Saturday, June 8, 2013

Android Community

Android Community


Google CEO: what the…? We don’t give the feds your data

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 04:37 PM PDT

In case you’ve missed some of the crazy news this week, news that we’ve been steering clear of, apparently Verizon Wireless gives the NSA access to all our calls. A court document leaked revealing they give the NSA access to all our ‘metadata’ on an ongoing daily basis. Then to top that a new report surfaced that the NSA has a program calls “PRISM” that does this for tons of other major companies.

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We’ve been steering clear of this news, while also looking for our tinfoil hats. But after Google’s own CEO Larry Page addressed the story we decided to drop a quick comment. Another report from The Guardian states that the NSA (National Security Agency) basically has obtained direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and many many others. And when we say direct access, we mean direct access to roam free and peek at what they want.

Obviously this brings up some huge issues, complaints, red flags, and will have those “Big brother is watching you” people extremely angry. The report goes as far as to claim PRISM allows the NSA access to something such as Google, where they can then dig through our search history, emails, attachments in Gmail, and more. The same can be said for Apple and their iMessage, iPhone’s, and everything else. That’s not cool. Reminds me of that movie Enemy of the State.

We’ve already seen countless comments from major company’s that are basically outright denying these rumors. Today however Google went a step further and their CEO basically said “what the f” in a recent blog post. Larry Page simply titled this public service announcement on their official blog as “What the…?”

Larry Page goes on to talk about this entire PRISM initiative to be completely new to him, says they take our privacy extremely serious, and only give out little bits of information in accordance with the law. My question is what’s “the law” mean these days anyways? He outright denies that the government has any access to a “back door” giving them free rein on our privacy. In the end Page states, "there needs to be a more transparent approach," and we couldn’t agree more.

Pretty crazy and scary stuff. I think I’ll be hiding in my basement for the rest of the weekend, with the battery removed from my phone, and my internet disconnected. All jokes aside. What do you guys think?

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom product photo revealed

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:48 PM PDT

The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is making it into your pocket. That is, if it can fit. The awkward shape of the new phone, revealed in this newly leaked and possibly fake photo may suggest otherwise however. But while its looks may not win everyone over, as they say with true love “It’s what’s inside that counts most”.

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SamMobile has the exclusive first photo of the new Camera Phone from Samsung, and although it is certainly astonishing in terms of its shape, it more than makes up for its awkwardness in its specs. With a 4.3″ qHD AMOLED display paired to a 16 megapixel Camera with optical zoom, a 1.6GHz dual-core processor, an internal 8GB memory (externally expandable up to 64GB via Micro SD), an external shutter button, and right sided volume/zoom buttons, it will give your everyday quick cam a run for its money. As previously reported it will also run Bluetooth 4.0 LE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n with A-GPS. Oh, and did we mention that it can make calls too?

Most impressive is that the new Zoom will use Samsung’s usual Touch-Wiz Nature UX interface that will utilize Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. That means that you’ll not only be able to snap great pictures, but edit them with ease on the go as well. Go crazy you Instagram fans.

Unfortunately, the Zoom will also be Samsung’s last forte into the Galaxy S4 realm, closing up a charge held together with the S4 Mini, and the S4 Active. But for those still yearning for more, the Galaxy Tab 3 series is also set to make a debut on or before June 20th.

SOURCE: SamMobile

LG Optimus L7 II teased with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean on board

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:21 PM PDT

Back in Spain during the Mobile World Congress event the folks from LG had quite a bit of smartphones to announce. One of many was their new Optimus L7 II mid-range handset. We know the device is coming, and we also know that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean should be coming soon, but maybe they know something we don’t. Today LG’s website has the device listed with Google’s latest OS update on board, but it could just be a mistake.

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We’ve been seeing hints and leaks regarding Android 4.3 Jelly Bean for a while now. Talk of a Nexus 4 LTE launching with Android 4.3, and even a new Nexus 7 as well. While Google didn’t announce a new OS update at their annual Google I/O developer event, surely an update is in the works and coming soon.

Many believed June 10th Google would be announcing the new OS, but with that date quickly approaching most likely that rumor was false. So now we’re just left wondering what exactly Google has planned. We’ve even seen a Nexus 4 running Android 4.3 at a trade show last week. All we’re waiting for is for Google to make it official.

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Well, it looks like LG either made a boo-boo today, or they didn’t want to wait. The Optimus L7 II product page clearly states “Android 4.3 Jelly Bean” for the OS. Not only that but their product page clearly mentions it twice, so it wasn’t just a one-time mistake. We know Google gives early access to the new OS, especially considering LG is their Nexus partner, but could they know something we don’t?

Apparently the folks from Techtastic have reached out to LG, yet haven’t received a reply, but hopefully we’ll know more. The fact that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean was clearly mentioned twice has our interest piqued. Just give it to us already Google!

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SOURCE: TechTastic

Google Face Unlock patent adds facial expressions to Android security

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 02:53 PM PDT

The ongoing debate about how secure and realistic face unlock is on Android is still a hotly discussed topic. However, Google is exploring new and improved systems that could help improve the security as we unlock our smartphones and tablets. The easy to fool (with a picture) Face Unlock feature could soon be getting facial features and expressions to help bolster the security method.

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We know Google’s been working to improve Face Unlock, and even Android 4.1 Jelly Bean brought a new “liveness” test where users were required to blink before it would unlock. This fixed the issue with a photo easily bypassing the method, but Google has a lot more work to do before this is ever actually a realistic “security” feature.

Today, new research revealed in a Google patent application has them doing exactly that. Working harder to improve this feature. The report shows new ways that face unlock can be used. Methods would combine existing facial recognition systems with a preconfigured movement or gesture. Systems such as moving an eyebrow, making a goofy face, sticking out your tongue, and more.

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That isn’t all either. This new system will use a double authentication method and even two different frames. To again know the front camera isn’t being fooled by images or a short video clip. To dive deeper into that the system will also work with corresponding facial landmarks. Things such as a mole and facial hair, not to mention a 3D “range finder” if you will that will know it’s an actual person. And not just a flat 2D image or video trying to trick the system.

Just because Google patents some research, doesn’t mean it will make its way to our Android devices. However, if I were a betting man, we can expect to see some additional security measures introduced with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Or later with Key Lime Pie. I just hope we don’t see people walking around sticking their tongues out at their phones. That could get old really quick.

VIA: SlashGear

Samsung GALAXY S 4 sales boom to be short lived, says analyst

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 02:40 PM PDT

Just 1 month ago, the Samsung GS4 entered the market with high hopes of reaching its yearly 100 million sales goal. 10 million sales into the first month, the company was prepared for yet another phenomenal success. Analysts however, fear that may not be the case, and are taking precautions against slowing sales.

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With Apple projected to introduce a new “Trade-In” program, financial analysts are fearing that the growth of sales utilizing the GS4 nameplate (Which include the Mini and Active) will slump, therefore cutting sales forecasts and severely dashing last months growth. With projected early losses of 20-30%, it could hinder the hopes Samsung had of making a brash impact into an already heavily populated market space.

With the Samsung GS3, sales hit an excellent high of 50 Million. The biggest dilemma is that although Samsung has sold 10 million S4′s to date, they have only been sold to regional channels, and not directly to consumers themselves. As well, to date, no announcements, either informal or formally, have been made regarding just how many of those units did make it into consumer hands. This has investors and analysts alike feeling skittish, especially with the previously mentioned “Trade-In” program rumor bouncing around from Apple.

To date, Samsung has seen a cut of 6% from it’s market price; a drastic decrease from where it stood before. In the meantime, those in the know are waiting with abated breath to hear from Samsung as to how many have been sold commercially, and how they plan to counteract any top-tier competitors. In the meantime, it looks like the market will continue to remain cautious.

VIA: SlashGear

Gmail how to: Remove sender images and bring back the delete option

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 01:53 PM PDT

Google announced the all-new Gmail last week and began rolling it out for all Android users this week. The update arrived in the Play Store on June 3rd and while it brought some notable changes, there are a few items that have been bugging us. The two that seem to be the most offending is the lack of a delete option and the sender images.

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Anyway, as it turns out, both of these can be easily adjusted by heading into the settings. Specifically by heading to Settings -> General Settings. From here you will need to make a few additional taps depending on which item you are adjusting. Those looking to bring back the delete option should tap the first option — Archive & Delete actions.

From here you have a few options available, but those looking to have delete and archive should choose Show archive & delete. Once that has been completed you will then see an option to archive and also to delete when viewing an individual message. Additionally, a tap and hold of a message from the Inbox view will also present both the archive and delete options.

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Next up is the sender images. These, in theory are nice to see however when you seem to be getting messages from users that don’t have an image set, they seem rather silly. You can get a look at my current inbox from the image here, but we suspect others have a similar look. That said, this change is just as easy as the last. Again, you will need to head into the general settings. Once there just look for Sender image and make sure the button to the right is unchecked.

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Of course, while there were some small annoyances, this update did bring some nice features. For example, the access to the labels (by tapping the menu icon in the upper left) seems convenient. Plus the swipe to clear seems to be a good way to quickly move through some messages.

One of the other differences that arrived with this update is with the multi-deleting (archiving). This latest release requires a tap and hold for each message you want to include. Not ideal, but we suspect it is something that we will get used to with time.

MOGA Power Series controllers unveiled with Boost for device charging

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 12:48 PM PDT

MOGA has unveiled their latest game controllers just ahead of E3. These new controllers will be the MOGA Power Series and they will be arriving with a feature called MOGA Boost technology. This is rather simple, the Boost technology will allow you to stop worrying about the battery life of your device during game play. Simply put, MOGA Boost will make sure to keep your device battery charged.

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Some hands-on time will be needed in order to make a final decision on how nice the Boost will be, but it does sound intriguing. The folks at PowerA are pushing this as being something never seen before in a mobile game controller. Aside from the Boost technology, the MOGA Power Series will actually be made up of two controllers and both will have support for multiplayer gaming.

Other details include what PowerA is describing as improved ergonomics and improved Bluetooth radios that will allow for “seamless support.” The MOGA Power Series controllers will work with Android devices running 2.3 or later and they now also include support for Windows Phone 8. This controller series has also been redesigned and will now have clickable analog thumbsticks as well as shoulder buttons, a D-pad and an improved form factor.

At present the MOGA controllers have a library of more than 100 MOGA Enhanced and HID compatible games. In addition to using the controller, those playing with the MOGA will need the Pivot app installed on their device. This app is free to download and provides quick and easy access to the MOGA Enhanced Games that are available for download. The Pivot app will also show you which (of your currently installed) games are compatible.

These new MOGA Power Series controllers have yet to be priced, however PowerA has said they will be available in the fall. Otherwise, the full-sized MOGA Pro as well as the original pocket-sized MOGA controllers are still available at various retailers including Amazon. The other models are priced at $49.99 for the MOGA Pro and $39.99 for the MOGA. Finally, those curious about MOGA may benefit from reading our previously published MOGA Pro review.

Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 now shipping to the US

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 11:59 AM PDT

Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Mega 6.3 (along with the slightly smaller Galaxy Mega 5.8) back in April and since then we have seen reports suggesting the handset was going to arrive in the US by way of AT&T. Well, we have yet to see anything official from AT&T or Samsung on that front, however the handset has begun shipping to those in the US.

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Given we do not have a carrier announcement those considering a purchase should prepare their wallet. The handset is shipping unlocked which means it is contract-free and therefor unsubsidized. Basically, you need to be willing to shell out $595 in order to make the purchase.

The Galaxy Mega 6.3 is available by way of Expansys and in this case it will bring support for GSM on the 850/900/1800 and 1900 bands as well as HSDPA. Other specs include a 6.3-inch 720p display, dual-core 1.7GHz processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, 3200 mAh battery, 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera and an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera.

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The handset will be running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz and have full access to the Play Store. Given the size of the display, it should come with little surprise that the handset itself is large. In this case that means measurements of 167.7 x 88 x 8.0mm with a weight of 199 grams.

With that, while we wait for news from AT&T, the handset is at least available for those feeling like they simply cannot wait any longer. Any takers?

HTC One “Max” blueprint leaks revealing a massive phablet

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 11:42 AM PDT

Last week some initial reports and rumors surfaced claiming to have the full specs and details on an upcoming HTC smartphone codenamed the HTC T6. Previously thought to be a device over 5-inches to replace the HTC Butterfly and DROID DNA, we’re now lead to believe this will be called the HTC One Max, and look exactly like the original HTC One.

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Today a blueprint or final visual draft has leaked of the HTC T6, and it’s officially being called the HTC One Max. Along with the leak we have a confirmation that the display will indeed be 5.9-inches in size, and be a 1080p full HD display. Interestingly enough the leak gives us a full breakdown on the device, but it doesn’t appear to be much longer than the original 4.7-inch HTC One, which leaves us a bit confused.

Along with a 5.9-inch HD display, Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 800 series 2.3 GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, the leak also states it will rock an UltraPixel camera, 16GB of storage, and have a large 3,300 mAh battery on board. Oddly we also see 140.4mm in length and 9.4mm thick. The original 4.7-inch HTC One was 137mm. So this doesn’t appear to be much longer.

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(Image above is a fake, showing what it could look like)

According to Mobileaks it’s possible the new HTC One Maxx will be slightly longer, and slightly wider, which will make up for the 5.9-inch screen size. Then as the blueprint shows HTC will be bringing an extremely thin bezel to the device, so it won’t take up as much space as previous handsets yet still fit that massive 5.9-inch HD display inside.

The details just continue to pile up on this new smartphone coming from HTC, but we’ll have to see it in the wild before we truly believe all these recent leaks. The report states it will be unveiled at IFA 2013 in Berlin in late August. We’ll be there live of course, so stick around for more details.

VIA: PocketDroid

GameStick trailer highlights portability and big screen gaming

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 11:21 AM PDT

The latest GameStick trailer video has dropped and this one brings the focus to portability and gaming on the big screen. These are both features of the GameStick that have been mentioned before, though in this case they are sort of being put to an extreme. In this case, the trailer shows a girl-gamer repelling into a movie theater after hours and literally playing on the big screen.

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Anyway, as you will see in the video sitting below, she is quickly discovered by the usher who just so happens to have his very own GameStick tucked away in his front pocket. This probably isn’t a scenario that will happen in the real world, but then again it did manage to drive home the possibilities. Basically, it is looking like the GameStick will be good for those who are planning to game from various locations.

Otherwise, while the GameStick was a Kickstarter offering, those interested are now able to place a pre-order from the gamestick.tv website. The system is priced at $79 and is expected to begin shipping on June 25th. The GameStick will have WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 and will be running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Additional features include 8GB of internal storage space and a microSD card slot.

The GameStick will also be getting XBMC and DLNA support, though that is not expected to arrive until sometime in September. That support will be arriving by way of an optional firmware update. Aside from the console itself, the folks at GameStick are offering a few accessories including a case and dock which are priced at $9.99 and $39.99 respectively.

Both of these will be shipping at the same time as the system itself. The dock will allow for additional storage (up to 64GB) as well as connecting of peripherals. The dock will have Ethernet and HDMI as well as three USB ports (two on the back and one on the front). GameStick has this listed as being ideal for setups where the television is mounted and HDMI ports are not easily accessible.

Android Authority

Android Authority


Purported full specs of the Xperia Z Ultra (Togari) leak

Posted: 08 Jun 2013 01:54 AM PDT

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If you haven't heard yet, Sony is rumored to be gearing up its own competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and it’s rumored to be called the Sony Xperia ZU (previously known as the Togari). The letter "U" stands for Ultra and if we take a look at the rumored specifications, we begin to understand why, because this phone looks like it will be a hardcore spec machine.

Rumor has it that the Xperia Z Ultra will be the first Sony smartphone to come with the new Triluminos technology, which is said to create a much brighter display. The 6.4-inch Full HD display will also come with X-Reality technology for mobile. This is a newer version of the Bravia engine, a successor to the Bravia 3 engine, and also bests the Xperia Z's Bravia 2 based display.

The groundbreaking screen technology doesn't stop there, as rumor has it that the Xperia ZU will also have a new type of touchscreen sensor, allowing the smartphone to detect input from a finger, stylus, pencil, even from a paintbrush.

Neonode's MultiSensing technology can detect input from fingers, pens, pencils, even a paintbrush.

The company rumored to be behind this technology is Neonode, a Swedish firm who Sony has already worked with before for its e-Readers. The technology behind Neonode's MultiSensing technology is an optical infrared light that allows the screen to detect input from any object. Neonode signed agreements with manufacturers earlier this year to bring its technology to the Android smartphone and tablet market.

A great screen isn't the only weapon in the Xperia ZU's arsenal, it's also rumored to house a quad-core Snapdragon 800, clocked at a cool 2.2Ghz and an 8MP Exmor RS back facing camera with a 2.2Ghz front facing camera. These incredible specs will all be wrapped up in a slim 179.2 x 92 x 6.5mm package, and will be backed by Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Following the whole Xperia Z line ethos, the Xperia ZU is also said to be water and dust resistant and will tip the scales at 212g. Remember guys this is a rumor and no matter how much we'd like it to be true, we'll have to take this with a grain of salt.

If these specs don't make you salivate we're not sure what will, but one thing’s for sure, Sony is definitely taking the smartphone market seriously this year. Let's just hope it can get the Xperia ZU onto the U.S. carriers in an orderly fashion.

Is the Xperia Z Ultra the beast that you've been waiting for? Does it have enough clout to knock off the king of large smartphones, the Galaxy Note 2?

    


HTC and Samsung trade blows on Twitter, while LG plays the neutral

Posted: 08 Jun 2013 01:50 AM PDT

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The bitter smartphone wars have gone up a notch, after HTC turned to its Twitter account to celebrate its victory at the Mobile Awards. HTC had just won the award for "Hottest Phone of 2013" and celebrated with a tongue-in-cheek tweet, calling out Samsung Mobile UK.

Now Samsung wasn't about to back down from a challenge, replying that it already had its arms full with three other awards that it won on the night and that HTC could keep that one.

Then just when you thought Samsung had come out on top, HTC struck back with an aptly put response, saying that all of the students Samsung paid to write fake review of competitors had finally paid off and then ended its tweet with "Pay rise, maybe?". Touche, HTC, touche.

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But HTC and Samsung weren't the only Android manufacturers having fun on Twitter, after LG put aside its national pride, and decided to play the neutral, posting a tweet telling both companies to calm down, because it's only a phone. Sound advice from LG.

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Both HTC and Samsung have been going through a rough patch in recent times, with many HTC CEOs leaving the company, and Samsung's stock taking a plunge this week after analysts lowered their estimates on sales of the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Let's just hope that all OEMs can channel all of that creative energy into their future smartphones, instead of their fellow Android manufacturers.

Who came out on top, Samsung, LG or HTC? Let us know in the comments.

    


Sony Xperia L Review

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 10:01 PM PDT

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There are a lot of mid-range phones out there, and most of them are fairly average looking. Yes, they work and they don’t look awful, but they aren’t particularly eye catching, either. Enter the Sony Xperia L.

Though their phones aren’t proving to be as popular as we’re sure they’d like, Sony has a knack for making a phone pretty, well, pretty. Luckily for those who don’t enjoy dropping a ton of cash on a new phone, they’re bringing that same aesthetic sensibility to their mid-rangers. That’s nice, but how does the rest of the phone hold up? Find out in our review.

In a hurry? Check out our video review, or jump to the conclusion at the end of the article.

Specs

  • 4.3-inch display (480 x 854, 228 ppi)
  • 1 Ghz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU
  • Adreno 305 GPU
  • 1 GB RAM
  • 8 GB internal storage (expandable via microSD)
  • 8 MP rear-facing camera
  • VGA front-facing camera
  • 720p video capture
  • 1750 mAh battery

Build Quality & Design

As we noted at the top of the article, the Sony Xperia L is nice looking phone. My review unit was white, and though I generally prefer darker colors personally, the white Xperia L is fairly striking. One of the most visually interesting features of the phone is the concave curve of the back of the device. Though the front is flat, this gives the impression that the entire phone is curved, which is very cool.

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All of the Xperia L’s buttons are on the right side of the device. The volume rocker is at the very top, while the power button is lower down, almost in the middle of the device. Down at the bottom of the device is the hardware camera button. Generally feelings are mixed on these, but with the Xperia L, I found it quite handy. They’re all the buttons you get, as the L uses software buttons for everything else. On the left side you’ll find the USB port while the headphone jack sits square in the middle of the top of the device.

The Xperia L feels solidly built, and in the case of the battery cover on the back, almost too much so. Taking the cover off felt like I was in danger of breaking the phone, and this was after carefully reading the manual to make sure I was doing it right. Despite the small-ish screen, the Xperia L’s hefty bezel makes the phone feel fairly large, something that those of you with smaller hands may want to keep in mind.

Display

Always a sore spot with these mid-rangers, I definitely found myself wishing that the Xperia L had come with a higher screen resolution. At just 480 x 854 spread across a 4.3-inch screen, we’re left with a pixel density of around 228 ppi. While that pales in comparison to high end phones, I was actually surprised at how fairly nice the screen looked. While it was far from the sharpest display I’ve ever seen, the Xperia L’s display clearly displayed text and icons with few signs of pixelation.

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Colors are fairly well represented, with deep blacks and bright whites at low to middle brightness settings. As you turn the brightness up, colors begin to get a little washed out, but leaving the Xperia L at it’s default with auto-brightness turned on made this a fairly uncommon occurrence. Viewing angles are good as well; by the time the screen looks dark, you’re looking at the L from an unnatural angle I can’t imagine most people even considering using.

Performance

With a 1 Ghz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset, Adreno 305 GPU and 1 GB of RAM, the hardware inside the Sony Xperia L is nothing we haven’t seen before, so we had a fairly good idea of what to expect. Luckily we weren’t disappointed, and the Xperia L even made a fairly good showing in some cases.

We kicked off testing with our usual test suite and, as always, AnTuTu Benchmark was up first. We ran the benchmark 10 times in situations ranging from right after boot to after hours of use, then averaged the results. Performance was fairly consistent, with scores ranging from 8,255 at the low end to 10,931 at the top end. Our final score was 10,053, which is definitely right up with some of the best scores we’ve seen on similar hardware.

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Next we moved on to Epic Citadel, which now has three different settings: Ultra High Quality, High Quality and High Performance. We started with Ultra High and ended up with an average framerate of 41.0 FPS. High Quality delivered a marked increase in framerate at 51.7, while High Performance only increased the framerate to 52.4

Real world performance was good, just as we expected. The always popular “scroll through home screens quickly” test produced excellent results, apps launched quickly, and we didn’t really encounter any hitches in performance during testing. For gaming, we tried Fast & Furious 6 and though it isn’t the most demanding game, it did perform well, though it’s worth keeping in mind that the low-res display meant that it wasn’t pushing a lot of pixels.

Software

The Sony Xperia L runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, skinned with Sony’s own user interface. Though it definitely isn’t stock Android, the UI feels lighter than other manufacturer UIs like HTC’s Sense or Samsung’s TouchWiz. The interface is themeable, though this mainly involves changing the color scheme. Still, a ton of colors are available, and since these also change the color used in the illumination bar, it is pretty cool.

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Alongside the stock Google apps, Sony has included a few of its own, mainly focused on entertainment. WALKMAN for music, Album for photos and videos, Movies for, well, movies and Sony Select, which is Sony’s own app store. When it comes to other apps, we have Facebook, which seems to be par for the course these days, a Notes app, NeoReader, a backup app, the very cool File Commander and, strangely, AASTOCKS.

It’s worth noting here that the Xperia L is PlayStation certified which opens the door to a few games unavailable to other devices, at least through conventional means.

Camera

Looking purely at the specs, it seems impressive that a mid-ranger would have an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, but unfortunately there isn’t too much of a reason to get excited here. While Sony is known for making excellent image sensors for mobile phones, results from the Xperia L just aren’t that impressive.

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While colors are decently captured, they can tend to lean a little toward the warmer side of the spectrum. I was surprised to find that even images I took on a cool, cloudy day had a hot, summery look to them. That can be nice if that’s what you’re going for, but it wasn’t exactly accurate. Getting a nicely focused shot isn’t easy either. No matter what I did, images seemed a little fuzzy, and this was at the highest resolution. As expected, low light performance wasn’t great and while the Xperia L does have a built in flash, it did nothing but help create blown-out images.

The 720p video capture suffers from the same issues, although not quite as much as still photos do. The auto-brightness is very aggressive, so expect some very noticeable shifting in your brightness, especially if the subject is backlit. That said, movement was fairly smooth.

Battery

Sony claims a talk time of around 8.5 hours with the Xperia L and in our experience, this can often predict how long a phone can stand up to moderately heavy use. This turned out to be fairly accurate in this case. 5 hours of heavy testing brought the battery down to about 33 percent capacity. On a different day, a few hours of shooting for our video review and additional testing brought the battery to 61 percent.

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In normal conditions (ie. not reviewing the phone) it’s battery life should get you through a full day, as long as you’re not using it too heavily. Should you need to use your phone for more demanding tasks, the battery is removable, so carrying a spare or using an extended battery (if one is available) is a possibility.

Video

Conclusion

In the end, the Sony Xperia L is a solid but not exactly remarkable phone when it comes to performance. What should help it stand out in its fairly crowded category are its looks and design. Whether or not this is enough to sway you from the countless other similar phones available is a matter of personal taste.

sony-xperia-l-back sony-xperia-l-right sony-xperia-l-left sony-xperia-l-front sony-xperia-l-back-side sony-xperia-l-battery sony-xperia-l-from-camera sony-xperia-l-camera sony-xperia-l-apps sony-xperia-l-screen-closeup sony-xperia-l-benchmark sony-xperia-l-in-hand

Have you used the Xperia L? Are you planning on buying it? Feel free to share your thoughts or ask any questions you may have in the comments below!

    


Google bans Glass from shareholder meeting

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 04:34 PM PDT

Google Glass banned

In an ironic twist, Google has decided to ban Glass from their annual shareholders meeting. Like so many bars and other establishments ahead of them, Google fears Glass may be a bit too invasive. If they were hoping to avoid controversy in Mountain View with regard to Glass, they failed.

To be fair, Google has also banned cell phones and other recording devices, so it's not all about Glass. To further drive the point home, Google has made no claims that Glass doesn't have the ability or functionality to be intrusive on privacy. Having recently banned facial recognition software from Glass, it's clear that Google has perhaps failed to properly appreciate how pervasive the technology can be, or what developers have in mind when considering the device as a platform to program for.

It's been a rough road travelled, and Glass isn't even available to the public yet.

Like most things Glass related, this is a slippery slope. The device is presented as one that aims is to give timely updates and notifications, yet is banned for privacy concerns. Glass can do so much more than take pictures and video, but users have to be told how to act. Development is open, so long as it adheres to very repressive guidelines.

Banned before it even hits the streets, increasingly restrictive development guidelines, and now Glass has been locked out of a Google shareholder meeting. Google was right to disallow the use of Glass in their shareholder meeting, but public perception may not reflect that. It's already not an every-man device, and the public suspicion continues. Hopefully, Google has a long-range design in mind for getting us interested in Glass, because many probably view it as a video taking device that can't be used anywhere.

It's been a rough road travelled, and Glass isn't even available to the public yet. Development is the only way out of this hole, but Google keeps handing developers smaller shovels. Between those development guidelines, and public perception, it's right to start asking where Google is going with this program.

    


Purported Galaxy S4 Zoom image leaked, camera phone thicker than you’d expect

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:48 PM PDT

Samsung Logo

An image supposedly showing the upcoming Galaxy S4 Zoom camera phone has hit the web revealing a rather strange device than one would have expected.

This creation bears some similarity to the recently announced Galaxy S4 Mini but also to last year's Galaxy Camera. At this point, it's not clear whether the image is accurate, but we'll probably find out more details in the near future, considering that the Galaxy S4 Zoom product name has indirectly been confirmed already.

Galaxy-S4-Zoom

The Galaxy S4 Zoom is expected to have smartphone features similar to the Galaxy S4 Mini's, but camera features similar to the Galaxy Camera’s. In what follows, you'll see the press images of these products, in order to compare them yourself with this leaked image.

What we'll immediately notice is that the smartphone side of the device is not entirely similar to the Galayx S4 Mini. The sensors are apparently placed on the other side of that speaker grille, and the volume keys have been moved to the right side of the handset. Also on the right, there seems to be a dedicated camera shutter button, which is similar to the Galaxy Camera's button. A rather big camera lens is placed on the back of the device, but an image showing it in its entirety is not available.

Galaxy S4 mini

Galaxy S4 Mini

The Galaxy S4 Zoom seems to be about as bulky as the Galaxy Camera, and it's definitely not the slender device you may have expected.

A few days ago we wondered whether the Galaxy S4 Zoom will be the successor of the Galaxy Camera, or a standalone product. Today's reports seem to indicate that the Galaxy Camera will get its own successor, with the Galaxy S4 Zoom being the last member of the Galaxy S4 family.

Sam Mobile says it received the image on Wednesday June 5, which appears to be the date on the screen of the handset in the leaked image. That doesn't mean the image is legit, so hold on to that grain of salt.

We do expect to see this device come out soon, maybe at Samsung's June 20 event in London, where other new Galaxy S4 members like the Mini and the Active will also appear.

Galaxy-camera-profile-1

Galaxy Camera

That said, we'll also list the unconfirmed specs and features for the Galaxy S4 Zoom, while we wait for the product to become official. The camera phone is said to pack a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 16-megapixel camera with optical zoom, 8GB of internal storage, microSD support for up to 64GB, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, AGPS and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

What do you think about the image?

    


MOGA launching new Power Series controllers, will charge your phone as you play

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:07 PM PDT

Moga

Back in April, MOGA released its PowerA Pro Android gaming control, promising an improved experience over their previous generation controller. Now the company has announced they are back at it again, with plans to launch a new generation of MOGA Power Series controllers at E3.

So what's new? The biggest change is that the controls will now be adding a "Boost" feature, which will recharge your phone while you play your games.

Unfortunately, MOGA isn’t exactly giving out many details on how this charging feature will work. If we had to take a guess, the controller probably utilizes an internal battery and then charges your phone using a microUSB cable.

The next-gen Power Series will come in two models, a compact version and a full-sized "Pro" model. While the boost feature is the biggest change, the new controllers also offer improved Bluetooth radios, better ergonomics and an improved form factor. This is especially true for the compact model, which now features clickable analog thumbsticks, a D-Pad and should buttons.

For the moment there is no word on when exactly these new controllers will be made available, or how much they will cost. The battery charging function could increase the overall cost of the controllers, but we don’t expect them to be too much more expensive than previous MOGA controls.

What do you think of MOGA's controller offerings, how do you feel they compare to other options out there for Android?

    


Need your podcasts on the go? Check out the Best Podcast apps for Android!

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 02:43 PM PDT

best podcasts apps for android

Podcasts are great for many reasons, such as self-improvement or just a way to get a good laugh. Have you ever wanted a good app so you could listen to them while you’re out and about, though? We’ve gone to the Google Play Store to find just that, and we’ve got a few awesome ones to share! As usual, if you’d rather watch the video, just head to the bottom of the article.


DoggCatcher

doggcatcher

First up on our list is DoggCatcher. This app has a very busy and cluttered interface, but that’s so we can see all the information that this app offers. Even with that said, the cluttered UI may or may not be a big turnoff for some who prefer more organized options. Like most podcast apps on this list, you’ll be able to listen to your podcasts straight from the app, and it was able to find all of the ones we searched for.

DoggCatcher has a few customization options, though, not ones that will help clean up its very busy interface. You can tap an option to have it automatically download your podcasts to your device, and if you prefer video content, DoggCatcher has support for both audio and video podcasts. It’s a very easy to use app, and aside from the busy UI, it’s one of the most solid podcast apps for Android.

Get it on Google Play


Podcast Addict

PodcastAddict

Next up is Podcast Addict, and unlike DoggCatcher, this particular app takes a cleaner and more simple approach to a podcast app. However, it makes up for this by having a lot of areas to navigate. As with all of the apps on this list, finding the podcasts we searched for was quick and easy.

When adding podcasts, there’s quite a few options to choose from. You can search for them manually, add an RSS feed, browse by top podcasts, import via OPML, and even browse podcast networks like Twit, Revision 3, BBC, and others. All in all, it’s definitely a great podcast app if you’re looking for new podcasts and listening to your old favorites.

Get it on Google Play


Pocket Casts

PocketCasts

Pocket Casts is yet another solid Podcast app. Like Podcast Addict, this podcast aggregator lets people browse for a variety of options, including top audio, top video, featured, by network, and by category. It makes finding podcasts extremely easy.

Once you’ve found what podcast you’re looking for, playing them is easy as ever, and you can even categorize your podcast subscriptions for better organization and easier listening. It’s a beautiful app and it’s very easy to use — what more could you ask for?

Get it on Google Play


Podkicker Pro

Podkicker

Podkicker Pro has a very simple interface combined with easy controls, and the all around design of the app is outstanding. It’s a very easy to use app, and the only real downside to it is that there are far fewer features than what the rest of the podcast apps offer.

The podcasts that are available to listen to are entirely user driven. So if there’s a podcast you search for and it isn’t there, you have to submit that podcast’s RSS link to the official Podkicker website to get it on there. It’s a neat way to handle podcasts, however, it can be a minor inconvenience for some. All in all, Podkicker is a great app despite not having the bells and whistles of other offerings.

Get it on Google Play


RSS Demon

RSSDemon

Last up is RSS Demon, which is more of an RSS news app than a podcast app, however, it has the functionality to search for , and play, podcasts. The downside is that RSS Demond doesn’t have its own dedicated player, so to listen to a podcast you need to use music app to listen to the various podcasts.

Much like the other apps on our list, finding podcasts is a breeze. On the other hand, you’re not able to discover new podcasts, so you can only search for the ones you know by heart. If you’re looking for a mix of a podcast and news app, RSS Demon will get the job done.

Get it on Google Play


Wrap up

PodcastARTICLELEADER

If you take a look at our leaderboard (image above) you can see how these apps stack up against each other. Our rankings are solely based on Google Play Store ratings and downloads, so there’s no bias on our part. It’s how you, the people, rated them.

While the podcast apps are all highly rated, they may not be for everyone, so we’ve included a few honorary mentions. These include BeyondPod Podcast Manager, iPP Podcast Player, PodTrapper Podcast Manager, Feed+ News and Podcast Manager, and Slacker Radio.

As always, if you have a favorite podcast app that wasn’t listed here, be sure to tell everyone about it in the comments below!

    


Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 gold-brown variant image leaks (picture)

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 12:11 PM PDT

samsung galaxy tab 3 7.0 gold brown

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is no longer a secret, and the fact that it would have a version sporting a “gold-brown” color scheme wasn’t much of a mystery, either, but nobody knew exactly how that variant would look.

As you may remember, retailer Adorama was listing the device in gold-brown on its website. Be that as it may, we didn’t know exactly what the combination would look like, but we just might, if the picture famed leaker @evleaks has posted online turns out to be the real thing.

As you can see, the color scheme certainly gives the tablet a totally different feeling, with the colors pretty similar to what Samsung has done on the brown Galaxy S4, which was first seen in a musical short film, then officially confirmed.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 has a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, as well as a dual-core CPU at 1.2 GHz, helped by 1 GB of RAM memory. Internal memory is 16GB, but the microSD slot will help you add to that easily, and you also have a 3 megapixel rear camera at your disposal, as well as a 1.3 megapixel one on the front.

The tablet, which has a 4,000 mAh Li-ion battery, runs Android 4.1 out of the box.

Do you plan on buying a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0? Will it be the gold-brown version (provided it looks like the device in the image above)?

    


One step closer to release: HTC One Mini (aka M4) gets certified by Bluetooth SIG

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 12:06 PM PDT

HTC One mini

The HTC One Mini refuses to stay out of the news. At the beginning of the week, we reported that the HTC One Mini would be arriving with an Ultrapixel camera, in similar fashion to its bigger brother. A few days later we also learned a bit more about the phone's specs, and got a sneak peak of alleged photos of the device.Now it seems that the HTC One Mini has passed through the Bluetooth Special Interest Group under the design name "PO58XXX".

The last time a member of the HTC One family – the Verizon HTC One – passed through Bluetooth SIG, the phone was confirmed the very same day. Will this be the case for the HTC One Mini (M4)? Honestly, I wouldn't count on it. The HTC One Mini is reportedly scheduled for a late summer 2013 release, so more than likely it will continue to hang in the shadows for a bit longer.

When the HTC One Mini does finally arrive, what kind of specs will it bring to the table?

Based on the most recent hardware rumors, the HTC One Mini is expected to feature a dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 2GB RAM, a 4.3 UltraPixel camera, 16GB storage, a 4.3-inch 720p display and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with Sense 5.0. Based on information from the Bluetooth SIG filing, the phone will also likely arrive with Bluetooth 4.0 support.

What do you think of the HTC One Mini based on what we currently know? How do you feel it compares to other phones in this class, like the Galaxy S4 Mini?

    


The FBI’s PRISM program, and what it means for us.

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 11:47 AM PDT

PRISM

Google Data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The NSA obtaining metadata from Verizon is concerning. It's tough for many to cannonball into the deep end of fear, but the news is increasingly troublesome the past few days. If the court order our NSA had against Verizon troubled you, PRISM may send you off that diving board.

PRISM is an FBI program designed to do one thing: collect data about you. Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), PRISM allows the FBI to access the database of 9 major tech companies to access data about users. The chart below details who is involved, and when they joined.

PRISM

What is FISA?

Enacted in 1978, FISA is a law which "prescribes procedures for requesting judicial authorization for electronic surveillance and physical search of persons engaged in espionage or international terrorism against the United States on behalf of a foreign power." This may include US citizens who are suspected of espionage or terrorism.

PRISM is simply a program to carry out the groundwork FISA laid. We can point directly to it as the culprit, and it is, but it's also just the first domino. We know the first domino is PRISM, and we know the next 9 are tech companies subject to the program's reach. After that, it gets hazy.

Clandestine power

Like the NSA's executive order we told you about yesterday, FISA is nothing new. This has been in effect for 35 years. For many of us, this program has been in effect and operating our whole lives.

Programs like these are not meant to see the light of day, nor should they. If the goal is to identify and defuse threats, these types of programs should never be made public. The cat-and-mouse game the FBI plays with bad guys is meant to be played out behind closed doors. The days of trenchcoats and fountain pen guns are over.

Accordingly, the FBI and all government agencies designed to identify risk have been made to change their methodology. Whereas wiretaps and stakeouts with donuts used to be how things got done, we've all changed how we do things. When there are entire cells of terrorists who may never actually meet, the days of following someone, physically, are over. Now, they follow bad guys digitally.

It’s also worth noting that most communication flows through the US at some point. As the chart below points out, calls and digital messages don’t always take a direct route. Your message or call may bounce all over the globe before reaching its destination. Even as it relates to foreign terrorism, this program may be able to stem the tide.

PRISM

What do they want to know?

Everything. Literally. This goes much further than the NSA court order on Verizon. This encomapsses everything you do, and everywhere you do it. Have photos stored digitally? They can check that out. Did you say something crazy in a Google+ Hangout last week? They may have seen that. Did you send a cat video to your mom? The FBI may have got a chuckle.

While it's not ideal, it's the system we live with.

The real question for us is not what they want to know, it's why. Again, this is where we get stuck. We know, via leaked documents and slides, what they want to know. We still have no idea why. We can look to all manner of acts, amendments, and bills passed into law, yet we still have no idea why they're looking for this info.

That's probably because they don't know, either. The NSA agreement with Verizon garnered only "metadata", with no personal information. This program and act, however, allow for a much more thorough vetting of citizens. The government may know what we like, where we go, and what we do – at any point of our life.

A firm grasp

FISA, for most of us, has been going on our whole life. I would venture to say that all readers of this article have remained safe from FBI harassment, and probably even surveillance.

Our lives are digital, now. We live online, so the days of FBI agents in disguise, following you to the liquor store, are over. Whereas the FBI could once snap photos of you meeting with other people of a suspicious nature, those meetings are now done via chats and emails. The cat-and-mouse game has gone digital.

We tend to react to news like this by taking personal offense. For us, the online world is very real and personal. Even if we do get out and go camping, or some other activity where the Internet isn't welcome, we later share those moments online. We upload pictures, or share videos. We tell stories, and make future plans to go back.

This is not the information the FBI wants. PRISM may be all-encompassing, and a bit vague, but it has to be. If we live online, that's where the FBI needs to go to find the information they seek. If you're not doing anything wrong, you won't have anything to worry about. Again, this has been going on our whole lives, and we haven't had any problems.

PRISM

None of us can foresee the future, so anticipating an Orwellian life won't do any good. PRISM may be more thorough than the NSA news yesterday, but that doesn't mean it will cause more any trouble for us. In analyzing my present, and past, PRISM has had no effect on me. It didn't have any effect before I knew it existed, and probably won't moving forward.

Should we be comfortable with it? No. Is it going away? No. It will remain part of our subconscious for quite some time, but the effects on our personal lives will probably be nil. It's an egregious and pervasive tactic by the FBI, but where is the recourse? That's the news I want to read.

We can either have our privacy and suffer the consequences of the troubled souls in this world, or we can accept that the government is probably trying in earnest to stop them as best they know how. While it's not ideal, it's the system we live with.

    


Is there a place for a rugged device in your life?

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 11:38 AM PDT

We are all mobile geeks, here at Android Authority. We love everything with a power button. We like to comment the latest news and endlessly argue over which phone is better. On the Friday Debate, we pick a hot issue and proceed to discuss it. Join us!

This week, Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy S4 Active, a version of the popular S4 that trades the glossy finish for a waterproof and dustproof backplate fixed with screws. Samsung promises that the GS4 Active will make it through the roughest hikes unharmed, all while delivering the same experience one would get from the regular version.

Until now, ruggedness was a narrow niche in smartphones – a few devices provided protection against water, dust, and some mechanical shocks, but the mass market was clearly interested in other things. But that began to change with the Sony Xperia Z, a full blown flagship with looks to die for, and recently, with the Galaxy S4 Active. Are these rugged Android flagships the start of a new trend? Or is waterproofing just another feature manufacturers are eager to cross off a list?

In this Friday Debate, we discuss waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof devices, and what they mean for the Android ecosystem. Join us in the comments.

Derek Ross

There will always be a place in the world for rugged devices. Smartphones aren’t a one size fits all device. Not everyone has the same job or even the same lifestyle. With that said, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is not a rugged device.

Being dust free and water resistant does not make your device rugged. Rugged, to me, applies to the durability of the device. As Larry Page has said numerous times, smartphones shouldn’t go splat when you drop them. Additionally, they should be rugged by default, not a variation released months later after early adopters already purchased the non-rugged editions.

Take Sony for example. The Xperia Z launched with an IP67 score, just like the S4. Sony launched a high quality Android smartphone right the first time. They didn’t need to release another variant down the road to meet those needs.

htc one vs sony xperia z z price aa

Alex Serban

There is definitely a need for rugged devices and I don’t think it will ever fade away. Even though they are usually bulkier than conventional variants I’ve always thought of buying one, especially after I broke my phone’s display three times: twice when playing pool and once when skiing.

As Derek Ross said above, it’s a very unfortunate thing that manufacturers don’t make devices resistant right from the start. Sony can be considered a pioneer in this domain and thanks to it’s successful marketing campaign, I say it caught quite the attention. Especially when the complete package came as a slim, stylish device.

I even dare to say that Sony might have set a trend here. Maybe in the following years, we’ll be fortunate enough to see other important manufacturers strengthening devices right from the start and rugged becoming just a term used by those that work in really harsh conditions.

Everyone drops its phone from time to time. Why pay extra for it?

sony xperia z waterproof

Adam Koueider

I’ve had enough of people telling me that I should just bite the bullet and put a case on my smartphone. “It’s an investment” they say, “you should always protect your investment”.

But the thing is OEMs work very hard to create the fastest, slimmest, best handling smartphone that they can possibly make. Why would I ruin the design and sometimes the actual functionality of the phone by using a case?

I’m going to put it out there, I’m not the best hand gymnast out there, the 2 phones and a tablet sitting in my drawer with shattered displays are an attestment to that, but I still haven’t put a case on my phone.

IP (insert numbers here) means nothing to me, I’ve never had a smartphone break down because of dust (city air isn’t that bad… yet) and I’ve yet to forget my smartphone in my pocket while going in for a late night dip.

That’s not to say that the IP67 protection the Galaxy S4 Active provides won’t be useful to anyone, on the contrary, I have people always asking me which phone is the most rugged. Constructors and builders would find a phone like this very appealing and the ability to take photos under water is no doubt very cool, but that’s not enough.

You’re phone should be able to take a drop or two, regardless of whether it is a rugged phone or not, I (and anyone else who has ever heard the horrific sound of glass cracking on a pavement) am waiting for this breakthrough, and if it can take a dip in the water, and battle its way on through a sand storm then I’d take that as a bonus.

Galaxy s4 vs iPhone 5 drop test (4)

David Gonzales

The more I think about it, the more I wonder, why can’t all phones be rugged phones? Seriously, I would trade lightness or slimness for toughness any day. To me, the Galaxy S4 should have been a rugged device from the beginning.

I may be wrong, but I think the rugged phone category was first invented back when phones were really only good for making actual phone calls — or you know, communication. Now that phones are able to do much more than that, I think the need for there to be some type of assurance that they keep on working has become more important than ever.

I’ll be the first to say, “futureproofing” is really kind of silly. But as phones become more and more powerful, there should be provisions for making sure they stay fully functional many years into a user’s future. I may not want to take my phone swimming or hiking now, but maybe in 3-4 years, if I still have the same phone with me, I will.

Basically, what I’m saying is there should be a ThinkPad of phones — rough, tough, and at least spill-proof. Yet it still belongs in the consumer category instead of having a special category all its own.

Caterpillar CAT B15 CTIA 6 1600 aa

Bogdan Bele

There will always be a part of the market that needs one of these devices, that’s why the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and other devices like it will have no problem finding buyers.

There are jobs in which a “normal” phone just won’t do, and there are also people that are simply incapable of not dropping their phone a few times a day.

Also, an “active” person or a clumsy one, capable of dropping their phone a few times a day (like my wife, for example) would certainly need one of these devices. And even if you don’t fit into of these categories, a rugged phone should always make a good impression on your friends at parties.

Jokes aside, though, I am among those hoping that all phones will be somewhat “rugged” in the future – a basic level of water and shock resistance would be just perfect.

What’s your take on this? Should all phones be rugged? Are the recent waterproof and dustproof phones a fad or the start of a major change? Tell us in the comments.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
    


Is the HTC One Max (T6) shown in this blueprint?

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 10:16 AM PDT

HTC T6

The HTC T6 has been apparently shown in an alleged blueprint that has made its way to the Internet, revealing its potential size in the process (provided it’s real).

Dutch site Mobileaks has published the blueprint, which you can see below, and the same source claims that the device, which is set to be HTC’s answer to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, will be called the HTC One Max, a name we’ve seen in a previous T6 report. HTC One Max would be a pretty logical name for such a device, since HTC has also been rumored for some time to have a One Mini in the works, said to launch, just like the HTC T6 (or One Max, if you prefer that name), sometime during the second half of the year.

Here’s the blueprint, as provided by the publication:

HTC One Max

As you can see, we’re looking at a device that essentially shares the HTC One‘s design, but is bigger in size. According to this image (if it’s real), the HTC One Max would be 140.4 millimeters tall (the One measures 137.4mm in height), and 9.4 millimeters thick (almost as thick as the HTC One, which is 9.3mm). The device would also have Boom Sound speakers.

The rumored specs for the smartphone include a 5.9 inch screen with a Full HD resolution, a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU, as well as an UltraPixel camera. The handset is said to run Android 4.3 or 5.0 at launch.

We don’t know how much of this could be true, but if such a device is confirmed, it should give the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, as well as the rumored Sony Xperia Togari (which seems to have appeared in another leaked image) a pretty good run for their money.

What do you think? Is the device in the picture above the HTC One Max (T6)?

    


Falcon for Android gets a major update, brings multiple account support and more

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 09:52 AM PDT

Falcon Pro for Twitter

Popular third-party Twitter application Falcon has received a major update on Thursday. It brings a ton of new features, including ones that have been requested by the community for some time now, such as multiple account support.

Multiple account support works just as you might think it would. You can simply add another account to the app the same way you added the first one, and then you’ll be able to seamlessly switch between them. It’s a simple feature, but a great one to have for those who manage multiple Twitter accounts.

Additionally, a flatter UI was implemented along with a new black design to go along with the white and grey options. Also, instead of switching through menus with the tap of a button you can now slide your finger left or right to open up the corresponding menu with a new fluid transition animation. Keep in mind that this only works for devices running Android 3.0 or higher, though.

It’s a solid update, and the addition of multiple account support is a great feature, as it has been requested for quite a while now. You can grab it by hitting the Play Store button below, or straight from your phone. Of course, if you’ve never heard of Falcon for Android, be sure to check out our review!

Get it on Google Play

    


Odin Mobile, the first mobile network for the visually impaired

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 09:20 AM PDT

odin mobile

Odin Mobile will be the first mobile network with services tailored to the needs of the visually impaired, including dedicated handsets, plans and customer service experience.

An MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), Odin Mobile will use the T-Mobile network to provide its services, and the company promises to improve wireless accessibility for the visually impaired. First of all, it will offer its customers handsets that are easier to operate including the Huawei RAY Android smartphone, a device that’s designed specially for such users.

The handset is already available on Amazon.com for $550 and offers some useful features, including an interface that allows making a selection, no matter where on the screen you press. It also reads the names of callers, and offers money and color recognition, as well as an easy to use GPS feature.The device is listed for $299 on the Odin Mobile website (presumably with a plan, as orders are not taken yet).

The operator’s range of products also includes two devices from Emporia, a manufacturer known for its devices made for senior citizens. I’m pretty sure that, if the Braille smartphone we were talking about not long ago will come out as planned, by the end of the year, it will find its way to the operator.

Plans and customer support

Most importantly, Odin Mobile promises to have excellent customer support, as well as a fully non-visual accessible website. You can already check the coverage on its website, and make up your mind about a plan, too. The plans on offer are for 30 days, and go from $10, for 150 minutes and 150 texts, to $45 for 4000 minutes and the same amount of texts.

Finally, two percent of the revenue Odin Mobile makes from its voice and text services will be donated to organizations which serve the needs of the visually impaired.

Odin Mobile Announces the First Mobile Service Dedicated to the Blind and Persons with Low Vision

WASHINGTON DC – June 4, 2013 – Odin Mobile, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) on the T-Mobile network, today announced the country’s first mobile service designed for the sole purpose of improving wireless accessibility for the visually impaired.

Beginning in July, Odin Mobile will offer comprehensive cell phone service for the visually impaired, including innovative accessible handsets, rate plans for every budget, as well as a unique customer service experience designed to address the needs of its customers. This unique experience will include sending user guides to each of its customers via email in Word and HTML formats and providing customer support that is expert in the accessibility features of its phones.

“Everyone should be able to experience all of the wonderful things that go along with mobile technology, and we’re thrilled to see Odin Mobile stepping up in this way to help make sure that they can,” said Doug Chartier, senior vice president of MVNO, partner brands and national accounts for T-Mobile US, Inc.

Odin Mobile will offer a range of accessible handsets, including the RAY, an innovative mobile device developed by Project RAY Ltd, featuring a unique user interface built from the ground up for eye-free operation. This unique device offers users a range of capabilities, such as calling and SMS, contact list services, calendar, GPS, advanced WEB remote assistance, voice recorder, emergency services and more. In addition, the RAY is a fantastic device for accessing audio books, newspapers and magazines with one single user interface across all services and applications for unprecedented simplicity and ease of use.

“The RAY is an amazing device that fills an important need in the blind community. It offers the visually impaired the benefits of a smart device through a unique user interface that makes it easy to use by the tech savvy and reluctant adopters of advanced technology alike” said Robert Felgar, general manager of Odin Mobile. “We are extremely excited to collaborate with project RAY to improve the lives of the visually impaired.”

Odin Mobile will also offer great mobile phones for those persons who are visually impaired and simply want to make calls and text message. These mobile phones, manufactured by Emporia, will be extremely easy to use and have numerous accessibility features, including buttons and functions that “speak” and a high contrast display.

To further improve the lives of its customers, Odin Mobile will donate two percent of its voice and text revenue to organizations dedicated to serving the needs of the visually impaired.

For additional information about Odin Mobile, please visit www.odinmobile.com.

    


HTC One sales doubled to 1.2 million in May, but may have already reached the peak

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 08:51 AM PDT

HTC One

By now you've probably heard that the HTC One is selling well, with over 5 millions units sold so far, helping HTC post some decent financial results for a change.

There's some more good news for the company: it appears that during the month of May sales of the HTC One doubled up compared to April, reaching a fairly decent 1.2 million units, according to Citigroup Global Markets Inc analyst Kevin Chang.

In fact, the One accounted for around half of all of HTC's May sales. Whilst these numbers might not be close to Galaxy S4 territory, it’s proof enough that HTC can make a decent handset when it needs to, a device that has helped see the company through what can only politely be described as a rough patch.

But once again, it's not all good news for the handset manufacturer, as analysts are speculating that sales may have already reached their peak, with demand expected to begin falling come the start of July.

With One volume peaking and other models still weak, we believe May will be the peak of near-term sales.
Citigroup

Some are suggesting that demand for the handset is already saturated, whilst others are expecting demand to drop, as consumers hold off purchases in favour of waiting for upcoming devices like the new iPhone. Sales are expected to be particularly lacklustre in the United States in the following months, so HTC will have to pick up the pace in emerging markets like China.

This could be particularly troublesome for HTC as the company doesn't have a decent line-up of other smartphones to fall back on at the moment. Hopefully for HTC, the pending release of its HTC One Nexus experience handset and the launch of the rumored HTC One Mini, HTC One Max (T6) and Butterfly handsets should help prop up the sales figures for a little while longer.

    


AT&T HTC One comes with a Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker for just $99.99

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 08:45 AM PDT

HTC One

If you're in the market for the HTC One and its incredible Boom Sound dual speakers just don't cut it, you'll be happy to know that AT&T is running a special deal for all new customers. The carrier is throwing in a Bleutooth speaker for you to enjoy your music, movies, videos, games and everything in between.

If you're a new AT&T customer, and looking to buy the 32GB HTC One, not only will AT&T sell you the HTC One for the very low price of $99.99, but it'll also chuck in a Beats Audio Pill Bluetooth speaker for free.

The HTC One has the best speakers found on a smartphone (thanks to its dual stereo, front facing speakers), but it also comes with a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM and a Full HD, 4.7-inch display.

The Beats Pill is a Bluetooth speaker with a little extra incentive. It comes with NFC technology to instantly pair with an NFC enabled device (like the HTC One). Another feature you might find useful is the Pill's Bluetooth conferencing feature. The Pill comes with an internal microphone to allow you to take calls from your smartphone.

You can choose between either the Stealth Black HTC One or the Glacial Silver version, and the Beats Pill comes in four colors; black, pink, red or white.

If you're interested in taking advantage of this great deal, you can check out all the details at AT&T's website by following the source link below.

    


Samsung Galaxy S4 slide-out keyboard case available for $79.99

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 08:20 AM PDT

samsung galaxy s4 bluetooth keyboard

This Samsung Galaxy S4 Bluetooth keyboard could be very useful to you, if you’re always on the road, typing long emails and you don’t like using the virtual keyboard.

Even with the Google Keyboard for Android available in the Google Play Store, the experience of a physical keyboard is most certainly unrivaled, and this product, which also has some added perks, can be a pretty good addition to your phone. First of all, you won’t have to worry about misplacing it, since it attaches to your Samsung Galaxy S4 by using its own case, without compromising access to ports or buttons, pairing with it via Bluetooth.

samsung galaxy s4 bluetooth keyboard

It also has its own 280mAh battery included, and also includes an on/off switch for power preservation, as well as LED back lighting, so you won’t have any problems typing in the dark. The battery charges through a USB cable, a 2-hour charge promising 8 hours of work and 45 days of standby time.

In case you feel like watching a movie on your phone, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Bluetooth keyboard also doubles as a phone stand with an adjustable angle.

Getting back to its typing-related features, the keys look pretty comfortable from the images, and it’s not that expensive priced at $79.99 on Hypercel. If you prefer a regular case for you Galaxy S4, that doesn’t bring a keyboard along, you can always take a look at our review of the Cygnett case.

Are you a fan of physical keyboards? Do you use one with your smartphone?

    


Texas Instruments MaxLife tech brings fast-charging and 30% longer Li-ion battery life

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 07:57 AM PDT

Texas Instruments

If I were a betting man, I'd wager that having to repeatedly charge a handset makes its way into virtually everyone's list of top smartphone complaints, especially as processors continually step-up their power requirements in the pursuit of a little more performance.

Back in late March, we initially covered some new Texas Instruments chips that supposedly cut battery charging times by 50%, which was a nice start. Fortunately, it seems that the company has been tinkering around with battery circuits again, as Texas Instruments on Thursday unveiled a couple of new chips designed to improve the charging speed and life-span of single-cell Li-ion batteries.

The new technology is known as "MaxLife", which TI is suggesting can lead to up to a 30 percent extension in battery life, certainly not something to be scoffed at. These fuel gauge circuits, model numbers BQ27530 and BQ27531, are combined with the BQ2416X and BQ2419X charging circuits, which we covered before, to monitor and optimise the battery's charge rate whilst minimising battery degradation.

The circuits are also promising better thermal management and reduced heat generation during charging. That’s good news for our handsets and should reduce some energy wastage too. Essentially, this technology works as an on-demand battery manager, but at the hardware rather than the software level.

ti-maxlifeImage: Engadget

The chips will be available in 2.5A and 4.5A versions, and since the development kits are already available, it hopefully won't be long until we see this technology integrated into some battery efficient gadgets and smartphones.

TI fast-charge technology gets more life out of a Li-Ion battery

New battery fuel gauge and charger chipsets with MaxLife™ technology allows consumers to charge faster without degrading the battery

DALLAS (June 6, 2013) – Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) today introduced two power management chipsets with TI’s patented new MaxLife™ fast-charge technology, which allows consumers to charge single-cell Li-Ion batteries faster and experience longer battery life. The bq27530 and bq27531 fuel gauge circuits, coupled with TI’s bq2416x and bq2419x chargers, optimize battery performance using the highest possible charge rates with minimal battery degradation. For samples and evaluation module, visit www.ti.com/maxlife-pr.

Mobile phone users are frustrated when their batteries’ charge doesn’t last as long after months of daily charging and discharging. TI’s MaxLife technology leverages an innovative degradation modeling system to minimize charge time while extending battery service life – as much as 30 percent according to lab tests. Based on TI’s popular Impedance Track™ battery capacity measurement technology, the MaxLife algorithm accurately predicts and avoids charge conditions that could degrade the battery.

Autonomous battery management

Traditional software-controlled battery management systems – whether implemented with a microcontroller, PMIC (power management integrated circuit) or digital signal processor – are limited in their ability to predict accurate battery capacity and translate that information into run time. The new bq27530 and bq24160 chipset for 2.5-A charge rates and the bq27531 and bq24192 chipset for 4.5-A charge rates give designers greater flexibility by having the gauge control the charger directly. This autonomous battery management system reduces software overhead, improves battery safety and security, provides better thermal management and allows a designer to adapt the charging algorithm to support different platforms and newer higher capacity batteries.

Development kit gets you started

A new Li-Ion fast-charge development kit is available, which features the bq27531 fuel gauge directly communicating with the bq24192 charger via an I2C interface. Input operating range for the evaluation kit is 4.2 V to10 V.

Key benefits of the MaxLife technology:
- Faster charging at up to 4.5-A rates for single-cell lithium batteries.
- Extended battery service life with minimum degradation of run-time after each discharge cycle.
- High-efficiency charging with enhanced thermal management and reduced heat generation.
- High-performance Impedance Track™ monitoring system provides the most accurate capacity estimation and precise control of charging current and termination thresholds.

TI analog for consumer electronics

TI’s broad range of power management and analog signal chain products offers design engineers the high performance, low power and integration they need to create innovative and differentiated consumer electronics. TI is engineering the future with gesture recognition, touch feedback, advanced battery charging, audio, health technology and more. Learn how TI analog products improve how we live, work and play at www.ti.com/analogconsumer-pr.

Availability and pricing

The bq27530 and bq27531 battery fuel gauges with charger control are available now in a 2-mm by 1-mm by 0.65-mm, 15-pin wafer chipscale (WCSP) package, and are priced at US$2.07 in 1,000-unit quantities. The bq24192 4.5-A battery charger comes in a 24-pin, 4-mm by 4-mm QFN package and is priced at US$2.50 in quantities of 1,000. The bq24160 dual-input 2.5-A charger comes in a 24-pin QFN package and a 2.8-mm by 2.8-mm, 49-ball WCSP package, and is priced at US$2.50 in 1,000-unit quantities.

Find out more about TI’s battery management portfolio:
- Easy-to-use MaxLife battery management development kit based on the bq27531 and bq24192.
- Review TI’s entire battery charging portfolio, including TI’s easy-to-use Battery Charger Selection tool.
- Ask questions and help solve problems in the Battery Forum in the TI E2E™ Community: www.ti.com/batteryforum-pr.
- Download TI’s Battery Management Solutions Guide: www.ti.com/bmsguide-pr.

    


Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 in stock at some retailers, but it doesn’t come cheap

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 07:40 AM PDT

GALAXY-Mega-6.3-Product-Image-1

The Samsung Galaxy Mega family is an oddity. Its members are larger than the Galaxy Note 2, but come without the much revered S-Pen. The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 shares the same design ethos as the Galaxy S4, but with a supersized 6.3-inch 720p HD screen.

The Mega 6.3's other specs don't quite share the same high-end specs as the Note range, coming with a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Now if those specifications make your spine tingle and you're interested in buying this rather large smartphone, you're in luck. The Galaxy Mega 6.3 has just shown up as in stock at Expansys USA and Unlocked Mobiles UK, but that massive screen is going to cost you a pretty penny.

Expansys is selling the Mega 6.3 for a little under $600 ($595), but the Unlocked Mobiles price will put an even bigger hole through your wallet. The retailer is selling the device for £498.97 including VAT ($777.20). Other retailers have the Galaxy Mega 6.3 listed, but the Mega 6.3  is labelled as out of stock.

So if you're still interested, and your wallet hasn't spontaneously combusted into nothingness, the links to the online retailers selling the Galaxy Mega 6.3 are in the Source section down below.

Will you be getting the Mega 6.3? Or are you waiting for the Galaxy Note 3?

    


Samsung hit by Galaxy S4 sales woes to the tune of $12 billion off the market valuation

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 06:25 AM PDT

Samsung Galaxy s2 Logo aa 2 1600

Following on from the pessimistic sales outlook for the Galaxy S4 which we first heard about yesterday, the company's share price took a plunge in trading earlier today, knocking a substantial $12.4 billion off the market value of Samsung Electronics.

Samsung’s shares ended the session down 6.2 percent, pushing the stock down to its lowest level in four months and shrinking Samsung's market capitalization to $187.8 billion. Ratings agency Fitch was particularly harsh on Thursday, stating that it was not planning to upgrade Samsung’s A+ rating in the medium term due to its heavy reliance on the “fickle” consumer electronics market.

Samsung share price drop June 7

Share prices gapped down significantly at the market open today, continuing a bearish move for the remainder of the trading session. Chart source: Google Finance

Other investors are stating that the main reasons for the selloff are weakening sales expectations and a lull in momentum for the Galaxy S4. Kim Young-chan, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp, put the problem down to a weaker than expected performance for high-end smartphones in general.

Sales of high-end handsets are lagging behind expectations, while low- to mid-end handsets are selling briskly worldwide

J.J. Park, an analyst from J.P. Morgan, echoed similar concerns, stating that the third quarter shipments for the Galaxy S4 would likely disappoint many investors, leading to a downgrade in Samsung's target share price. The Galaxy S4 is selling well with more than 10 million units shipped so far, and analysts had expected sales to reach more than 30 million by the third quarter. However, according to the J.P. Morgan report, the company may not perform quite as well as anticipated, as shipments are in decline in Europe and South Korea post launch.

Our supply chain checks show monthly orders have been cut 20%-30% to 7 to 8 million units starting July

With so much hype and speculation surrounding the launch of the Galaxy S4, it's always possible that the expectations were simply too high to begin with and that these results are simply a reality check for overly enthusiastic investors. Another factor to consider is that the high-end smartphone market is already quite saturated with products, and competition from the likes of the HTC One could well have hindered Samsung's performance.

Conjecture concerning the next line-up of Apple products is further fuelling the uncertainty regarding Samsung’s future performance. Bloomberg is expecting Apple to start a trade-in program sometime this month to allow users to trade their older iPhones in the runup to the launch of its latest model, which could have a direct impact on Samsung’s bottom line.

Putting things in perspective however, the Galaxy S4 is still selling well, easily outpacing the Galaxy S3's impressive launch figures. Samsung also has a strong line-up of other products which are meeting expectations. We'll have to wait for the official figures before we can confirm exactly how well the Galaxy S4 has performed post launch. Whilst some may be disappointed, the Galaxy S4 is no doubt still going to rake in plenty of profit for Samsung for the foreseeable future.

    


Rumor: Sony Xperia ZU (Togari) picture says device is ultrathin, doubles as kitten holder

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 06:09 AM PDT

Sony Logo

The Xperia Togari rumors continue today with new revelations about the 6.44-inch smartphone including a reportedly leaked picture. However, the device is yet to be confirmed by the company.

Earlier today we heard that the name of the rumored Togari could be Xperia ZU and that the device could be unveiled during Sony Mobile's media event scheduled for June 25.

Now we'll show you an image of a ultrathin device that appears to be bigger than a smartphone but smaller than a tablet. That device is said to be the Xperia Togari. As you can see in the image below, the device is strong enough to hold a tiny kitten, although don't expect to see the cat in the box.

Sony Xperia ZU Togari

Seriously though, there's no way of confirming the device just yet, so keep holding on to that grain of salt. The image comes via Esato forums, where it has been posted after being spotted on a Chinese website – the original web page where the image was first seen is not available anymore.

Common sense says that we should expect the 6.44-inch smartphone to be very thin, since that the 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet Z surprised the audience earlier this year with its 6.9mm profile. Comparatively, the Xperia Z smartphone is 7.9mm thick. Of course, that's assuming the 6.44-inch Xperia device is real, but considering the increasing number of Togari-related rumors, we'd be inclined to think the company has indeed been working on such a device.

The image above is not the first Togari leak we've seen, after only last week we questioned an image that hit the web purportedly showing the handset alongside other unannounced mobile devices.

sony xperia togari

As for the specs of the Togari, current rumors say that in addition to a 6.44-inch 1080p triluminous display, the device would offer a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 8-megapixel camera, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, Stylus and input support for pens and pencils.

On top of being kitten proof, the handset is also said to come with IP58 certification, which means it'll be water resistant.

Naturally, we'll be waiting for Sony to confirm all these details, but if they're accurate, then we may see another interesting war between large smartphones this summer, with players like the Togari, the Galaxy Note 3 and the HTC One Max (T6) being the main contenders.

    


Our source: three Google Edition phones and one X Phone are coming this year

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 05:32 AM PDT

sony xperia z vs oppo find 5 xperia z back aa

A source with knowledge of the matter told Android Authority that one other "Google Edition" phone is coming this year, along with one X Phone.

Much ink has been spilled in the last few days over the so called Google Edition phones. The announcement of the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One with the Nexus user experience has sent shockwaves throughout the Android community. And it seems more is coming.

A source with knowledge of the matter told Android Authority that a total of three Google Edition smartphones are coming this year. These don't include a "regular" Nexus device. The source hasn't specified who would make the third Google Edition phone, but we considered Sony and LG the most likely candidates. We've been sitting on this info for a few weeks now, trying to confirm the identity of the third manufacturer.

Now, new reports indicate that the third Nexus experience device may be the Sony Xperia Z. Both Android Geeks and Android Central claim that trusted sources have confirmed to them that the Xperia Z will be joining the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One in the Google Edition club.

Considering the tip from our source, and given Sony's longtime commitment to AOSP and the fact that the Xperia Z already has an AOSP project (announced even before the Galaxy S4's), we tend to believe the reports.

One more piece of valuable information from our source – apparently, there will only be one Moto X phone this year. This is significant because back in March a rumor claimed the X Phone would be the name of a group of phones, rather than one hero device. If our insider is accurate, there will only be one Moto X this year. Come to think about it, it makes sense for Motorola to keep the "X" branding undiluted. Moreover, CEO Dennis Woodside referred to the Moto X as one device, though he did say that Motorola is preparing several completely new phones.

If real, the Sony Xperia Z with the Nexus user experience will probably launch with the exact same hardware as the regular version. Check out our Xperia Z review here for what to expect. We expect it to sell it in the Play Store, along with the two other Google Edition phones, probably at the same price. One report said that July is a likely launch window, but we can't confirm anything here.

Sony sent invitations for an event that will take place in Germany on June 25, which may be a good occasion to unveil the stock Android Xperia Z. The 6.44-inch Togari (Xperia ZU) may also be unveiled then. However, that's only speculation for now.

    


Rumor: Sony Togari to be called Xperia ZU – Snapdragon 800 on board?

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:48 AM PDT

Sony Xperia logo aa 10 1600

Sony's long rumored supersized phone may be called the Xperia ZU, and could run on a Snapdragon 800 processor, if an anonymous report is to be believed.

Sony has been rumored to throw its hat in the large smartphone ring, with a 6-inch device to compete against the current undisputed champion of the category, the Galaxy Note.

The latest piece of scuttlebutt suggests that the commercial name for the device currently known as Togari may be Sony Xperia ZU.

According to VR-Zone, which cites anonymous "insiders" in the know with Sony's plans, the Xperia ZU name is final. The device is said to pack a Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at an impressive 2.3GHz. The camera of the device is said to contain an 8MP sensor, due to difficulties with securing 13MP sensors.

The display of the Xperia ZU/Togari will be a 6.44-inch Full HD with Triluminous technology. Triluminous is actually a relatively old technology that Sony has been using in its TVs for years, which enables LCD displays to show richer colors compared to conventional panels. The X-Reality Engine image processor is also said to be making an appearance on the Xperia ZU.

Finally, the Togari is said to be waterproof and dustproof, which is quite plausible considering that Sony has pushed proofing in its recent high-end devices.

How plausible is this report? Well, the Snapdragon 800 part seems improbable. Sony isn't known for pushing the envelope in the specs department, and equipping the Togari with a Snapdragon 800 chip clocked at top speeds is certainly pushing the envelope. Also, Snapdragon 800 is generally expected to come later in the year. The Full HD display is also questionable, given there aren’t any Full HD panels of similar size on the market.

Sony is having a press event in Germany on June 25, and some have speculated that the occasion will be the unveiling of the Togari. With three weeks to go, we expect the rumor mill to work in full speed until then. Stay tuned.

    


Facebook Home updated with app dock, Android app gets new features

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:07 AM PDT

Facebook Android

Facebook for Android and Facebook Home have both received updates that bring some useful improvements.

First of all, the Facebook Android app now offers you the ability to change who can view one of your updates, be it a photo or status change. This can be quite useful, should you decide that you don’t want your boss to see where you’ve been out last night and why you’re tired.

You can also add more photos to a single message you’re sending, by using the + button. Of course, stability and memory improvements, as well as bug fixes, are also included.

As promised on launch, Facebook Home is getting its fair share of updates. The most important change is an app dock, that gives users easy access to their favorite apps. Four apps can be added to the tray, as you can see in the screenshot below.

facebook android

This gives the launcher more of a “normal” Android feel, but it probably won’t bring Facebook Home more adopters than it already has.