Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Android Community

Android Community


Motorola ‘XFON’ stops by the FCC for US Cellular as specs leak

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 11:06 AM PDT

To be honest, we’re almost getting sick of seeing all these leaks and details about Motorola’s upcoming XFON, X-Phone, Moto X, or whatever this device will be called. It has leaked more times than a leaky faucet, and we’d really just like all the details at this point. A few weeks back Motorola’s CEO Dennis Woodside confirmed the device would be coming soon and be “broadly” available, and we’ve seen FCC filings for all major US carriers. Can’t we just have it already?

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Today the Moto X (that’s what Moto’s CEO called it, so we’ll follow suite) has been spotted in FCC filings after already passing for Verizon, AT&T, and a few others. Now we’re getting a glimpse of it passing all regulations at the FCC for US Cellular. It’s ready to rock at this point, so lets have it Motorola!

The Moto X line could be 1 or 2 different devices available on all carriers, or one customizable flagship device, we’re not sure. We’ve recently seen FCC filings and leaks for the XT1055 as shown below today for US Cell, as well as the XT 1056, 1058, and XT1060 for Verizon. It appears the device has been given the green light, and now Motorola just needs to get their ducks in line and release it to the public.

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Recently some additional details have leaked about the XFON, although we know basically everything already. From it being seen on video, spotted in leaked photos, and all these “insider sources” and more. It’s being reported as having a 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro dual-core, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 720p display (not sure if 4.7 or 5.0) and of course the latest version of Android. We’re also hearing it will sport a 10 megapixel camera, and have awesome battery life.

Recent reports suggest it will have more sensors than anything currently available today, and will usher a new era of how smart our phones really are when interacting with us daily. Motorola and Google have been hard at work, and I’m just hoping we see it sometime this summer. Oh and we can’t forget, the Moto X will be made AND manufactured right here in the good ol USA.

SOURCE: Blog of Mobile

Huawei Ascend P6 benchmarks show lackluster performance

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 10:05 AM PDT

Today Huawei officially announced their new flagship and “world’s thinnest” smartphone in the Ascend P6. During their beauty event this morning in London they revealed all of the details on this 6.1mm thin smartphone, and it’s stunning design. While looks are important, they aren’t everything, so we ran a few benchmarks to see how well this pretty face performs. Check it out below.

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Now as you all know, benchmarks aren’t everything. However, many manufacturers and teams like Qualcomm work hard to make sure their chipsets are as efficient as possible, while optimizing for specific hardware. We’re not sure what exactly goes on behind the scenes at Huawei, but this device rocks their very own in-house quad-core chip.

As we’ve seen before with a few of their past devices, the Ascend P6 is rocking the Huawei K3V2+ quad-core processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. They have a V3 in the works, but here we’re working with the V2+ on a 4.7-inch 720p display and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Sadly while the phone is beautiful, and ran amazing in our hands-on time, the benchmarks paint a different picture.

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Above is a quick run of Quadrant, since that’s one of the most popular tests, and it clearly isn’t doing too well in the quad-core category. We say this because it’s being beat by dual-core devices running Qualcomm’s S4 and other older chipsets. So while Huawei has been making strides, their quad-core still can’t quite compete with many powerful dual-core options from last year. Scoring only 4300 when devices like the HTC One blow past 12,000 with ease.

This doesn’t mean the phone won’t be butter smooth, as we can already tell you it is. Gaming will also be a joy with a nice quad-core processor, but this just shows the level of optimization that some others offer really does improve performance. We can’t speak to battery life at this time, but have a feeling we’ll get a mixed bag of results in that aspect too. It’s worth nothing this is not final production software, so performance should improve by release date.

Huawei and their new Ascend P6 offers a stunning and compelling smartphone, but that small 2,000 mAh battery and lackluster overall performance makes it not quite as “flagship” as we’d like. Overall the device is still excellent, and we can’t wait to give it a thorough test in a full Android Community review.

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HTC Desire 200 official: tiniest HTC One yet!

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 09:54 AM PDT

The HTC Desire 200 isn’t a device you’ll be seeing out there in the wild as often as the HTC One – mostly because it wont be released in the USA until it’s passed through the paces internationally. That said, it’ll be quite the release when it does hit the likes of T-Mobile and AT&T: and good luck to Verizon too: (we’ll see some “DROID” attached to it then). Herein lies the smallest vision HTC has released this year.

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With the HTC Desire 200, the hardware team responsible for the HTC One have clearly done their job well. What you’ve got is the top front of the HTC One with a front-facing speaker that’ll note quite be as powerful as the HTC One’s Boomsound, while the bottom looks more like the past generation of HTC One devices – speakerless, that is.

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A 3.5-inch display at HVGA resolution sits up front of this device with Android (of unknown generation type) and HTC Sense runs inside. This device looks like it’s running the same software that the HTC One X and HTC One V ran last year – perfectly fine for those looking for the baseline Android experience with HTC.

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Inside you’ve got 4GB of internal storage, the processor on this device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 single-core SoC with 1GHz clock-speed, and you’ll be working with a regular SIM-card size – that’s rare these days!

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RAM on this device is a surprising 512MB DDR1 while a 5 megapixel (not ultrapixel) camera rests on the back, and no camera sits up front, which is a bummer. You will, on the other hand, be working with some next-generation technology with Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX enabled, ready for Bluetooth SMART when the next update to Android rolls around.

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Sony Xperia Z for T-Mobile gets official sign-up page

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 09:37 AM PDT

Today, we can confirm once more that the folks from T-Mobile are slated to get the 5-inch 1080p and fully waterproof Sony Xperia Z smartphone soon. We’ve seen countless leaks, support documents on T-Mobile’s site, and then last week they started teasing us with a device under water in a little teaser video. Today however, the official sign-up page has finally gone live.

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If you had any doubts as to whether or not T-Mobile would be offering the Sony Xperia Z flagship smartphone, you can now rest easy. While we’re still awaiting final confirmation and all of the details, T-Mobile has launched the official sign-up page while saying “Xperia Z is almost here.”

Since seeing this at CES, and reviewing the smaller brother in the Xperia XL we’ve been patiently waiting for it to arrive on a US carrier. Initial leaks suggested T-Mobile and AT&T, but it looks like T-Mobile, at least for now, will be getting the exclusive on this fine piece of electronics.

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As a refresher. The Xperia Z comes with a 5-inch 1080p HD display, quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, and is IP57 certified. So it’s water-proof, shock-proof, dust-resistant and more. Add in a 13 megapixel camera, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, on screen navigation keys and more and this is quite the smartphone.

The sign-up page means we can expect more details soon enough, but we’re still hopeful for a late June or early July release date. This phone should come in at a decent price with T-Mobile’s UNCarrier plans, so stay tuned as we’ll report all the details once T-Mo shares the info.

VIA: T-Mobile

Huawei Ascend P6 “Beauty Shot” hands-on demo shows smooth-skin oddity

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 08:19 AM PDT

With Huawe’s newest smartphone effort comes the newest edition of their “Emotion” user interface, this bringing with it their IMAGESmart software and a feature called “Beauty Shot.” This feature comes with the Huawei Ascend P6 and has the ability to bring about, as Huawei notes, “instant facial beauty.” What we’ve found, on the other hand, is that there’s no two ways about it: this software changes the basic structure of your face and makes the user look… downright strange.

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What you’re seeing here is a demonstration of the Beauty Face effect at zero and at 10. This means that the image you’re seeing that’s a bit more rough – and real – is how a normal camera would take the photo. The other smoothed-out face oddity is what happens when Huawei’s Beauty Face is allowed to run wild.

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This is essentially what our model Chris Davies would look like if given an acid bath chemical peel, essentially. Now we’ll be wanting to make sure we take lots of photos with this effect to see what the software things the most beauteous version of everything is. What if we turn Beauty Face on a dog? How about if we aim it at an international super-model (other than Chris, of course)?

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This machine is working with an 8 megapixel camera on its back, by the way, while the front-facing shooter rings in at a hefty 5 megapixels. That’s what Huawei is right to claim as “industry leading” – a 5 megapixel camera facing forward! In fact the photos in this post of Chris’ face were taken with said camera, which – aside from Beauty Shot – should be impressive as anything. Stick around for more, and be sure to check out our full Huawei Ascend P6 hands-on experience as well!

Huawei Ascend P6 hands-on

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 07:45 AM PDT

It’s time to get a closer look at what’s currently the world’s thinnest smartphone in the Huawei Ascend P6. This device is made by the company to be both the world’s slimmest and their premiere release – it’s the hero strategy spreading across the world, hitting Huawei with a device that’ll be coming in black, white, and pink, too. The pink edition is especially unique, of course, with not only pink plastic and metal up front (the plastic existing under glass, of course), but a pink metal rim, as well.

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The Huawei Ascend P6 works with a 4.7-inch display up front and a quad-core processor inside and seems – even here with what very well might be an early software build – to be relatively speedy and responsive. Android 4.2.2 works here with the Ascend P6 with a custom Huawei “Emotion” user interface up on top.

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This machine weighs in at “just about 120g” and is, indeed, surprisingly tiny. That’s not to say that it feels cheap – not at all – in fact, this machine feels relatively robust and ready to be Huawei’s top-name machine for the remainder of this year at least. This device is primarily metal – with aluminum sides and a full metal back, with a reinforced glass front for full protection against scratches and dings.

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Huawei’s Ascend P6 will be delivered in black, white, and pink. This isn’t just the color of the back plate, as some brands are want to do – nay – instead you’re getting front, back, and sides included. The pink edition especially shows a unique vision while most major brands just stick with standard color schemes.

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We’ll be jumping in on additional details with this machine in the near future when we get our hands on it for a full review. The rest of the world will have to wait until June (in China) and July (for Europe) while the USA’s release date has not been made official – if there is a release date at all, that is.

NOTE: We’ve also got hands-on video coming up soon. Let us know if there’s anything specific you’d like to know about this device in the meantime!

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Huawei Ascend P6 official as world’s thinnest smartphone

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 07:10 AM PDT

The device has emerged: Huawei’s newest smartphone is the world’s thinnest, and the big H can once again claim a victory (in at least that respect). Here the Huawei Ascend P6 works with a 6.18mm thin body and a 4.7-inch display with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor under the hood. Inside also is a unique version of Android created specifically for this device by the folks at Huawei – and what’s that? A 5-megapixel camera on the front?

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This machine is extremely light as it is thin – just 120g while its body is made so small you’ll have more of a chance of loosing it in your billfold than you will having trouble finding a place to keep it. Inside and under Huawei’s customized user interface you’ve also got Android 4.2.2 right out of the box, too.

This device works with in-cell LCD screen technology as well as MagicTouch sensitivity. This MagicTouch brand name sticks with Huawei devices and means you’ll be working with “enhanced screen responsiveness” – even while wearing gloves in the winter.

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This device also works with Automated Discontinuous Reception (ADRX) and Quick Power Control (QPC) battery optimization for what Huawei says will be power saving technology enhancements of 30% over similar sized batteries in other devices.

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The Huawei Ascend P6 is the company’s new hero device, ready to take on everywhere outside of the USA, it seems, with no current plans for coming in to the states. It’s a shame though: with an 8 megapixel camera on its back and IMAGESmart software enhancing its camera abilities on the inside, we’d love to see such an oddity hit the major carriers for some competition for the bigger US-heavy brands.

You’ll see this machine appearing in China starting in June and in Western Europe from July – with “other markets” to follow as well. Soon we shall see it!

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Verizon Wireless could be headed to Canada

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 10:09 PM PDT

Canada is where I currently live, and people are going crazy. You see, right now, there is a heavy monopoly of our wireless network by Telus, Bell, and Rogers. That equates to super high phone bills. That could soon change however, if Verizon has its way.

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With Canada currently up in arms over the monopoly that the previously mentioned wireless networks have (The three companies currently have almost 79% of the market cornered, leaving the other little guys living off the scraps), the government has decided to open the doors to other International wireless providers, and Verizon could very well be the first.

Canadian’s complain of extremely high prices for their phone bills (I personally pay over $100 monthly for 2GB of Data, 200 minutes of anytime calling, unlimited texting, and the payment of a Samsung S2 on a three year contract – a contract which will have me pay a grand total of $1440 for the Samsung S2 as of November 2014). Up in the Great White North, we also have very rare access to 4G LTE, as well as incredibly poor reception due to lackluster tower placement.

Verizon is hoping to fix this problem by preferably joining the other three aforementioned companies in the war on Wireless, which in turn will hopefully (fingers crossed) reduce the prices and help Canadian’s pay less for phones.

Rumors have also floated about that AT&T may head in after Verizon, should all things work out according to plan for them, and with that, Canadian’s could see an influx of hyper-competitive wireless companies flood into the scene, which in turn could save us hundreds or even thousands on bills per year. As it stands right now, the last time Verizon was on Canadian ice, it barely held steady with Telus in 2004, as a major shareholder.

SOURCE: CNet

Minuum Keyboard ready for beta testing – aims to change how we type

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 08:16 PM PDT

QWERTY has been around, and basked in relative comfort, since 1873, when Remington first trademarked it for use on their typewriters. We’re pretty sure no one has really had a problem with it, even in touchscreen form… no one that is, except for Minuum. Their goal? They’re aiming to “re-revolutionize” the way we type.

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For myself, QWERTY has never been an issue. I remember personally, long before the introduction of Android to the masses, having to manually type in stuff via a QWERTY keypad on my old Blackberry, in 2007. It feels like so long ago, but it certainly was never a hassle to type everything out, and my transition from touchpad to touchscreen certainly didn’t make it anymore difficult.

Minuum however, aims to change the way we’ve all been doing it, by putting the traditional QWERTY keyboard into a horizontal row at the bottom of the screen. By doing this, they say it will intuitively learn how you type, and also reformat itself to avoid any future spelling mistakes you may make.

Minuum promises a full version if the BETA goes as well as they hope. Although Minuum might come off as difficult to use for the first little bit, the company promises that you’ll get the hang of it in no time at all. Their Indiegogo campaign (like kickstarter) gained steam in March, and the beta will be arriving tomorrow for backers. This means we’ll finally be getting our hands on the actual APK. If you’re able to give it a try, leave us your thoughts in the comments below.

SOURCE: Droid-Life

Skype video message service launched for all

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 06:03 PM PDT

Skype is world renowned for offering a messaging service that allows you to not only call someone (basically replacing the home phone) through your computer, but also to video call them as well. The best part about Skype is that it also does this through mobile format as well. So when we heard that Skype had launched a “Video Message” service, we were intrigued, and wanted to know, what is it?

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Skype Video Message is essentially, according to Skype, the ability to send a video message up to three minutes long through a secure internet connection, that the recipient can receive and see, even if you yourself are not online. By doing this, Skype taps into a sort of “Video Voicemail” niche that was previously unheard of. Where as we have Skype and Google Hangouts, we now also have the ability to leave a quick Hello to an old friend, or to make a quick tutorial on how to prepare for an exam.

Video Messaging works on all platforms, and available on every device besides the Windows Phones, which we feel is rather ironic since Microsoft… owns Skype. No word yet on when it will be available on Windows phones, but probably soon. Check out this video for a good idea of what it looks like.

Skype Video Messaging is out now. Previously it was available on a limited number of devices as a BETA test, but now is finally available for all consumers. It’s also free with Skype, so a premium membership is not required.

SOURCE: Skype

Kazam created by ex-HTC execs, aimed for European market

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 05:26 PM PDT

Getting a fresh name out in the industry has always proven to be difficult. Sony wasn’t always as widely known as it is now, and certainly neither was Samsung. Even some companies as big as Lamborghini (who used to make farm tractors) and Coca Cola (which was marketed as stomach medicine) suffered in the very beginning. But in an ever-crowded market, comes a new company from HTC‘s old executives, called “Kazam”. The big question is, how will it stack up?

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According to Michael Coombes, former sales head director at HTC, and James Atkins, former U.K. marketing head director at the UK Venture of HTC, “Kazam” aims to bring very user friendly and supportive phones to market, with prototypes expected to be shown by the end of this year. When they are introduced, the phones will be in a very tough marketplace. Samsung and Apple currently dominate, and Sony, HTC, LG, Huawei, and ZTE all fight to get what little market share they can.

What with the current landscape, Kazam is going to be under a lot of pressure to come up with something user-friendly and easily affordable, so it’s highly expected that the phones themselves will run a version of Android. Luckily for Kazam, it seems that in today’s marketplace, consumers are open to new ideas.

Kazam’s dynamic structure and focus on local markets means we can react quickly to the ever-evolving and diverging needs of today’s consumer”. — Coombes

What that means, we’re not too sure. We know one thing for sure, it’s all uphill from here for Kazam, but if they can pull off the hard task of even being in the same company as their rivals, they’ll be considered successful. With HTC hiring a new Global PR director though, and bringing out the One Mini, this might prove to be harder than even they thought. Chances are however, that they knew well ahead of time what they were in for.

For Kazam though, only time will tell.

SOURCE: CNET

Google Now wallpapers in full-size available now for all

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 04:59 PM PDT

We’ve talked about Google Now countless times here at Android Community. It being one of the best features in mobile as of late, and certainly on Android. However, many users have asked time and time again how they can get the stock official Google Now wallpapers and make them their background. There’s been countless 3rd party options, but today we have the real deal.

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The creative artist behind the actual backgrounds for Google Now, Brent Couchman, has uploaded his artwork in full-size to his Flickr account. Which will allow users to see all of his artwork, not just Google Now backgrounds, and get a much larger version for those HD smartphones we all have these days.

Obviously being on Flickr these are his official works of art, and are pretty awesome to say the least. Being on Flickr they are Copyrighted and such, but you can get full-sized 1680 x 1050 versions and more to use as you desire. The account has more than just a few Google Now wallpapers too, so give them all a look.

For more details and to get them yourself you’ll want to head to the flickr link below. Google Now has been improving steadily and I’ve always loved these wallpapers. It appears that not everything we see came from Brent, otherwise he just hasn’t uploaded them all to his Flickr account. Good stuff, this is one more way to rock your Android in style. Let us know if you like them in the comments below.

SOURCE: Flickr
VIA: Google+

Galaxy S4 Replacement Battery and charger now available

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 04:10 PM PDT

In the case of most modern day phone companies, the idea of replacing your battery or charging it out of the phone seems near impossible, unless you are a company tech employee. Samsung however, believes strongly in giving the consumer access to these important things, so they leave an SD slot and a replaceable battery on all their phones, behind the backplate. Now, you can finally purchase that new battery and charger kit for your Samsung Galaxy S4.

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It’s inescapable. Your battery will die at some point, when you least want it to. That Ferrari will drive by, that you’ve never seen before. You’ll see the most amazing recipe in a book store. And then, when you reach for your phone, your battery will be dead. It’s happened to all of us, and although Samsung‘s S4 does offer a great battery life, not all of us can afford the time out of our busy schedules to charge up.

The new Samsung battery charger and spare battery should help quell your worst fears, by way of always having an extra battery or your charger on hand. It’s currently available in a variety of online networks, including Amazon, and Samsung themselves. It comes with an original replacement 2600mAh battery, charger and micro-USB cable. Samsung has it for 49.99 from their own shop.

Although it seems a little old fashioned in the modern age for a phone company to include a separate batter and charger combo, it’s actually quite refreshing. With the portability of a spare battery brings less hassle on long trips. We just wish more companies had the mindset to do what Samsung does, because in the end, we don’t want to be the only one missing out on capturing that moment that Jessica Alba walked into the Android Community offices…

Ah, who are we kidding? We don’t have any offices.

SOURCE: Samsung

Google Chromebook to expand its retail outlet base

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 03:42 PM PDT

Google Chromebook is already available in over 2000 stores worldwide, but that number is about to expand greatly. The cheap laptops, already a heavy hitter on consumer lists, is poised to triple the amount of retail outlets it’s available in, and bring that aforementioned number to just over 6600.

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With BestBuy and Amazon already racking in tons of sales for Chromebook, Google wants a piece of an even bigger pie, so it’s with that they’re introducing Chromebook to Walmart and Staples, not to mention some other big name outlets (Office Depot, Office Max, Fry's, TigerDirect and more). For Staples, they’ll be stocking up their shelves with Acer, Samsung, and HP Chromebooks. Walmart specifically, will be offering their $199 Acer Chromebook with a 16GB SSD, and it’ll be available in over 2800 Walmart outlets nationwide.

In Europe, the emphasis will be on getting the Chromebook established, as it’s only had a small stab at the marketplace up to this point. To do that, you can expect to see Chromebooks at Tesco UK stores, and Mediamarket and Saturn stores in the Netherlands. In Australia, France and Sweden, you’ll see Chomebooks popping up in FNAC stores, Elgiganten stores, JB Hi-Fi, and Harvey Norman outlets.

With Google Chromebooks being as new to the market as they are, as well as cheap to purchase, we’ll be eyeing to see if the market snaps them up in droves as they already have done. When the Chromebook came out it seemed quite different than the other laptops already available. The biggest question will be whether or not it will be embraced as wholeheartedly the world over as it was here.

SOURCE: GoogleBlog

Huawei Ascend P6 gets 2 million reservations before release

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 02:18 PM PDT

The folks at Huawei have what appears to be a pretty impressive handset in the works for later this summer, and it’s getting a whole lot of attention lately. Their new Ascend P6 has leaked more times than we can count, and it still isn’t even set to be unveiled until their event tomorrow.

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However, it’s already seen nearly 2 million reservations before we’ve learned all the details. Well, before we’ve learned all of the details officially that is. Full press images have leaked, as well as another full breakdown of the specs and super thin 6.5mm design last week.

Before officially unveiling everything at their “beauty event” set for tomorrow, June 18th, they’ve already opened up a sign-up page over in China for users to learn more, and it’s seeing plenty of traffic. Reports suggesting over 2 million users already reserving their spot, and they’re expecting similar or better pre-order numbers in the region.

The smartphone is impressive all around, although not quite as flagship as some. With a 4.7-inch 720p HD display, quad-core power, and an elegant design all coming in at 6.4mm thick. The idea is a well-rounded device that’s super thin, lightweight, and good looking. Not just a top-tier device with anything and everything.

We’ll be learning more about this phone soon, and hopefully a price. Although sadly it’ll likely never come to the US through any official channels. Stay tuned for more details.

VIA: GSM Insider

Oppo Find 7 with Snapdragon 800 and 4,000 mAh battery in the works

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 01:52 PM PDT

The popular and still growing Chinese manufacturer Oppo has a pretty decent phone on their hands with the Oppo Find 5, but we’re now hearing a Find 7 is coming soon to trump the newly released handset. Interestingly it will still sport a 5-inch 1080p HD display, and not be called the 6. Instead going right to being called the Find 7, and it has some stellar specs to go along with that name.

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For more details on their recently released Oppo Find 5 you can see our hands-on coverage. Everything we loved about this device is getting improved with the Find 7, and it is rumored to be arriving in late September this year to take on the competition.

So what makes the Oppo 7 so impressive? Not only will it rock the same 5-inch 1920 x 1080p full HD display, Android 4.2 (or newer) latest Android OS, and a 13 megapixel camera, but it’s what’s under the hood we love. They’ll be improving the processor to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 quad-core, probably 2.3 GHz, adding 2GB of RAM, increasing the front camera to 5-8 megapixels, and capping this all off with a massive 4,000 mAh battery.

For comparison the Galaxy S4 has a 2600 mAh battery, the Note II is 3,100. So adding a 4,000 mAh battery to something like the Find 7 would be impressive. Especially if they keep the size down, and price friendly. You’ll also enjoy WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and all the usual sensors here with the Oppo. Now all we need is Oppo to bring their handsets to the U.S.A and we’ll be happy. More details on this device should arrive soon enough.

VIA: AndroidAuthority

GEAK Watch wants to be the first true Android ‘smartwatch’

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 12:22 PM PDT

While wearable technology and computing is really starting to take off, I’ve found myself struggling with the idea behind a smartwatch. I’ve admitted I’m not a fan in the past, but this new watch from a Shanghai-based company called the GEAK Watch has my attention. Why you ask? Because it claims to do so much more than most of those other so called “smartwatches” we’ve seen in the past.

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This watch is overall just an impressive sounding (and looking) device. While the general edges look a bit too iPhone-like, it’s the specs and features that has me excited and interested. The folks from Engadget Chinese found all the details on the GEAK, and the list is a long one. This is no Pebble watch guys. They aim to do a little of everything and even offer WiFi, voice-to-text, and more.

Of course we’re running Android with the GEAK, but then we also will enjoy WiFi 802.11b/g/n so we won’t have to tether or use Bluetooth only like most. This also allows direct downloading of apps and such using Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and it will automatically update too. No more wiring up to a PC with micro-USB.

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Apparently we’ll have a 1 GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, a 1.55-inch multitouch display and more all tucked into a thin 8mm design. So basically as thin as most smartphones, or thinner. Sounds impressive right? That isn’t all either.

The GEAK also has NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 support, GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack for streaming audio, and even an FM radio transmitter. Oh and did we mention voice-to-text input as well. Somehow that will work and you can send messages without ever removing your phone from your pocket. Engadget also mentions a wide array of sensors that will make this a smartwatch, then a fitness companion and more at the same time.

Working with sensors for motion like calorie and step counters, sleeping patterns, blood pressure, temperature, and much more. Take my money now! Apparently this is the real deal, will run you about $330, and will be hitting China early next month. We’ll keep our eyes out on this one.

Digg’s Google Reader replacement arriving June 26 to save the day

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 11:47 AM PDT

That sad and depressing July 1st closing date for Google’s somewhat popular Google Reader is quickly approaching. We know many still haven’t switched to other options, but the folks from Digg will have many of you covered a few days early. Digg will be dropping their public beta just in time for everyone to make the switch and transition with ease.

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As you all might know, Digg has pledged to release a stellar app to replace Google Reader, and today we’ve learned the beta will be released on the 26th of this month. This is great news for all us that depend on our RSS feeds, that’s for sure.

Digg states that they have over 18,000 users that signed up to test and use the new service ahead of time, and surely there will be millions of other users once it launches. They’ve announced June 26th the public beta will be released to “power users” and we can expect a mid-July release for a broader rollout once everything is moving smoothly.

Sadly it doesn’t look like an Android app will be available at that time, and we’ll be waiting up to 2 months before Digg drops that for the Android faithful. They stated within the first 50 days they plan to offer tons of updates, new features, and an Android app. While we wait for the Digg Reader replacement to arrive check out these Google Reader alternatives for Android.

VIA: SlashGear

Falcon Pro Twitter client gets fancy new logo – resets token access again

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT

The fancy app and Twitter client Falcon Pro, which is still arguably one of the best and most popular Twitter apps for Android has received a nice new update. However, it is causing a few issues for many while also resetting the log-in and making users start all over. Twitter imposes a ridiculous 100,000 user limit for 3rd party apps, and as a result this app has already reached the limit multiple times. The developer has freed up a few unused tokens, but read on below for more details.

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Last night the developers behind the wildly popular Twitter client pushed out a nice new update that brings a new UI, tons of bug fixes, and new features. At the same time they’ve also updated the application on the Play Store with a new version that resets all 100,000 tokens.

The reason behind this is those who actually use the app can sign-in again and reclaim their token. Then any of those no longer using the application can pass and let those looking to purchase the app have access. Otherwise the 100,000 token limit by Twitter just ruins the chance for anyone else to enjoy the app. Really, Twitter needs to stop this nonsense, but that won’t be happening anytime soon.

We’re hearing people resigning into Falcon Pro are missing Direct Messages, and some of their mentions are apparently missing in action as well. Obviously the initial sync can take some time, but things shouldn’t be lost. Their latest update earlier this month brought multiple account support, new color themes, and much more so give it a try today before that token limit fills up again. Alternatively, give the impressive Robird Android app a try. Hit the link below and get Falcon Pro today.

VIA: Play Store