Category: Android
Switch view

Will the Galaxy S4 offer 1080p@60fps video recording? Qualcomm says yes

by 73 comments

The Snapdragon 600 version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 might have another ace up its sleeve that we didn’t know about so far. The Qualcomm-powered version is reportedly going to boast 1080p video recording at 60fps, which will be a first in the smartphone world.

Update: It turns out that it was a mistake on Qualcomm’s side. The company got in touch with us to confirm it.

This was mentioned as one of Samsung’s flagship key features in the chipmaker’s press release, issued after the Galaxy S4 announcement. However, the Galaxy S4 unit which we have in in our office, doesn’t offer such functionality, despite its Snapdragon chipset. So what is the truth? Read more »

Android 4.2.2 to be the last for Galaxy Tab 2 lineup, Samsung does test on first-gen Tabs too

by 19 comments

Android 4.2.2 will be the last update for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 lineup. The slates have started their lifecycle on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, then were updated up to 4.1 Jelly Bean and now they will be getting their last major firmware upgrade with the 4.2.2 version.

The update rollout for those devices should be completed by the end of September this year. Read more »

HTC drops “Quietly brilliant” slogan, to adopt a more aggressive marketing strategy

by 66 comments

HTC’s chief marketing officer Benjamin Ho will ditch the company’s current “Quietly Brilliant” slogan for a “bolder” tagline.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Ho said HTC will be adopting a more aggressive marketing strategy as it’s time for things to change. He added that HTC “has a lot innovations but we haven’t been loud enoughRead more »

Here is the Sony Xperia Tablet Z EU pricing

by 17 comments

Sony is about to launch the Xperia Tablet Z in mid-April worldwide. The slate is going to be available in three flavors – 16GB Wi-Fi only, 32GB Wi-Fi only and 16GB with LTE.

The 16GB and 32GB model pricing is close in most EU countries, while the price of the LTE-capable Sony Xperia Tablet Z tends to vary quite a bit. Read more »

The latest security flaw in Sony Xperia Z allows you to bypass its passcode lockscreen in few simple steps

by 59 comments

The software glitches in iOS 6.x devices, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II and few other Samsung Galaxy devices had allowed the users to bypass the lock screen of their devices. Now, a latest security flaw in Sony Xperia Z allows you to bypass its lock screen in few simple and easy steps.

Scott Reed, a tech enthusiast, who has recently purchased a Sony Xperia Z smartphone, has managed to bypass the lock screen of the device with ease. The method involves few simple steps and allows you to gain full access to the device. Read more »

Steve “Cyanogen” Kondik leaves Samsung, praises the Galaxy S4, but hates TouchWiz

by 147 comments

Steve “Cyanogen” Kondik, the leading man behind the popular CyanogenMod, joined Samsung in mid-2011 but now, less than two years later, he left the company. He had spent some “quality time” with the new Galaxy S4 and had some words to share about it.

For one, he seems to be a fan of the device, saying in a Google+ post that it “blows the competition out of the water” and feels more solid than the Galaxy S III he loves and uses every day. What he had to say about TouchWiz was less pleasant. Read more »

Sony tears down its Xperia Tablet Z on video, takes you on a tour of its innards

by 81 comments

The Tablet Z is Sony’s latest Android slate, which was confirmed to go global at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We witnessed its beauty with our eyes and were impressed by its weight and slim waistline. And to tickle the inner geek inside all of us, Sony has put up an official teardown video of the tablet.

Before tearing it down, Sony offers a walkthrough of the Tablet Z and then gets down to business. Read more »

Eric Schmidt on Google Now for iOS: “You’ll need to discuss that with Apple”

by 40 comments

So it’s not a pipe dream after all – Google Now for iOS may even be in the works. At the Big Tent summit in India Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt was asked point blank when could we see Google Now on the iPhone and had this to say – “You’ll need to discuss that with Apple”, “Apple has a policy of approving or disapproving apps that are submitted into its store, and some of them they approve and some of them they don’t,”.

Although skillfully avoiding giving a direct answer to the question Schmidt didn’t dismiss it entirely giving this blogger the idea that just like it did with Gmail, Maps, Drive and Chrome, Google intends to push its Now service over to iOS. Read more »

HTC releases BlinkFeed video ad to keep the HTC One hype alive

by 57 comments

HTC One production has been troubled lately by component shortages lately and the Taiwanese were even forced to delay the smartphone launch in most of the markets. Yet, HTC is keen to make you so excited about its flagship that you wouldn’t mind waiting a bit longer to get it. Each week we get new videos through the HTC’s YouTube official channel and the newest one advertises the smartphone’s signature BlinkFeed feature.

HTC BlinkFeed is the leftmost pane of the homescreen. It aggregates posts from your social networks and news from over a thousand news sources. You can pick what topics you’re interested in and BlinkFeed will automatically pull up interesting news. You can also use the search function if you’re looking for something in particular. Read more »

iCloud tops Cloud Media Services in the US for the fall with 27%

by 15 comments

According to a survey by Strategy Analytics which was gathered by data collected last fall Apple’s iCloud is the most popular cloud service in the US.

27% of those surveyed who use a cloud service have tried iCloud in US with Dropbox and Amazon Cloud Drive in second and third with 17& and 15% respectively. Read more »

Exploit allows you to completely disable the TouchWiz lokscreen passcode

by 63 comments

The latest way to bypass the Galaxy S III/Note II/Note/S II lockscreen has been modified and now allows you to completely disable the devices’ locksceens. We already saw this exploit about three weeks ago, but back then it didn’t appear too dangerous as it only gave the intruder access to what’s on one of your homescreen panes.

Now, however, the author has found a way to use it to gain full control of the smartphone. You’ll need lots of time, patience and precision timing to accomplish this trick, but as you’ll see in a second it’s possible. Read more »

Eric Schmidt: Chrome OS and Android not merging for now

by 24 comments

Google’s Executive chairman, Eric Schmidt stated today that Chrome and Android would remain separate, as they solve different problems right now. However, he didn’t really reject the possibility of them merging later down the road.

Additionally, Schmidt, who is currently attending the Big Tent Activate Summit in India, hinted that while both OS continue their separate ways, there’ll be more “commonality” between them. Read more »

Samsung Galaxy S4 game pad accessory goes on pre-order at $113

by 66 comments

Samsung introduced a variety of accessories for the Galaxy S4 shortly after the official announcement in New York last week – a wireless charging pad, covers and protective cases, battery kits and even a game pad.

You can now pre-order that last one in the US for $113. The Samsung Game Pad is officially said to support phones with screen size between 4 and 6.3 inches fueling the rumors of Galaxy Note III with a 6.3″ big screen. Read more »

Google launches Google Keep, a new cloud-based note taking app for Android

by 58 comments

A few days ago, Google prematurely released the Google Keep service, only to pull it back down on the same day. For those who missed that, Google Keep is a note taking application for Android that syncs with your Google Drive account.

Now, the service has been officially announced in the form of the Google Keep app on the Play Store. It is a very basic note taking app meant for quickly jotting down your thoughts without any unnecessary frills. Read more »

Redesigned Google Play Store app makes an appearance

by 26 comments

Right after its first birthday, it looks like the Google Play Store is has a major redesign coming our way. A revamped app has made an appearance, thus giving us a glimpse of the Play Store’s new look.

As you can notice in the trio of screenshots above, the interface of Google Play Store 4.0 has been given the Holo treatment. Read more »