Sunday, June 23, 2013

Android Community

Android Community


Weekend Gaming: Gameloft’s Gangstar Vegas hits Google Play

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 01:17 PM PDT

If you’re like us, and are looking for a casual or fun game on Android to enjoy throughout the weekend, we have you covered. Yesterday the fine developers at Gameloft released their brand new action-packed title Gangstar Vegas to the Play Store. Whether you’re vegging on the couch, getting ready to watch the NHL Finals, or doing nothing this new game should keep you busy.

unnamed

This is the newest edition to their ongoing Gangstar game series for Android, only this time around it takes you to the bright lights and money-filled casinos of Viva Las Vegas! This time around you’ll get to play a tough and mean MMA fighter that fights his way through the City of Sin. Gameloft has a lot more than just single player too, so that’s why it’s worth checking out.

You can play through over 80 missions filled with battles, fights, and gun wars, and that’s just on the blockbuster story mode. This is as close to Grand Theft Auto as you’re going to get on Android. Well, without getting Grand Theft Auto right from Rockstar Games. Gameloft added some stunning graphics to this next-gen game, so take a peek at their launch trailer below.

And yes, in case you were wondering, you can walk down Las Vegas Blvd., head through Freemont Street (old Strip) or even wander into some strip clubs if you’d like. Gameloft confirms the open-world nature of the game brings 9x the ground and roads to cover than previous titles, and their new Sandbox mode where you can enjoy Heist modes, MMA fights, robbing Casinos and more. They really went all out!

Gameloft worked really hard on stunning graphics, and a huge open-world gameplay environment here that will give you countless hours of fun. In return, the game will take up a massive 2.5GB of storage on your device, and runs about $6.99 from the Play Store. If you were looking for a good game to enjoy this weekend, we’d start right here. Hit the link below and don’t spend all that cash on the Roulette tables at the Bellagio, like I did last night!

SOURCE: Play Store link

Vine combats Instagram with major update for Android

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 12:38 PM PDT

Now that Twitter and their popular Vine video sharing platform is facing some serious competition from Instagram, they’ve had to up their game. It has only been two days since Facebook announced 15 second videos for Instagram, along with an impressive and top-notch app update, and now Vine is fighting back already. Read on for more details on the massive update Vine just received on Android.

Screen Shot 2013-06-22 at 12.31.03 PM

Vine launched on Android a few months after the iOS version, and as we mentioned, it needed some serious work. The camera was a mess, we didn’t have all those hashtag and mention features (really, Twitter?) and the entire app just wasn’t all that smooth. Today, they’ve fixed most of these complaints and we now have a much better experience.

Yesterday we reported on five reasons Instagram was better than Vine on Android, and this update just solved most of those issues, but not all. Both have just been updated in the Play Store, and these social sharing apps are fighting head on for your clicks.

Vine now has the option to search for users and friends, as well as hashtags, they added a ‘Share to Facebook’ option (in your face Zuckerberg) and seriously overhauled the camera. Which was our biggest complaint. They improved the capture speed and quality, as well as improved video/audio sync. We still don’t have a good auto-focus option, but that’s hopefully coming. Here’s the full list.

• Search for users and hashtags
• Share to Facebook
• Improvements to capture speed, quality, and audio/video synchronization
• Clear cache option available in Settings
• Other bug fixes and UI improvements

If you watch tons of Vine videos, you probably didn’t know it was caching each one. Head into your “my applications” settings on Android and it could be taking more than 1GB of space due to Vine saving the clips on your device. Now they’ve added an option in settings to clear that cache, so that’s good.

The big fixes and UI improvements are minimal, but it does feel a little smoother and faster as of this afternoon. We’re still using both a little here and there, and are expecting more Vine updates and possibly longer recording options in the coming weeks. What’s your go-to video sharing app? Get the new Vine for Android and enjoy it!

SOURCE: Play Store

Launchers: taking Nova, Action and Yandex for a spin

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 11:47 AM PDT

One of the attractions of using Android is the ability to customize. This can be everything from adjusting and tweaking the layout using your stock setup, which could include a TouchWiz or Sense experience and it can also include using third party launchers. The launcher category is big and it seems to be growing at a fairly regular pace. Without trying to name every single launcher available, just in recent history we have seen mentions of Apex Launcher and Chameleon as well as Everything.me and Facebook Home.

nova-action-540

Personally I have tried quite a few, but have been a long time user of Nova Launcher. Despite using and really liking Nova, I had been been keeping an eye on Action Launcher and was recently wowed by the looks of Yandex.Shell. With that in mind, now seems like as good a time as any to check out some of the alternatives. The few that are being looked at today include Action Launcher, Yandex.Shell and Nova Launcher.

I should also admit that I am going into this with a bit of bias as I really like Nova. That said, Yandex.Shell looks really nice and Action Launcher has some cool sounding features and they both seem worthy of at least checking out. Yandex.Shell is free, but Action Launcher is $3.99 so if nothing else, maybe I can answer the question as to whether others should shell out the $4 or continue watching the app and seeing what future updates bring.

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher can be free or paid. The free version is rather full featured, however the paid ‘Prime’ version does include some worthwhile extras such as folders in the app drawer, gestures, dock swipes and unread counts. Rather than focus on the Prime version, lets continue with the free version, which is what I had been using. With this version you can expect color themes, the ability to change the accent color, icon themes, a scrollable dock, infinite scroll and much more.

With Nova Launcher you can also bulk add apps to the desktop or a folder, you can overlap widgets and even add a 1×1 widget into the dock. Some of the smaller features that I enjoy is the ability to adjust the icon size and even add more than the standard amount of apps into a dock. It is also nice being able to have and scroll through multiple docks. Basically Nova Launcher provides lots of options for customization and it should be good for those looking to make things look a bit more to their liking.

nova-04 nova-01 nova-02 nova-03

Action Launcher

With Action Launcher I jumped right in with Pro version which is priced at $3.99 and will say that my previous reservations about this launcher was due to the focus on widgets. You see, aside from using a weather widget, a calendar widget and the Evernote widget — I never really had much interest in using widgets. I can say that Action Launcher has changed that. When you load up Action Launcher you will notice that many apps have a three bar icon in the lower right corner and that means easy access to the widget from the app icon.

A simple swipe up (or swipe down) on the app icon will launch the widget. Basically, this provides a simple way to access widgets without having them take up lots of space on your homescreen. This setup has also been causing me to make some changes to the way my homescreen looks. For example, after using Action Launcher for a few days I was able to remove the calendar widget and simply have the calendar app icon sit on the homescreen. Some other perks of Action Launcher includes a persistent search and Play Store link in the upper right as well as access to the app drawer in the upper left.

Action Launcher also supports icon packs as well as Android tablets. It doesn’t seem to have as many color customization options as Nova Launcher, but that aside, it does have more than enough that even coming from Nova — I didn’t feel like I was losing anything important. For example, you cannot have multiple docks, but you can customize the number of apps that fit in the dock. One small annoyance with Action Launcher was the lack of infinite scroll, which means you can swipe all the way in one direction and get stuck at the end. Not a deal breaker, but something that is easy to get used to when available.

Otherwise, Action Launcher allows you to backup your settings to an SD card (just like you can with Nova) as well as allow for you to hide apps in the app drawer, adjust the number of home screens, adjust the grid sizes, page margins, resize widgets and much more.

action-003 action-005 action-006 action-002 action-004 action-001

Yandex.Shell

Yandex.Shell is a great looking launcher and one that has a really nice looking 3D carousel as well as quite a selection of available panels and widgets. Plus, you still have access to your regular Android widgets. Overall, what grabbed my attention with Yandex.Shell was the way it looked. But that said, there were some quirks that kept me from really getting comfortable.

For example, you can add a button in your dock to access the 3D carousel for homescreen switching, however that button has to sit centered in the dock. It also seems off-balanced that you have the flat single colored icons in the dock (which matches the coloring of the panels and widgets), however all of your regular apps that sit on the homescreen are the regular colors. This launcher also lacked many of the customization features that others have a standard offerings.

Basically, Yandex.Shell is one that looks really good and to be honest, runs really smooth. But on the flip side, there just wasn’t enough to keep me using it at the moment. I will say that it is one that I will watch moving forward and with some updates and additional features, it may be one that gets a second look down the road.

yandex-03 yandex-02 yandex-01 yandex-005 yandex-004 yandex-003 yandex-002 yandex-001

In the end, Yandex.Shell just didn’t have everything the others did and was quickly removed. The interesting part here, while Nova Launcher is still installed and still setup, Action Launcher has been the active launcher since this little test ended. Not only has Action Launcher remained, but it has shown me that widgets can be truly useful at times — especially when they are hidden away until needed. Simply put, Action Launcher was a well spent $3.99.

Android Authority

Android Authority


Google’s acquisition of Waze prompts FTC investigation

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 06:06 PM PDT

google search logo Credit: theantonyryan/Flickr

Google just can't seem to catch a break. According to a report by the New York Post, the search giant's $1.1 billion acquisition of Israel-based mapping service Waze has prompted an antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). A Google spokesperson confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the FTC had contacted the company about the report.

It's difficult to say for certain what the primary focus of probe will be, but the FTC is more than likely interested in Google's intentions for purchasing Waze. Some speculate the buy was defensive, an attempt to prevent rivals from acquiring Waze's technology to build or enhance their own mapping platforms. Microsoft's an early investor in Waze, and Facebook and Apple reportedly considered purchasing the company as recently as last month.

This isn't the first time Google's had a run-in with the FTC. An investigation into the company's potentially anticompetitive ranking of search results concluded in January 2013, and a probe focusing on Google's ad platform began in May.

Given that Google's been charged with more serious allegations and come away unscathed, it's improbable the FTC's latest investigation will result in any substantial punishment. Considering Waze's application features unique functionality like social integration and traffic analysis, it'll be easy for Google to argue the purchase was a strategic move to improve its own mapping solution, rather than an anticompetitive maneuver to prevent, say, Facebook from entering the mapping game.

What do you think of Google's purchase of Waze? Do you think the FTC is justified in targeting the company for anticompetitive practices yet again? Let us know.

    


Console gaming is in trouble, and Android is to blame.

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT

Ouya

The Ouya

Like horses being led to a stable, the latter part of this year will be the starting bell for a gaming race. With the likes of OUYA, Project SHIELD, Project M.O.J.O., Gamestick, XBox One and the Playstation 4 all being readied for wide release, the landscape is changing.

While not all of those consoles listed above are in direct competition with one another, they are just that: consoles. As such, they want to dominate your gaming experience. More to the point, many of them want to dominate your living room. That presents a challenge they're prepared to face at some point, but they have to navigate past bigger players to truly succeed.

The Android crew

OUYA has done a fantastic job in setting the stage for the rest of the Android gaming crew. It's just about everything we could hope for; inexpensive, highly portable, and has a physical controller. In assessing our gaming needs, it has the capacity to cover all the bases. It is Android based, meaning we can probably get our favorite "time wasters" on it with ease, but also dedicated to gaming. That should mean it's good enough to handle larger, more in-depth games without stuttering or failing us.

With so many unproven consoles in Android gaming, developers have no reason to support one over another. Yet.

What OUYA has given us so far is compromise. The build quality is suspect, and it's been lagging with what many consider rudimentary tasks. The funding is solid, as it annihilated the kickstarter campaign goal set. What stands in the way is what it vowed to us, which may ultimately be too ambitious.

Like the rest of the Android crew, OUYA is promising us a great gaming experience for next to nothing. For many people, $100 is a small investment. Its only real competitor right now is Gamestick, which promises much of the same functionality, but also has many of the same issues. Cheap, promising, but with suspect build quality.

project shield

The wildcard

Project SHIELD from NVIDIA was the surprise darling of CES, mostly because we didn't see it coming. Never a hint, or a leak, or even a suggestion that NVIDIA was working on a larger scale project. We were taken aback by the hardware, and found the small screen a surprise delight. It's essentially portable gaming as it should be.

We want quick bursts of fun, dovetailed with some TV and movies.

What SHIELD has over the other Android based platforms is Steam. The popular PC gaming platform is supported by SHIELD, meaning those who would otherwise shy away from portable or Android gaming no longer have to. They can play their games away from the PC, or non-Steam games, which is a big step moving forward. This also represents a market sector the other Android consoles can't readily get involved in at this time.

M.O.J.O. workin'

Project M.O.J.O. could very well end up the class of Android gaming consoles. Made by Mad Catz, there is a long lineage of device manufacturing involved. Going back to early arcade days, Mad Catz has a history of design and build quality. They also built some specialized arcade-style gaming equipment for the home. If you bought the Street Fighter IV arcade joystick, that was Mad Catz, and they've been doing that since the SNES days.

While no pricing or availability have been announced, we can expect the console to be competitive. Supporting the Play Store outright is impressive, but still lacks in one key area. Their lineage of manufacturer and developer support may end up carrying the day for them, and is a very important 'foot in the door'.

    


Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active, HTC One, other smartphones 50% off at AT&T

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 02:50 PM PDT

Galaxy S4

AT&T has kicked off a smartphone promotion that lets users purchase a new device for half the price.

However, in order to take advantage of the promo, you'll have to ink a new two-year contract with the carrier, and select a device that's priced between $0.99 and $199.99 until June 30 when the deal is over.

We will point out that the activation fee will also be waived through the end of June, giving you additional savings.

There are plenty of Android smartphones you could consider including the recently announced Galaxy S4 Active, the Galaxy S4 or the HTC One to name just a few. Smartphones running other operating systems are also included in the offer, if you're not necessarily looking for an Android-powered device.

The discount is applied automatically in your online shopping cart, so you don't have to do anything yourself.

Galaxy S4 Active

Galaxy S4 Active order with one-year contract | Image Credit: Android Police

More interestingly, is that you may be able to ink a new one-year deal with your chosen smartphone, and pay for it just above the regular two-year contract price, as Android Police points out. Whether that's just a mistake or not it's not clear, but you can check it out for yourself when ordering a new smartphone from AT&T.

What are you going to buy?

    


New rumored Galaxy Note 3 image hits the web, shows entire handset

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 02:19 PM PDT

Galaxy Note 3 concept

Galaxy Note 3 concept

Shortly after seeing a purported Galaxy Note 3 image hit the web, a second such image has been published – see picture below.

Unlike the first image, which only showed only a section of the screen, the second one shows the entire handset. However, we still can't confirm whether this is the real thing or not, so take it with a grain of salt.

Galaxy Note 3

The smartphone is positioned in such a manner that makes it harder to spot certain details, as we’re mostly shown the side of the handset. Moreover, the handset is protected by case. From the distance, one may confuse it with the Galaxy S4. We're looking at a large screen and a prominent physical home button. However, the on/off button on the Galaxy S4 is placed higher towards the top of the handset, on the right side of the device. On this device the same button is placed almost near the middle of the right side – in fact, one could say that the lock button is placed almost in the same spot as on the Galaxy Mega 6.3.

A slim bezel may, or may not be there, and the camera seems to be placed on the right side of the speaker.

Galaxy Mega 6.3

Galaxy Mega 6.3 On/Off button on the right side

As you can see from the watermarks, this purported Galaxy Note 3 image has been spotted on China's Weibo social network. Just like with the other leaked Galaxy Note 3 picture (available below), we'll have to wonder why more pictures haven't been taken to show the device from other angles as well. We'll probably see similar leaks in the coming months.

Galaxy Note 3

Galaxy Note 3 allegedly shown in leaked image

The other Galaxy Note models have been announced at IFA in Berlin, Germany, which is where we'd expect to see the device become official. However, the most recent Galaxy Note 3 rumors say the phone could be announced and launched earlier than expected, to compensate for the poorer Galaxy S4 sales compared to estimates.

The smartphone is said to pack a 5.99-inch Full HD touchscreen display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and run Android 4.2.2 out of the box.

    


The best cases for the HTC One! (video)

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 05:16 AM PDT

all htc one cases

So you got a new HTC One? Congrats! It’s a nice piece of hardware, and you certainly wouldn’t want it to get broken. So we’ve put together an awesome lineup of cases for you that are both stylish and protective!

If you’re in a rush, you can jump straight to the video, otherwise, stick with us as we take a look into some of the best cases for the HTC One!

Speck Candyshell Grip

htc one speck2

First up is the Speck Candyshell Grip. It has raised rubber edges on the front, which provides a nice grip for the front of the screen. Looking at the back, there’s four sections that provide maximum grip in the palm of your hand.

htc one speck

What makes this case even more handy is the raised rubberized buttons over the volume rocker. It makes it easy to control the already hard to press volume buttons. Aside from that, there’s a few nice cut outs for the camera, power, microUSB port, headphone jack, and etc.

All in all, the Speck Candyshell Grip is a very stylish and useful case. It comes in four different colors, and it’s priced at $34.95.

Speck Candyshell

candy

The next case in our lineup is the Speck Candyshell. Unlike the Speck Candyshell Grip, this particular case doesn’t have any rubberized edges for maximum grip. The Speck Candyshell has a very nice glossy finish, and it protects your HTC One very well.

I’ve used the case for about a day and the case has been able to sustain quite a few big scratches on the glossy finish. Suffice to say, it’s a very protective case. Much like the Speck Candyshell Grip, it has raised rubberized volume buttons to control the volume rocker. Furthermore, it has the standard cutouts to access the power button and all the rest of the ports, except for the headphone jack, which is a tad bit of a disappointment.

speck candyshell

When it comes down to it, the Speck Candyshell is a great protective case. It just doesn’t have that nice added grip like the Speck Candyshell Grip has. The Speck Canyshell comes in three different high gloss finishes, and it runs for $34.95.

Casemate Tough Case

htcone_casemate3

The Casemate Tough Case is very strong — it has dual layer protection, meaning it has a hard shell back and a soft, rubberized interior. It’ll keep your HTC One nice and safe from any slips and falls. The hard shell back features a nice texture, and the rubber interior is very malleable.

The Casemate Tough Case is very nice to use because not only is the back hard and protective, but it’s also soft and comfortable in the hand. Like the Speck Candyshell cases, it has the rubberized button for the volume rocker and your standard cutouts.

htcone_casematetoughcase

This particular case runs for $31.95, and comes in any color you want — as long as it’s black.

HTC Hardshell with cover

The HTC Hardshell with cover is probably my favorite case out of the entire lineup, and there’s a good reason for that. It features some really awesome material, has a great color scheme, and comes with a media stand to make media consumption easy. The media stand is made out of a nice red velvet, and it flips downwards to set your HTC One up to view media.

DSC_0081

It also features the dual speaker experience of the HTC One with Beats Audio. It features two speaker cutouts at the top and bottom, as well as a cutout for the LED, but there isn’t any protection on the sides, though there is rubberized corners on the case in case of dropping accidents. There isn’t a raised rubberized volume rocker button either.

DSC_0084

Aside from that, it provides access to all of the buttons on the HTC One to enhance your media experience. All in all, it’s a great case for media consumption. It’s available for a mere $22.99.

HTC Hardshell

The HTC Hardshell is yet another official HTC product. This is the Hardshell case with smart protection. It’s an awesome case, but it doesn’t facilitate the use of a full body protector, such as my Zagg InvisibleShield. Nonetheless, this is a really good case.

DSC_0053

It provides grills at the top bottom so you have access to those gorgeous top and bottom front facing speakers. It also feels great in the hand, however, the volume rocker is flesh with the body, which makes them kind of hard to press down on. It still feels great in the hand, though.

DSC_0054

You have your standard cutouts throughout the device — microUSB, mic, camera, etc. It’s made out of a hard shell material, so your HTC One is going to be protected from any falls. When it comes down to it, it’s an all around great case that strives to keep your device as thin as possible, while offering maximum protection. It runs for $22.99.

Trident Aegis

The Triden Aegis is a tough, stylish case. It features dual layer protection — the interior is a soft, silicone material, and the exterior is a poly carbonate material, which makes for a really good hard shell case. Looking around the back, we have that stylish Trident logo.

DSC_0064

On the sides and corners is a soft rubber that protects against shock and impact. There’s also a nice rubber bezel around the edge, along with dust protection for the charger and headphone slots. It’s not a hassle to open those slots up for use, but it does secure tightly to prevent dust from getting in.

DSC_0063

Like a lot of these cases, there are raised rubber buttons to easily access the volume rocker. All in all, the Trident Aegis is a great case, and it’s available in three colors for $29.99.

Otterbox Commuter

Our second to last case is the Otterbox Commuter, which you’ve probably heard about before. Like a few of these cases, the Commuter for the HTC One features dual layer protection in the form of a soft, rubber interior, and a hard shell exterior.

DSC_0057

On the back, you have your hard exterior, and the Otterbox branding at the bottom. All four corners are rubberized to prevent damage when the device falls on hard surfaces. Furthermore, the Commuter has a nice, deep bezel, and the volume keys are very easy to access. Then you have your standard cutouts for the camera, LED, and etc. Similar to the Trident Aegis, there’s dust protection for the charger and headphone jack.

DSC_0056

Thanks to the deep bezel, it’ll protect against any screen damage, too. Not to mention that the Commuter comes with a screen protector. When it comes down to it, the Commuter is a good, protective case. It comes in five colors and will cost you $34.95.

Otterbox Defender

defender

I saved the Otterbox Defender for last, because it offers the most protection out of our this entire lineup, hands down. Looking around the back, you have the standard Otterbox branding on the third layer of protection. It has a nice, deep dish around the camera, so if the device falls, the camera will remain intact.

Much like the Commuter series, you have your dust protection on the charger and headphone ports. They open very easily, and shut just as well. There’s also a nice deep dish around the screen, which should minimize any damage from falling on any sort of hard surface.

before

The volume rocker is easy to control with the hard buttons, and the power button has a very nice cutout, so it’s safe from any damage. Overall, it’s a great case for the HTC One, and the added belt clip makes it worth the $49.95. It also comes in five different colors.

Video

Final thoughts

These are, hands down, some of the best cases for the HTC One. There’s a lot more out there, but this lineup offers some of the most stylish and protective cases out there. Of course, not everyone is going to like every case on this list.

Some cases, such as the Otterbox Defender, may prove to be too bulky for some. On the other hand, the Speck Candyshell may just be too thin for someone. When it comes down to it, there’s a case for all tastes on this list, as long as you have an HTC One.

If there’s a particular case that you like or dislike, feel free to tell everyone about it in the comments below!

    


AA Weekly: top Android news of the week, June 22, 2013

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 05:09 AM PDT

 

Facebook asks for a Samsung phone, unlikely to get it

The week opened with news from South Korea. Like Larry Page before him, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg visited the home of Samsung and LG. The goal of the visit, sources said, was to coax Samsung into making a "Facebook phone", similar to the unsuccessful HTC First. Facebook apparently realized that, for the Home project to stand any chance of success, it needs a major partner behind it.

Mark Zuckerberg Korea AP Photo/Yonhap, Do Kwang-hwan

Will Samsung give Facebook a helping hand? Probably not – the same well-informed sources claimed that the Korean mammoth has no interest whatsoever in putting out a Facebook Home device. Well, tough luck, Mark.

The newest slimmest phone

The constant rat race that is the quest to make the slimmest smartphone in the world has a new leader. Huawei unveiled on Tuesday the thoroughly teased Ascend P6, which at, 6.18 millimeters, is officially the world's new thinnest phone.

huawei-ascend-p6

We have to say it, Huawei did a heck of a job designing the P6, although those inclined to nitpicking will point out the design cues that the phones takes from Apple's iPhone.

With a 720p display and a Huawei-made quad-core processor, the Ascend P6 looks intriguing. And, unlike other devices in the past, Huawei seems decided this time to make the gorgeous Ascend P6 available in a timely manner.

Butterfly s lands with beefy battery

On Wednesday, HTC did something it rarely does – announce a phone that puts battery life ahead of a thin profile. The HTC Butterfly s is the successor to the 2012 Butterfly (and to its American cousin, the Droid DNA), and is, in several ways, better even than the HTC One.

The phone comes with a 5-inch full HD display, a processor that is slightly faster than the One's, a microSD card, and lo and behold, a 3200 mAh battery. That’s 900 mAh more than the One's and in line with the Galaxy Note 2 and other leaders in battery life. On top of that, the Butterfly s also brings the goodies that HTC introduced on the One, such as Sense 5 with BlinkFeed, the BoomSound speakers, and the UltraPixel camera. Sweet!

Snapdragon 800 crushes benchmarks

We knew it was coming, we just didn't know how hard it would beat its competitors. The Snapdragon 800 was put through its paces by various tech sites this week, and the results paint the picture of a winner. The new Qualcomm chip handily beats most competing SoCs, with only the Tegra 4 processor (which isn't likely to equip many devices) holding its ground in some tests.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Ars Technica

Especially in the graphics benchmarks, the Snapdragon 800 leaves competitors in the dust, and even comes close to matching the performance of some PC processors. The SoC is pegged to power a variety of devices in the second half of the year, from the LG Optimus G2 and the Sony Xperia ZU, to the HTC One Max tablet, and the LTE Advanced variant of the Galaxy S4. Prepare for a new level of performance, Android fans!

Ativ Q marries Android and Windows into one sleek device

Our jaws dropped when we saw what Samsung did with the Ativ Q, a convertible tablet that runs Windows 8 and Android, all while maintaining a sexy silhouette. Unveiled at Samsung's Premiere event in London, the Ativ Q runs primarily Windows 8, but it virtualizes Android 4.2 and makes it possible to instantly switch between the two operating systems with a tap of a button. It even lets users pin Android apps on the Windows 8 start screen, for easy access.

Samsung ATIV Q

The device can be used as a tablet, but underneath the 3200 x 1800 display there's a QWERTY keyboard for all of you, productive types. There's an S Pen thrown in for good measure, and the magnesium alloy device is powered by a Haswell chip from Intel, for extra-long battery life. We just hope the price of the Ativ Q won't be prohibitive… Right, Samsung? Right?

On a related note, Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy NX, a mirrorless camera powered by Android.

HTC CEO vows to fight for former glory, Iron Man to help

It was widely reported at the beginning of the year that CEO Peter Chou would resign if the One would fail to bring a much awaited turnaround for HTC. Those reports were apparently inaccurate, and moreover, Mr. Chou is resolved to turn the ship around, whatever it takes.

HTC CEO Peter Chou Credit: HTC

Peter Chou told shareholders that the ultimate goal of HTC is to get back to the 10 percent market share it used to have in 2011, and even go as high as 15 percent. The beleaguered manufacturer dropped to four percent in 2012, and many analysts maintain grim predictions for their performance in 2013. One thing's for sure, HTC is a valuable part of the Android ecosystem, and we root for their comeback. Perhaps Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. will help.

Video roundup

videoaddress

What’s your take?

In your opinion, what were the most important news this week, and why?

    


Sources: LG G2 coming with edge-to-edge display, buttons moved to the back

Posted: 22 Jun 2013 04:59 AM PDT

LG Optimus G aa 2 1600

The successor to the Optimus G will be powered by the Snapdragon 800 system-on-a-chip – that's pretty much the only official info that we know about the upcoming device.

Unofficially, it's a different story. We've heard that the media event that LG scheduled for August 7 will be dedicated to the Optimus G2 (which is more likely to be named simply the G2), and now Techtastic's sources confirm it. According to the site, along with the G2, we'll also see the mid-range Optimus L9 II (LG-D600) and the low-end LG-D500.

What's more interesting are the details about the appearance of the G2. A set of allegedly leaked screenshots seem to suggest that the G2 will feature onscreen buttons, as per the recommendations of Google. In other words, the G2 will ditch the three capacitive keys setup found on the Optimus G.

optimus g2 screenshots (3) optimus g2 screenshots (1) optimus g2 screenshots (2)

Moreover, the tipster went on to say that the G2 will be "the best device the company has ever produced" and that it will feature "an impressive edge-to-edge display".

To accommodate the slim and bezel-less design, LG has allegedly moved buttons to the back of the G2. While this may sounds a little crazy, it isn't the first time we've been hearing about such an arrangement. In April, the Korean site ETNews issued a similar report that claimed LG would move the volume rockers next to the camera module, along with the power button.

LG has a history of pushing the limits of technical specifications, consistently using new technologies ahead of its competitors. If today's report is accurate, LG is also positioning itself as a trendsetter in design. The Korean company is said to also have taken the lead in the development of flexible displays, due by the end of the year, though the G2 will feature a conventional panel with a glass panel.

It remains to be seen how users would react to a radical new button configuration, but LG deserves to be commended for trying to shake things up.