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium vs LG G4 quick look

LG hit the ball out of the park with the G4 this year, but how does it fare against the best from Sony? Take a look at Lanh’s quick comparison of the LG G4 vs Xperia Z5 Premium.

Huawei Honor 7 vs Ascend Mate 7

Wondering how two of Huawei’s top-tier smartphones fare against one another? Nirave takes a close look a the Huawei Honor 7 vs the Ascend Mate 7.

Android Apps Weekly

Paid YouTube, Pokemon Shuffle, Malware dev is headed to prison – you don’t want to miss Joe’s newest episode of Android Apps Weekly!

The best new apps and games

10 best new Android apps and games from August 2015

August has come and gone and with it marks the beginning of the end of the season. It also left us with a bunch of awesome new Android apps and games! Let’s take a quick look at the best ones released this past month.

We know there’s a lot to take in here, but tell us – what’s your favorite Android-powered device that was announced this week?

5
Sep

Lenovo YOGA Tablet 3 Pro hands-on and first look


Lenovo recently took the wraps off its newest additions to the popular YOGA Tablet line, the YOGA Tablet 3 and Tablet 3 Pro. Both devices aim to provide users with an equal mix of multimedia and productivity features as they have in the past, but the company’s higher-end offering, the YOGA Tablet 3 Pro, comes with a few additional features that may be worth your while.

Join us as we go hands-on and take an early look at the newest high-end device from Lenovo, the YOGA Tablet 3 Pro.

The latest from Lenovo

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lenovo yoga 3 ifa aa (20 of 22)

As is the case with other tablets in the company’s YOGA line, the Tablet 3 Pro features a design that’s pretty out of the ordinary. The majority of the tablet is extremely thin, with the battery, speakers and built-in kickstand all being housed on one side. The built-in kickstand is somewhat of a staple in the YOGA line, and it provides an easy way to prop up the tablet at various angles.

lenovo yoga 3 ifa aa (7 of 22)

This protruding side of the device doesn’t just house the kickstand, though. The Tablet 3 Pro also comes with a built-in projector that can rotate up to 180 degrees, based upon how the tablet is standing. The company’s YOGA Tablet 2 Pro also featured a projector, though it was built in to the side of the device which made it quite awkward to navigate around the tablet when projecting something onto a screen. Lenovo has fixed this issue with the Tablet 3 Pro, as the projector is now built in to the top of the tablet, allowing you to project an image on the wall in front of you.

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It’s capable of projecting a 70-inch picture at 480p resolution and can achieve a brightness of 50 nits. Of course, this isn’t the most powerful projector on the market, but that doesn’t really matter. The added benefit of having a projector built in to a tablet will likely be a big selling point among users, especially when it comes to consuming media like Netflix or Hulu.

lenovo yoga 3 ifa aa (19 of 22)

The YOGA Tablet 3 Pro sports a 10.1-inch IPS LCD display with an impressive resolution of 2560 x 1600. Underneath the surface you’ll find a quad-core Intel Atom x5-Z8500 processor with 2GB of RAM, which should definitely be strong enough to navigate through gaming, multitasking and more. The tablet also comes in 16 and 32GB options, with microSD expansion up to an additional 64GB. It’s also IP21 certified for splash proofing, and comes with a big 10200mAh battery that should be able to power the tablet for some time.

lenovo yoga 3 ifa aa (22 of 22)

There’s no doubt that the YOGA Tablet 3 Pro is a premium device through and through. It feels like a quality product in the hand thanks to its faux leather back plate and metallic construction, but like other YOGA tablets, it’s still pretty awkward to hold. The kickstand gets in the way at times, but that’s to be expected with a tablet that has one big protruding side.

A 13MP camera can be found on the back of the device, and a 5MP shooter is found up front. It also has front-facing JBL speakers that sport Dolby Atmos 3D Surround Sound technology, which actually helps to provide really great sound quality.

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On the software front, this tablet runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with just a few minimal customizations from Lenovo. Most notably, you’ll find Lenovo customizations in the recent applications screen, notification dropdown menu and icons. Other than that, this tablet is pretty light when it comes to extra features and customizations.

So there you have it – a first look at the Lenovo YOGA Tablet 3 Pro! This device will be available for purchase on November 1st starting at $499. Be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section below!

5
Sep

Lenovo PHAB Plus Hands on First Look


Smartphones are getting bigger and while phone with 5.5-inches were once known as phablets, the size has quickly become the norm. With this in mind, Lenovo is aiming to reinvent the phablet with the PHAB Plus but does it succeed? Let’s find out.

Lenovo-Phab-Plus-Hands-On-AA-(16-of-18)

The key standout feature on the Lenovo PHAB Plus is the incredibly large 6.8-inch Full HD display that offers a modest 324 pixels per inch density. At 229 grams, it’s certainly not the lightest smartphone in the world but the weight distribution makes the PHAB Plus feel considerably lighter than it actually is.

Lenovo claims that the handset design is “optimized for one handed use” which is certainly a bold claim given the size and, for the most part, this is definitely a phone you’ll use with two hands. However, it does have a cool software trick that lets you shrink the display to a much more manageable smaller display that is comfortable to use with one hand.

Lenovo-Phab-Plus-Hands-On-AA-(9-of-18)

Measuring just 7.6mm thin, the metal unibody design of the PHAB Plus feels premium and for the most part, the experience delivers. The handset is powered by an octa-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage that can be expanded using a microSD card slot.

On the back the Lenovo PHAB Plus has a 13MP rear camera with dual LED true-tone flash, while the front 5MP snapper should be good for selfies. The whole package is powered by a modest 3500 mAh battery that Lenovo claim should last an entire day and with dual SIM support, you’re able to use two SIM cards on LTE at the same time.

Lenovo-Phab-Plus-Hands-On-AA-(8-of-18)

The PHAB Plus runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop and, just like you’ll find with its other recent devices, Lenovo has decided to keep the software experience as close to vanilla Android as possible. As a result, the performance is certainly slick and there should be no performance concerns with the PHAB Plus.

The term phablet was first coined to describe the large screen devices but as 5.5-inches has become the norm in the industry, the term phablet has ceased to become relevant. When planning the PHAB Plus, Lenovo said to us that they wanted to create an experience that served the middle ground between 6-inch smartphones that are very expensive and underpowered 7-inch tablets that are very cheap.

Lenovo-Phab-Plus-Hands-On-AA-(13-of-18)

At a cost of $299, the company has certainly delivered on this claim and while many may think that the 6.8-inch display is too big for day-to-day use and phone calls, it’s worth remembering that the way we use our phones is changing. As Lenovo put it to us:

Smartphones are rarely used for phone calls so why does it need to be small so it’s comfortable to hold against your face?

And there you have it for our first quick look at the massive Lenovo PHAB Plus. What do you think of Lenovo’s new phablet-sized monster? Let us know your views in the comments below guys and don’t forget to check out all our great IFA 2015 coverage.