Galaxy S5 Prime On Video

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No matter how much Samsung denies it, it seems the leaks for a Galaxy S5 “Prime” are not about to subside. The latest one comes in video form, as the folks at TK Tech News have allegedly received a pre-production of the device in gold.

The device shown on camera is said to have a 2K display, lining up with previous rumors, of about the same size as the existing Galaxy S5. What’s confusing is the fact that the device seems to have more of a water-resistant seal than the S5 — could this be the Active, instead?

In terms of color options, it seems gold will be one of them. The device’s aluminum back has a similar color to one we saw in a previous alleged backplate leak, though this one doesn’t don the Samsung logo like the last one.

While we have no way of knowing whether this is real, this is easily the largest leak yet of this possibly upcoming Galaxy S5 Prime. The source notes that he will be doing a full comparison of the unit to the actual Galaxy S5, so you may want to keep an eye out on his channel for more.

Source: TK TECH NEWS (YouTube)

Android Silver Coming Very Soon.

It seems Android Silver is a thing. As rumors swirl of the possibility that a Nexus 6 may not be coming out this year, and we may see a “Silver” program from Google to replace it instead, new leaks are suggesting that Google may launch no stock Android phone this year after all.

The latest leak regarding Google’s mystery Android Silver program pegs a release timing at some point in February of 2015. We don’t have word on any manufacturers, carriers, or specific devices involved, though we would hope to see a wide assortment of products.

Stock Android enthusiasts are no doubt confused at this point — how will their beloved Nexus lineup change? Will the pricing of upcoming products be more in line with Nexus devices, or Google Play Edition devices? Will these phones really have the 24/7 support that previous rumors suggested? We don’t know at this point, and, if this leak is correct, we won’t know anytime soon.

Thoughts on Android Silver, anyone?

Source: @evleaks

Nexus 6 Cancelled.

Android rumors stretching back to January have been talking about the idea of Google retiring the Nexus family as we know it. It all started off with claims that 2014 would be the last year for Nexus devices, and they’d ultimately be replaced by the Google Play edition models like we have now, though possibly under some new branding. Then in late April those rumors started taking much more focused shape, describing something called Android Silver that would that would deliver a kind of “premium Android experience” that fit nicely with that idea of rebranded GPe. But again, what we were hearing was that this would be a 2015 change, and we might still have one final round of Nexus models before that day arrived – and certainly,rumors have been busy about both the Nexus 6 and Nexus 8. But now we’re wondering if we won’t even get that far, as we hear that the Nexus 6 may not arrive at all.

We hear this rumor from @evleaks, who delivers it in two parts, first saying that the Nexus 6 won’t be happening and wishing a fond “farewell” to the Nexus series, before adding that “a silver lining” awaits – maybe an Android Silver lining, wink wink, nudge nudge?

While it’s possible that we might go wholly without a new Nexus/Silver smartphone this year and not get the eventual Android Silver model until 2015, this really sounds to us like Google could be moving up its timetable (assuming those rumors were even correct about that to begin with), and we might well start hearing about Android Silver as soon as this fall.

Source: @evleaks 1,2

HTC Confirmed Red M8.

Yesterday sure had us thinking a lot about the red HTC One M8, as we saw both the release of pics of a physical model, complete with its packaging, as well as the publication of an officially-sourced 3D render. Did all this mean that the new color option for HTC’s flagship was confirmed? Well, the account that arrived alongside those images of the physical handset asserted that this red One M8 was already on store shelves in Taiwan. Was that really true? And if so, was it HTC-sanctioned, or maybe just a retailer jumping the gun? Overnight, HTC’s Jeff Gordon put an end to this speculation as he confirmed HTC’s launch of the red One M8 in Taiwan.

Well that certainly explains those pics, then, but what of the company’s plans for this model? Surely, it must have intentions for it outside just Taiwan, right? That’s very much what we’d like to know, and while we hoped that HTC acknowledging the red One M8 like this would correspondingly lead to it sharing new details about availability, Gordon doesn’t make with that info here. But hey, one thing at a time, right? We just wonder if this might be a repeat of last year, where there was some regional/retailer exclusivity for the red One M7 prior to it seeing broader distribution.

Still, in the back of our mind we can’t help but wonder if HTC was caught a little off-guard by all this red One M8 attention; Gordon refers to that 3D render, as if acknowledging “yeah, we can’t ignore this,” and the image he shares with his news is just a screen grab from that tool, rather than a purpose-made press render, like we’d expect to accompany a formal launch.

Source: Jeff Gordon (Twitter)
Via: Android Central

Net Neutrality Compromised ?

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set the ball rolling on new rules that could allow companies to pay for prioritised internet traffic.

Tom Wheeler, the watchdog's chairman, put forward a proposal [PDF, details] "seeking public comment on how best to protect and promote an open internet". Two of his fellow Democrat FCC commissioners voted in favour of the motion on Thursday, in a 3-2 win that was split along party lines.

Americans will now have four months to voice their concerns over what net neutrality campaigners say is an attempt to create fast and slow lanes on the internet: they're against cable giants setting up tiers of connectivity, where moneybags websites pay to stream data faster than their rivals.

“I will not allow the national asset of an open internet to be compromised,” Wheeler said. His proposal will ask citizens "if paid prioritization should be banned outright", and "promises clear rules of the road and aggressive enforcement to prevent unfair treatment of consumers, edge providers and innovators".

The chairman kept the door open for a multi-speed internet, saying "information about new practices, like any paid prioritization, to the extent that it is otherwise permitted" should be disclosed by ISPs.

The FCC has received about 21,000 filings from the public on the open internet issue to date. Today, some questioned his promises in a more direct manner ...

'Leave my beloved interwebulator ALONE'

One pink-sweater-wearing protester was marched out of the public hearing by officials at the FCC, after she vocally attacked the plans for paid deals between ISPs and online content providers. 

Windows 9 in works.

Leak also hints at existence of Windows 8.1 Update 2

An image shared by an infamous Chinese Windows leaker has revealed what Microsoft has on its Satya Nadalla-influenced roadmap in 2014.

Posting on the Neowin forum, FaiKee has shown that Microsoft is working on Windows 9, Windows 365, Windows 8.1 Update 2, Office 2015 and more.

The image also provides a list of products Microsoft plans to update, including existing ones like Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8.1, andOffice 2013.

It also lists Windows 9, "& Server & mobile edition," all but confirming that there will be a separate Windows Phone 9 release.

Windows 365 is given a mention, and its status is listed as "Alpha based on Windows Core." This is expected to be a cloud-based platform that ties in with Office 365.

The road ahead

The listing of Office 2015, which is currently being built, suggests a possible release date of 2015 for all of these products, Windows 9 included.

Before we get the next Windows, however, there is Windows 8.1 Update 2 on the horizon, which is widely expected to include the restoration of the much-missed Start Menu, albeit with the twist of tacking on some Modern tiles as well.

Another interesting rumour is that Windows 9 will be given free to all Windows 8.1 users, which should greatly increase adoption of the newer platform.

BlackBerry Making A New Device.

It seems the Canadian handset maker BlackBerry is working on two new devices - a 4.5-inch high-resolution (1440x1440 pixel) smartphone, and a BlackBerry Classic smartphone - to be launched later this year.

BlackBerry on Wednesday published software development kit BlackBerry 10.3 beta for developers to test applications on the OS ahead of its launch. The update is targeted only for new device hardware being introduced later this year. The SDK is available to download via BlackBerry's developer site.

While inviting developers for testing, the company noted that it has delivered 'a variety of new features and tooling improvements' in the BlackBerry 10.3 SDK beta. Developers will see some visual changes and new functionality been introduced. Also, the SDK simulator (download) will show a square screen. BlackBerry says that it is for 'a new device with a 1440x1440 resolution and pixel density of 453 DPI,' which if one calculates, would indicate a display with a diagonal length of 4.5 inches. Other than this screen information, company didn't share any more details of the device.

"I know, I know...you want more details on that new device, but we're not quite ready to give them yet, so hold tight and watch the blog for more information! In the meantime, testing with the 10.3 beta simulator will allow you to see how your application will behave in this new resolution and DPI combination, so we encourage you to check it out as soon as you can" wrote Tim Neil, director of Application Platform & Tools Product Management at BlackBerry, in the blog post.

On the same blog post, the company detailed that a BlackBerry Classic device will be arriving this year, and will run BlackBerry 10.3.1 OS, for which a separate SDK will be released for developers to ensure their applications work with the 'toolbelt' hardware. This takes us back to BlackBerry's revival strategy divided in four smartphone categories

Pokémon Emerald Gameshark Codes.

                        
Pokémon emerald was a game created by gamefreak for the Nintendo gameboy as people love playing the game there are some unlockable tasks and Pokémon to conquer the way to over come them will be using gameshark code's. Which can be found at.  http://www.ign.com/faqs/2006/pokemon-emerald-version-gameshark-codes-list-709041

iOS leads Android In Canada.

In North America (Canada and the US), Windows Phone now accounts for the third largest share in mobile Web traffic, overtaking BlackBerry for the first time, according to a report by mobile ad network Chitika. The top spot remains a contest between iOS and Android, at 53.1 percent and 44.5 percent of all mobile Web traffic respectively, with Windows Phone accounting for only 1 percent of traffic, ahead of BlackBerry's 0.8 percent.

According to a post on Chitika's website, the company measured "hundreds of millions of US and Canadian smartphone-based online ad impressions between February 1 and April 30, 2014."

The company states that ad impressions for Windows Phone have been relatively flat in this two month period, while BlackBerry has continued to decline steadily.

The company also pointed out that while iOS users continue to generate the majority of North American smartphone Web traffic, the upcoming flagship device launches from large manufacturers could affect the balance.

The firm did not share manufacturer specific data in its report, so just based on this information, it isn't possible to say whether the Android traffic comes from high end flagship devices or the cheaper entry level handsets; nor is it clear if any one manufacturer has a lead in this metric.

Chitika concludes that the flat rate of growth for Windows Phone over the past several months makes it likely that Apple and Google's offerings will remain frontrunners stateside.

Globally the picture is a little different. Both Android and Windows Phone have been gaining, particularly in developing markets, and according to a Februaryreport by IDC, Android accounted for 78.1 percent of the global smartphone share, while Windows Phone saw 46.7 percent year-over-year growth.

Samsung Hub To Be Killed

Many Samsung phones have come with features and apps that are absolutely unnecessary. One of these is Samsung Hub, the company’s take at aGoogle Play clone. According to a Tweet sent by company employee Philip Berne, Samsung Hub is on its way out the door.

Though most users likely opt for Google’s services rather than Samsung’s, this is most certainly a big deal. Samsung definitely put effort into getting the infrastructure necessary for Samsung Hub together, and likely are still spending a significant chunk of money to keep it running.

This news doesn’t entirely surprise us, though — Samsung Hub was apparently not present on the company’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S5, anyway.

Suspiciously, this all ties in nicely with reports that Google had asked Samsung to scale back TouchWiz and the company’s other competitive infrastructure. If Samsung Hub is indeed going away as Berne says, we could be dealing with some behind-the-scenes deals between the two.

It could be that, if this rumor holds true, Samsung could simply continue with not adding Samsung Hub as a pre-installed app as they did with the Galaxy S5. If this is the case (and Samsung isn’t entirely killing off the service), then there isn’t anything new.

Another possibility is that Berne misspoke. The Tweet has been pulled at the time of writing, which makes us think that one of two things occurred. The first scenario is that Samsung isn’t quite ready to let the world know about this, and the second is that Berne simply did not have his facts straight.

If Samsung Hub is indeed going away entirely, though, we don’t yet have a timeframe.

Source: Philip Berne (Removed Tweet)
Via: SamMobile

Join MOTO E hangouts to know more about the phone.

Anxious to learn more about the Motorola Moto E? Well, a good first step is to take a look at our hands-on. Then, you may want to watch this upcoming official Hangout to help you learn more.

The Hangout will go live on Thursday, May 22, at 9:00 AM Eastern time (that translates to noon for our friends in Pacific time). Motorola will be calling upon their Vice President of Product Marketing, Steve Sinclair, to field questions during the Hangout. Also attending will be Product Manager Bill Park.

Motorola labels this as a chance to ask any questions you may have regarding the Moto E’s hardware and software, while you wait on our full review to answer them. To get your questions in, simply post to Facebook, Google+, or Twitter with the hashtag “#AskMoto,” and Motorola will pick the best to answer in real-time.

We will closely monitor the Hangout, and will be sure to let you know if anything interesting comes up.

Source: Motorola

Samsung Galaxy S5 Activ Specs Leaked.

Though Samsung’s Galaxy S5 already features IP67 water and dust resistance, the company may still be looking to introduce a version even more prepared to endure the elements. If the information we’ve gleaned is accurate, we’ll be looking at a Galaxy S5 Active sometime soon — a slightly cut-down variant of the Galaxy S5, but one that’s ready to get run over by an earthmover.

First of all, we are taking a look at a 1080p (1920×1080) display on a 5.2-inch display. This will have at least five finger gesture support, though that is common with our current crop of smartphones. There is no word on which kind of display technology Samsung has opted to use on this device.

The CPU looks to be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 clocked at 2.5 GHz, but that confuses us — the 800′s top clock speed is only 2.3 GHz. We are thinking that this is an error in the benchmarking tool, and we are dealing with the AC variant of the Snapdragon 801 instead. Coupled with this processor will be an Adreno 330 graphics chip.

In terms of RAM, we are seeing 1.8 GB reported. We think Samsung will market this as 2GB of RAM though — don’t get your hopes up that Samsung will sneak an extra gigabyte in, as they did with the Galaxy Note 3.

11GB of usable storage is reported, which makes us think that this will be marketed as a 16GB storage unit.

The camera is showing up as a 15MP rear shooter shooting still images at a resolution of 5312×2988. This is kind of weird, considering the Galaxy S5 features a 16MP variant. We are looking at 1080p video recording, with no mention of a 4K option.

Source: GFX Benchmark
Via: Phone Arena

Google Now Help's Pay Bills.

We started off the week hearing about a new feature coming to Google Now, designed to help you cancel subscription services. We’re always interested in learning about the new tools Google develops for Now, but this one was a little… well, less than a game-changer, let’s say that. Today we catch wind of another new Now ability, and this one’s sounding quite a bit more useful to our ears: notifications of upcoming bills you need to pay.

Rumors about a feature like this date back a couple months, after both a source described the ability and evidence for its existence was uncovered in the Search APK. As it now starts to go live, Google Now users will have the option to let the service scan their Gmail accounts for bills – if you don’t get bill alerts via email, this isn’t going to work for you.

The images up top depict a very basic form of these bill alerts, but we’re hearing that Google may give interested companies the option to allow for tighter Now integration, offering more details on bills and presenting convenient access to payment options.

Considering the myriad bills many of us deal with on a monthly basis, this new feature is a welcome addition to Now. Sure, other apps exist to serve similar purposes, but isn’t the point of a virtual assistant like Now expressly to help you with stuff of this nature?

Source: Android Police

Qi Charging On Galaxy S5 courtesy pocketnow.com

We find that sort of odd, though, considering its resistance to the elements demands a water-tight seal around the USB 3.0 port, which can quickly grow annoying each time you plug the phone in to charge or transfer data.The Samsung Galaxy S 5, which we’ve now reviewed extensively, comes with practically every feature, sensor, and connectivity option you could imagine. It has a fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor, IR blaster, USB 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, NFC, LTE, and much more. The one thing it doesn’t come with, however, is wireless charging of any sort – at least not officially.

No less, the people over at fonesalesman.com have come up with a solution: the S5 PWRcard. Is it worth the buy? Does it work as advertised? We gave it a quick hands-on, installed it on our Galaxy S 5 test unit, and put it to the test. To see the result, you’ll need to take a gander at the video below. Then take a moment to tell us what you think about this sort of wireless charging solution in the comments section!

Finally, we want to give a shout to our friends over at Clove for lending us the S5 PWRcard to test and review. Be sure to check out their site (clove.co.uk) for all your mobile needs!

New Chip set to beat Snapdragon 801 !!

NVIDIA has done a lot in the last two years in order to gain some traction in the mobile space. After the disappointments of the Tegra 3, and the lukewarm reception of the Tegra 4, it’s clear that the company needed to deliver on its promise of giving us the best mobile processor the market could ask for. This year we saw the NVIDIA Tegra K1 announced at CES, and after almost six months since this announcement, we finally saw the Xiaomi Mi Pad announced with it today, and now that it’s been benchmarked, we have something to talk about.

In new benchmarks, the Tegra K1 was compared to the new kids in town, like the Snapdragon 801 processor and even its existing Tegra 4 processor. In each of these tests you’ll notice that the Tegra K1 is far superior than the Snapdragon 801, though there could be a catch to these tests. First of all, we know that even the Tegra 3 made any other processor look bad in benchmarks, but didn’t wow anybody in real-world use. In that same fashion, the Tegra K1 will be available in both 32 and 64-bit architectures, so it’s hard to know if these tests were conducted under fair grounds.

Whatever the case may be, hopefully the Tegra K1 delivers on its promise, not only in numbers, but also in devices adopting it this year.

Source: evolife.cn
Via: Phone Arena

LG G3 Sensor Purposes Leaked.

When it comes to rumors around that black oval to the left of the LG G3′s rear camera, we have been there and back again. We’ve entertained ideas ranging from fingerprint scanners to heart rate monitors, but lately things have fallen into two camps: the easy answer that the oval could be another IR transceiver, just like we see on the G Flex (in the same position, no less), and an intriguing rumor that it could have something to do with a laser intended to enhance low-light photography. Today we check out a new spin on those rumors, as well as get to see some more press renders.

We’re still in laser territory, but @evleaks offers up an alternate theory to a laser illuminator: laser-based focus assist. We’ve kicked around that idea before, but that previous rumor was so specific about the laser being used for low-light photography that a focus assist didn’t feel like a good fit. Nevertheless, it’s a much more plausible idea than a laser “spotlight,” and @evleaks isn’t a tipster to offer info like this without evidence.

As for these renders, we’ve got more of the same we saw yesterday, but this time complete with screenshots. As such, we’re not going to waste space showing you all of them (they really are exactly the same, just with the screen on), but you can check one out above to see how they differ.

Finally, LG’s latest invite for the its event this month specifically mentions the G3 will featured. Sure, we were all assuming as much, but who doesn’t like a little confirmation?

Update: Seeing as it’s been more than ten minutes since the last LG G3 leak, of COURSE there’s a new one available. This time, @evleaks shows us the phone from some new angles, in its titanium shade.

Source: @evleaks 1,2, LG

First Snapdragon 801 Windows Phone device from ZTE ?

If there’s one thing we simply must congratulate Microsoft for, is for how well Windows Phone can run on any processor in the market. It’s clear that no matter how cheap or powerful the guts behind the device are, as long as it runs Windows Phone, you should be just fine in almost ever case. That said, since the spec war has become quite compelling for many consumers, we have seen manufacturers like Nokia upping the ante on the spec sheet to compete with Android devices, and new rumors point to better processors reaching Windows Phone, but from another OEM.

Asian sources claim that ZTE is building a new Nubia W5 smartphone. The device would be the first Windows Phone to be powered by the Snapdragon 801 chip, and other specs include 3GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage. The rear-facing camera will apparently reach 13MP and it would also feature optical image stabilization. Even more interesting is that aside from its LTE connectivity, it’ll also sport a gigantic 4500mAh battery.

If these rumors are true, ZTE would give us the most powerful Windows Phone in the market. It’s hard to tell how big the phone is at the moment, but that display must be huge if the company plans to fit that battery in the chassis. ZTE hasn’t been famous for releasing high-end smartphones in the US, but this could be the start of something good. We’ll keep you posted as more news develop.

Source: ITHome
Via: Phone Arena

HTC remix is rumoured to be HTC one mini 2 for Verizon ?

HTC has been doing its darnedest to keep us busy lately, between dropping the One mini 2 on us andall this impossible-to-ignore prep work for new One M8 color options. Yesterday we looked into one of the latest HTC rumors, as a trademark for the HTC One Remix was discovered, alongside the claim that his model was destined for Verizon. We spouted-out a few theories at the time, including the idea that “remix” might refer to audio enhancements, much in the vein of Sprint’s own new M8 variant. “Not so,” chimes the source who first brought this One Remix name to our attention, as the handset is now being painted as Verizon’s version of the just-announced One mini 2.

But much like yesterday’s rumor that the One Remix exists and will come to Verizon, today’s identification of the Remix as Verizon’s One mini 2 lacks additional detail. From HTC’s own One mini 2 announcement we know to expect the phone next month, but so far it hasn’t included the US among confirmed destinations for the handset. While we’re obviously expecting it at some point, that may mean that Verizon (and other US carriers) could be waiting until July or later before they get access.

We also wonder what this might mean for those other US networks – would they similarly use branding other than the “One mini 2?” Could this extra attention being paid to the Verizon model mean that the carrier gets it early, or has some other arrangement for exclusivity? It’s too soon to say, but for the moment we’re just glad to be getting closer to the bottom of the One Remix story.

Source: @evleaks

Xiomi Mi Pad.

NVIDIA had a rough year in 2013 when it came to its SoC business. After the Tegra 3 and Tegra 2 before it were featured on a number of high-profile phones and tablets, OEMs balked at the Tegra 4, and we saw it used in few devices outside those NVIDIA directly had a hand in making. Now the company’s got its new Tegra K1, an apparent powerhouse of a chip revealed back at CES in January. Will the K1 succeed where the Tegra 4 failed? That remains to be seen, but today we get the ball rolling as we learn about one of the first devices to feature a K1, the Xiaomi Mi Pad.

Let’s not beat around the bush here: this is an iPad mini with Retina display knock-off. The hardware layout, camera placement… it’s like Xiaomi is begging for a lawsuit. And the Mi Pad’s display, with a 7.9-inch 2048 x 1536 panel in a 4:3 aspect ratio is a dead ringer for the iPad mini’s.

OK, now that we’ve got that “Apple did it first” fit out of our system, how does the Mi Pad look as a tablet of its own? Well, that K1 should give the tablet some killer performance, with a quad-core A15 processor and 192-core Kepler GPU. It comes in 16GB and 64GB storage options, each expandable via microSD, and packs 2GB of RAM. There’s an eight-megapixel main camera, nice high-res five-megapixel front-facer, and the whole thing is powered by a 6700mAh battery. Five color options are available, but so far the Mi Pad looks to be WiFi-only – no mention of cellular variants.

And pricing? Pretty darn affordable. The 16GB model will sell in China for what works out to about $240, while the 64GB model will go for closer to the equivalent of $270.

Source: Xiaomi (MIUI)
Via: Droid-life

Samsung Has A June Event For Tablets.

Yesterday we told you how word was going around that Samsung was prepping for a launch event that would introduce the world to its Galaxy Tab S Android tablets – the models expected to bring OLED screens back to the company’s tablet lineup following their one-off appearance in the Tab 7.7 all the way back in early 2012. Problem was, our sources didn’t agree on the date, and while one said June 11, the other was saying June 12. Who was right? As it happens, we haven’t had to wait even one full day to get our answer, as Samsung begins distributing invitations to its June 12 event.

While the Tab S name itself may not be present here, Samsung could not be dropping more hints that these OLED-based tablets are what’s in store for us. Beyond the suggestive “Tab into color” tagline, the overhead views we have of these three tablets are reminiscent of the color pickers you might see in a graphics utility – a reference to the extended gamut enjoyed by OLED panels, perhaps.

Of course, even with this event itself confirmed, questions remain. We’d say the two OLED Tab S models are all but certainties at this point, but what about the 13.3-inch model that recently came to our attention, mentioned in the same leak right next to those Tab S models? We could really go either way on this one, as while it would make a lot of sense for Samsung to get introductions for all its new tablets out of the way all at once, we only just heard about this 13.3-incher, and it may well be too soon for it to be ready to go public.

Source: Samsung
Via: Sam Mobile

Google plus patent linked to Silver ?

Remember those family calling circles, where you had to put a few of your closest pals (and parents) in a special circle, and calls to them wouldn’t count against your plan allotment? It was a pretty terrible scheme, but it may be coming back. A patent has been found, detailing how Vic Gundotra and the Google+ team imagine their circles feature would work with carriers. It’s a bit complicated, but has some interesting potential.

Using circles, one of the only Google+ features that set the social layer part from others, the preferred calling circle would come back, along with the rest of your Google+ circles. Those in your special “preferred” space could potentially be contacted without counting against your plan minutes, or possibly even your data cap.

Via owning a Google-approved Android device, users are automatically Google+ users by virtue of having a Google account. This scheme would have a multi-pronged attack, wherein Google+ gets people engaged and carriers get a bit more control and ways to coerce you into throttling down your data and/or voice consumption by choosing only a few special people to chat with sans plan usage.

Of note is Google’s interesting relationship with carriers over the years, with Verizon essentially turning their back on them — a stark contrast to Sprint bending over backwards to sidle next to the search giant. Google has toyed with the idea of creating an MVNO now and then, and is rumored to roll out an Android Silver program at some point.

Android Silver is said to ask that carriers offer up store real estate for a kiosk, and that staff be specially trained in how to sell and service the devices. The question has been “what’s in it for carriers?”, but this specialized Google+ contacts management idea may just be it.

Google gets an “in” at carrier stores, and carriers get to bring back a program that once coerced us into using less calling minutes. Though calling has reached a bit of a plateau, giving way to data, there is still depth to this plan. With VoLTE on the horizon, your call minutes will soon become data-based. Even if you make a call with VoLTE, you’re using data minutes (which is why capped data plans are a really bad idea).

With this proposed Google+ scheme, we would get to choose a few people to call for free, and by virtue use less data on a VoLTE plan. Google gets to play nice with carriers, and those carriers get to bring back a scheme used to corral us long ago. It’s an interesting scheme, and could be the only way carriers would be interested in any Android Silver program.

HTC one M8 Red for Taiwan. ?

If last year is of any indication, we should see more color options for the 2014 HTC flagship soon. A redand blue version have been already leaked in press renders, but the images (above and below) seem to depict the actual device, in Taiwan.Comments

We shouldn’t expect any changes under the hood, whatsoever. The specs should be the same (just like in the case of last year’s color options). And, if the leaked press render of the Red HTC One (M8) had a Verizon logo on the back, the one pictured here doesn’t seem to have it. This means that the phone will likely be available worldwide soon (probably as an exclusive at the beginning). Furthermore, the original source (where you can find more stills) claims that the phone is already on store shelves in Taiwan.

Source: Mobile01
Via: PhonesReview

Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 confirmed.

The Samsung Galaxy Mega was available in two screen sizes: 6.3- and 5.8-inch. They were both announced in April of last year, and it’s pretty much time for a refresh. The codename SM-G750 initially got us thinking it might be a Galaxy S 5 Mini, but we recently found out that it might be a gigantic phone.

The theory is now being confirmed by another leak that claims the SM-G750 identifies itself as the Samsung Galaxy Mega 2. That’s all we’ve got for now, but we can speculate: will the Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 be a follow-up to the 6.3-, or to the 5.8-incher? The initial leak that mentioned the codename in the context of a gigantic listed its screen size at 6-inches. This could mean one of two things: there might only be a single Mega device this year, or Samsung is bumping the smaller screen OG Mega. Either way, the report claimed HD resolution, but until we hear more specific info, we’ll have to continue being skeptical about what we hear.

Source: @evleaks (Twitter)

Apple's imessage Feature.

http://www.businessinsider.in/An-Apple-Employee-Admits-That-iPhones-Often-Wont-Deliver-Texts-If-You-Switch-To-Android/articleshow/35121771.cms

Lava X1.

Lava 3G 354 Budget Smartphone Spotted Online; Price, Availability Details

Indigenous smartphone maker Lava is gearing up to launch a new Android Kitkat based smartphone in the country, which will be priced less than ₹ 8,000.

Lava, a well known player in the domestic market will launch the smartphone with Google's latest OS platform soon in the country. Although the company is yet to reveal the details of the phone monikered 'Iris X1', it said that the handset will come with 4.5-inch IPS display and a 8.0-megapixel rear camera. With the launch of the Android Kitkat platform smartphone, Lava will also become one of the few local players in the country to offer Kitkat OS. Karbonn and Xolo are the other two indigenous makers who are offering KItkat OS for its users in India.

"To add to it, Lava is going to price it aggressively under ₹8k. Riding on the success of its Iris Pro series, Lava is really upbeat about this offering," PTI quoted the company, reported Financial Express.

Recently, Lava announced the launch of its Iris 450 budget Android smartphone in India with a price tag of ₹7,999. It sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA (854x480p) IPS screen and is powered by 1.3GHz dual core processor paired with 512MB RAM. It runs on Android v4.2 Jelly Bean OS and packs 4GB inbuilt-memory, which is expandable by up to 32GB with microSD card. Other specifications include 5.0-megapixel main-camera with LED flash, HDR mode, digital zoom, 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front facing camera for video chat and 1800 mAh battery, which claims to deliver upto 9 hour 15 minutes talk time.

Lava has also listed its new 3G budget smartphone 3G 354 on the company website without any price tag. Lava 3G 354 sports 3.5 inch (320 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by 1GHz dual-core processor coupled with 256MB RAM. The phone houses 2.0-megapixel rear camera along with a front VGA camera on board and packs 2GB of internal storage, which can be expanded upto 32GB with microSD card.