T-Mobile is about to get a new gigantic smartphone and it isn’t the iPhone 6 Plus. The carrier recently announced that it will exclusively offer the ZTE ZMAX, starting on September 24th for $252 outright, or $10.50 per month for two years. Not exactly a game changer, the Chinese phone maker’s next big thing has a 5.7-inch HD display, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 3,400mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat.
WiFi home calling company Republic Wireless announced today that it will soon offer Motorola’s low-priced Moto E off-contract for $99. The handset is set to go on sale today and ship sometime next month. If you’re unfamiliar with this budget-friendly device, Motorola’s everyman smartphone is equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and Android 4.4 KitKat.
Android L is on its way and countless developers have been busy updating their applications to line up with the look and feel of Google’s Material Design language. In addition to third-party devs, the search giant has managed to tweak some of its own in-house software as well and the folks at Android Police have managed to get their hands on some early screenshots of an upcoming update for Google Play.
CyanogenMod’s monthly M10 release of CM11 is now available and the focus appears to be on resolving bugs. The standout feature of this fresh software push is the addition of the new CM Bug Tracker app, which lets users send crash logs to the platform’s development team, making it easier for them to fix technical issues. There’s also a new field in the ‘take a bug report’ section under Developer Settings that gives the option to send the CyanogenMod crew a scrubbed bug report.
In an effort to make its office software suite more appealing to business types, Google Drive desktop users can now use Drawings to make elbow and curved connections between items. These new options are ideal for visual projects like flowcharts and instruction manuals.
Today, Microsoft announced that its OneNote application is now available for Android Wear smartwatches. This means that owners of devices like the LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live and Moto 360 can now install the 3.2MB software and start recording notes with their wearable by saying “OK Google, take a note.”
HTC’s entry-level Desire 510 is coming to Sprint on Friday, September 19th for $200 outright or $8.34 a month on the carrier’s Easy Pay program. Compatible with Sprint Spark, some of this budget-friendly smartphone’s highlights include a 4.7-inch display, a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter, Android 4.4 and support for HD voice.
NVIDIA is now accepting pre-orders for the 32GB LTE version of its Shield gaming tablet. Priced at $400, this premium version of the chip maker’s slate is almost identical to what was released a few months ago, with the exception of its network connectivity and higher storage capacity. In terms of hardware, the Shield packs an 8-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display with a Tegra K1 processor and 2GB of RAM.
A set of court documents for a lawsuit filed by NVIDIA recently mentioned plans for an HTC Nexus 9. So far neither Google nor HTC has publicly acknowledged the existence of such a device, however pieces to this mysterious puzzle are slowly starting to come together. Pictured above is a photo of an alleged keyboard case for the upcoming tablet.
Alleged details about an unannounced Samsung mid-range smartphone have surfaced on a Vietnamese website, revealing what’s being referred to as the Galaxy Grand Prime. Despite its vigorous moniker, this modest handset will reportedly skip over tech enthusiasts, in favor of casual shutterbugs.
After giving its postpaid service plans an overhaul, Sprint is making some changes to its off-contract options as well. Today, the American wireless carrier announced a trio of new prepaid options for customers who’d rather not sign on the dotted line. Similar to what the company offers to its Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile subscribers, Sprint’s new plans feature an all you can eat talk and text setup, with a tiered data structure.
Fire TV owners who happen to be Spotify subscribers can now use the music streaming service on Amazon’s set-top box via controls from their smartphone or tablet. In addition to using a mobile device as a jukebox, Spotify Connect lets you seamlessly switch from Fire TV to your phone without disrupting music playback.
You’ve got questions. Chrome for Android has answers. A new experimental feature lurking inside of Mountain View’s mobile browser will attempt to address your queries as you key them into your smartphone or tablet. Similar to the answers displayed at the top of Google’s search results , this new functionality will produce a card in response to your question.
Perhaps taking a play out of Samsung’s playbook, Panasonic has announced its new Lumix CM1, a device that comes off as a point-and-shoot camera that also happens be a smartphone. Referred to as a “connected camera,” this hybrid gizmo features a 1-inch MOS sensor capable of capturing 4K video and 20-megapixel still shots. In addition to a hearty sensor, the Lumix CM1 packs a f/2.8 Leica DC Elmarit lens, along with a physical shutter button, which should give shutterbugs something to smile about.
Another Motorola-made smartphone is heading to Verizon according to a set of FCC documents uncovered by the folks at Droid-Life. Believed to be a device codenamed “Quark,” this mysterious handset is rumored to feature a QHD display, a 2.65GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, an Adreno 420 GPU, 3GB RAM and Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is now available to purchase from Carphone Warehouse through the UK retailer’s website and brick and mortar locations. The 4.7-inch metal frame smartphone will set you back £33 a month with no upfront costs. Available today in Charcoal Black and Dazzling White, the Sleek Silver and Carphone Warehouse exclusive Scuba Blue will be ready to ship on October 3rd.
HTC is reportedly working on a new GoPro-like waterproof camera that can be used to capture footage of extreme sports and other activities, according to Bloomberg. Such a device would be the company’s first camera that’s not permanently attached to a smartphone. Little is known about the unannounced gadget, however it’s said to feature a wide-angle lens, a 16-megapixel sensor and compatibility with both Android and iOS.
Between manufacturer and carrier gunk, Android is often weighed down by unwanted bloatware. When looking for a high-end handset, software purists are often pushed towards Nexus devices from Google, or stripped down ROMs furnished by software development communities. However, the folks at Motorola are looking to break this cycle with the release of its 2014 edition Moto X.
Who wants to take a trip down memory lane? Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt does! The one time company CEO recently took to Google+ to do a little reminiscing. The year was 2003 and Google had been going strong for about five years. In its earlier days, the lighthearted tech company would welcome new employees to the fold by presenting them with a smiley helium balloon to float around their office space. A kind gesture, the balloon was also an easy way for seasoned employees to spot a “Noogler” (new Google employee).
Sprint’s prepaid arm, Boost Mobile is now rolling out Android 4.4.4 to its version of the Moto G. As seen with other handsets, the latest flavor of Google’s mobile operating system patches some security holes related to OpenSSL, while adding the ability to pause and resume video recording.
Today, HTC continued its trend of separating its Sense software by releasing its homegrown lock screen to Google Play. The lone change for this quasi-app is listed as a “mechanism to prevent you from unintentionally triggering factory reset.” Compatible with newer HTC devices running Sense 6, this app has likely been added to the Play Store to help the company crank out faster updates for specific software.
If you’re eyeing a new smartphone and plan on unloading your old gear on eBay to finance your next purchase, you’ll be glad to know that the world famous e-commerce company has redesigned its Android app. Hopping on the Material Design bandwagon, version 2.7 ships with a simple, flat, sterile look that features larger photos and refined search results.
HTC is gearing up to launch an Android Wear-powered smartwatch early next year, according to CNET. Recent rumors suggested the company had canceled its smartwatch efforts due to the steep competition in the growing space, but its plans are reportedly alive and well. The Taiwanese electronics maker is taking its time to make sure its watch stands out and will focus on the device’s design and “features that consumers will more immediately gravitate toward.”
Google has publicly stated that its “mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” So it’s no surprise that the company applies this mantra to its own products and services. In an effort to tidy things up, the search giant has introduced a new security section to its user account settings.
