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Android usage surpass iOS for the first time ever

by 68 comments

It’s been a long time coming, but the latest usage statistics from Net Applications show that iOS has fallen behind Android in terms of total active usage.

While Android has long since surpassed Apple’s offering in terms of market share, this is the first time that Google’s mobile OS is also being used more than iOS. Read more »

New Samsung Galaxy Tab S ads show off Galaxy Gifts premium content

by 15 comments

The Galaxy Tab S tablets and their slick AMOLED screens have a new series of ads that highlight their exclusive content extras.

The content includes a 6-month subscription to The Wall Street Journal, additional cars for Asphalt 8, and others. Read more »

Windows Phone to bring pattern unlock to Live Lock

by 126 comments

Windows Phone’s evolution has taken yet another step forward, albeit not through official means as developer Fela Ameghino has incorporated pattern unlock into the Live Lock Screen introduced with Windows Phone 8.1.

The feature, still in beta, brings WP one step closer to matching its Android counterpart. Video after the break. Read more »

LG launches Tab Book i5 tablet running Android only

by 26 comments

LG has released a new variant of its Windows Tab Book tablet that’s set to run on just Android.

The Tab Book is similar to its Windows counterpart (announced at CES this year), except that it uses its quad-core 2.6GHz Core i5 processor to run Android 4.2.2. Read more »

64GB Xiaomi Mi Pad comes to Europe for €280

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Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi’s capable Tegra K1-based Mi Pad tablet has finally made its way to western markets. Offering iPad mini-esque specs at a price that’s considerably lower, the Mi Pad is certainly an interesting proposition.

Currently, Xiaomi’s official shop is listing the 64GB Mi Pad for about $380 (€290), and can ship to most countries in Europe for $19, if you’re willing to wait 7-20 days for its arrival. Read more »

Xiaomi outs Mi Band fitness accessory for just $13

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Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, who just unveiled its latest Mi4 smartphone, has outed a fitness band to go with its new flagship for the unheard of price of CNY 79, or $13.

The new Mi Band will track your movement and sleeping patterns, wake you up based on your sleep cycle via vibrating alarms, and is also water resistant with an IP67 rating. Read more »

LG and Oppo duke it out over who introduced QHD first

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We’ve been all about QHD screens in the past couple of months, ever since the latest tech wave has had LG and Oppo at the forefront of the high-res display arms race by being among the first manufacturers to tout 1440p flagships.

But who gets the first-place medal? LG claims that it takes the prize on Twitter, but Oppo has its own say in the matter. Read more »

Weekend poll results: Sony Xperia Z2 vs. LG G3

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Last weekend, we pitted the LG G3 against the Sony Xperia Z2, to see if you liked LG’s new QHD-toting device more than the slick design aesthetic of the Sony Xperia Z2.

After all was said and done, the results were quite close. Let’s see how you rated each device in design, display, user interface, and camera performance. Read more »

Nokia Lumia 930 hands-on

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Nokia’s latest Lumia offering has hit our offices, and we’ll be giving you a quick tour of the Nokia Lumia 930 before it gets whisked away for our comprehensive review.

The Lumia 930 is the international variant of the Nokia Lumia Icon released in the US for Verizon earlier this year, and is one of the first devices to sport Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 8.1 update out of box.

The Lumia 930 sports a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED of Nokia’s ClearBlack variety, which we unfortunately found to color shift severely towards red/blue when viewed from different angles – a problem that we’ve also seen in past Nokia AMOLEDs. The chipset is of the MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 variety, with four 2.2GHz Krait 400 cores, and an Adreno 330 GPU. There’s 2GB of RAM on board alongside 32GB of non-expandable storage, all powered by a 2420mAh battery. Read more »

Google now offers free Android development classes through Udacity

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From day one, when it comes to smartphones, it’s always been about apps. The mobile OS that’s able to wield the largest app-baton wins, which is why Google, Apple, and Microsoft have always been such strong advocators of developer incentives.

Google’s latest push in that direction comes by way of their new crash course on Android development designed for users looking to get into mobile development, but who already have at least some background in programming. Read more »

Weekend poll: LG G3 vs. Sony Xperia Z2

by 132 comments

Our latest poll will take a look at one the years earlier flagships verses one of the more recent ones. The Sony Xperia Z2 made waves at MWC back in February, while the LG G3 is the new kid in town, coming to market just last month.

Fresh off our shootout review of the two Asian-born smartphones, we want to hear what you think. Is the QHD screen of the LG G3 enough to give it the edge, or will the Z2′s slick design save the day? Read more »

Oppo Find 7 battery life test

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The Oppo Find 7 is only the second QHD screen-toting device currently on the market, and also brings some serious horsepower with it – enough to rival other mainstream flagships from Sony and Samsung in the performance department.

The Find 7 also has the added benefit of having a 1080p twin in the Find 7a, so we can see just how much extra battery life is required to power a 2560 x 1440px display. Read more »

Google rolls out updates to Maps, Play Games, Gmail, and more

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Following its announcement regarding the new Play Services 5.0 API update last week, Google is now delivering the goods with a plethora of updates to its services and applications.

Not only is the new Google Play Games 2.0 with level-up notifications and quest support being pushed out to users, but new updates to Gmail and Google Maps integrate Google Drive support and let you measure between map locations. Read more »

LG G3 goes underwater for two hours, lives to tell the story

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The LG G3 is one of the few recent flagships to come without an IP certification against dust and water penetration, but that’s not stopping it from resisting the elements regardless.

A recent video surfaced showing how it survived a full 2 hours underwater, and still came out apparently intact. Read more »

Sony creates curved photo sensor, promising better images and cheaper lenses

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Sony revealed the world’s first curved photo sensor last week, and have today followed it up with a sample image showcasing a new display technology that the company hopes will result in cheaper photo sensors while delivering higher-quality images.

Curved sensors are expected to solve problems that flat sensors have with light falling in front of their focal plane in certain conditions, and can also reduce noise while reducing their manufacturing complexity. Read more »