Samsung is pushing hard with the Android updates this week. First we saw the 4.2.2 Jelly Bean version rolling out for the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, then it hit the Galaxy S II Plus, and now the Galaxy Note 8.0 is following suit.

The update is no surprise since we already knew Samsung has scheduled the update process of its slates to complete by the end of September. Read more »

Google is about to launch its own service that lets you locate your misplaced Android device or protect your data and privacy in case it gets stolen. The service is dubbed Android Device Manager and will let you ring your phone at maximum volume so you can locate it, even if silent mode has been enabled.

In case the smartphone/tablet is not in your immediate vicinity, you will be able to locate it on a map in real time. Read more »

The latest in the series of many changes to the Xbox One since its announcement is an increase in its GPU performance. Although the hardware in the Xbox One is more or less identical to the one in the PS4, due to differences in tuning it is theoretically slower compared to its Japanese rival.

With the update, however, Microsoft has reduced the gap, albeit by a small amount. The GPU in the Xbox One was originally clocked at 800MHz but Microsoft has now confirmed that it has now been increased to 853MHz. This makes it 6.5 percent faster than before in theory but it is still slower than the PS4. Read more »

The HTC One mini inherits one of the best designs of a smartphone ever, but it will be just a pretty paperweight if its battery runs out too quickly. It has a 1,800mAh Li-Po battery, compared to the 2,300mAh battery of the HTC One, but how that affects real-life performance.

The tinnier battery has to feed a smaller, lower res screen (4.3″ 720p vs. 4.7″ 1080p) and a smaller CPU and GPU, so we are not really sure what to expect here. Read more »

Want some of the premium HTC One features, but you can’t afford its premium price tag? Fret not, HTC has got you covered with the Desire 600 dual sim.

The phone combines the front dual-speakers of the HTC One with the BeatsAudio software enhancement and a couple of SIM slots. Okay, it’s made of plastic, but that keeps the price down and it’s also not too bad to the touch either. Read more »

Following this morning’s reportsby a developer who said that a PR firm was trying to pay him to promote a Samsung app contest on Stack Overflow, Samsung has issued a statement, meant to clarify the situation.

In a statement issued to The Verge Samsung says that the incident is “clearly against Samsung Electronics corporate policy”. Samsung denied being aware of the situation initially and said that it cancelled the plans as soon as it found out, and as soon as it found out that a PR firm was offering cash for content, it cancelled the plans The PR agency Fllu’s COO James Yoo, has admitted that prior reports about his firm not working with Samsung has been misleading. Read more »

We saw the leaked back panel of the Apple iPad 4 a while ago and now, the aluminum body of the upcoming iPad Mini successor has been spotted. Unsurprisingly, the back housing of the iPad Mini 2 does not suggest any major changes in the design and it looks like Apple is going to stick with the proven formula for its second-gen compact tablet.

If the leaked images are to be trusted, it is fairly easy to assume that Apple will be focusing improvements on the internals of the tablet, its software and hopefully an improved screen. Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is part of the long list of Samsung devices that were destined to get the Android 4.2 according to an earlier leak. The wait for the owners of the slate is now over as Samsung has just started seeding the Android 4.2.2 update for it.

Unfortunately, according to the previous info, this Android 4.2.2 update will be the last major one for the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. Other Galaxy Tab 2 tablets will be soon getting the same update and the process is scheduled to complete by the end of September. Read more »

LG has outed the third teaser for its upcoming G2 Android flagship smartphone. The handset is set to be officially shown the world in its full glory on August 7 in New York.

This being yet another teaser video, the phone gets a very little air time and is only briefly shown at the end of the clip. Nevertheless, the video is cool and quite inspirational. Read more »

Following the research of Strategy Analytics from a couple of days ago now comes a report from Canalys who confirms Android’s lead in the tablet market.

Samsung, Amazon, Lenovo and Acer combined have sold nearly 12 million tablets. Add to that number the smaller companies and the white-box tablet manufacturers, and the overall Android tablets sold for the quarter reached 19.5 million units. Read more »

Facebook has released a new update for their Android app, which brings one of the key features of the ill-fated Facebook Home app. Now, through an option in the settings menu, you can enable the Cover Feed feature on your Android device, without having to install Facebook Home app.

If you are not aware, Cover Feed takes over the lockscreen on your Android device with a custom lockscreen that plays a slideshow of your friends’ Facebook photos in the background underneath the unlock button. While it sounds great in theory, actually having all your friends’ photos appear on your lockscreen isn’t such a great idea as most of the time the photos aren’t as good as you’d like them to be (not with my friends, at least). Read more »

Samsung has once again managed to get itself caught in a bit of astroturfing related controversy. The last time, it was found that Samsung had paid some students to trashtalk HTC online. This time, a PR agency representing Samsung tried to pay a developer to astroturf on behalf of Samsung.

The developer in question, Delyan Kratunov, received an email from a John Yoon working for the company Fllu. Yoon’s request was that Kratunov help promote the Samsung Smart App Challenge for a payment but what was required for Kratunov to do wasn’t exactly ethical. Read more »

Motorola has just unleashed its Moto X flagship smartphone and, as tradition dictates, the announcement was accompanied by the release of a few promo videos.

The Moto X got a trio of clips – the first two focus on its unique software features, while the third one is dedicated to its Moto Maker customization software. Read more »

Temple Run franchise is one of the most popular arcade running games in the market beyond any shadow of doubt. The different avatars in the game, which lets you run through the temple streets trying to escape the horde of monkeys in the original Temple Run or the giant ape as in the Temple Run 2 is the main mojo of the game.

Imangi Studios, the developers of the game have now introduced a new character – namely the one of the sprinter Usain Bolt, two times Olympic gold medalist, in its Temple Run 2 game play in an attempt to promote its game. Read more »

A leaked prototype of the upcoming iPad 5 from Apple had suggested that the slate would sport an iPad Mini-like design. Now, the aluminum back housing of the fifth-generation iPad has surfaced and confirms that the device would indeed resemble the iPad Mini.

This means that the Apple iPad 5 will come out with a much thinner side bezel, making the device more compact. The Cupertino giant has also managed to reduce the width of its fifth-gen iPad and the upcoming tablet reportedly measures 168mm – which is about 0.7 inches narrower than the iPad 4, which stands at 185.7mm. Read more »