ART or Android Runtime will be the default runtime when the next version of Android or Android 5.0 releases.
It looks like the next version of Android will be based on a new runtime that will allow apps to run faster and use less battery.
ART or Android Runtime will be the default runtime when the next version of Android or Android 5.0 releases, as per developers at XDA, who spotted the presence of the new runtime in the operating system's code.
ART will replace Dalvik, the current runtime that allows apps to run in the software environment.
With ART, apps will run faster, and will be more efficient. However, the install time would increase and apps will take up more space.
It is worth pointing out that Google had shipped Android 4.4 with the ART runtime compiler. It was not the default option though developers could switch to it through the Developer Options settings. Google had said that the new runtime was a work in progress.
While most apps are said to be compatible with the new runtime, developers may need to optimize their apps for ART before its release.
It would be interesting to see if Google makes any announcements about the new release of Android during the upcoming Google I/O event on June 25.
When Google announced Android Wearback in March, it illustrated the company’s seriousness about the wearable game. Since then, Google has dropped bread crumbs, slowly painting us a bigger picture of what’s to come with its mobile OS. A new video from the company, released just days before its big I/O conference, outlines some of the main interaction considerations for developers who will be building apps for the inevitable wave of new wrist worn gadgets.
The big takeaway? Interacting with our gadgets is about to get a whole lot simpler. Android Wear’s banner claim is that its interface will free us from the time sucking grid of icons on our smartphones. Instead, the interface will be glanceable; requiring users to engage far less time and attention to get the information they’re looking for.
Here’s a quick look at how they’re doing it: The first thing you notice about theAndroid Wear interface is how little there is to notice. In the video’s example of the home screen, you see the time, weather and a “G” icon that will help you navigate to voice or text search. Users simply have to hit the button and say “Ok Google” to make any voice command available.
But it’s not a one-way conversation. Google’s depth of data makes it easy for Android Wear to build a smart context around each user, allowing wearables to know what’s important to a person and when it’s important. For example, based on your calendar or inbox your smartwatch could notify you a few hours before your flight and prompt you to check in.
Another important feature is device-to-device communication. Any notification you get on your phone, you’ll get on your wearable, too. Where a smartwatch diverges from the phone is how it presents that information. Android Wear relies on stacks, which allows developers to bundle multiple notifications together like an inbox, while pages allow more than one glanceable screen of information at a time for one notification. Think of this like flipping through a tiny ebook of notifications. You can combine stacks and pages and reply to any notification through voice activation.
The video covers pretty high-level stuff, but with LG and Motorola already building their own Android Wear smartwatches, you can bet it won’t be long before we get a proper look at what this OS is capable of.
Rumors continue to arrive regarding what we can expect from Apple’s iWatch in the coming months. We’ve already heard that the company is working on a probable October launch, and we’ve also heard of sports celebrities wandering the Apple campus, aside from other rumors that there will be two variants of the iWatch. If you’re wondering what these two variants are, and what they’ll do, you’ve come to the right place.
A source familiar to the matter has just shared that Apple is already testing two iWatch models with very different designs. There is a “Sports” model, which apparently has a rectangular design and a rubber bracelet. This model was reportedly being tested recently by Kobe Bryant at the Apple campus, and what’s most interesting is that it apparently looks like any other watch on the market.
The report also mentions that there is a “Designer” variant of the iWatch which has a circular design and a metallic construction that’s most probably stainless steel. This model is reportedly being tested by Dustin Brown and Bubba Watson, and just like the Sports model, it’s hard to tell this watch apart from any other watch on the market.
The tipster also shares that both models of the iWatch will have a touch screen, and both will be water resistant. As for sensors, at least the Sports variant is said to check for blood pressure, heart rate, body temp, outside temperature, barometric pressure, compass and blood oxygen level.
Additionally, both these devices will include at least 8GB of storage built-in, allowing each model to serve as an iPod replacement for those interested – which is definitely a more convenient way to train or run than to have to strap a phone on your arm. We’ll keep you posted as more details emerge.
The Nexus program from Google is in an awkward position right now. Rumors of a Nexus 6 and Nexus 8 have come and gone, along with the possibility that the former wouldn’t ever get to see the light of day. Android Silver has been another hot topic, only confusing things more, so it’s comforting to finally see something concrete come up again. Today, the Nexus 9 has broke cover, HTC’s newest Nexus device.
First things first, this is likely the tablet we previously referred to as the Nexus 8 — everything lines up with rumors of that device (it’s made by HTC, and runs on an NVIDIA chip). Without further ado, let’s get right down to the specs of Volantis, the codename for the tablet.
The display is expected to have an 8.9-inch size with a resolution of 2048×1440, bringing the pixels-per-inch count to 281. This apparently has an aspect ratio of 4:3, but the resolution and ratio don’t line up here. It’s possible that the software navigation buttons are being included, which could possibly account for the difference.
The processor is a 64-bit NVIDIA Logan, which is better known as the Tegra K1. We do not yet know the clock speed of the K1 on this alleged Nexus 9. The rear-facing camera is an 8MP shooter with optical image stabilization, and it’s backed up by a 3MP front-firing unit. 2GB of RAM and a choice of 16 or 32GB of internal storage make up the rest of the leaked specs.
Let’s talk design for a second. The dimensions of the Nexus 9 are expected to be 8.91 inches by 5.98 inches by 0.31 inches. It’ll weigh 418g assuming you pick up the WiFi-only model, but the LTE-supporting equipment will tally to 427g. It also apparently has an “aluminum zero-gap construction with tapered-sides,” but the render shown in the alleged leaked Android Police source image doesn’t exactly line up with that (the image above is a render of the render to better show details), rather showing more of a cross between last year’s Nexus 7 and the Nexus 5. The stereo front-facing speakers are also absent from the render, but this is HTC we are talking about — it wouldn’t be surprising to us to see these design elements on a device from it.
Availability has also tentatively leaked. Assuming things don’t change before HTC and Google are ready to take the wraps off of the tablet, the WiFi-only model will likely cost $399. The 32GB model would add an extra $100 to do this, making the total price $499. LTE support adds even more, and Android Police speculates that this could push the price into the $600+ range. This is a wild departure from the Nexus 7 of yesteryear (and the year before), and quite frankly we’re displeased at this point — it is a Nexus, after all.
Nexus 9 is apparently the tentative launch name, but Android Police hasn’t confirmed that as the official launch name quite yet. Also, with all the turmoil going around in Nexus world, this may not even come to fruition — although we certainly hope it does.
This tablet will allegedly launch alongside the Android L-release in Q4 of 2014. Mark your calendars, folks, this will be big.
Google's Nest Labs is snapping up Wi-Fi camera start-up Dropcam in order to add security surveillance to its line of smart home gadgets.
Dropcam specializes in making easy-to-use cameras that wirelessly connect to your router without the need for a computer, as well as the software that streams the live video to your devices.
Its cloud-based live video service can be accessed by computers, iOS and Android devices, though Dropcam does charge a fee for 7- and 14-day storage if you want to rewind.
These Wi-Fi cameras join Nest Labs' smart thermostat and smoke and CO2 detector as a way to innovate the home for the smartphone generation.
Privacy fears switcheroo
Today's Dropcam deal, worth $555 million (about £326m, AU$591m) according to Recode, is being spearheaded by Google-owned Nest, outside of Google's purview.
That's because Google's role in video surveillance is likely to raise the ire of privacy advocates who fear the search engine giant potentially having spy cameras in homes.
"Like Nest customer data, Dropcam will come under Nest's privacy policy," wrote Nest Founder Matt Rogers in a blog post when today's deal closed.
"[It] explains that data won't be shared with anyone (including Google) without a customer's permission. Nest has a paid-for business model and ads are not part of our strategy."
Google intervention or not, expect to hear more about Nest at Google IO 2014 on June 25.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A recently launched as a spec-bumped Galaxy S5, but availability will more than likely be limited to countries outside of the United States. That may be of no worry to US consumers though, as leaks of a Galaxy F (previously referred to as the Galaxy S5 Prime) have been flowing in at a ridiculous pace. Today we’re talking a look at the alleged F in the “Glowing Gold” color — and yes, this color is different than the “perfect golden” hue previously seen.
The phone looks the exact same as the previous render, though with a slightly different color as expected. There’s the same trademark Samsung home button, and TouchWiz is clearly running atop the phone’s build of Android 4.4 (or later?).
There isn’t much else to say, other than this phone is expected to be slightly better than the Galaxy S5 (meaning, a 2K display and Snapdragon 805 are among the expected features). The bezels are also slimmed down as part of this.
The phone displays the date “12 September” as does the previous render, so it’s possible that this could be telling us the phone’s unveil date (many manufacturers like to add this on official renders). We won’t have to wait too long to find out.
Rumors and hype for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 have just started picking up, with a fairly large leakfrom earlier today moving things along. Now, we’re seeing not one, not two, but 22 different codenames for many variations of the allegedly-upcoming Note 4. This tells us more about availability and hardware as well, so let’s get right to it.
There are three main codename bases from what we can tell — SM-N910, and SM-N915. Those two names have already crossed our desks multiple times, so everything checks out. A bunch of different Samsung naming conventions are applied to these bases, with either a letter or a combination of a letter and a number added to each one to signify regional availability.
Without diving too deep into the details, let’s first iron out storage. Both 16 and 32-gigabyte models are expected to be available, with the US thankfully only seeing the latter on the major national carriers.
In terms of who will get it, customers of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon in the United States will likely be able to get their hands on the 32GB model. The model numbers for these, respectively, are SM-N910A, SM-N910P, SM-N910T, and SM-910V. There’s a ton of global availability info as well, which we won’t dive into as far, but DoCoMo, KDI, and a Chinese version of the phone pop out at us when viewing the graphic below.
To check up on even more details, look no further than this image:
In a surprise move last night, Android 4.4.4 made an appearance and OTA updates began rolling out to select Nexus devices. Naturally, it’s time to talk updates, especially for Motorola phones (some of which were updated to Android 4.4.3 during its short one-week lifespan). We now know about plans for Motorola’s most recent Droid phones — a collaboration with Verizon Wireless — in terms of upcoming software updates.
According to Motorola employee David Schuster, the Droid phones will leapfrog 4.4.3 and jump straight to 4.4.4, primarily because of an important security fix for an OpenSSL vulnerability (no, not Heartbleed — that was squashed in 4.4.3).
This means another five-week technical approval process is at hand, and this isn’t even considering other delays. We also don’t know about other Motorola phones (even on other carriers) such as the Moto X, G, and E in terms of when they can expect to see the bump up.
Here’s the entirety of what Schuster had to say:
Sorry for the delay in giving an update on the 4.4.3 upgrades but I had to wait unit Google announced KitKat 4.4.4 today (I am bound by a NDA). A significant security vulnerability was discovered by OpenSSL (https://www.openssl.org/news/secadv_20140605.txt) and is fixed in KitKat 4.4.4. We had to wait until KitKat 4.4.4 became available. Consequently, all of our 4.4.3 upgrades that were in carrier labs worldwide (including the 2013 Droid’s) had to be respun, tested and resubmitted again. This was a significant unplanned effort that we had to undertake. We should be re-entering labs next week and hopefully getting TA (technical approval) in 3 to 5 weeks later depending on the carrier.
Earlier this week, the Moto X successor we’ve been following as the X+1 broke cover and starred in a brief video showing off its boot animation. While the idea of seeing this handset in the flesh was fascinating, there ultimately wasn’t a lot for us to check out, due to the necessary steps taken to obscure enough of the hardware to avoid showing any identifying marks that might clue Motorola in to the tipster’s identity. We were promised that more videos were coming, and now we’ve got a couple new ones to share with you.
First off, if you’re looking for that original video, it’s down; despite the best intentions, some identifying marks slipped through. As a result, we get the new video embedded here, which shows a bit more of the handset’s facade, while taking a second stab at hiding those tracking marks – hence, the plastic wrap.
We do learn some details about the hardware, like what seems to be a new choice for button materials in the X+1, and a slightly modified layout compared to the Moto X.
There’s also a close-up look at the phone’s display, which will reportedly employ a 1080p panel – a significant upgrade from the 720p screen on the Moto X.
Once again, though, we find ourselves waiting for the next promised X+1 videos from the future, when the artful application of some tape should hopefully block enough of that tracking info to finally give us a clear look at the phone, no plastic wrap or extreme framing to worry about.
The latest details to arrive on Apple’s rumored plans for its iWatch streamed in overnight, talking about multiple hardware versions and a bevy of sensors providing the wearable with all sorts of data about the user and his or her environment. At least some of those sensors are rumored to gather health data, which makes perfect sense considering the heavy focus on HealthKit we saw at the iOS 8 launch earlier this month. But now some new info has come our way that makes clear just to what extent health and fitness are to be a part of the iWatch, with word that Apple’s recruiting pro athletes to assist with testing.
Specifically, we’ve heard that NBA player Kobe Bryant and the NHL’s Dustin Brown (above) have signed-on with Apple for its iWatch testing. While details of the actual testing activities haven’t similarly leaked, the fact that Apple’s going after pros in different sports (with differing fitness needs) suggests that the iWatch and its software will allow quite a bit of flexibility in how it gathers and analyzes data.
Beyond the basic sensors like a pedometer a heart rate monitor, we could also see ones equipped to measure blood pressure or even hydration levels – something a pro who’s running up and down the court all day will be interested in keeping an eye on.
Will an iWatch so jam-packed with sensors possibly be able to sleek and aesthetically refined, or is this going to be a bulky, ruggedized, very “sport”-looking watch? We’re also told that Apple has two versions of the iWatch it’s working on, one as a very sport/fitness model, and one that’s more concerned with fashion. We don’t yet know if that means losing a few sensors on the designer model, but that could be a possibility.
It feels like lately we’ve been qualifying more stories than not with “since Google I/O is coming up soon… ,” using the looming presence of the biggest Android event of the year to justify everything fromspeculation based on Google Play product listings, to minor image details possibly revealing upcoming Android releases. Soon, it will all be a distant memory, but for the next few days, at least, expect this trend to continue. Tonight we’ve got another one of those “minor image detail” finds to put under the microscope, as an image Google’s using on its official I/O page catches the eye of some detail-oriented Android fans.
Compared to the status bar as currently found on the Nexus 5 (right), this I/O pic appears to have a slightly smaller WiFi icon, quite different cellular signal strength indicator, and a smaller battery readout.
And now for that qualifier: normally we might think little of this, writing it off as a designer throwing together a quick mock-up with little concern for matching reality with pixel-perfect accuracy. But with Google I/O coming up so very, very soon… see what we mean? Odds are this will be nothing, but just in case this is a taste of what’s to come, we thought you’d enjoy an early look.
Sometimes a smartphone comparison is about more than spec-vs-spec slogging. Sometimes it’s a question of lifestyle, of values … and vanity. To some people, how a phone looks can be just as important as how it performs, and when performance is as top-notch as these flagships deliver, significant differences must be sought elsewhere.
Fortunately, the Galaxy S5 and LG G3 offer plenty to pick from in this regard. From waterproofing to a fingerprint scanner to a full health suite and 16MP camera, the 2014 Samsung flagship packs a lot of heat. But then, with a Quad-HD display, a laser-focused camera with OIS+, and one of the sleekest designs we’ve ever seen … so does the G3.
Join us as we explore the many facets of each in our Galaxy S5 vs LG G3 comparison! Then click on over to our full reviews of each linked above, watch our G3-focused podcast with MKBHD, and be sure to check out Taylor Martin’s G3 review rebuttal for still more context on the world’s newest flagship Android smartphone.
The Moto X+1 leaks just keep flowing in, and by now, we think this is more than likely a thing. Today we’re shifting gears to examine the camera side of things, which (as many remember, having learned it the hard way) was not the greatest on the original Moto X, as we explained in our full review of that phone. If a YouTube video allegedly showing a video sample from the X+1 is to be believed, the Moto X+1 just might feature 4K video recording.
Keep in mind that 4K isn’t ground-breaking by any means at this point. The LG G3 has it, the Galaxy S5 has it, and almost every other recent flagship shares in the notion (with the notable outcast being the HTC One M8). However, having 4K on the X+1 would at least be a step up, right? Wrong.
From this initial video sample, we don’t stand impressed. While YouTube compression does indeed play a part in reducing video quality, focusing didn’t seem too consistent when the folks from TK Tech News took a walk with the phone.
Some of the imagery looks nice, we guess, but color us unimpressed. The huge caveat here, is that this is allegedly a pre-production X+1 model still possibly months away from a consumer launch. Things are bound to not work as intended at this point in the prototyping stage, so Motorola still has plenty of time to get its camera issues ironed out.
In related news, the same source has published an image to Instagram showing off the Moto X+1 compared to the original Moto X. It looks a bit bigger from what we can tell, but that sandwich bag makes us hard for us to judge. Either way, the leaks are flowing, so we aren’t complaining
Ever since day one of its existence, Android Wear has had partner companies we haven’t heard a peep out of in terms of products to show, the most popular being Samsung. While we knew the South Korean OEM was signed on to offer Android-powered watches in the near future, its own flagship Gear wearable line made the switch to Samsung’s own Tizen OS recently — and we haven’t heard very much since. That all changes today though, as a report out of CNET suggests a Samsung Android Wear Watch will make an appearance next week at Google I/O for its official launch.
Samsung reportedly has two Wear-powered watch models in the pipeline, one built off of Samsung processors (most likely Exynos-branded), and one based on Qualcomm’s offerings. The source doesn’t state which one of these will be launched during I/O this week.
Samsung, of course, declined to comment, but this definitely has us thinking that Android Wear will be the main focus of I/O this year.
LG is expected to introduce its G Watch at the event, and we’re expecting a peek at Motorola’sMoto 360 as well. As for the yearly I/O giveaways, last we heard a free G Watch was in the cards. Now we’re hearing otherwise, as one person tells CNET that the Samsung watch will be given out.
If you’re going to I/O this year, it sounds like you’ll be having a swell time for sure.
Both users and governments alike are interested in seeing smartphone companies do everything in their power to make phone theft as unattractive as possible. Apple’s got its activation lock for iOS, discouraging smartphone theft by making it tricky for a criminal to wipe a stolen phone and use it like new. Just yesterday, we told you about Microsoft’s efforts to deploy a similar system. Now it’s Google’s turn to chime-in, and today we learn about the company confirming plans for its own lock-down system to arrive in a future Android release.
Google says that we can expect a “factory reset protection solution” in the next version of Android, presumably building off the tools already available via the Android Device Manager. With rumors that Android 5.0 could make an appearance as soon as next week, those new protections might be in place very soon indeed, though even if we’re waiting a few more months, at least we have confirmation that they’re arriving eventually.
We also don’t yet know exactly what form this new lock-down system would take, but based on Google’s own words, presumably it would offer protections similar to Apple’s efforts, preventing a full factory reset from making a locked phone usable again without proper owner authorization.
Considering the size of Android’s market share, strong, enabled-by-default security of this type could go a long way towards reducing smartphone theft, and the black market for stolen hardware, but we’ll want to withhold judgment until we know for sure the details of how this will work.
As discovered by Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott, there are "Surface Mini references all over" the Surface Pro 3 user guide. Something he describes on Twitter as "hilarious."
A quick look at the manual shows a section reading: "You'll pair your new pen with Surface Mini a little later during setup."
That all-but-confirms Microsoft had planned to launch the smaller device last month, but for some reason decided to scratch the Surface Mini from the event at the last minute.
Waiting for Word?
Since the launch event it has been suggested that Microsoft has up to20,000 Surface Mini units already gathering dust and biding their time for the touch-first version of Microsoft Office to arrive.
Others reports have suggested the firm may not release the device at all.
One thing this little snippet of information does confirm is that the Surface Mini exists. If or when we'll see it is another matter altogether.
As efforts like After The Buzz, the Pocketnow U-Review, and Empty Nest demonstrate, we’re constantly searching for fresh ways to review mobile technology. The newest product of those efforts is Pocketnow’s “Review Rebuttal” series, in which a member of our team is assigned to test a smartphone or tablet that’s already gone through our standard review process. While the resulting video or editorial doesn’t affect the “official” Pocketnow review score, we hope it provides added context by showcasing an editor’s personal opinion, rather than a team-wide consensus.
We call it the “rebuttal” because the new opinion sometimes differs significantly from the thrust of the original review. Rather than reject or bury that, we think the dissenting opinion is valuable – and we present it for your evaluation alongside select product reviews.
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I was skeptical of the LG G3 following the announcement. I have a pretty rocky track record with LG phones.
Don’t get me started on the T-Mobile G2x – the buggiest phone I’ve ever owned. I reviewed theOptimus G Pro last year and was mostly unimpressed. The Verizon version of the G2 I was supposed to review last year was defective, but even the After The Buzz series I did on the G2, I still wasn’t exactly moved. And I found the G Flex to be a half-hearted innovation with no real world value (and a horrible display), not the smartphone of the future like Michael said.
It’s nothing against LG, but I’ve never been impressed by its smartphone efforts, which have always been about being the first, not necessarily the best. It was the first to use a Snapdragon 800, the first to use a dual-core CPU, the first to use a 720p display … you get the idea.
However, as soon as I took the G3 out of the box, I messaged Michael. “Damn. This thing is nice.” And this is one of those rare occasions Michael and I agree almost entirely on a phone.
I’m not going to bore you with a few hundred words explaining all the same things Michael noted in his written review. Rather, I’ll explain what I feelin addition to his thoughts as he doesn’t make a single point I disagree with. Here goes.
It has a QHD display? Huh.
One of the big draws of the LG G3 – at least until you get your hands on it – is the quad-HD display. It’s 5.5-inches at 2,560 by 1,440 pixels. That’s a whole lot of pixels in a tiny space.
Don’t get me wrong, the display looks great. It’s gorgeous when you find the right content. Some of the stock wallpapers that come on the G3 are fantastic with insanely intricate detail, specifically made to show off the ultra high-resolution of the display.
Unfortunately, despite all the detail, it isn’t the best looking display around. It’s noticeably warm, the black levels and contrast could be better, and the display washes out at certain angles. Not to mention, the display is dim. Very dim. Outside visibility is a problem.
Plus, there’s very little QHD content out there, and can you really take advantage of it from a phone?
I originally laughed at the idea of 1080p smartphones, too. The difference here is that once I tried 1080p and saw it for myself, coming from a 720p phone, it noticeably improved my experience; I could discern a difference and there was ample content for the display.
This time, I haven’t noticed any sort of benefit from the extra pixels. The only reason that’s perfectly fine is that the display, fortunately, wasn’t LG’s primary focus. Instead, it also dramatically improved the software, built a compelling piece of hardware to surround that display, and focused a lot of effort into all other aspects of the phone.
For me, LG’s software has always been insufferable. Having been stuck with a few South Korean models to date doesn’t help – those always come packed to the brim with dozens of pre-installed bloat, most of which are in Korean an unusable to this monolingual fool.
On top of that, LG has always had a penchant for building in frivolous animations and other bits and bobs into its software – a few hideous, user-definable fonts, a small selection of ugly themes, and among other things, some of the creepiest ringtones … ever.
This year, LG took several steps in the right direction.
The software isn’t perfect. The Settings app is still more cumbersome than it needs to be; the Recent Apps screen is disorienting; the animations are still overdone; and half the notification shade is taken up by quick settings toggles, QSlide apps (which can be disabled), and brightness and volume sliders. And why does QVoice even exist?
All that said, the software looks better than ever. Visually, I like it better than any other OEM skin. The flat UI elements are great, the soft pastels are beautiful, and the overall appearance of the the UI is very clean. It’s quick to get cluttered, though. But it’s well within the user’s ability to make the UI as cluttered or minimal as they desire through customizable navigation buttons and home page customizations.
OEM Android skins are finally starting to look better and LG’s is no exception. In fact, it’s one of the best looking Android UIs out there, even if it’s a little overbearing at times.
All the feels
I have no problem calling out an ultra high-end smartphone when it looks like a cheap toy. Samsung, especially, is known for its overuse of plastics that not only look cheap, but also feel cheap. LG has been known for it in the past, as well. The G2 was a slimy mess; the Optimus G Pro sounded and felt like a hollow, plastic Happy Meal toy when you pressed the physical Home button; and I recently reviewed the Lucid 3, the worst of them all.
All the while, I’ve made it very clear. There is cheap plastic, and there is a much nicer, premium plastic. All the Lumias, for instance, look and feel great. The One X and Moto X, both all-plastic phones, were two of my favorite smartphones of all time.
My problem stems from all the faux embellishments, as if the manufacturer is trying to hide how it skimped on the materials. But Samsung, LG, and all the others weren’t fooling anyone.
I expected the same from the G3. I was wrong. Very wrong.
Even though the battery door is removable, the plastic on the back of the G3 feels a lot like the thick, sturdy polycarbonate of the One X. That’s due in part to the finish on the back cover and how thick the battery door is. It doesn’t flex like some plastic battery doors – there is some give, but it’s very rigid.
The result is a phone that not only looks nice, it feels nice, too. It feels and looks worth the asking price.
Stabilized oil paintings
I was surprised to find the camera is not exactly a highlight of this phone. With laser auto-focus and OIS+, the 13-megapixel image sensor looked promising from afar. Up close and in action, it’s really anything but. It’s par for the course. It takes fantastic photos in broad daylight, but the second lighting becomes an issue, photos take a turn for the worse. The OIS+ doesn’t seem to help low light performance very much. In poorly-lit scenes, detail and textures are replaced with soft, blurry edges which resemble an oil painting.
Granted, there are far worse cameras and very few smartphone cameras perform well in such situations. However, it’s sad that one of the few Android flagships that comes with OIS doesn’t capitalize on the technology.
I can haz U.S. model?
The other factor that somewhat tainted my experience with the G3 is the fact that it’s the South Korean model. It isn’t optimized for use here in the US, and on T-Mobile here in the Charlotte metro and Winston-Salem areas of North Carolina, I’ve been dealing with 3G. It’s not the end of the world; I’ve had far worse. The Xperia Z Ultra I reviewed last year was stuck on EDGE and the Oppo Find 7a couldn’t access data.
Still, the G3 made a great first impression on me. That doesn’t happen often, and I wanted the full experience. Instead, I got a week or so with a G3 stuck on 3G with no real way to approximate battery life. And though any battery life findings would be moot anyway, mine are especially useless. Last Saturday, I sat in my apartment using 3G for an hour and a half and the battery life had only dropped to 90 percent. I left and went to lunch down the street with my mother. I was there for an hour and a half and when I left, the battery had dropped to 52 percent after a handful of pictures and two photo shares to Instagram.
I would love to see how this phone fares as a US model.
Conclusion
Frankly, the G3 surprised me. I’m a cynical, old “curmudgeon” (as Michael often calls me) who, recently anyway, turns his nose up at a lot of things. It’s not intentional, it’s just how jaded a lot of new and ballyhooed products make you after years of doing this job. I’m not as easily impressed, and I simply don’t buy into gimmicks.
Albeit brief, my time with the LG G3 was pleasing and educational. There are still things I’m not a fan of, like the rear-facing buttons. But even those are growing on me.
The G3 is proof that LG is maturing as a smartphone manufacturer, and for the first time ever, it has tempted me to buy one of its mobile products … without Google’s help.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 will arrive as the company’s model SM-N910: that much, everyone seems relatively confident on by this point. And with evidence from Samsung itself pointing to the presence of a 2560 x 1440 display, there’s little doubt that we’re looking at a 2K model. After that, though, things get complicated fast, not helped out in the least by rumors of new SoCs and exotic hardware designs – all that “new form factor” business. Thankfully, today we’ve got some new data to help us better understand the Note 4′s story, as details for a pair of models turn up in AnTuTu benchmark data.
We’re looking at the SM-N910S and N910C here: both with 2K displays, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, and 16MP main cameras.
The differences crop up when we turn to the chips powering these phones. The 910S, which naming conventions would suggest is a South Korean edition, shows up running a Snapdragon 805, just like the new GS5 LTE-A.
The more interesting silicon shows up on the 910C, which gets a new Exynos 5433. We heard a rumor a little earlier this month claiming the Note 4 would arrive with that specific chip, and here it is. AnTuTu admits it struggled a little pulling useful info out of the chip (resulting in odd figures like a 1.3GHz max clock speed), but even if benchmarks don’t quite know what to make of Samsung’s new chips just yet, it sure appears we’re looking at an octa-core SoC with 64-bit A57 and A53 cores.
Of course, none of this does much to help us get to the bottom of the external design question, with rumor of wrap-around displays, but one thing at a time.
Following yesterday’s release of the Nokia Z Launcher, we’re once again in that same place we found ourselves several months back when all the Nokia X hardware was being confirmed, a little tickled to be seeing Nokia crossing the tracks over to the Android side of town. As fate may have it, this feeling might extend a little longer, as Nokia puts up a teaser that could just be hinting at a new Android hardware release… or is it?
Here’s what we have: Nokia (the Devices & Services, now-part-of-Microsoft bit) has posted a teaser announcing “summer brings out our inner glow” and tagged with the headline “green with envy.” We’ve also got a timer counting down until early Tuesday morning and that mysterious image you see up top. So what the heck does that all mean?
We’re hearing more than a few opinions that we could be looking at a new hardware launch, possibly the phone we’ve been calling the X2. Granted, there was a leak last month that mentioned an X2, but that both sounded like a relatively minor hardware upgrade (S4 Play swapped for Snapdragon 200), and we’re not sure there’s anything in this teaser that directly hints at an X2 launch. Yes, the use of green here may very well allude to Android, but that’s about as far as we’re comfortable taking this speculation.
Heck, maybe we’re not looking at Android at all. All this business about “glow” and colors could be something as innocent as new color options for existing handsets. We’ll keep looking for more clues, but we’ll get our answer one way or another in a little under four days.
If you’ve been eyeing a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 since it was unveiled, it’s finally time. You can grab yourself a Surface Pro 3 today in the Microsoft store of your choosing, but of course, there’s a catch. The Windows 8-powered tablet is a pretty sweet competitor, though, as evidenced by our review, so you may just want to go pick one up yourself when your nearest Microsoft store opens for business today.
The only models available for purchase today are the Intel Core i5-toting ones. Core i7 and i3 models will be available for purchase in August, though pre-orders are up and running on Microsoft’s website. An exact availability date has not been made available at the time of this writing.
You can purchase the Core i5 models online, but the ship date is showing as June 30; you’re probably better off going ahead and nabbing one at a retail location nearby. The base i5 model starts at $999, but we really wouldn’t recommend the Surface Pro 3 if you aren’t going to splurge for the $129 Type Cover as well. This particular model comes with 128GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, a 12-inch display with a resolution of 2160×1440, and a 5MP rear-facing camera.
The Surface Pro 3, when we had our hands on it,had power consumption issues. Microsoft acknowledged them at the time, and released a fix last night that should be available to download when you nab yourself one today.
Today’s report claims that there will be not one, but “multiple versions” of the iWatch. In addition to this piece of information, we’re also being teased with the fact that Apple’s wearable “will include more than 10 sensors including ones to track health and fitness”. The report is based on information from “people familiar with the matter”, but that doesn’t mean we have to dismiss everything from the beginning.
October is mentioned as a possible announcement timeframe, and multiple screen sizes are also being referred to. Whatever’s up Apple’s sleeve, it will have to be something capable of differentiating its product from those already on the market, from Pebble, Samsung, and soon, Google, to name a few.