Verizon Galaxy S 4 to launch in stores on May 23rd

tagged galaxy s 4, Verizon

We know how painful the wait for the Galaxy S 4′s launch is for you Verizon customers out there, but it’s looking like you customers out there won’t need to wait too much longer to grab one of those puppies after all. The nation’s largest wireless carrier has confirmed by tweet that it is moving the official launch up one week to May 23rd— next Thursday. This means that those of you will finally have a chance to pay $199.99 for the 16GB version and sell your soul to Verizon for the next two years… or you could just suck it up and pay $649.99 and grab the flagship device outright. Either way, we’re sure that prospective customers must be more than happy at this exciting news.

source: @Verizon

Samsung working on a tablet/pc hybrid behind the scenes

tagged bay trail, Hybrid, Samsung, Silvermont, tablet

Sure Samsung may be in the midst of an onslaught of devices for 2013, but it appears that we may see a first from the manufacturer: a tablet/computer hybrid. According to sources, Samsung is quietly working on the special device as we speak and will utilize Intel’s new Bay Trail processing unit from the newly-released Silvermont line, which aims to give tons of speed for users, but with less energy consumption. Additionally, the new hybrid device will feature a keyboard, in addition to the on-screen display, which will give users tons of flexibility when using the device. Unfortunately, there are no additional features like what OS will be running the show or what exact display size will be used, but we’re hoping that we will see more information leak out sooner than later.

source: Technastic
via: Phone Arena

Android’s Sundar Pichai teases Google I/O 2013 plans

tagged Android, Chrome, google io 2013, Sundar Pichai

Google I/O is just a few days away and if you were expecting to see a brand-new OS or a revolutionary device— then you will probably be a little disappointed at this tidbit of news. Android head Sundar Pichai recently expressed some hints of what we can expect to see, especially for all of you developers out there:

“It’s going to be different. It’s not a time when we have much in the way of launches of new products or a new operating system. Both on Android and Chrome, we’re going to focus this I/O on all of the kinds of things we’re doing for developers, so that they can write better things. We will show how Google services are doing amazing things on top of these two platforms”.

Yeah— it’s definitely a bummer, we know. Fortunately there is a silver lining to look forward to: the development and arrival of some pretty neat concepts and improvements to the Android and Chrome platforms. In his interview, Pichai highlights that because of the Android platform’s flexibility and design, consumers are able to see the arrival of Facebook Home, part of many ”welcome innovations“. Additionally, items like Amazon’s Kindle Fire series of tablets and its customized Android software represent the computer explosion of today, which is a benefit for consumers of all.

source: Wired

Xiaomi’s Red Rice smartphone aims to redefine budget smartphones, brings a dual-core chip, 720p display and MIUI for $130

tagged dual sim, GSM, MIUI, TD-SCDMA, Xiaomi

As part of its plan make to a major splash for 2013, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi is rumored to quietly working on a special smartphone called the Red Rice behind the scenes— a device that could potentially redefine the budget category as we know it. According to tech site IT168, the smartphone is expected to operate on Xiaomi’s custom MIUI OS and feature a dual-core processor, a 4.7-inch 720p display, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP camera, 8 gigs of storage and a 2,000mAh battery. Additionally, the device will be dual-SIM compatible and also have support for traditional GSM and TD-SCDMA technologies for Chinese customers out there looking for a traditional 3G or higher-speed technology. All of those specs add up to a shocking price— 799 yuan or roughly $130— meaning that customers in China will have a solid device that could be head and shoulders above other budget-line devices at that price range.

Of course nothing is confirmed just yet, but all indications are pointing out to the MIUI v5-based Red Rice seeing an October release— meaning that customers will have a lot to look forward to right before the holidays.

source: IT168
via: Android Authority

Congratulations Samsung— the Galaxy S 4 is set to be featured on BBC’s Watchdog

tagged bbc, galaxy s 4, Samsung, Watchdog

There have more more than a few of us who have complained about Samsung’s habit of loading up ~~crap~~ ~~unnecessary~~ extra apps on its flagship devices, but it looks like the BBC has had enough of Sammy’s shenanigans. The famed British network will air a special episode of its Watchdog series pointing out some very serious issues that identified on the 16GB variant of the Galaxy S 4 smartphone. In fact, Host Anne Robinson poses this simple question best: “Samsung… claims that its brand new Galaxy phone has an extra-large memory, but what did it forget to mention“? Well– while the smartphone no doubt introduces some well… “unique” apps, much of the apps take up an extraordinary space on the device, resulting in roughly only half of the total storage capacity being available to brand-new owners.

Naturally, Samsung will probably want to rebuke the bold Watchdog claim by highlighting its 16GB Galaxy S 4 certainly has a microSD slot for users to take advantage of, but remember— regular apps can only be installed onto the phone’s internal memory, so there is the potential for owners to simply run out of room. Moreover, owners can always buy the larger capacity variants of the device as well because well— bigger is better anyways.

Hit the break to check out the teaser video for yourself. » Read the rest

Huawei issues Save The Date invitations for a “Beauty” event

tagged huawei

We know that Huawei certainly has something up its sleeves to show the masses, but it appears that the wait is finally over for us to see its next flagship device. The Chinese manufacturing giant recently sent out Save The Date invites for a June 18th event which clearly highlights its new “Beauty” theme. While nothing is concrete, it is widely expected that this event will give us the formal launch of what should be the Ascend P2 smartphone. Or we could end up seeing something else completely, but you can bet the world will be eagerly awaiting to see how “beautiful” Huawei can be.

More details of the upcoming Google “X” phone surfaces including a smaller variant and the inclusion of “Droid Blast” technology

tagged Droid Blast, Google, Jelly Bean, M, motorola, x

Perhaps we shouldn’t think that the mysterious “X” phone by Motorola we’ve been hearing more and more about lately is just limited to one model after all. If you recall, we casually mentioned the possibility of Google introducing the “X” phone as potentially a new line of smartphones– not just one smartphone. Well, it appears that particular rumor may hold up more weight than we thought before. According to an anonymous tipster, at least two versions of the Motorola X are being developed behind closed doors: a main “X” phone and an “M” model— similar to the DROID RAZR M variant from the DROID RAZR line of smartphones. Specs-wise, the main phone will feature a 4.8-inch HD display, 2 GB of RAM and feature Android 4.2.2 (as of now).

» Read the rest

New Google Translate update allows users to take Phrasebook on the go and brings camera-to-translate function to 16 new languages

tagged Google, translate

Google certainly pulls no stops when it comes to making life easier for those of us that happen to travel abroad and that’s why it has announced the next great additions to its Translate app— Phrasebook on the go the addition of 16 new languages for the translate by camera function. The latest addition to the app allows users to save common phrases such as “Where can I find a museum?” and automatically sync the phrases in your Phrasebook to your various Android devices using the Google Translate mobile app— allowing you to carry the more useful phrases on the go. All that’s need are literally a few simple taps, sign into your Gmail account and bam— you’re in business.

Also, users will now be able to utilize camera-input to find translations in 16 additional languages: Bulgarian, Catalan, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Croatian, Hungarian, Indonesian, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Latvian, Norwegian, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Swedish. You can check out more details when you hit up the source link.

source: Google Translate Blog

Samsung, LG and HTC rumored to have flagships in the works primed for Fall launch

Despite the existence of the topnotch flagships Samsung Galaxy S 4, HTC One and LG Optimus G Pro smartphones for the first half of this year, it’s looking like the smartphone battle is going to heat up even further for the second half of 2013 by introducing a new wave of big heavy-duty devices. According to DigiTimes, the 3 manufacturers are keen on going head-on against the upcoming iPhone (iPhone 5S?) that’s due for arrival later in the year. Here’s a quick rundown of the expected devices and their alleged features:

Samsung Galaxy Note III/3 – will feature a 5.99-inch Super AMOLED HD display and Exynos 5 octa-core processor
HTC Butterfly 2 – will feature a larger display than the original, complete with full HD capabilities and will feature as BlinkFeed, UltraPixel sensor and BoomSound speakers (all currently found in the HTC One smartphone)
LG Optimus G2 – will feature a 5-inch Full HD display powered and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor

Much of this we’ve already heard before, but it’s always exciting to get added follow-up confirmation from additional sources. All that’s left to do now for the masses is to simply play the waiting game and wait for inevitably more deets to leak out…

source: DigiTimes

New build of Sense 5.1 surfaces for HTC Butterfly smartphone, tries to give a little taste of Android 4.2.2 in the process

tagged Android 4.2.2, Butterfly, HTC, Sense 5.1

Sure HTC has been kicking some keister with some of its recently released flagships but well— they tend to feature not-so-current Jelly Bean builds loaded up, despite the sleek and appealing Sense 5.0 running the show. Fortunately it appears that HTC is working behind the scenes to change that notion. A leaked video recently surfaced which showcases the latest iteration of HTC’s unique skin— Sense 5.1 for the HTC Butterfly smartphone. Among the interesting things among the new build is a slightly revamped appearance and an attractive and familiar notification shade— giving the clear sign that Sense 5.1 will feature Android 4.2.2. Unfortunately there is no other aspect of this leaked build to see for now, so there’s no word on if there will be items like a new lock screen or updated icons, etc.

Here’s hoping we see more of this intriguing new update (and hopefully a port or two on American devices). You can find the video for yourself at the source links below. .

source: RootzWiki | XDA

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About Roy Alugbue

Conceived as Spock’s 4th cousin, Roy has had quite the life. He was born in beautiful San Jose, California, raised in Los Angeles, California and now resides in the greater New York City area. He has always been fascinated and obsessed with technology, especially the continuous advancements of mobile platforms. He was a Blackberry slave since his undergrad days at the University of Southern California until realizing in Feb. 2011, there were greener pastures in the land of Android. His first Android phone was the Motorola Atrix 4G, and he hasn’t looked back. He currently works in corporate media, enjoys following media and technology trends, reading a good book, weightlifting, playing on his XBOX 360 and conversing with total strangers.