Qualcomm’s first foray into the smartwatch category with the Toq is now set to hit retail shelves on December 2nd. Qualcomm’s just issued press release announces a price tag of $349 along with the December release date.
With word already “leaking” that the LG G Flex is bound for the US and landing on Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile it comes as little surprise to see a FCC appearance. The G Flex made its cameo with the regulatory agency boasting AT&T and T-Mobile friendly LTE bands 4 (AWS) and 17.
For all the things the Moto G may be, there’s little question that the Moto G isn’t the phone for the individual who cares most about smartphone photography. With a $179 price tag, we understand some compromises will have to be made and even if a 5 megapixel camera, f/2.4 lens and flash combination are present, we know some tradeoffs are at hand in overall quality.
A combination of two separate images this weekend are pointing toward the next-generation Nexus 10 device complete with LG as the manufacturing partner. The first image (shown below) courtesy of Reddit and one incredibly unhappy Telefonica employee shows off the thinner bezel and what we believe is a front-facing speaker. The device also appears to be launching with Android 4.4 KitKat and the Google experience launcher in tow. Surprise, surprise.
Good news all you HTC One Google Play edition owners as the manufacturer just tweeted that KitKat code has been delivered to Google. HTC states the timing of the pushed update via the PlayStore will be determined by Google and with no timeline history to rely on, we’re left guessing how long it take before el Google will push it out.
As I spent a good portion of the week considering the impressive move Motorola made by introducing a well-specced $179 smartphone, I realized they were doing something Nokia has been talking about doing for years. Never-mind for the moment whether Nokia should have gone all-in on Android before their risky and as-of-yet market share boosting bet on Windows Phone. In fact, I see that the thoughts I had in my head already being echoed by Stefan Constantinescu at Mobile Industry Review.
A newly leaked set of details courtesy of Twitter tipster @evleaks is hinting at what’s under the hood of the upcoming HTC M8. All things considered, there’s nothing earth-shattering or surprising about the device thus far with a rumored 5″ 1080p display, Android 4.4 KitKat onboard and powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor.
With the US being a part of the second wave of Moto G launches, we’ve now learned being in the later group has an intrinsic benefit. According to Motorola SVP Mark Randall speaking to Omio, “Wave 2, products that we ship after Christmas will start with KitKat…Wave 2 is in the US, there’s South East Asia, and other countries.”
With the likes of Congress, President Obama and the newly minted FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler all coming out in favor of unlocked phones, the pressure is now on for the carriers to relent on their rigid policies. The good news for us consumers is that Wheeler is keeping the pressure on with a letter sent to the CTIA President Steve Largent. Largent, the head of the official wireless association governing body received the Chairman’s letter emphasizing his work to amend the consumer code which would “address consumers’ rights to unlock their mobile wireless devices one their contracts are fulfilled.”
A quick public service reminder for all you Sprint fans this morning as the HTC One Max hits store shelves this morning beginning at $149. Unfortunately, the surprise $149 price tag is for new customers only with existing Sprint subscribers forking over $249 for the chance to own HTC’s newest One device.
Chalk this story up with a grain of salt but a new report indicates LG pushed for an alternative name for the Nexus 5. According to a Chosun IIbo, a major Korean newspaper the manufacturer wanted to name the device the “Nexus G.” The Nexus G nomenclature would fall more in line with LG’s current line of smartphones ala the Optimus G, G2, G Flex and G Pad. Anyone see the pattern, anyone?
AT&T Galaxy S 4 owners take note as the Android 4.3 software update is en route. The update weighs in at a hefty 719MB and includes support for Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch, KNOX enterprise security and all the newness that arrives with Android 4.3.
ISIS, the mobile payment joint-venture backed by three of the nations largest carriers is now officially live nationwide. After numerous delays and a testing phase in just two markets, the mobile payment system is live for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon customers.
Motorola’s world may be concentrated on the release of the Moto G this week but Big Red is working to shift some attention back to the Moto X. The carrier is offering a $50 promotion on customized orders through Moto Maker until November 18th.
As the Samsung, Apple patent damages trial opened yesterday the Android giant began singing a different tune. According to a live blog by Howard Mintz from the San Jose Mercury News, Samsung attorney Bill Price didn’t continue the company’s long-standing claim that the case mostly centered on “rounded corners,” instead his argument focused on the specific amount the company owes its chief competitor.
Representing Samsung, attorney Bill Price countered in his own opening remarks, “Apple is simply asking for much more money than it’s entitled to.”
Sprint just hit the airwaves with a short press release confirming the arrival of the HTC One Max for this Friday, November 15th. The device will hit Sprint shelves for $249.99 with new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement or $25.00 per month with Sprint’s One Up early upgrade plan. The One Max features a 5.9″ 1080p display, 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, LTE, Android 4.3 with HTC Sense, 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal memory.
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Update: HP has attributed the stopped sales of the Chromebook 11 to overheating chargers and has provided a brief statement on the matter available at the end of the post.
Whoa, some big news on the Chromebook front this morning as Best Buy has halted all sales of the HP Chromebook 11. According to The Verge, Best Buy retail stores are receiving internal memos alerting managers to “Stop selling the HP Chromebook 11 effective immediately…partner with sales support to pull the product off the sales floor to a secure location in the warehouse.”
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The Moto G news train continues this morning with the very first commercial already hitting YouTube showing off the customizable backs, display, processor, and Android 4.3 with “guaranteed upgrade.” In total, the sixty-second spot doesn’t show us a whole lot we don’t already know and only mentions “exceptional price” without mentioning the actual dollar amount.
Motorola’s Moto G announcement just ended as the company truly introduced something very aggressive and perhaps exactly what the smartphone market has needed for a very long time. There’s little question that a lot of customers are turned off by the high price of today’s smartphones and that’s exactly the mindset Motorola is aiming to change. The company hopes to convince customers that aggressive pricing featured with specs that match “high-end” smartphones don’t require a $500+ price tag.
Motorola’s Moto G announcement is going down and the company is making no bones about wanting to produce a smartphone that is affordable while providing a premium experience. Motorola has done exactly that and there’s little question they are making some aggressive moves that dare I say will be called…”game-changing.”
Motorola’s live-stream announcement of the Moto G is taking place as I type these very words, but a special announcement for Moto X users was just announced. Dennis Woodside, CEO of Motorola since its acquisition by Google in May of 2012 just told the world his company will be updating all Moto X devices to Android 4.4 KitKat in a “matter of weeks.”
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Motorola’s set to kick off their Moto G announcement in just a few minutes and you can catch the stream from Sao Paulo, Brazil live on YouTube. Motorola, now a Google company will of course use YouTube for its live-streaming and we’ve got the link embedded above so keep your eyes on NewGeekGuide as we break down all the Moto G news.
We’ve already had a fairly decent look at LG’s upcoming G Flex curved display smartphone thanks to a brief hands-on video and there’s no question the form factor is wild. Now, the device and it’s 6″ curved display is being teased for arrival on Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T thanks to Twitter tipster @evleaks.
We all know that Google is BIG, BIG, BIG, but just how big is Google these days? During a keynote at Ignition 2013, Business Insider CEO Henry Bloodroot presented a slide that shows Google on course to exceed the revenues of both magazines and newspapers this year. In fact, almost all of Google’s expected $60 billion in revenue will come from advertising this year.
