| Steve Kondik of Cyanogen Inc. speaks to SlashGear about OPPO partnership Oct 4th 2013, 21:03, by Nate Swanner In making the move to an upright, wholly legitimate organization, Cyanogen was intent on having a strong hardware partner. They needed an avenue to showcase their OS, and get it into the hands of the masses without the bother of rooting and flashing a ROM. Steve Kondik and his team eventually found their way to Oppo with the N1, and tells SlashGear they couldn't be happier. 
After sourcing $7 million in investments, Cyanogen Inc. needed someone as ambitious as they are; someone who wouldn't hold them back, or tie their hands. Oppo, it seems, is perfect for Cyanogen Inc. "We like them because they're not afraid to try new things – and neither are we." Kondik tells Chris Burns of SlashGear. Kondik went on to note that teaming with Oppo was a knee-jerk reaction to a successful funding run; the two had actually been in talks for a while. "We had been talking to the guys at OPPO for quite some time. They've been really supportive of us and some of the ideas that we have, and they've been supporting of our community in general." says Kondik.
The article at SlashGear is the first in a series regarding Cyanogen Inc., and promises to delve into much more about the newly formed company. There will also be an in-depth review of the Oppo N1, so be sure to check back for that! |  | T-Mobile is bringing Shakira to help shake things up at their October 9th event Oct 4th 2013, 20:50, by Nate Swanner T-Mobile is readying the third phase of their "Uncarrier" approach to mobile service, and have recruited help this time. Promising a "major industry announcement", the number four US carrier has help delivering the message. At their event on October 9th in New York City, T-Mobile is bringing along Shakira to, well, shake things up a bit. 
While no details of the event were noted, or really even hinted at with the announcement, the first two phases of T-Mobile's new approach have been well received, and even mimicked. The first, which got rid of contracted plans altogether, was an interesting and decidedly European approach to mobile. The second, and one that caused quite a stir, was “Jump", T-Mobile's answer to those of us who want to upgrade before a two-year contract is up. This approach has now been copied — more or less — by all major US carriers. Verizon has their "Edge" program, AT&T has "Next", and Sprint has "One Up". In July, John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile, commented to CNET that this third phase would "convert non-believers". He went on to say that this third phase would address something that "drives people nuts" about the wireless industry, and that announcing the third phase would be "more fun than the last two". All very vague, and all very intriguing. T-Mobile is also teasing a surprise opening act for Shakira, so the surprises just keep coming. We're not quite sure just what he thinks "drives people nuts", but come October 9th, we'll have our answer. | | AT&T HTC One Android 4.3 update confirmed for next week Oct 4th 2013, 20:43, by Robert Nelson HTC has been pretty vocal in terms of getting Android 4.3 details out to all HTC One users. We’ve heard the update was coming soon and in the case of AT&T, it looks like that is an accurate statement. HTC president Jason Mackenzie has recently shared some details on his Twitter account and it looks like next week will bring some good news for AT&T HTC One users. 
According to Mackenzie, the AT&T 4.3 update passed the certification process today and the update will begin pushing to users “early next week.” There hasn’t been any specifics beyond that, but as we often see, the update may arrive in batches. Basically, that is to say that it may not arrive for everyone on Monday. Needless to say, we suspect lots of AT&T One users will start checking for the update first thing Monday morning. Aside from AT&T, HTC began updating the developer edition One last week. That update went out for those in the US and Canada. Furthermore, last we heard was that T-Mobile users should get the update beginning in mid-October and Verizon Wireless users will be waiting a bit longer, till sometime closer to the end of October. Still, considering how long it took Verizon to launch the One, a few extra weeks for the update doesn’t sound all that terrible. While no longer the newest handset on the market, the HTC One maintains a solid reputation amongst the enthusiast crowd. The One has a 4.7-inch 1080p display and quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor with 2GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage and an UltraPixel camera on the back. AT&T has the One currently priced at $199.99 or $299.99 depending on the storage option you choose. | | Circa for Android is a fresh take on the news reader app Oct 4th 2013, 20:05, by Nate Swanner Popular news reader Circa has made it's way to Android from iOS, and brought with it a clean interface for news reading and tracking. While the news reader space is crowded for Android, Circa adds a few features that are sure to catch on with those following stories as they develop, and offers an interesting twist on the sharing of information. 
While the interface is clean, new, and clearly follows the HOLO theme — replete with cards instead or paragraphs — it can be confusing at first. That card-based reading profile leads you to believe that each card is a different source, or story, rather than a new way of breaking paragraphs up. The tracking of stories is interesting, as you can choose to be alerted when the Circa editorial team adds something new to the mix. There is also a button to find citations used by Circa, allowing users to source information thoroughly. Those are two nice touches, but not the entire story. Circa is manicured by a team of in-house editors, and is not a news aggregate. As such, you're subject to their coverage of news, not a wholly open source view. While this doesn't appear to be an issue in our quick look at the app, please keep that in mind when deciding on Circa. Like your favorite news channel on TV, the editorial voice is important for news, and we haven't sampled enough of Circa's to know how good it is — or isn't. It's definitely a fresh take on a news app, but also a bit quirky. It's great for those who want to follow news, but keep in mind the editorial nature of Circa. The interface is clean, but definitely subjective. Judging by the reviews on the Play Store, people really enjoy it, so give it a shot! VIA: The Next Web | | Lenovo K-Series smartphones shift from Intel to Qualcomm Oct 4th 2013, 19:56, by Robert Nelson Lenovo launched the K900 smartphone with Intel Inside and many had assumed the follow-up device would have a similar Intel processor on the inside. That follow-up is the Lenovo Vibe Z, which was also known as the K910. Regardless though, Lenovo quietly unveiled the handset in China recently and it seems they just as quietly detailed the handset with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. 
While some may speculate this means the two companies are making a break, at least in the smartphone and tablet space, it appears that may not entirely be the case. In a statement provided to AllThingsD, Intel touched on how their “relationship with Lenovo is longstanding and productive across a broad range of devices.” Intel went on to mention they were a recent launch partner for Bay Trail and shifting back to the mobile side, they also went on to mention they are “taking a long-term view, and continue to work closely with Lenovo on current and future mobile products." Simply put, it looks like the Lenovo and Intel partnership may continue with future smartphones. Lenovo hasn’t offered any comment in regards to the switch, however it was pointed out that a challenge for Intel has been on their ability to offer built-in support for a wide range of networks. Notably, the LTE networks. To that point, the Lenovo K900, which does have Intel Inside, has only been made available in a total of eight markets, including the recently added Thailand and Malaysia. Otherwise, as we saw from the recent Vibe Z K910 unveil in China, the handset arrived with specs to include a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 16GB of internal storage, 5 megapixel front-facing camera, 13 megapixel rear-facing camera and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. | | Nexus 7 WiFi now available at Three UK, can be bundled with MiFi hotspot Oct 4th 2013, 19:29, by Nate Swanner Three UK has begun selling the Nexus 7 (2013) tablet, though it's not the LTE variant. Three has the WiFi version for sale, starting at £199. While it seems O2 has exclusivity on the LTE Nexus 7, Three has an interesting workaround for UK users. 
Rather than wait for the LTE version, or switch to O2, loyal Three customers can purchase a MiFi hotspot alongside their tablet. The device, made by Huawei and starting at £29.99 with a £15.99 monthly contract, is bundled neatly with the tablet. For those shy about contracts, you can also buy the hotspot straight away on a pay-as-you-go plan for £49.99. The contracted hotspot will get you 5GB data for your £15.99/month. Purchasing it outright will get you 1GB data pre-loaded, so be sure to examine your data usage prior to opting for a hotspot. That £15.99/month fee is the middle tier price for the contracted hotspot, and Three wasn't clear on whether or not they'd allow for the lower or higher end offerings with this package. Of course, you can always go back and get the hotspot later, should you find yourself wanting for a connection whilst out and about. This doesn't appear to be a special bargain for bundling, even under contract. The Nexus 7, though, is worth the cost. It's a fabulous device, and worth a hard look if you're in the market for a tablet. VIA: Android Central | | AT&T Moto X camera and touchless control update arriving today Oct 4th 2013, 19:21, by Robert Nelson AT&T Moto X users have an update that will begin rolling out as of today. This is a similar update to what we saw arriving for T-Mobile Moto X users back in September. Or in other words, AT&T Moto X users are getting an update that brings improvements for the camera and touchless controls. Users can sit back and wait for the notification to arrive, or head into the settings and grab it now. 
Regardless of the path you take, the results will be the same. The camera portion of the update deals with auto-white balance and exposure and should also improve the speed when it comes to touch-to-focus. - Enhanced camera auto-white balance performance and color accuracy.
- Improved exposure when taking photos outside or backlit, and improved clarity in low light.
- Faster touch-to-focus time and reduced unnecessary refocusing in low light or scenes with continuous motion.
The changelog also brings talk of “faster response and improved accuracy” when using Touchless Control. The ‘Ok, Google Now’ trigger has also seen some improvements that should mean the setup and training process will be easier moving forward. Other portions here deal with transferring content from an old phone, and a fine-tuning when it comes to finding a lost phone. Those last two items break down as follows; - Enhanced transfer of content from old phone to new phone using Motorola Migrate.
- Fine-tuned feature that allows you to find phone when it is lost that sometimes prevented a lost phone from reporting its location.
Otherwise, as with any update you will want to make sure you are either plugged in, or have a decent amount of battery life remaining. AT&T suggests not starting unless you have at least 50 percent charge. Those who want the update now and have yet to get the notification can head to Menu -> Settings -> About Phone -> System updates to get the process started. Those who have the notification only need to follow the on-device prompts. Give we have now seen this update arrive for several carriers, it looks like Verizon Wireless users may be next up. SOURCE: AT&T | |
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