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- 5000mAh battery could be coming to Chinese smartphone
- Featured Android App Review: DivX Stash [Media & Video]
- One Sony Line Will Start With 20 Megapixel Cyber-shot Camera
- LG Lucid 2 headed to Verizon on April 4th
- RadioShack gets HTC One signs a bit early, shows Google Play credit offer
- Android takes early lead in 2013 for U.S. smartphone sales
- More details about Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 mini surfaces including a possible release this week
- SwiftKey launches SwiftKey Tilt keyboard, just in time for April Fools
- Facebook’s new “home on Android” will actually be a forked OS called Facebook Home
- Samsung Galaxy S 4 gets rooted… well the Exynos 5 Octa version at least
| 5000mAh battery could be coming to Chinese smartphone Posted: 01 Apr 2013 01:49 PM PDT
Reports surfaced over the weekend that Chinese phone maker Ding Xuan may be preparing a smartphone that will boast one of the largest batteries available in the market. Equipped with a 5000mAh battery, the device is expected to have a 4.5-inch display and run Android. Such a large battery may help the phone get through a whole day of use even with the screen brightness set to the highest level. It does not appear the monster battery is going to add much to the size of the device either. Images show what appears to be a slim body for the smartphone which is described as a “classy ‘business phone’ design.” source: Gizchina.com
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| Featured Android App Review: DivX Stash [Media & Video] Posted: 01 Apr 2013 01:39 PM PDT
If you like to watch a lot of online videos from various sites, you will want to check out DivX Stash. DivX Stash lets you create a “stash” or locker of all your favorite videos so you can quickly call them up at anytime from your desktop or Android device. You can do something similar with YouTube favorites, but DivX stash lets you add videos from not only YouTube, but also Hulu, Vimeo, TED, CollegeHumor, Dailymotion, Howcast, BREAK, Funny or Die, The Daily Show w/John Stewart, and The Colbert Show. You can even categorize them in your own playlists. For example, you could create a playlist for all funny videos and one for music videos. The possibilities are endless. All you need to do is install and enable the Chrome extension and sign in via Facebook. When you see a video that you want to “stash”, just click the “Stash It” icon just below the video.
You will be given the opportunity to add it to an existing playlist or create a new one. You can access your stash at anytime from your browser, but you can also grab the app in the Play Store that enables access from your smartphone or tablet. For now, you can only add videos from the desktop, but the developers are working hard at bringing that feature to the app. You can see all your videos uncategorized or by playlist. Just tap on any of the videos to play them. If you’re on the desktop, the videos will play from within the DivX Stash webpage, but if you’re using the app on your Android device, the appropriate app will open. If you don’t have one installed, it will ask you to download it. YouTube videos will play in the YouTube app, but other videos can utilize other third party video players such as MX Video. By logging into Facebook, you will also see all the videos that your friends recently shared in a separate tab. This way you will never miss a thing. You can also quickly share any of your own favorite videos from your personal stash. In talking with the developers, they are going to add support for Twitter, Google+, and others. This is one of those apps that already gives you a lot of features, but it will continually evolve. I had a conversation with the team, and they told me about a number of stuff in the works. Among the enhancements that I already mentioned, they plan to bring support for TV’s, the ability to play videos directly in the app, and to play a playlist continuously. For example, you could have a bunch of music videos playing if you’re having a party. DivX Stash is completely free, so give it a shot. It will make your life so much easier in that you will know exactly where to go to find that cool new video you saw last week. Check out my hands on video below as well as the trailer video, and hit one of the download links to get started. As always let me know what you think. Click here for more information and to install the Chrome Extension.     Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video.
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| One Sony Line Will Start With 20 Megapixel Cyber-shot Camera Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:53 PM PDT
Last week we talked about Sony working on smartphones with Cyber-shot quality cameras and according to a new report, the One Sony line will start with a 20 megapixel Cyber-shot camera. Codenamed Honami, the flagship smartphone is rumored to have a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 5-inch full HD display, and either a 2700 or 3000 mAh battery. According to the source, it’s not fully decided upon yet, although design could be finalized by the end of April. Sony’s One line is part of the electronic giant’s initiative to better differentiate itself from the competition. Like Samsung with the Galaxy S line of devices, Sony hopes to leverage that winning concept. Via: Phone Arena
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| LG Lucid 2 headed to Verizon on April 4th Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:47 PM PDT
If you’ve been looking to upgrade your Verizon phone but don’t need the latest and greatest, or you just want something on the cheaper side, Verizon has something in store that you’ll definitely like. The follow up to last year’s LG Lucid is slated to hit stores on April 4th, and will have the exciting name of the LG Lucid 2. It’s essentially LG’s Optimus F5 with Verizon branding, but it’s a more than capable mid-range phone, so nothing wrong there. It sports a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, a 4.3 inch 540 x 960 display, and comes in weighing just 4.5 ounces. Plus, it has a 2460 mAH battery compared to the original Lucid’s 1700 mAH, and that’s always a nice addition. There’s also a inductive charging backplate being featured with the device. All in all, the Lucid 2 is a very solid mid-range phone, and with a wallet-friendly $1 price tag (on a 2-year agreement, of course) it’s bound to sell fairly well. Anyone planning on picking one of these up? source: Geek
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| RadioShack gets HTC One signs a bit early, shows Google Play credit offer Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:40 PM PDT
It’s officially April, so if previous rumors hold up, we should see the HTC One hit shelves in the US by the end of the month. RadioShack appears to be one of the first to get some promotional materials for the big launch, though, and they’re beginning to market the device in stores with some eye-catching signs. The signs are specifically for the AT&T and Sprint versions of the phone, though, so if you’re a Verizon customer hoping for a last minute change of plans, sorry. The signs do show a promo for a free $50 Google Play credit if you purchase the One with a two-year agreement, as well as $10 off the $199 price of the phone. The Play credit nice, and the $10 off isn’t much, but it’s a nice gesture. (and if everyone else launches it at $199, why not get it at RadioShack?) There’s no official release dates on any of the signage, unfortunately, but I can’t imagine it’ll be too much longer. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as soon as anything else pops up. source: Phandroid
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| Android takes early lead in 2013 for U.S. smartphone sales Posted: 01 Apr 2013 09:56 AM PDT
Apple may wish this was an April Fool’s joke, but new data released today from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows Android has taken a lead in the U.S. market for smartphone sales for the quarter ended February 2013. The U.S. market has been a stronghold for Apple, which managed to maintain control of the market despite the growth of Android throughout other parts of the world. However, Kantar’s latest consumer panel, which focuses on sales, shows Android had 51.2% of smartphone sales for the period compared with 45.4% for the same period a year ago. According to Kantar’s data, Apple’s iOS landed in second place with 43.5% of sales for the quarter, a decline of 3.5% from the 47% share Apple enjoyed for the same period a year ago. Meanwhile, even lowly Windows managed to improve to 4.1% of sales. In case you were wondering, Blackberry has sunk all the way to only 0.7% of sales for the February 2013 quarter. Kantar’s analysis shows Samsung leading the way in sales, thanks in large part to price reductions, so much so that Sprint is starting to see its numbers impacted by the success of Samsung’s leading devices. Verizon is still the top carrier for all smartphones with AT&T in second place. Kantar’s research showed Samsung managed to entice buyers away from other brands, with 38% of buyers switching away from LG, HTC and Blackberry devices. Despite Samsung’s success in this area, brands like Motorola and Nokia saw small increases in their sales. Among Samsung buyers, Kantar found “handset cost” and “carrier brand” to be the leading factors in the decision-making process. Kantar believes the sales share figures are a leading indicator for market share trends, which means Android may be seeing more good news in the future. source: Kantar Worldpanel
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| More details about Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 mini surfaces including a possible release this week Posted: 01 Apr 2013 09:06 AM PDT
We already know that Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 mini is very much real and on the way, but it’s looking like the general public is going to see the smartphone much sooner than expected. Notorious info leaker SamMobile recently received a major tip containing much more information regarding the intriguing new device and claims it may be unveiled as early as this week. The tip alleges that we will see the device arrive in two colors (black mist and white frost) and will come in either single or dual-SIM variants. Additionally, the single-SIM variant will be identified as the GT-9190 and will feature a quad-core chip— while the dual-SIM variant will be identified as the GT-9192 and feature a dual-core processor. Aside from those differences, each variant will feature a 4.3-inch qHD display, 8MP camera and Android 4.2.2. No word on pricing yet, but the Galaxy S 4 mini should arrive by the end of may or the start of June. source: SamMobile
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| SwiftKey launches SwiftKey Tilt keyboard, just in time for April Fools Posted: 01 Apr 2013 08:54 AM PDT
SwiftKey has always created revolutionary ideas with their keyboards, and their latest offering, SwiftKey Tilt, continues that tradition. Instead of traditional finger typing, Tilt gets your entire body into the action. There’s a little ball on the keyboard that you “tilt” across letters to spell out your words. If you’ve played the labyrinth games where you guide a ball into a hole at the end of a puzzle, you’ll understand how this a full-body experience. SwiftKey has even put out a video showing it in action. Unfortunately, there’s no easily available link to try out the next generation of mobile typing, but SwiftKey said it will be available to those ”inquisitive enough to find it.” Let us know in the comments if you get your hands on the Click here to view the embedded video. SwiftKey Tilt: The Whole -Body Typing Experience LONDON — April 1, 2013 — SwiftKey today unveils SwiftKey Tilt, the future of smartphone typing. The revolutionary new input method transforms the everyday activity of typing into a whole-body, immersive experience. SwiftKey Tilt makes it possible to text loved ones, email colleagues and type soliloquies without even touching the screen; just rock, wiggle or shimmy your smartphone to insert words in a truly innovative way. Drawing on SwiftKey's mind-reading word prediction ability, SwiftKey Tilt is the most significant typing innovation since the quill. SwiftKey Tilt works by unleashing a pinball into the keyboard to power a third, exciting way to type on your device. While tapping or flowing words, the device accelerometer sends the brightly colored ball across the keyboard and when it collides with a prediction, the word is inserted. This frees up thumbs to make even quicker progress through a text, email or Tweet. It also offers users an eye-catching way to interact with their devices and is fully compatible with both the Macarena and the Harlem Shake. "We always felt that fundamentally typing is about how you express yourself," said Dr. Ben Medlock, SwiftKey co-founder and CTO. "We realized that we've never really focused on making that possible through physical movement, though. With SwiftKey Tilt we've changed all that. By moving your whole body to control the little pink ball, users can now be more expressive when they type. Whether that's body poppin', Gangnam Style or my personal Tilting move of choice of 'the mash potato', it leads to a more expressive and personalized result." The innovative new typing method is available today for all SwiftKey users inquisitive enough to find it. SwiftKey is a No.1 best-selling app on Google Play in over 50 countries, with contextual predictions available in 60 languages and counting. For more information about SwiftKey, visit www.swiftkey.net.
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| Facebook’s new “home on Android” will actually be a forked OS called Facebook Home Posted: 01 Apr 2013 08:40 AM PDT
Facebook recently sent out an invitation to an event on April 4th where they’ll be showing off their “new home on Android.” Well, we’ve got some new rumors about what that’s going to be a few days ahead of the event. That home on Android is actually going to be called Facebook Home, and it’s going to be a forked version of Android specific to the Facebook phone(s). There’s no word on whether this will still feature traditional Google apps and be more of a heavy overlay like HTC’s Sense, or if Facebook is going all the way and completely cutting ties with Google like with the versions of Android that ship on Amazon’s Kindle devices. Considering how well the HTC ChaCha didn’t sell, though, I think Facebook is likely going to want to take the Amazon approach here and tweak the entire experience around Facebook, not just adding a handful of extra apps. Aside from that, they’re still in discussion with carriers about the device, so hopefully we’ll learn more in a few days when it becomes official. source: 9to5 Google
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| Samsung Galaxy S 4 gets rooted… well the Exynos 5 Octa version at least Posted: 01 Apr 2013 06:46 AM PDT
Sure we’re all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the hottest smartphone of the year, but that hasn’t stopped the gang at XDA from bringing the world glorious root capabilities. That’s why the gang has gone ahead and showcased its ROM is packaged with ROOT&Busybox into an image flashable via Odin. As exciting as it is to see the Galaxy S 4 being on its way to truly realizing its full potential, the gang at XDA highlights that the root method is only for the octa-core Exynos 5 variant of the smartphone, meaning the rest of us who will be on the Snapdragon version will be out of luck… for now at least. Now if we can only get some certainty that we’ll get some custom goodies taking advantage of the Galaxy S 4′s root, we’ll be in business. source: XDA
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