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Anyone tired of hearing about the White Nexus 4? Well if not, the press images of the device have just leaked out. There’s no real surprise in the aesthetics of it. It looks just like the black Nexus 4, which is in my hand right now, but the back and sides are white. It still has that black bezel. We are still hearing rumors that the white Nexus 4 will be coming on June 10th with a new version of Android and possibly a new Nexus 7.

The folks over at Android Police have grabbed the exclusive on these images, so we’ll tip our hats to Artem and his staff. We’ve seen this same device pop up at Google I/O and various other tech shows worldwide in the recent weeks. He is unable to confirm when it will be released, if it ever actually does get released. But since these are press photos, we are probably going to see it launch fairly soon. And not just be a special edition given out at a Google event (normally Google I/O, but that’s now over).

We’ve heard of rumors of a 32GB Nexus 4 and possibly with working LTE. Unfortunately, Android Police’s tipster informed them that the white Nexus 4 will be coming in 8GB and 16GB varieties. So it looks like no 32GB model, at least for now. We’ll keep our fingers crossed on that one. It’s also said to be running Android 4.2. Now this could be released before Android 4.3, or it could be released with it and get updated before launch. Who knows at this point. But it looks like the white Nexus 4 is indeed real and could see a retail launch very soon.

How many of you would pick up this “white” Nexus 4? Let us know in the comments below.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom – the long rumored extension of the S4 lineup that includes a fully integrated zoom lens – is looking more and more to be something that we really will be able to get our hands on someday.  Our sources indicate that we the Galaxy S4 Zoom will not simply be a full size Galaxy S4 with a zoom lens affixed to one side, but rather it will feature a smaller screen alongside the following rumored specs:

• Screen resolution of 540 x 960
• Pixel aspect ratio of 1:1
• 16 megapixel digital camera
• 10x optical zoom

This makes sense when one thinks about the trends in regards to the sizes of digital cameras compared to the sizes of smartphones.  While smartphones are continually getting bigger due to seeming ever growing screen sizes, digital cameras have long favored a smaller, more pocket-able form factor.  Samsung knows that old adage that “the best camera you have  is the one you have with you” and going after the smaller form factor helps to get them in your pocket!

I have to say that I love how Samsung introduces a flagship model and then creates variation after variation of it.  It is a smart business practice that appears to be working for the South Korean tech giant, as it allows going after several different niche user groups and possibly even targets the same customers twice.  I’d definitely be in the group that strongly consider adding the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom to my current smartphone, as there are times that a really high quality camera would be beneficial (so long as I could get it without having to secure it via my cell carrier because another contract one a camera is definitely something I could not justify).

Assuming that the Galaxy S4 Zoom does get introduced by Samsung, we have several questions about it and will be one of the first in line to check it out.  You can count on us to stay up to date with developments on the Galaxy S4 Zoom and bring you the news as it happens.  And, don’t forget to share your thoughts on the rumored Galaxy S4 Zoom in the comments below.  Let us know if it is something that you would buy!

Source:  UAProf

It’s time to take a look at another case for the Galaxy S4. So far we’ve taken a look at a couple of Cygnett’s Galaxy S4 cases and I’ve been rather impressed by them. Today, we are looking at the Carbon Fiber case from Case-Mate. That company may sound pretty familiar because they’ve made some great cases for other flagship devices in the past, and they have not disappointed us this time around. The Carbon Fiber case is made of lightweight plastic which protects your brand new Galaxy S4 from scratches and dents, etc., There’s also a soft interior which rubs against the back of your Galaxy S4. That soft interior is to absorb shock when you do drop your device. We all know it’s going to happen eventually right?

I’ve been using the Carbon Fiber case on the Galaxy S4 for a few days now and I’m quite pleased with it. It’s really sharp looking too. The back of it looks textured, but it actually isn’t. That was the only real thing I could find about the Carbon Fiber case that I didn’t like it. The front and back snap into place very easily making it easy to put on, but pretty difficult to take it off. Which is probably a good thing, so when you drop it the case may not pop off leaving your Galaxy S4 exposed.

The Carbon Fiber case from Case-Mate comes in both black and silver. Obviously I have the silver one here, which looks great on the white Galaxy S4. They are both available from Mobile Fun with a ton of other Galaxy S4 accessories and cases for your liking. The Case-Mate Carbon Fiber case is available for $50.99, at the time of writing this review. It’s a great case, and it should sell fairly well as it’s one of the better cases out there. If you’re looking for a case for your Galaxy S4, you’ll definitely want to check out this one.

If you’re anything like me. your first mobile phone was probably a Nokia. My first phone was, a trusty Nokia 3510i. It had a color screen, supported MMS, and the sides lit up when I had a call or a message. If my talk-time was low, I could get two weeks from a single charge.

That’s how many people regarded Nokia – the company which was once synonymous with making mobile devices. In a relatively short time they’ve gone from global domination to pretty much feeding off the scraps of Android and Apple (although Nokia still have sizable market share in the developing world). Another thing that many people would associated Nokia with is Windows Phone.

The partnership between Nokia and Windows hasn’t exactly proved to be a successful one – and after almost three years Windows Phone accounts for just 3.2 per cent of the global smartphone market, which is pretty poor, but still better than Blackberry which is now sitting at just 2.9 per cent. For all of the promotional efforts done worldwide from both Microsoft and Nokia in those three years, 3.2 per cent is a very low figure compared to Android’s 75 per cent dominance and Apple’s 17.3 per cent share of the same global market.

The decision to put all of Nokia’s eggs in the Windows Phone basket lies with Stephen Elop. Formerly one of the heads at Microsoft Office, Elop is Nokia’s under-fire Canadian CEO who has oversaw a poor take-up of his former companies operating system on Nokia’s devices, and shareholders are not happy whatsoever, and Elop could be out the door soon.

From my point of view, Nokia were never really at the starting blocks, and their MeeGo and Symbian devices were a poor alternative to the Android devices from manufacturers like HTC, Samsung and LG, many of which also hit a price point lower than that of Nokia’s devices. By the time they developed a strategic alliance with Microsoft, Android in particular had pulled way out in front of the chasing pack, and with continuous improvements to hardware, the Android platform itself, and crucially third-party developer support, any platform wishing to take third place would need to have a great application marketplace, and also a great brand. Whether or not Windows is/was the brand for that place in the market is questionable, and something outside the scope of this article, but maybe for another AH Primetime.

There is an option for Nokia to try and bolster some revenue, and that’s simply to offer an Android devices to the market. Obviously not many people (including myself), know the legal ramifications of such a move, but what would Nokia have to lose? Yes they would become ‘just another Android OEM’, but it hasn’t worked out too bad for companies like Samsung and LG.

Could you imagine if Nokia started making Android phones from the start? Would Samsung be as successful as they are now? Would the iPhone have been the choice of the business customer? So many things could have been different, a nice thought to have indeed.

Nokia make great hardware, they always did, it’s their unique selling point. A Nokia Android device similar to their latest Lumia, with Jelly Bean or maybe even Key Lime Pie and they could take my money. Whatever they choose to do, I wish them the best of luck.

Acer’s C7 Chromebook Getting an SSD

Looks like Acer’s C7 Chromebook is getting a bit of an upgrade. It’s said to be getting a 16GB SSD option but it’ll remain at $199. It’s still a great device for the price, especially if you live in Chrome.

Verizon’s “Cloud” Launches on Galaxy S4 and Droid DNA

Because Verizon had to create their own Cloud, where you get a whopping 500MB for free, they’ve now pushed it out to be available on iOS in addition to the Galaxy S4 and Droid DNA today.

Todo Pro beta Launches on the Play Store

Another personal assistant has launched on the Play Store. This time it’s from Appigo and it’s Todo Pro Beta. It’s available for free and supports Android 2.1 and up.

HTC One on Sprint Available for $79 for new Customers

The HTC One is on sale from Amazon Wireless for $79.99 for new Sprint Customers and $99.99 for existing. So if you’re thinking about picking up the HTC One, you might want to jump on this deal.

Next Browser Launches on Google Play

The team behind Go Launcher Ex, has released their own mobile browser today. It’s Next Browser and seems to be a good competitor for Chrome, Opera, Firefox and the others out there. Check it out on Google Play.

Oppo launching their Tank, the Find 5, and European Web Store Next Week

Looks like Oppo is going to expand their Find 5 into Europe next week. They are also launching their Web Store next week as well. Exciting times for those in Europe.

For the few people that have Google Glass in their hands, the company is definitely encouraging them to use it and pick around inside the software. Google has held several mod sessions for its wearable computing device and has emphasized that it is up to developers to make Glass appeal to the average consumer. Lately Friday night, Google released some more tools that will make hacking and modding Glass even easier, but it does over a word of advice.

Google has released the factory images for the latest version of Glass, XE5. In addition to the set of factory image files, the search engine giant also included a rooted kernel, which makes the rooting process the easiest it has ever been. Google did warn that even though it is making the rooting process incredibly easy, do it will still void your warranty.

Rooting, unlocking, or flashing your Glass voids your warranty and can leave your device in an irrecoverable state. You will no longer receive OTA updates if you unlock or root your Glass. There is no guarantee that you will receive OTA updates even after flashing back to factory specifications. Proceed at your own risk.

In order to root your Glass, you’ll want to download the XE5 Factory System Images to your computer, as well as the rooted kernel boot image. The process of rooting your Google Glass is eerily similar to the process used on Nexus devices, so if you’ve done that before, the chances of you messing this up are incredibly slim. Inside the zip file you just downloaded are the boot.img, recovery.img, system.img and userdata.img.

From there, all you have to do is run the following commands:

1. fastboot oem unlock
2. fastboot flash boot boot.img

If for some reason you want to restore your device back to stock, simply run the following commands:

1. fastboot flash boot boot.img
2. fastboot flash system system.img
3. fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
4. fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
5. fastboot erase cache

If you have Google Glass, be sure to let us know what you have done with it so far! Do you plan on rooting it? Let us know down in the comments!

Source: Google Developers

Samsung would not be the company it is today if it were not for Android. Samsung was the company that proved it is possible to make Android devices that compete with Apple and others, but as we all know, you can never stop innovating in the mobile industry. We’ve known for a while now that the company has been hard at work on developing smartphones running the Tizen open-source operating system, but we’ve never known what exactly it had planned for it. We don’t know if it plans to release any flagship devices running the operating system or if it would remain a side project, but over the last few days, we’ve seen a couple of devices running the operating system leak.

Thanks to the Tizen Greek Community website, we now have a few images of the Tizen-powered Samsung GT-18800, but aside from what we can tell from the images, we still don’t know too much about it. The device leaked is codenamed “Redwood” and runs Tizen 2.1 It looks to feature an all-touch design, something we’ve come to expect from any smartphone, as well as all your standard connectivity options, including Bluetooth and Wifi. The device will also come with quite a few Samsung apps and services pre loaded. Dual Camera, Story Album, Share Music, Samsung Smart Scroll and others, will be offered. As you can tell from the images, S Voice will also make its way to the device.

 Samsung said earlier this year that it plans to launch its first Tizen flagship device later this year, but it remains unclear as to where the company will sell it. The chances of it coming to a United States carrier are relatively slim, as carriers do not want another operating system to market to consumers, especially considering the new iPhone, Note, and Nexus will presumably all be available later this year, as well.

For those unfamiliar with it, Tizen is an open-source operating system that is part of the Linux Foundation. Samsung and Intel are the two companies currently controlling it. It remains to be seen if the operating will be successful in the already busy mobile industry, but to say the least, it’s a long shot.

What do you think of this Tizen Samsung device? Should Google be worried? Let us know down in the comments!

Source: Tizen Greek Community

Okay, so Motorola has to be getting ready to announce something sooner or later. In the past few weeks we’ve seen the XT1058 for AT&T, the XT1056 for Sprint and now the XT1060 for Verizon pass through the FCC. All likely to be the X Phone or XFON as previously leaks have told us. We don’t have a whole lot of confirmed specs. But we do know it’s going to support Verizon’s network of course, and have NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n.

What’s interesting here is that it does support GSM bands. So we should be expecting it have Global roaming capabilities. It could even be left unlocked, as Verizon has done that with a few devices as of late. Including the Galaxy S4, which I’ve used my T-Mobile SIM card on and it works without any hackery.

But back to the  X Phone. I know you’re tired of all the rumors. But it’s starting to look like it’s the real deal. As fake devices don’t just pass through the FCC and to see 3 devices for 3 different carriers with very similar model numbers, that means there’s something coming. It may not be the mega-high end device we’ve all been hoping for. But Motorola has something up their sleeves, and I for one cannot wait to see it.

So now we’re just waiting on the T-Mobile variant to hit the FCC. As our rumors have told us the device will launch on all the major carriers, and that’s the only one left. So hurry up T-Mobile and FCC so we can see what Motorola has in store for us.

How many of you are keeping your fingers crossed, still, for the Motorola X Phone? I know I’m definitely waiting on it and hoping it comes real soon. Let us know in the comments down below.

Source: FCC

Nokia is really stepping up their patent trolling game this week in their ongoing battle with HTC. In the wake of a filing with the International Trade Commission regarding infringements on RFIC (radio frequency ID) which seem to involve almost every device that HTC has released in the last year, Nokia on Thursday filed a second patent complaint.

In this second filing it looks as though the primary goal for Finnish company is to have all imports into the United States of HTC’s 2013 flagship device, the HTC One, halted. What Nokia did was basically add six more patent complaints that pertain specifically to the One in addition to the already filed 44. The New complaints are as follows:

• U.S. Patent No. 6,035,189 on a “method for using services offered by a telecommunication network, a telecommunication system and a terminal for it”

• U.S. Patent No. 6,373,345 on a “modulator structure for a transmitter and a mobile station”

• U.S. Patent No. 6,711,211 on a “method for encoding and decoding video information, a motion compensated video encoder and a corresponding decoder”

• U.S. Patent No. 7,187,945 on a “versatile antenna switch architecture”

• U.S. Patent No. 8,140,650 on “use of configurations in device with multiple configurations”

• U.S. Patent No. 8,363,824 on a “portable electronic device”

Nokia is claiming that the reason for the suit is to “end the unauthorized use of our proprietary innovations and technologies.” The technologies that are in dispute, if you find patent terminology as confusing as most of us do, have to do with certain radio frequencies and issues with Broadcom and Qualcomm chips.

If you add up all the patent complaints that Nokia has filed against HTC, including three more in the Southern District of California, we are looking at a total of fifty. With the original trial starting up in just a week, it’s been speculated that the strategy being employed by Nokia is to set up some kind of a settlement agreement between the two. Back in 2011 Nokia successfully used the same playbook against Apple in gaining a settlement before a verdict was in.

Hopefully at some point we will see some kind of a change in the patent laws because stories like this are becoming all too common and are arguably bad for competition.

Source: FOSS Patents

Now that Project Glass is in most Explorers, well developers, hands now. We are starting to find all kinds of experimental features that were built into glass. One of those was the ability to wink to take a picture. Which we found out a few weeks ago. Now there is another feature that has been found that puts the headset in a constant listening mode. Where it will be awaiting the owner’s command. These are all experimental features, and to be able to use them you’d need to root glass. Which is pretty risky considering it’s a $1500 device.

You can then enable the “OK_GLASS_EVERYWHERE” option, where the device will constantly listen for commands coming from you. This works no matter where you are in the operating system, as Android Police notes. Right now, “OK Glass” voice instructions are only accepted from the home screen. This change makes interacting with the device much more convenient and we’re hoping to see it become a standard feature in Glass when it hits public launch next year. The only downside is battery life. Hopefully the impact on battery life isn’t to bad with this feature. But I’m sure that’s one of the things that Google is working on with Project Glass.

Android Police has also gone over a ton of experimental features that Google is toying with in Project Glass. Which you can check out. It’s quite interesting to see all the features that Google hasn’t finished yet. I think the most interesting yet controversial is the wink to take a picture feature. It’s definitely going to raise some privacy commands. But it’s still pretty freaking cool.

How many of you are waiting anxiously to get your hands on Project Glass? Let us know in the comments down below.

If you’re in the States and you were hoping to get your hands on the ZTE Grand S prepare for a slight disappointment. According to Lixin Cheng, the head of ZTE’s North American division, the Grand S won’t be available to US consumers until 2014. This is all despite the fact that the company announced in January the handset would be available in the US “soon.”

Cheng says that the extensive delay is because the company needs additional time to accommodate wireless carrier customer requests. Well, there’s certainly no surprise there. Cheng said not to worry though, the company will not be releasing a year old handset when the time arrives. The device set to launch in 2014 will still be part of the “Grand S family.”

“The Grand S series will evolve.”

This is troubling news for ZTE indeed, as they’ve been trying to make their way into the US market for some time now. They’ve done a fantastic job in the prepaid market where they currently hold the number three position among all mobile vendors. However, prepaid is an entirely separate market from the national wireless industry.

In fact, ZTE announced a 85.7% increase in year-over-year growth in the prepaid market alone. That’s not too shabby, so it will be interesting to see how they fare in the national market once they eventually worm their way in.

To counteract these issues, ZTE is now going to focus on promoting and marketing their brand more, despite previous announcements that they would focus solely on products. That being said, the company is still working to deliver “affordable premium” handsets. During the Mobile World Congress in February, ZTE unveiled the Grand Memo phablet which should be arriving sometime later this year.

They’re not the only company having a hard time breaking into the US market. Similar manufacturers like Huawei have been plagued with a rather lengthy list of problems. It would be nice to see more competition in the mobile market, so it’s a shame ZTE products are taking so long to become available here in the States.

That being said, would you even be willing to use an “affordable premium” ZTE product or would you much rather go with a name-brand handset instead?

Source: CNET

Google has always wanted to bring the Internet to everyone on earth, and now that it is growing at such an exponential rate and making so much money, it the chances of that happening are becoming increasingly likely. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, this quest may have Google planning to enter the wireless services industry.

According to the report, Google is looking to build cellular networks and offer services to emerging markets, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The networks would supposedly be available outside of the large cities where service is nonexistent or very hit and miss. Google is allegedly in talks with local companies to plan a deployment and find a business model to use to support the network.

One way that Google is supposedly planning to blanket these areas in coverage by using satellites and other things of the like. The report notes that Google has a division of its X project that is working on “special balloons or blimps, known as high-altitude platforms, to transmit signals to an area of hundreds of square miles.” It is possible for Google to use a combination of technologies to cover these areas. The networks currently set up in those areas are reserved for TV, but Google is working with local government officials to change that.

The report goes even further to claim that Google is looking to build low-cost Android devices for the emerging markets, but it’s unclear exactly how they would be used.

It’s clear that Google really wants to cover the entire the entire world with some sort of Internet coverage. In the United States, the company has set up Fiber networks in cities like Austin, Utah, and Kansas City. During its rollout, Google discovered that 25 percent of the residents in Kansas city did not Internet access at their home and 17 percent did not have it at all.

Eric Schmidt famously said that by the end of the decade, everyone on Earth will be connected. “For every person online, there are two who are not. By the end of the decade, everyone on Earth will be connected,” he said.

By connecting everyone in the world to the Internet, people will obviously be more informed about the goings on in other nations. Bringing Internet to emerging countries would also bring the capability of online education courses to the countries.

Do you think Google will end up having the entire world connected? Let us know down in the comments!

Source: WSJ

You can hate on the iPhone all you want, but you have to admit that the camera on it is pretty top-notch. Android manufacturers have always had a hard time keeping up with it, but HTC’s usually been the closest, if not a tad better in some instances. The same can also be said for Nokia devices, which have had incredibly good cameras for an incredibly long time. According to a new study, however, Samsung’s latest Galaxy S4 flagship outperforms both the iPhone 5 and Lumia 920.

A French company that specializes in camera optics and image sensor technology has conducted a study during which it compared the camera on the Samsung Galaxy S4 to the camera on the iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920. The lab, DxO, ranked the Galaxy S4 ahead of both of those devices and gave it the honors of being the 2nd best smartphone camera of all. It received a score of 79 points out of 100, while both the iPhone 5 and Lumia 920 received scores of 74 points and 64 points respectively. Overall, the Nokia 808 PureView has the best camera of any smartphone, though. It received a score of 81 out of 100.

DxO praised the Galaxy S4 for having excellent performance, accurate auto focus, good exposure, vivid colors in a variety of lighting conditions, and get detail preservation in bright light.

In terms of video performance, however, the Galaxy S4 was beaten by the iPhone 5, which received a score of 70 points, while the Galaxy S4 was awarded 68 points. DxO says the colors and textures produced by the Galaxy S4 were good, but it lacked in low light image stabilization and had buggy auto focus performance.

When you factor in both the image and video capabilities of the devices, the Galaxy S4 was still found to be better than the Lumia 920 and iPhone 5. The Samsung flagship received a final score of 75 points, while the iPhone received 72 points overall.

What do you think of the Galaxy S4 camera? In the short time I’ve had the device, I have to say it’s pretty impressive, especially the performance and auto focus. Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!

Source: DxO Labs

A recent patent filing by Google points to unique haptic feedback technology. The patent is clearly labeled “Providing information through tactile feedback.”

From the patent information it seems like Google’s idea will revolutionize the way we interact with our devices, and probably the content on them, as well. Instead of vibrating the entire device when the display is touched, Google wants to use technology that will vibrate the screen in relation to the interaction. In other words, where you touch the screen is where the device will vibrate.

Apparently, Google uses advertisements as a practical example of such technology. The idea is to use the unique haptic feedback to create layers, which essentially translates to height. In this way, they can layer advertisements on top of one another subsequently allowing them to sell more ad space.

That being said, there are a whole slew of practical uses for such technology. Ultimately, it would increase screen real estate because you could layer content, as well. Touching a bit on the gaming side of things, imagine what kind of interactions the players would have with activities with such technology.

The patent also talks about using the unique haptic technology to make interaction feel much more realistic. For example, if you were to drag ads or a window around the screen, it would vibrate accordingly making it seem like you’re actually moving an object. Not that your device doesn’t do that already, but to expand Google hopes to simulate different textures through the use of the tech. Imagine a window that feels rough to the touch, even on a totally flat touchscreen display.

Of course, I could drone on for hours about all the possibilities, and I’m sure you could chime right in. At this time, it’s just a patent filing. We’ll have to wait and see what Google does with the technology for future Android devices and software updates.

What do you think of the idea? Would you find the related haptic technology useful or meddlesome? Some folks turn off the existing haptic technology, would you turn off this advanced feature too if it was offered?

Source USPTO, via UnwiredView

It looks like HTC just doesn’t know what to do with itself now that it has already a flagship device for 2013, and the HTC First was most certainly a flop. One thing almost every Android manufacturer has struggled with in the past is releasing too many variants of a device too fast, especially HTC. The company has developed a horrible habit of releasing a phone, then releasing something newer and better a few months later and neglecting the original model along with all of its owners. If HTC wants the One to succeed then it can’t slip back into that habit, but if this rumor turns out to be true, then the company is already planning to do just that.

According to a new report from Pocket-Lint, HTC is planning to release a new variant of the HTC One with a screen that is bigger than five inches. While it is unclear what the exact screen size is, the blog says that it is “above 5-inches but below 6-inches.” The current HTC One model has a screen that is 4.7-inches big.

This report comes on the heels of earlier reports claiming that HTC was planning a smaller variant of the One, codenamed the HTC M4. Pocket-Lint’s sources also confirm those rumors and say that the HTC One mini will offer a 4.3-inch screen.

Should all of this turn on out to be true, then that is three HTC One models on the market. One is 4.7-inches, another 4.3-inches, and the third “above 5-inches but below 6-inches.” HTC is already making one cluttered lineup for 2013, and it’s not even half way over yet. Plus, you can’t forget the supposed stock Android model coming this summer, but that will most likely be sold unlocked.

Of course, this is still a rumor, and it’s very important to make that clear. The report is very sparse on details, and I’m also always very wary of sites that cite “people familiar with the matter.” We don’t have any idea as to when either of these devices will be released, either.

What do you think about the idea of smaller and bigger HTC One variants? Is that the right approach for HTC to take? Let us know down in the comments!

Source: Pocket-Lint

Leading up to Google I/O 2013, many people expected Google to unveil Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie at the event. Shortly before the event, however, devices running Android 4.3 started appearing in benchmarks and website’s server logs, seemingly erasing our hopes of seeing Android 5.0 anytime soon. When Google I/O finally rolled around, we got hit with a double whammy. We did not see Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie or Android 4.3. This obviously poses the question of when Google will unveil the next version of Android. Current rumors point to sometime in July alongside the next Nexus tablet, and if this most recent leak turns out to be true, then it won’t be Key Lime Pie.

A user on XDA has spotted a Nexus 4 out in the wild running Android build JWR45B, as well as a new kernel that was built last week. These two paired together, plus the Android version reading “Android 4.3″, it is very likely that this is in fact the real Android 4.3 build.

The user only snapped a handful of pictures of the build and none of them show any major changes. One of the images shows  the camera interface, which is slightly redesigned with the controls being on the side rather than the center. The XDA reader also discovered the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Easter Ed, which is the same as the current Jelly Bean one.

That’s really all we can tell from these images. It seems very likely that Android 4.3 will not be a major update in any way, especially in terms of user interface. Hopefully it will include more performance enhancements and Google Now updates, though. We’ll probably see it be unveiled sometime this summer when Google unveils the next Nexus tablet. As far as Key Lime Pie goes, I personally would expect to see it this fall in time for the holiday season and to compete with iOS 7, the new iPads, and the iPhone 5S/iPhone 6. But that’s purely my thinking.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What would you like to see in Android 4.3? Do you think this is a real leak or just someone messing with the Android community? Let us know down in the comments!

Source: XDA (1) , (2)

Android is an Operating System known for a number of unique attributes in the mobile space but, above everything else it’s known for customization. No other platform offers you the sort of freedom that Android does when it comes to making your smartphone feel like your smartphone. Apple’s iOS has been locked down from day one and it still looks the same as it did in 2007, Windows Phone is nice but, how much work can be done with tiles? Buzz Launcher Beta is a new launcher that takes advantage of this but, also aims to take out a lot of the hassle involved – read on to see how, and how well it works.

Description: It’s important to remember that Buzz Launcher is still in Beta but, it’s a stable app that has everything needed to pick and choose your desire homescreen look and feel. How Buzz Launcher does this is by hosting other people’s looks through a new kind of social network. You can find a look you like – from a number of different categories – and quickly and easily apply them to your device. You can even share your own homescreens with others. This is perhaps one of the best apps for those that need to accessorize their devices and change things up once in a while. Take a look at the short trailer below for more:

Click here to view the embedded video.

How it Works: Buzz Launcher comes with a slightly different set-up compared to most apps but, you still need to start by downloading the app from the Play Store. Once you’re done that, the app will take you through the initial set-up.

The most important part of Buzz Launcher is easily their social network, which you need to sign-up to in order to download and install homescreens as well as share your own:

You can sign-up using your Facebook, Google+ or Twitter accounts, which makes things nice and easy when you think about it. Once you’re signed up to the service, you can take a look at the homescreen themes that others have shared:

You can refine these results by choosing from a comprehensive list of categories:

I’m quite into my photography, or at least I used to be, and so I’m going to take a look at what’s on offer for me in here:

When you find one you like, you’ll be given a preview of the homescreen:

When you choose to apply it, you can either add it your collection of themes, or have it replace the current theme in use:

When you’ve chosen your them, it’ll be applied to your homescreen. You might notice that some widgets are missing, often you might not have the same apps and widgets that those sharing the theme do. No worries there though, because Buzz Launcher will take you straight to the app’s listing in the Play Store:

That’s all there is to it, it’s incredibly easy to get to grips with the whole process and as I said before, Buzz Launcher goes through everything with you step-by-step which is a lot more than can be said for most involved apps.

Opinion: I’ve always loved tweaking my homescreens but, I’ve always been pretty narrow-minded about the whole thing, I stick to a few widgets and then fit these widgets around a certain wallpaper. With Buzz Launcher, I can find something I like that’s completely new to me, it takes the decision out of my hands and lets me choose something that I might not have put together myself.

Ratings

• Speed (4/5) – Buzz Launcher ran well on a couple of smartphones and set-up is quick, as is applying new homescreen themes and layouts. 
• Features (5/5) – If you’re somebody that likes a new homescreen layout every so often but, you’re stuck for ideas then Buzz Launcher is the only app you’ll need to use from now on.
• Theme (5/5) – With Buzz Launcher, there are so many themes available that it’s hard to keep track and more of them are being added every day. 
• Overall (5/5) – Customization is a big part of Android and if you’re addicted to switching things up often, then there’s no other app you should be thinking about.

Pros

• Set-up is simple and easy, even for those that might be new to Android. 
• Lots of categories and homescreen themes to choose from. 
• Buzz Launcher will allow you to quickly and easily install missing widgets, to complete that look you’re after.
• You can share your themes as well, making it easy for someone else to enjoy your personalized layout.

Cons

• Installing all the widgets people use for their themes might get a little annoying after a while. 
• The categories could do with some refining.

Conclusion: As I’ve said a number of times in this review, Android is known for customization, and Buzz Launcher makes it easy for everyone to enjoy. You don’t need to know the best place to get wallpapers, or even the best widgets, because other people have shared their masterpieces with you. You can join in as well and simple share your launcher layout, which can be rewarding for a lot of people. It might still be in Beta but, Buzz Launcher is a great app, that you should go ahead and install right now.

One of my favorite things Google has done with Android over the recent major updates is improving GMail. I’ll be the first to say that the GMail interface on Android devices running Gingerbread and lower was quite pathetic. With Ice Cream Sandwich, Google unveiled an entirely new GMail interface that is gorgeous and the company is still making improvements to today During a Google I/O session focusing on “Structure in Android App Design,” Google talked about how developers should design navigation in their apps, focusing a lot on the new navigation drawer Google is implementing throughout Android. During the session, the company showed a a screenshot of an app with the navigation drawer, and as Android Police has discovered, it is GMail.

The screenshot shown shows a nearly entirely new GMail design for Android. Obviously, the biggest change is the addition of the navigation drawer. In the upper left corner of the interface are three little dots, which once you tap, will bring up the drawer. It will pop up over the inbox and covers most of it. The navigation drawer allows you to easily switch between your inbox and priority inbox, as well as all of your other labels. It appears as if the navigation drawer will scroll, however, as noticeably missing from the screenshot are labels like Drafts, All Mail, Spam, and Trash.

It’s also safe to assume that the action bar along the bottom of the current GMail app is gone in the redesigned one. Instead, the Compose, Search, and overflow buttons have made their way to the top right corner of the interface. This gives more room for emails, which in an email app, is always a good thing. The refresh button does appear to be missing, but most likely it is now in the overflow menu, or maybe, hopefully, we’ll finally see pull-to-refresh.

For now, that’s all we can really make out in this screenshot. There’s a chance that Google did this on purpose and that this update will roll out any time now, or it’s possible that this was just an error by whoever designed the slide show for the session.

What do you think of the interface? Looks pretty nice to me. Let us know what you think down in the comments!

Source: Android Police

Whenever a new Android device hits the market, we often look to our device and think “Man, I could really do with an upgrade” and so we hit Swappa, eBay, Craigslist and places like MazumaMobile and Envirofone in the UK. For those of us heavily interested in mobile technology, trading in our current device to buy the latest and greatest is hardly a new thing for us. I’ve done it a number of times before, and even if we’re in a contract we still somehow find a way to trade our devices in.

The question is though, what happens when a new device is launched into the Android market, what effect does that have on the trade-in value of current and older devices? Well, CompareMyMobile have given us a preview of another of their infographics, in order to answer that question. Join me as I take a look at what they’ve found out.

It’s clear to see that when the Galaxy S 4 was launched, the Galaxy range took a dive, which is to be expected when you think about it. After all, when a new Galaxy S device launches, there are understandably more people looking to offload that old device. It’d seem that our lust for the latest and greatest is never-ending when it comes to technology, now we live in a world where the smartphone is not just a luxury but almost a staple. I wonder, how many of you traded in your old device to get a new one this year? Be honest in the comments below!

Let’s take a look at the most traded-in phones for May 2013. Prices are in GBP so, they’re not an accurate representation of what you’d get in the States:

It’s clear to see that HTC and Samsung dominate this Top 10, I wonder what those HTC owners are trading in for, another HTC or moving to a Samsung? It’s interesting to see that there are four HTC devices in this list, surely this would mean that HTC are still selling relatively well? Of course, Samsung have one more at five devices with the Xperia S creeping in for Sony. On a personal note, the price of the One X saddens me, to see it go for less than the Xperia S, which is arguably an inferior device is a little confusing. Perhaps I should just keep my One X until it gives out on me?

Let us know in the comments what devices you’ve traded in over the years, and whether or not you make it a regular thing or not.

For awhile now manufacturers have been trying incredibly hard to undercut each other on prices. The Kindle Fire was the first truly successful budget Android tablet, but it had more than its fair share of problems. Last year, Google teamed up with ASUS to enter the budget Android tablet market with the Nexus 7, and as we all know, it was widely successful and a successor is supposedly coming this July. But, just because a couple of manufacturers have a hold on the market doesn’t mean everyone else will roll over and die. Yesterday, popular Chinese manufacturer Hisense announced two new budget Android tablets, the Sero 7 LT and the Sero 7 Pro. The company said that they would be Walmart exclusive tablets, but did not announce a release date.

Hisense has announced that its two budget Android tablets, the Sero 7 LT and the Sero 7 Pro, are now available from Walmart stores around the country. The less powerful Sero 7 LT will run you just $99, while the slightly quicker Sero 7 Pro will cost $50 more at $149.

As far as specifications go, the Sero 7 LT isn’t offering anything to write home about, but what did you expect? The device is rocking a 1.6GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 4 gigs of internal storage, a microSD card slot with support for 32GB cards, a 7-inch, 1,024 x 600-pixel display , 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, Android 4.1,  and a four-hour battery. As far as ports go, the device is offering mini HDMI, SD, and micro USB ports, as well as WiFi, of course.

The Sero 7 Pro is a quite a bit better. It is packing a 1.3GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB RAM, 8 gigs of storage, a 1,280 x 800 display, a 2MP front facing shooter, a 5MP rear camera, up to 10 hours of battery life and Android 4.2. It has mini HDMI, SD, and USB ports, as well as NFC.

Both of these tablets should be available from your local Walmart store now.

Do you think Google should be worried that the Hisense tablets will eat away at the Nexus 7′s market? Let us know down in the comments!

One of the best things to ever happen to Android, in my opinion, was the release of Chrome for every device. There was no more dealing with the laggy, buggy browsers developed by manufacturers. As with everything Google does, Chrome for Android has been getting a lot better very quickly. Late Thursday night, Google released an update to Chrome Beta for Android that bumps it up to version 28 and along with it comes a plethora of new features.

First off, Chrome for Android now has the ability to translate websites in a different language to your native language. This is one of my favorite features of the Chrome desktop browser and it’s really nice to see it come to Android. When you visit a website in a foreign language, look for a bar at the bottom of the page offering to translate it for you.

Next up, version 28 of Chrome Beta adds fullscreen web browsing support for tablets, a feature that was added to phones last month. As you start scrolling down, the URL bar at the top will become hidden, and all you have to do to bring it back is scroll up. Google has also added support for fullscreen API, which gives easier control of entering and leaving fullscreen websites.

Also new in Chrome v28 are graphs to help you save more data every month. Chrome has had a bandwidth saving feature that compresses things to use more data, but with this update, there are nifty graphs that help you keep track of everything.

Finally, the Chrome user-interface on phones has a new tab button that makes opening new tabs even faster. The tablet interface stays the same, though, which is fine by me.

Read the full changelog below:

• Google Translate: When you come across a page written in a language that isn’t in the same language as your phone or tablet, look for the translation bar
• Fullscreen on tablets: Simply scroll the page to dismiss the toolbar
• Support for fullscreen API
• New graph showing your estimated bandwidth savings when you use the experimental data compression feature
• Mobile friendly error pages

What do you think of this update? Useful? Let us know what your favorite feature is down in the comments!

Since the introduction of the Original Motorola Droid for Verizon Wireless in the fall of 2009, one of the biggest selling points for the handset and the operating system as a whole was the turn by turn directions which were provided by Google Maps. Now here we are almost four years later and even with all of the advancements in Android as well as mobile technology in general, the Google Maps application still reigns supreme.

Mapping and navigation technology isn’t something that should be taken for granted either. With more people ditching their stand alone GPS modules in favor of a smartphone every day, having a service that is less than reliable can cause huge problems for a manufacturer’s brand recognition. Just ask Apple, a company that opted for their own navigation system only to see it fail miserably eliciting not only criticism but the worst kind of outrage where customers were calling for it to be replaced by their chief rival’s app.

Google’s stranglehold on maps makes a company like Waze a very desirable one. Waze, if you weren’t aware, is a community based traffic and navigation app. Users of the app are encouraged to  “join other drivers in your area who share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute.”

Of course striking while the iron is hot is exactly what any startup company needs to do and now we are hearing rumors of billion dollar bids for the company by all of the heavy hitters including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook. According to a report in Bloomberg:

Waze is fielding expressions of interest from multiple parties and is seeking more than $1 billion, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The Palo Alto, California-based startup might also remain independent, instead seeking to raise a round of venture capital financing, the people said.

The motives of the companies that appear interested in Waze shouldn’t be hard to figure out. You have to think that Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft are all looking to either improve existing services or get their foot in the navigation door, while of course Google being the top dog in the field may try to incorporate some of the features of Waze, but the main focus there is to likely remain the leader in the field by keeping the service away from competitors.

Anyone out there using Waze? What features of the service if any would you like to see in Google Maps?

Welcome, to another Edition of our weekly roundup of Canadian Android News. This is the biggest and most relevant Android stories to come out over the past week, handpick just for you Canadians! How about that eh?! This week saw Amazon send some love Canada’s way and there’s going to be a shake up with the acquisition of Mobilicity by TELUS.

Google Hit with Another Antitrust Investigation

According to the Financial Post, the Canadian Competition Bureau has informed Google that they intend to launch an investigation of their operations in Canada. Apparently, the bureau has yet to request any related documents or information despite announcing their intentions to Google.

Leslie Church, Google Canada’s head of communications and public affairs said:

“We will work co-operatively with the Competition Bureau to answer any questions they may have.”

While that’s not the most brilliant response you’ll ever see, it’s good to see Google is willing to work with the bureau, not that they have any real choice in the matter.

Rogers Announced New International Roaming Packages

Rogers recently updated their monthly international roaming packages, and while the prices remain the same the data increments have increased a bit. For good measure, the new package listings have been included below.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z Shipments Delayed Until June 3^rd

Not much to report on this one, except that shipments have been pushed back from May 22^nd to June 3^rd. This is all despite the fact that the tablet is already shipping in the US. Sony attributes this madness to some of the largest tablet pre-order figures in the company’s history.

As a refresher the Xperia Tablet Z is packing a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM and comes in two variants priced at $499 (16GB) and $599 (32GB).

The Amazon Appstore for Android is Now Available in Canada

The Amazon Appstore is now available in Canada, just as the title of this section implies. To install, you’ll have to have ‘allow unknown sources’ checked in the Android developer settings, and you’ll also have to download the app from Amazon’s site. While the Amazon Appstore offers a lot less than Google, it does provide a paid app for free every day. We’re talking about premium apps too, not some useless freemium offering.

Get it now while it’s still hot!

Wind Offers to Save Mobilicity Customers from Acquisition Woes, Mobilicity CEO Fires Back

The wireless war is really heating up in Canada! Okay, so maybe it’s not all that exciting but wireless carriers sure are fighting for those extra customers. Wind offered defecting Mobilicity clients a one month free port-in credit.

“Mobilicity clients, don’t sweat the future of your plans & services. Switch to WIND & receive up to $365 in savings.”

Unsurprisingly, the promotion ends on June 10^th which it the closing date of the TELUS/Mobilicity acquisition.

Mobilicity’s CEO, Stewart Lyons took to Twitter to fire back at WIND with this lovely jab:

“Really? Did you forget to mention your company is for sale?”

Touche Lyons. Touche.

Mobilicity Debtholders Say ‘Aye’ to $380 Million TELUS Acquisition

Speaking of Mobilicity, company debtholders have voted in favor of the $380 million pending acquisition that would see TELUS taking over the company and all 250,000 customers and 150 employees. Stewart Lyons (hopefully you already know he’s the CEO of Mobilicity), released the following statement on the news:

“This is a significant step towards final approval of the Plan through which the business, combined with the financial strength of TELUS, can be continued in a way that will benefit our customers and employees.”

In order for the deal to finalize, TELUS has to gain the approval from the Competition Bureau and Industry Canada.

‘One Phone, One Weekend, Premium Upgrade’ for the HTC One in Canada, Need I Say More?

HTC Canada reintroduced the successful trade-in offer for their Canadian customers. They can trade in “yesterday’s technology” for a new HTC One, and will receive between CA $100 and CA $300 depending on the device.

“We’ve had excellent feedback from media and consumers on the HTC One since it was unveiled in New York City and London in February,” said Jennifer Safruk, general manager, Canada, HTC Corporation. “Thousands of Canadians took advantage of our first trade-in offer and because of the high demand, we are pleased to bring it back giving more Canadians a chance to step up to the new HTC One.”

The offer started May 23^rd and will run until May 27^th. It’s active for all Canadian carriers that carry the HTC One, including Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, TELUS and Virgin Mobile. To get the deal, use the promotion code “HTC100” so that you’ll receive at least CA $100 for an old trade-in.

System Enhancement Update Released May 23^rd for Bell, Virgin, TELUS and Rogers HTC One

The new update has a build number of 1.29.666.17 up from 1.29.666.17.5, and it introduces “system enhancements and bug fixes” for affected HTC One models. The update fixes a sensitivity issue with the capacitive buttons and also apparently makes the device more responsive. If you already have the update let us know how everything works in the comments below!

Amazon Kindle Tablets Launching in Canada June 13^th

To go along with the recent Amazon Appstore release, Amazon will also be launching the Kindle Fire HD and the Kindle Fire HD 8.9” in Canada on June 13^th. The 16GB 7-inch Kindle will be $214, while the 8.9-inch 32GB version will be $314. As you can see they’re priced slightly higher than Amazon’s tablets in the US.

In addition, they will be relatively limited in functionality at launch. The Canadian Kindle Fire tablets will not support the Amazon Prime video streaming service, nor will the company offer MP3s through the music store. It looks like you will have access to Amazon books, apps and magazines, though.

The devices may ship out to customers on June 13^th, but you can pre-order them now. What do you think? Are there better offerings out there (I know the answer already)?

Every week we like to bring you the biggest Android News relevant to the UK. Being an Android news site based in the US it’s hard for us to write about the UK as much as I, our UK-based Editor, would like to. Nevertheless, we’re here again with a roundup of the past week’s worth of news for the UK. So, go and grab a fresh cuppa and turn the telly down and catch up with what’s been happening in the UK.

Vodafone Smart III Offers Jelly Bean on a Budget

What do you get for £95? Well, if you’re on Vodafone you can a smartphone that looks like it’s straight out of 2010. You can also get the Vodafone Smart III on contract – for free – at just £13 a month, which should provide another clue on how good it is. Specs wise there’s a 4-inch 800 x 480 display, a single-core CPU at 1 Ghz with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage with support for up to 32GB via MicroSD, a rear-facing 5MP camera with no front-facing camera. We suppose that if you’re on a budget this is not too bad a device but, if you could spend more, you really ought to.

Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z Now Available in The UK

Sony have been on a roll recently, and while the Xperia Z might not be available as far and wide as they’d like, its tablet brother is available all over the place. The Xperia Tablet Z is now available in the UK, starting from £399 for 16GB of storage and WiFI. The Xperia Tablet Z is a decent device, with a 1900 x 1200 display, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and 2GB of RAM. It also has AOSP support as well, good on you, Sony! You can find the Tablet Z at Amazon and many other places.

Galaxy Mega 6.3 to Be Available from Clove and Through 3

Despite the strange size of the Galaxy Mega 6.3, Samsung think there’s room for the 6.3-inch smartphone over here in good ol’ blighty. It’s coming to Clove soon and 3 have just announced plans to carry the device as well. You can check out Clove’s website here for more info, and take a look at 3′s YouTube video below. The device is probably not going to be cheap, nor expensive, Clove are going to be selling it around the £460 mark.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Amazon Local Android App Now Available for Us Brits

It’s always the same isn’t it – company launches idea in the US, takes a while to reach across the pond. Well, Amazon is having a bit of an international expansion of sorts right now, and so the Amazon Local app is now available to us here in the UK. Think Groupon, but a little different. Take a look at the Play Store listing for more info.

Vodafone Delaying 4G Rollout Until September

It’s bad enough that an ineffectual OFCOM skewered the market with a pathetically late auction, and that whole giving EE the 4G go-ahead before anyone else thing but now, Vodafone are delaying on their 4G rollout. It’s not too bad however, as 4G will be rolling out in September, which should mean that New Year’s Eve will see lots of failed Video Calls vs these old-fangled SMS thingies. Their CEO, Vittorio Coalo, has said they’ve made the decision to hold out to make sure that their infrastructure is “really ready”

HTC Announce Desire 600

If you were thinking that HTC didn’t have anything more to do with the Desire name, then you were wrong. We’ve had the Desire HD, the Z, the S, and now we’ve got numbers! Meet the Desire 600. This is decidedly mid-range device that’s been confirmed for Russia, the Ukraine and the Middle-East but, judging by past experiences, the device will probably be rolling out in the UK soon as well. Take a look at the specs below:

• 4.5-inch Super LCD2 qHD Display (960 x 540)
• 1.2 Ghz Quad-Core Snapdragon 200
• 1GB of RAM
• 8GB of Internal Storage
• 8MP BSI rear-facing camera with 1.6MP front-facing camera
• Android 4.1 with Sense 5
• Dual Speakers
• 1,860 mAh Battery

Sony’s Xperia Z Free With Expensive Bravia TVs

Do you like the Xperia Z? Do you like TV? Well, you can get a free Xperia Z if you buy a Bravia W9 in either 45 or 56-inch varieties. They start at £1,800. That free phone isn’t looking too good now, is it? The offer started yesterday and is running at Currys, Sony Centres and John Lewis stores. You could always look at the Bravia W8 which is a little cheaper, but then you just get a free Xperia L. Boo.

Huawei’s 6.1-inch Ascend Mate Hitting the UK Soon

What is it with all of these massive smartphones? Anyway, if the Galaxy Mega 6.3 is not your cup of tea and you still want something with a stupidly large display, then the Ascend Mate at 6.1-inches might be more to your taste. It’s hitting Expansys soon for the fair sum of £335. If you’re unfamiliar with the specs, take a look below:

• 6.1-inch 720p display
• 1.5GHz quad-core processor
• 2GB of RAM
• 8GB internal storage
• 8MP rear-facing camera, front-facing camera (no specifics on the front-facing camera)
• Micro SD card slot is included
• 4050mAh battery
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Facebook Phone, the HTC First, Is Not Coming to the UK

I’m sure that many of you are going to be devastated by this news but, HTC’s First, the Facebook phone is no longer coming to the UK. I know, I’m shocked as well. Apparently, this is down to bad feedback the device got in the US, which is pretty believable really. It was a surprise to us to see Facebook and HTC launching a device just to show off Facebook Home, which is arguably just another launcher. Here’s the official statement from EE, who were due to offer the phone:

“Following customer feedback, Facebook has decided to focus on adding new customization features to Facebook Home over the coming months. While they are working to make a better Facebook Home experience, they have recommended holding off launching the HTC First in the UK, and so we will shortly be contacting those who registered their interest with us to let them know of this decision. Rest assured, we remain committed to bringing our customers the latest mobile experiences, and we will continue to build on our strong relationship with Facebook so as to offer customers new opportunities in the future.”

BBC’s iPlayer App Gets Updated on Android, Brings Support for 10-inch Tablets

BBC have been getting a lot better at giving attention to Android and the iPlayer app has just gotten a small but significant update. Of course, iOS users are still treated better, with Video Downloads available to them. We suppose that the top brass at the Beeb use their iPads to catch up on the latest news – what’s a Nexus 7? Anyway, below is the changelog and below that a link to the app in the Play Store:

As promised, here’s 10” tablet support – no more shortcut to the website!
We’ve also tweaked the phone and 7” tablet design.
Watch out for further optimisation for larger screens soon, whilst the work continues on video downloads.

HTC J Butterfly to Get Sense 5.0 in Coming Weeks

When HTC announced the J Butterfly, it was the first device with a 1080p display and some impressive hardware. The US later saw this as the Droid DNA but, in Japan it’s still going strong. It’ll get a little stronger with the addition of Sense 5.0 as well. Which is said to bring with it Zoe and BlinkFeed that we saw on the HTC One and should be hitting devices some time in June.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro Hits Indian Market

As they often do, Samsung has renamed their Galaxy Win for the Indian market. Although, that doesn’t mean that the device is not a Winner, far from it. For the reasonable price of RS 16,900 the Galaxy Grand Quattro lives up to its name and brings with it a quad-core CPU. The specs are all good but, that display resolution is a little disappointing to say the least. Take a look at the specs below:

• 4.7-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) TFT capacitive touch screen display
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 1.2 GHz Cortex A5 quad-core processor – Snapdragon 200
• 5MP Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash, 720p HD video recording
• 0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual standby
• 9.65mm thick and weighs 143.9 grams
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, Expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 3G (HSDPA 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA 5.76 Mbps), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v 3.0, GPS
• 2,000 mAh battery

Lemon Aspire A1 Packs 5.3-inch Display; Headed for India

For those looking for a bigger device, without spending all that money on the Samsung above, the Lemon Aspire A1 with its 5.3-inch display might be just what you’re looking for. Take a look below for the specs, all this for just RS 14,999!

• 5.3-inch (960 x 540 pixels) capacitive touch screen IPS display
• 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex A9 processor
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
• 8MP rear camera with LED Flash
• 2MP front-facing camera
• 10.3 mm thick and weighs 197 grams
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, 32GB expandable memory with MicroSD
• 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS
• 2500 mAh battery

HTC J One for KDDI Au Brings With it MicroSD Support

The HTC One is a great device – we reviewed it here – but, for some that needed some more storage, the One was not the right device. Well, those in Japan looking to pick the device up on the KDDI Au network will be happy to know that their variant does indeed come with support for a MicroSD card. As well as the device supports FeliCa NFC-based wireless payments and 1Seg digital terrestrial TV. Take a look at the video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Samsung’s Wallet App Launches in South Korea

Samsung teased their upcoming answer to Google Wallet and Apple’s Passbook, and now it’s finally available to those in South Korea. You can download the app from the Samsung App Store. Currently you can add your credit and debit cards to the app to buy online. The wallet app itself is compatible with the following handsets: Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy S II HD LTE.

Optimus G Pro Headed to Asia Soon

The Optimus G Pro has launched in South Korea and now in the US, which would leave major market left; the rest of Asia. LG are holding an event in Macau, China and it looks set to be very similar to the LG event they held in the States. Which points to a wider release of the Optimus G Pro across Asia. There’s no word yet, on which territories it’s coming to but, we’ll know more next week.

More Details on The Release of Sony’s Xperia ZR and a Facebook Competition

While the UK won’t be getting their hands on the Xperia ZR, other parts of Europe will be. Including the Netherlands which will be first to get it for €479, with Belgium and the Nordic countries following shortly after. The Xperia ZR is essentially a more waterproof version of the Xperia Z. If you can’t wait you can try your hand at this competition over on Facebook which Sony task you with describing how the Xperia ZR would feature in your perfect pool party.

XOLO Q1000 to Hit India Soon

XOLO are no stranger to the Indian market, and they apparently have a new device launching soon in the Q1000. It’s a 5-inch device with an HD display that packs some decent horsepower into it. There’s no word on pricing just yet but the device will be available in the coming weeks. Let’s take a look at those specs shall we?

• 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display at 295 PPI with scratch resistant Dragon Trail Glass
• 1.2 GHz quad-core processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
• 8MP rear camera with LED Flash, BSI sensor
• 1.2MP front-facing camera
• 8.8 mm thick
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Full HD 1080p video playback
• 1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, 32GB expandable memory with MicroSD
• 3G (HSDPA: 42.2 Mbps, HSUPA: 11.5 Mbps), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
• 2,100 mAh battery

ZTE to Launch Nubia Z5 with 16GB of Storage and Lower Price Tag

You might remember the Nubia Z5, it was one of the first 1080p displays on the market and it was the first in a line of high-end devices from ZTE. Problem was, it was a little too pricey for most people. Now, the company is said to be releasing a version of the device with just 16GB of storage in order to sell it for less. As well the 5-inch 1080p display the Nubia Z5 packs a Snapdragon S4 Pro,  2GB of RAM, a 13MP main camera and runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Malaysia Adds 4G WiMax to the Samsung Chromebook

Chromebooks are great for education because the OS largely gets out-of-the-way but, the biggest factor is internet speed and in some areas of the world, the best way to achieve fast speeds is over-the-air. So, this is why Malaysia’s Yes carrier is bringing 4G WiMax to the Samsung Chromebook. It’ll cost just RMB988 with a 24-month RMB88 a month 3.5GB data plan. Those in the  1BestariNet education program will get a reduced monthly price of just RMB69.

Amazon’s Appstore Updated with Support for Around 200 Countries

The Amazon Appstore has quickly become a quality place to get hold of Android apps and now, it’s going truly global. While Google only offers 134 Countries for paid apps, now Amazon offers 200. That’s a lot. So, there’s a good chance that wherever you are in the world, reading this, the Amazon Appstore is now open to you. Head here to find out.

Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus is Now Official

The latest smartphone from Micromax is finally official for the Indian market. The device comes with a 5-inch IPS FWVGA display, a quad-core 1.2 Ghz MediaTek MT6589 CPU, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP rear-facing camera and 2MP front-facing camera, 4GB of storage with microSD support, Dual-SIM support, Android 4.2 and a 2,000 mAh battery. The best thing about the device? It costs just RS 12,100. That’s a killer deal!

HTC Announce Dual-SIM Desire 600

The Desire name has become quite popular throughout Europe and other parts of the world and now HTC are bringing it back with the Desire 600. This is a fairly mid-range device, with some questionable specs (such as the qHD resolution) but, it does come with Sense 5.0 and BoomSound, so that’s something. The device is confirmed for Russia, the Ukraine and the Middle-East. You can read more here.

MediaFire, Streaming music and Video to mobile Apps

Today, MediaFire promised that they would bring streaming of stored music and video to their iOS and Android apps soon enough.

Galaxy S4 coming in Aurora Red on June 14th

AT&T is getting ready to release a new color of the Galaxy S4 on June 14th. The Aurora Red Galaxy S4 is hitting the nation’s second largest carrier in a couple of weeks. But will you buy it?

Drive and Calendar Search Integrates with Gmail

Today, Google began integrating Google Drive and Calendar into search of US Gmail accounts. Google started the field trial back in October, and now they are bringing it out to everyone in the US.

Chrome Beta Gets updated

Today, Chrome Beta got updated to version 28, here’s what the Chrome team has changed:

• Google Translate: When you come across a page written in a language that isn’t in the same language as your phone or tablet, look for the translation bar
• Fullscreen on tablets: Simply scroll the page to dismiss the toolbar
• Support for fullscreen API
• New graph showing your estimated bandwidth savings when you use the experimental data compression feature
• Mobile friendly error pages

Broadcom working on a 5G Wi-Fi chip?

Broadcom has introduced a new 5G Wi-Fi chip for entry-level consumer devices. Only a few devices currently use Broadcom’s technology, which include the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4.

Everyday here at Android Headlines we hear about new apps hitting the Play Store and old ones are being updated to be better than ever. So that’s where this feature comes in. AH Best Apps Weekly brings you around 5 apps that might be new, they might be old, but they are great apps that you probably haven’t heard of before. We try to keep the list diverse with apps from different categories and even throwing in a game or two. If you know of an app we should be including in our weekly lists, feel free to leave a comment down below.

Stark

Looking to spruce up your phone a bit? Why not try an icon pack? Typically I don’t like icon packs because I’ll always have an app that looks out of place because it’s not themed. But Stark makes all of them look great. They also have over 900 icons that are themed. It works with Apex, ADW, Go Launcher EX, Nova and Holo launchers. It does cost $1.79, but it’s well worth it as it’s updated every other week and you can make requests for more icons.

Beach Buggy Blitz

Last week at Google I/O, Google announced the new Google Play Games. Now only a handful of games have actually integrated Google Play Games into their game. Vector Unit has integrated it with both of their games. Which include Riptide GP and Beach Buggy Blitz. Beach Buggy Blitz is really addictive, I’ve been playing it for the last week or so.

EasilyDo Smart Assistant

EasilyDo is a great new app, which came out earlier this week actually. It gives you the right information and gets things done. It’s like Google Now, but on steroids. Similar to Google Now the information automatically appears when you need it. So you won’t have to dig through the hundreds of apps installed on your phone or tablet.

AntTek Quick Settings Pro

Want some quick settings on your phone or tablet? Well here’s a great alternative. Instead of flashing a ROM to get them, you can just install AntTek Quick Settings Pro. It’s super customizable and brings the Jelly Bean (Android 4.2) quick settings to every Android device running Eclair (Android 2.1) or higher.

Fitbit

Many of you probably have heard of Fitbit and the Jawbone Up (which I’m in the process of reviewing right now). Fitbit allows you to get active, eat better, manage your weight, sleep better and overall just get healthy. As it can track your activities like walking, running, working out, etc. You do have to but one of Fitbit’s accessories to use the app though.

Quadropus Rampage Will Be Free-To-Play

The upcoming game from Butterscotch Shenanigans (Who are they you ask? PFFTT!!! You don’t know? Kidding.) called Quadropus Rampage will be a free-to-play title unlike their last installment of crazy adventures on Android called Towel Fight 2: The Monocle of Destiny. The reason for this as stated by The Shenanigans crew themselves is to combat piracy.

You hear that out there ASSHOLES that couldn’t muster the couple bucks it cost to pay for their last game? If I could banhammer you I would. And Butterscotch wouldn’t stop me. They’d help. That’s who knows how many banhammers. Straight to the face.

Back on topic here, Quadropus Rampage will be a free title, but fear not my fellow gamers, Shenanigans (Hey Farve what’s that place with all the goofy shit on the walls?) has assured us that Quadropus, in all it’s fabled glory will not force anyone to make IAP’s unless they want to accelerate the upgrade process. Should you choose to stick to playing for free, you will be able to go through the game at a progression rate that is acceptable and steady. On a side note, our friends over at Butterscotch have hooked me up with the apk to test out the game in beta and its pretty damn awesome. If you have played Towel Fight 2 and enjoyed the crazy hilarity it brought to game play, you will love Quadropus Rampage as well. Look for this game coming soon. The game will be similar in visuals to Towel Fight 2 and will be an action-rpg style of play. It will carry plenty of upgrades to weapons, and items to help in your quest to … retrieve your lost tennis ball? That’ll teach you to play tennis in the abyss! The real task is actually to stop the rise of the abyssal sea creatures.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bounty Arms THD Coming Very Soon

Those of you familiar with this crazy fun looking action platformer will be happy to know that the release is on the cusp of arrival. Supposedly arriving last week, no apk has showed up in the play store as of yet but the release is surely imminent as it was supposed to be up in the play store already. The push back is more then likely for a good reason, to work out bugs and what not so its as perfect a launch as possible, so hang tight kids the game is almost here.

Bounty Arms THD, as the name suggests, will be a side scrolling platform game where you will run around collecting bounties using many different weapons that are at your disposal. Even though this is a side scroller, at times you will have the ability to move toward or away from the screen in a more advanced depth of field control system making it more 3D like. Should prove to make the game visually striking and more fun. The game will be available for Tegra devices only as it is a THD title, but there’s always the possibility of a release for non THD devices later on.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Original Sonic The Hedgehog Hits The Play Store

Ok, I know were a bit late on the release of this awesome retro game from SEGA, but it filled so much of my time during the early gaming years I had growing up that I feel its worth noting about, even now over a week later. Those who grew up in the 80′s and 90′s and played video games more than likely played this game. New from the original Sega Gensis Classic, are time attack mode, a remastered soundtrack, and the playable ability of Tails and Knuckles.

Awesome Right? Yeah, we thought so too. SEGA has also added in leaderboards and an achievement system for you competition whores out there. (Guilty!) The game will set you back $2.99 and will come with all of the above mentioned, as well as healthy slice of nostalgia. Hello again my little blue friend, nice to see you, as always.

SONY Secures The Rights To The Angry Birds Film

Yes, you read that title correctly. Sony has secured the rights to the Angry Birds Movie, which is supposed to debut in the year 2016. That’s still a good chunk of time away, but for angry birds fans across the globe, time is not a factor. The notion that the movie is happening at all is exciting. You had to know that a movie would be made some time, with as popular as the game franchise has been for years, it’s now a reality more than ever. The movie will of course be in animated 3D, (did you expect anything different?) and is set to launch July 1^st 2016. Mark your calendars folks.

Karateka Classic Kicks Outdated In The Face; Relaunches On Android

If you like retro, and I mean REALLY RETRO, than hit up Karateka Classic for a time warp back 1984. This was a year before I was born, and it took me nearly 10 years to develop a taste for video games (mostly because that’s when we were first allowed to have a console) so I have never actually played this, but I have played many that look rather similar. Its use of the word “classic” in the title is undoubtedly the most fitting for the game. The game goes like this, your a karate hero, and you have to save to princess from the evil warlord Akuma. Kick, punch, kick, kick, WIN! There’s actually more to it then that but as evolved as this game is, that’s the gist of it. Sounds rather similar to a movie and another game I know. The game although re imagined, does a very good job at reminding older gamers of how ridiculously difficult video games could be back in the day. If you yearn for a bit of the past in your daily gaming habits, check out the new “old” Karateka Classic. For all that retro love you’ll be getting, you only have to fork out $.99.

Fire And Forget: The Final Assault Brings New Life To Old Game

If you had an Amiga back in the day, you probably played the original game a time or two. Fire and Forget allowed you to unleash gratuitous violence on terrorists while simultaneously driving. Racing and bloodshed, what could be better in a video game right? Fire and Forget: Final Assault takes the old game, and breathes new life into it, lighting a “fire” (forgive the bad jokes) under gamers who played the old title. Make no mistake, Final Assault is a completely new game, with new graphics, and even better gameplay allowing you to relive the memories you may have had with old version. Its worth noting that your car can fly in this game, bringing yet another new element to the game that wasn’t there in the original. So far, there’s only been video footage released of the PC version of the game, but we can expect the Android version won’t be much different if at all. Check out the video to see how much fun this game is going to be, when you’re done drooling over the awesomeness, download the game from play store… oh, and make sure you have a couple bucks handy. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pudding Monsters Update Adds 25 New levels

If you liked Cut The Rope and have not yet played Pudding Monsters (makers of Cut The Rope), now’s a great time to get in on the fun. The “Sky View” update which was recently released this month adds 25 new levels to the game inserting even more fun then what was available at the games launch. Sky View adds not only new and fresh levels but new gameplay mechanics as well, and even a new character called “Mr. Powerlifter Monster.” Zeptolab have done a great job with their games so far, so this update should add some huge excitement to what was already a great game. Pick up the update from the store button below.

Combo Crew Brings Cartoon like Beat Em’ Up action To Android

What’s that? You wish oh so desperately for a brawler game experience that overshadows any other on Android? Game Bakers has heard your cry. Enter Combo Crew. The cartoon like brawler that you’ve been waiting for. Filled with plenty of fist to face action (straight from the mouth of GameBakers) that you’ll enjoy any day of the week. Mr. Boss has it all. Except one thing. He hasn’t beaten the three best fighters. That’s where you come in. You play as one of three characters looking to show Mr. Boss what’s what. No more pushing people around. Climb the tower and defeat the baddies, reach Mr. Boss and combo his ass into next week. The game features game play like Final fight, Double Dragon, Street Fighter and others, with no virtual D-Pad. Fluid touch based gesture controls are easy to learn says game bakers, making it even easier to unleash multitudes of combos on your foes.The game supports online play, so you can compete or play together with friends. What could be better right? The game features multiple playable characters, over 80 moves to master and with a unique combo system and SUPER MOVES! Super moves just sounds awesome. I almost want to test it out just for that. Hundreds of missions and unlockables should keep players busy for a while. If you want to pick up Combo Crew you’ll have to fork out $1.99, but with all that’s included two bucks sounds like its plenty worth it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fast And The Furious 6: The Game Races Onto Google Play

If 6 movies with games virtually based off of every one weren’t enough for you, you’re in luck, because Fast and The Furious 6: The Game from Kabam is now available. The game is set in London just like in the movie and you have to take out the mercenary drivers that are making things difficult. If you needed an outlet for all those urges to street race without landing your ass in jail, here’s your ticket. Like other racers, there will be different “jobs” you’ll have to complete to earn cash and respect, which are the currency for things in the game. Campaign mode as well as global tournaments are included so there will be something new to do most days. The game is free-to-play but will mots certainly have some IAP’s included as an option, it is unclear however if the IAP’s will lean more towards the mandatory side or not. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

During the keynote at Google I/O last week, Chris Yerga announced some changes for Google Play and in particular Google Play Music. He introduced to us their brand new streaming music service. Not only is it taking on Pandora, but it also allows you to go ahead and add music to your library and even pin it for offline listening. Now, myself and a few members of the Android Headlines staff thought that Google was drunk when this was announced. Because it was just too awesome to be true. I immediately signed up for the free trial, and I’ve been using it ever since last week and have fell in love with it. I really don’t mind paying $7.99 a month (if you sign up before June 30th, it’s $9.99 after) for All Access.

So that leads us to this week’s burning question, what are your thoughts on Google Play Music All Access? Other than the extremely long name. I’ve been bragging about it for about a week and how much I love it. This is a big reason why I love still having unlimited data. Because All Access uses a ton of data. So let us know in the comments down below if you’re liking or not liking Google Play Music All Access. Also what would you like to see changed with the service and the app? Any bugs you’ve encountered, etc. Also, what kind of radio stations have you made? It would be awesome to see those shared within all our readers. We might see some pretty good stations out there.

It seems like everyday we are posting about a leaked or rumored Samsung device. Man they have a lot of devices out there. But at least they update them all quickly now. We’ve been hearing about the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 for quite a while now. You probably remember earlier this week when the tablet’s price got leaked by mistake by Adorama. The Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is now appearing in a 5-minute long hands-on video which has been posted on YouTube by coolblue. In the video you can see some performance of the tablet, it looks rather lightweight, similar to most of Samsung’s devices. It’s sleek and very responsive. At least that’s what the video would have you to believe.

Remember the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is said to feature:

• 7-inch 1024×600 resolution display (probably either AMOLED or TFT)
• 1GB of RAM
• 8GB or 16GB internal storage
• 3MP rear camera
• 4000mAh battery
• 1.2GHz processor (said to be an Intel chip)
• Android 4.2.2?

The Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 should be hitting the market later this year. So far we have no details on when it’s going to launch and where. And as far as the pricing goes. I really hope Samsung can price this cheaper than the Nexus 7, or they may have trouble selling it. Wait, I forgot I was talking about Samsung here. Consumers like us, and those of you reading this, may decide to grab the Nexus 7 instead because of the better specs, but average consumers who like Samsung’s products will probably not even hesitate to pick up the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0.

Check out the video down below. But be warned, the reviewer is speaking Dutch, so you’ll probably have trouble understanding them. Let us know what you think of the video in the comments below. Would you pick up the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: YouTube

Via: Android Authority

It wasn’t all that long ago that Huawei only manufactured low-end, ugly phones. They got almost no recognition outside of China. They weren’t even trying to sell most of their products in the US, mostly because nobody here wanted them.

They’ve certainly stepped their game up lately, way up! It really started with the Ascend Mate, a massive 6.1 inch phablet(maybe more like a phone capable tablet.) While it initially garnered headlines primarily for its gigantic screen, the largest at the time, recently it has garnered tons of positive reviews. Users have raved about its remarkable battery life, surprising lightness and all around usefulness.

One thing that didn’t exactly get much appreciation was the Mate’s style. While certainly not ugly, it was definitely more utilitarian than most would’ve liked. It seems like Huawei listened as their newest phone looks to be a major step up in the looks department.

The Huawei  Ascend P6 has been kicking around the rumor mills for  a little while now. First we heard about how remarkably thin it would be. A while later we got the expected blurry shots. Taken, of course, by an apparent first time camera user (or perhaps a company trying to build buzz for a product?) Now it appears the official renders have leaked and it is pretty sexy. Not HTC One sexy, but still worth a second glance.

Huawei has their “Beauty” event on June 18th and it would be logical for them to release this little beaut at the show. If their was any doubt Huawei Chairman Richard Yu actually told his followers that the phone in the leak was indeed a member of the P series. Then he went on to confirm that yes, indeed, the phone would be released on the 18th. The post was immediately deleted, (Totally not a strategic move to buzz the phone or anything) but it was captured by the internets for all to see.

With HTC’s apparent internal crash and burn, will Huawei be able to edge into the US market? Its certainly a possiblity, especially if they can get our government to let them sell their phones as they’re a Chinese company. I know its a matter of national security and all, but come on Obama, haven’t you seen the Oppo Find 5?

How do you guys feel about Huawei? They certainly make some interesting phones, would you ever be interested in one? Let us know in the comments below?

We’ve been hearing rumors all week about HTC possibly working on a “Google Edition” or “Senseless” version of the HTC One. In fact, the rumors date back to the Google I/O keynote last week. Which a HTC executive immediately shot it down. We saw rumors from a certain HTC developer on Twitter, but we didn’t post about it because it didn’t look trustworthy. But today, our friend Russell Holly from Geek.com posted about it. So you might ask, what makes Russell trust worthy? Well he was the one that brought out the rumor about the Galaxy S4 Google Edition the night before Google I/O.

According to Geek.com, multiple sources are claiming that HTC is working on a HTC One running Android 4.2.2, and that would be vanilla Android. We’ve talked before about how HTC has tried to get on developers and modders good side. In fact, they’ve made the HTC One very easy to unlock. I haven’t unlocked the One myself, but I’ve heard it’s as easy as unlocking a Nexus device. Right now it’s still unclear whether this stock Android HTC One is going to be sold in the Play Store or from HTC. But my guess would be the Play Store, unless they aren’t working with Google on this device. Sources are also stating that the device will be in the US first, similar to the Galaxy S4 “Nexus”.

What would be interesting about a vanilla Android HTC One is how well the camera, boomsound, and other features would work with AOSP. Since the software for the camera and the speakers are part of the Sense framework. I certainly hope that HTC could get it into AOSP, even without Google’s help. What I think would be a better idea for HTC, is instead of creating a new HTC One with stock Android, is to release a stable, working build of Android 4.2.2 for the HTC One. So those with HTC One’s already can just flash the ROM and have fun. Instead of buying a new One. It would make customers happy, and drive even more sales. Because you’d basically be subsidizing a stock Android device. Which no one else is doing.

How many of you would buy a stock Android HTC One? Let us know in the comments below.

As is customary with Samsung’s previous Galaxy Series devices, the Galaxy S4 will soon be released in a Developer Edition. The Dev Edition Galaxy S4 will be available through Samsung, and works on AT&T and Verizon networks.

The Dev Edition comes with an unlocked bootloader right out of the box, allowing for custom software installs and much more. It’s no surprise that both AT&T and Verizon variants of the device are shipping with locked bootloaders. Hopefully, someone resourceful will crack the bootloader soon enough, but for now unless you purchase the Dev Edition from Samsung you’re out of luck.

The Dev Edition appeared on Samsung’s website, and both the AT&T and Verizon models are visible. Currently, they’re labeled with a vague “coming soon” release date, and there’s no mention about when exactly they will be available. It’s rather obvious that Samsung is going to charge a premium price for the unlocked handsets, but there’s no mention of that price either. We can only hope that Samsung won’t wrack the price up to a ridiculous amount, but that’s certainly a likely outcome.

Interestingly enough, the Google Edition of the Galaxy S4 will soon be releasing for AT&T and T-Mobile. It goes without saying, a stock experience is always preferred by many Android lovers. That’s why the Dev Edition Verizon handset is so appealing, that unlocked bootloader would at least allow consumers the chance to load custom software on the device. Since Verizon won’t be getting the Google Edition of the Galaxy S4, Android lovers would at least be able to find a suitable ROM replacement to run stock Android.

There’s no difference in terms of hardware, so if you pick up a Dev Edition handset you’re getting the same device albeit with an unlocked bootloader. To many, the price alone will likely be unappealing, but some would consider the unlocked bootloader worthy enough to pay extra for.

What do you think folks? Would you be willing to pay a premium price for a Galaxy S4 with an unlocked bootloader? Would you rather purchase the standard device and wait for the bootloader to be cracked? Do you even care about the bootloader, at all? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Samsung (AT&T, Verizon)

Google is showing some love to the desktop version of Chrome (Windows and ChromeOS). For the Chrome notifications, it appears that they’re adopting the same Google Now style aesthetics as they did with the new Google+ design. Say what you will about the mechanics, but there’s no denying the visual appeal.

Google is slowly but surely adapting the visual style to fit within all of its native apps. Google Play, Google+, Google Now and even Google Drive have all seen unique design implementations. It was only a matter of time before Google expanded the visual style to other platforms.

The new feature is called “rich notifications,” and according to Google they work just like Google Now’s info cards. When something of note happens, Chrome will now alert you through stylized notification cards at the bottom right corner of the screen. Needless to say, they are clean and attractive. Notifications have always been around for Chrome, but they’ve just been completely redesigned.

The notifications can be activated by Chrome apps and extensions even when you’re outside the browser window. Essentially, this keeps you up to date on the action even when you’re doing something else on your desktop. Google says that the notifications support both formatted text and images, which means just like the advanced Android notifications added in 4.1 (Jelly Bean) the Chrome notifications can also include direct actions.

A notification center has also been implemented to keep track of any alerts you missed while away.

In the Chrome settings menu you can disable notifications for each app or extension individually just in case you want some “peace and quiet.”

Currently, the new notification features are available in the Chrome Beta which you can download and try by visiting this link. Of course, the features will roll out to regular users eventually, but there’s no mention of a definitive date. Furthermore, we’re not sure if Google will implement something similar for the mobile and tablet versions of Chrome.

Google showed off the new notification features via the Google Chrome blog earlier today. What do you think of the design? Are you excited to see the revamped notification support for Chrome? Will you use the Google Now themed notification cards or will you disable them completely when they arrive?

Via Google