Android Authority this week
Android fans, this was a bit quiet on the Android front (unless you count the outrageous April Fools’ pranks that made the rounds), but Google made it up to us with some interesting developments on the Chrome OS front. Google and its partners launched cheap new Chromebooks, a new Chromebase, the Chromebit TV dongle, and a tool that allows just about any Android app to run on Chrome OS. In other news, we heard rumors about the Xperia Z4 and the LG G4, Lollipop updates hit several popular devices, Google updated some of its apps, HTC introduced the One E9+ and the One M8+, and OnePlus finally released its new Oxygen OS.
Inside AA HQ
It was no April Fools’ joke, but it was announced on April 1, naturally creating a little confusion. Experienced tech journalist, prodigious Twitter user, and all around jolly good fellow Nirave Ghondia is joining Android Authority. Based in the UK, Nirave will contribute features and opinion pieces on the hottest developments in the tech world. Here’s to a long and fertile collaboration!
Spearheaded by Gary, we’re doubling down on our developer-focused content. By the way, if you’re interested in developing for Android and IoT, you should give our weekly developer newsletter a look. It’s all hand-picked resources that – we hope – will help improve your skills.
We’re also pushing hard with our new app and product database, so hopefully we’ll have some good news to share in the next weeks.
A PSA from my colleagues doing our podcast: we’ve published last week’s edition (Sci-Fi tech of today) – sorry for the delay! We’ve also put up this week’s edition (Chrome OS), so happy listening!
As always, Sunday brings you the chance to win a cool new device from our weekly giveaway (we’ve changed up the raffle widget, by the way, hope you like the new one). This week it’s a Galaxy S6 Edge.
The Friday Debate Podcast
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
Here are some interesting posts for your Sunday reading:
- Review: The Galaxy S6 Edge review: a unique phone, but is it worth your money?
- Opinion: Matt has made up his mind – he’s choosing the Galaxy S6 over the Edge. Here’s why
- Review: Kevin puts the Meizu M1 Note to the test – see what he thinks about it
- April Fools’: The best tech April Fools’ pranks in one place
- Feature: Samsung seems to be moving away from Qualcomm – is it a good move?
- Feature: Which voice call app consumes the most data? Rob put the top 10 to the test
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
Xperia Z4 specs revealed?
LG G4 news and rumors
Lollipop rollout
- Verizon LG G2 gets Android 5.0 Lollipop, ahead of the G3
- AT&T HTC One M7 getting Lollipop today, AT&T M8 update on 4/6
- One M7 getting Lollipop in India and other Asian countries
- Galaxy Note 4 getting Lollipop in India, Brazil, UAE and more
- Android 5.0 Lollipop now rolling out to the Verizon Galaxy Note 4
Google apps updates
- New Gmail update for Android brings a unified inbox, conversation view and much more
- Google will now integrate all of your photos and videos from Google+ into Drive
- A Google Now-style facelift is making its way to Chrome OS beta
- Google News and Weather updated, adds new “suggested for you” feature
New HTC devices
- One E9+ launched in China: 5.5-inch Quad HD, MediaTek processor, plastic body
- HTC launches One M8s, a Snapdragon 615-powered version of last year’s M8
Chrome OS in the spotlight
- Google announces the Chromebit, an easy way to bring Chrome OS to your TV
- Google unveils four new budget-friendly Chromebooks for under $250
- Acer Chromebase announced, touchscreen in tow
- Google’s ARC Welder tool makes it easy to run almost any Android app on Chrome
Oxygen OS is here
Sound off
We always want to hear your feedback. Whether it’s criticism or praise, feel free to tell us what you think about Android Authority’s content, design, and community. Comment here or get in touch with us on our social channels:
Happy Sunday!
Sony Xperia Z4 images leaked, show much the same as Z3
With Samsung and HTC both releasing their flagship devices already, attention turns to Sony and their next iteration of their Xperia range. The Xperia Z4 was already expected to be released around the same time as the S6 and One M9, but it’s still yet to surface.
A couple of images have leaked, however, that claim to be the Xperia Z4 with a model number E6553.
it will be powered by a Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, Adreno 430 GOPU, and 32GB of storage – not far different from the Xperia Z3. The similarities continue in the 20.7-Megapixel camera featured on the Z4.
No news about release date yet, but I wouldn’t have thought it’d be too long before we see a device from Sony.
The post Sony Xperia Z4 images leaked, show much the same as Z3 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Alleged leaked images of the Sony Xperia Z4 show very little new information
Sony is expected to be announcing its half yearly flagship refresh in the next month or so with the Sony Xperia Z4, and the rumour mill has been turning. The latest leak actually shows very little new information in terms of overall design, but we do see a bit of information on the screen of the device, namely […]
The post Alleged leaked images of the Sony Xperia Z4 show very little new information appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Sony Xperia Z4 Images Leaked
Sony’s flagship device for 2015 has been much anticipated due to the always-beautiful design of the Japanese tech giant and the powerful specs we’ve all come to know and love. The Xperia Z4 will feature a sleek glass back and front design with a 1080p display. It will be powered by a Snapdragon 810 processor, 3 GB of RAM, an Adreno 430 GPU, and 32 GB of storage. The camera will be a 20.7 MP shooter, much like the Z3. The device will be waterproof, like its predecessors, and will run on a powerful 3400 mAh battery.
There’s no word yet on a release date, but for right now, feast your eyes on some leaked photos of the device:
Source: In2Mobile
via: PhoneArena
Come comment on this article: Sony Xperia Z4 Images Leaked
OnLive announces its shutdown after Sony acquires “important parts”
Cloud gaming service OnLive has announced it will be shut down later this month. The reason for the shutdown is that Sony has acquired “important parts” of the service and the company has no plans to continue operating OnLive. That decision makes sense considering Sony operates PlayStation Now, another cloud gaming service featuring titles from the platforms vast catalog. So the pieces of OnLive being acquired by Sony are almost guaranteed to be integrated into PlayStation Now.
Data centers supporting OnLive’s services will cease to exist on April 30. Subscribers will no longer be charged and games will go inaccessible on that date. All data will be deleted after accounts are closed.
The following notice was left on OnLive’s customer service site:
It is with great sadness that we must bring the OnLive Game Service to a close. Sony is acquiring important parts of OnLive, and their plans don’t include a continuation of the game service in its current form. Your service should continue uninterrupted until April 30, 2015. No further subscription fees will be charged, and you can continue to play all of your games until that date.
After April 30, 2015, our data centers will shut down and the service will be offline. All accounts will be closed, and all data deleted including game save data, achievements, and credit card data will be deleted. If you purchased a Steam game from OnLive, that game will still be available on Steam. No refunds will be available for any game purchases, hardware purchases, or subscriptions.
We will have extremely limited coverage for customer service over the next 30 days. We hope the FAQs below will answer all of your questions. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being an OnLive customer, and we wish you all the best.
Source: OnLive
Come comment on this article: OnLive announces its shutdown after Sony acquires “important parts”
Report: Sony expects to sell 38 million handsets this year
The mobile industry has not been kind to Sony for the last few years. Sony has failed to recognize it needs to change in order to stay competitive and considered leaving the industry altogether because of this. It seems like the company will remain involved in mobile for the next year or two because a new campaign promotes their devices’ capabilities. Also, leaks have revealed that a Xperia Z4 is on the way. The Xperia Z4 and other handsets cause Sony to believe that it will sell thirty-eight million handsets in 2015, according to Digitimes. The report notes that Sony’s goal for the year has been lowered because of changes within the company’s mobile division. Sony now has a focus on mid-range and high-end devices.
Source: Digitimes
Come comment on this article: Report: Sony expects to sell 38 million handsets this year
OnLive gaming service will shut down April 30th following Sony acquisition
Sony is acquiring the remaining patents and assets that belong to OnLive, the popular game streaming service. Unfortunately Sony’s plans with the service don’t include any continuation of the gaming platform, so OnLive as a whole will be shut down on Thursday, April 30th.
The OnLive team explains:
After April 30, 2015, our data centers will shut down and the service will be offline. All accounts will be closed, and all data deleted including game save data, achievements, and credit card data will be deleted. If you purchased a Steam game from OnLive, that game will still be available on Steam. No refunds will be available for any game purchases, hardware purchases, or subscriptions.
OnLive won’t be collecting any more subscription fees, and you’ll be able to play all of your games until the 30th rolls around.
This should come as no surprise for people familiar with the service. OnLive has experienced a number of financial troubles in the past. After building up nearly $30 million in debt, the gaming service was bought out for $4.8 million by investment group Lauder Partners. After the big company restructure in 2012, the only big news that came from the service was the introduction of its could-based enterprise in 2014.
In the same year that OnLive went through its financial troubles, Sony bought Gaikai, OnLive’s main competitor, for $380 million. Sony eventually rolled out Gaikai’s features into what’s now known as Playstation Now, so it’s safe to say that we’ll see a few familiar OnLive features make their way to Playstation Now in the future.
Sony is “here to stay”, doubles down on Xperia Z3 marketing with global campaign starting today
Sony’s faith in its mobile business seemed to be severely shaken, as the storied Japanese company announced in February that it doesn’t see mobile as a growth area in the following years. But even if all options are on the table (including a sale or spinoff), Sony is not giving up on mobile just yet.
“Sony Mobile is here to say, we are absolutely going to focus on delivering profitable growth,” said this week Catherine Cherry, Sony Mobile director for the UK. In order to drive profitability, Sony is doubling down on marketing, with a new global ad campaign for the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact. The new “#iCan” campaign starts today and focuses on key selling points of the two devices, like water resistance and great low light photo performance.
The campaign, running on TV, billboards, and online, creates an “intentional sense of ambiguity” by alluding that Sony devices give users super powers like “I can see in the dark” or “I can stay awake for days.”
Without disclosing figures, Cherry said that Sony is investing heavily in this new campaign, with total spending matching the Xperia Z3 launch campaign from last autumn.
More Xperia Z3 videos
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While marketing is not the miracle drug that will heal Sony’s mobile ailment, it’s encouraging to see the company sending out a signal of stability and confidence. Above all, it’s good to see Sony actually trying to sell its excellent Xperia devices, which can hold their own against any flagship, but are invariably outshone by competitors when it comes to marketing and buzz.
Focusing on upscale devices like the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact is part of Sony’s strategy to shift focus towards the high end of the market in order to increase profits. Another step is to move back to longer release cycles; initially expected at MWC last month, the Xperia Z4’s launch seems to have been pushed back towards autumn.
Released at IFA in September 2014, the Xperia Z3 remains a prime choice, while the Xperia Z3 Compact is still included on our list of best unlocked Android smartphones.
Sony buys what’s left of OnLive, service shuts down April 30th
Sony Computer Entertainment is buying the remaining patents and assets belonging to OnLive, the cloud-computing service that some might say was ahead of its time. OnLive as a service will shut down on April 30th and the company won’t collect any more subscription fees. On April 30th, all OnLive player data will be deleted, though any Steam games purchased through the service will continue to reside on Steam.
“It is with great sadness that we must bring the OnLive Game Service to a close,” OnLive writes. “Sony is acquiring important parts of OnLive, and their plans don’t include a continuation of the game service in its current form.”
Sony bought game-streaming service Gaikai for $380 million in July 2012, and it’s since turned all of that tech into PlayStation Now. OnLive was purchased once before: A venture capital bought the company for $4.8 million in 2012, after the company accrued roughly $30 million in debt. OnLive hung in there for a few more years, in 2014 announcing a new cloud-based enterprise.
Regarding its closure, OnLive says, “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being an OnLive customer, and we wish you all the best.”
It is with great sadness that we must bring the OnLive Game Service to a close. Sony is acquiring… Read More: http://t.co/WGaO1IsrmY
– OnLive (@OnLive) April 2, 2015
Source: OnLive
Sony Xperia Z4 passes through FCC with microSD card slot in tow
The Xperia Z4 is definitely headed for a debut some time this month or next, as more and more details continue to come out. A few days ago, purported specs of the Xperia Z4 leaked out on GFXBench. Yesterday, it seems as if the upcoming Sony device has passed through the FCC.
According to the FCC documents, the unnamed Sony device packs nearly the same dimensions as the Xperia Z3. One of the highlights of the latest info on what could be of the Xperia Z4, is that it features a microSD card slot. It’s good to see that Sony is sticking to their guns, because as we’ve seen with Samsung, microSD expansion isn’t that important.
Not much else is mentioned throughout the FCC documents, although Phandroid notes that “the device in question is packing a nice amount of frequency bands to support US networks.”
Now that more info is coming out on the Xperia Z4, does that get you excited about the upcoming Sony device? Be sure to let us know what you think!
The post Sony Xperia Z4 passes through FCC with microSD card slot in tow appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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