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AT&T is now rolling out the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the HTC One Mini along with the HTC Sense™ 5.5. Just like always, the update is a staggered one which means that the OTA update will be available for some users right away, while it might reach other customers a week or two later. The update carries the version number 3.10.502.3, and since it is sized at 658 MB, you will need to be on Wi-Fi to download it. Based on the changelog posted on AT&T’s website, the new update includes “key enhancements to the user interface, phone dialer app, lock screen, caller ID, HTC BlinkFeed™ apps”. In addition, you will get an improved user interface with restyled stat…

You have to tip your cap to a man who makes a very unwise bet but who nonetheless follows through on it. Digital Trends brings us the story of a Redditor who goes by the name of "Anndddyyyy" who made a bet that he would eat his hat if Bitcoin's price didn't rise above $1,000 by January 1st, 2014. It goes without saying that this didn't come to pass and "Anndddyyyy," who admits to being drunk when making the bet, was on the hook for one hat eating. But while many people would have welched on such a bet, "Anndddyyyy" decided to follow through and shoot of 45-minute video documentary of himself cutting up a bandana and slowly devouring it bit by bit. The video posted below i…

A future Apple Smart Cover protective case for the iPad may come with a built-in, detachable ultra-thin keyboard that may also have multitouch capabilities, a new patent application discovered by AppleInsider reveals. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

http://androidforum.us/data/MetaMirrorCache/451a898fcf884901cf0471dab7523aa8.jpg Customers that intend to purchase the HTC One (M8) with a new two-year agreement should check out Verizon’s current deals, as the carrier has some interesting promotions available to customers, Droid-Life reports. For starters, Verizon lets interested buyers get two new HTC One models for the price of one as long as each device is tied to its own two-year contract. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

In every transparency report from Google since 2009, the number of requests from the government has increased at a steady pace, but 2013 represents the largest year-over-year growth in the history of the reports. According to Google, requests have increased by 120% since 2009, amounting to over 50,000 requests in 2013. Interestingly, as the frequency has increased, the number of requests that Google has had to comply with have actually dropped — the data shows that the percentage of requests where data was produced has decreased from 76% to 64% since 2010. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Have you ever tried to really read through Google and Facebook's privacy policies? If you have then you might find that your eyes start to glaze over after just a few paragraphs. Now ZDNet reports that French consumers group UFC-Que Choisir has filed a lawsuit against Google, Facebook and Twitter for having privacy policies that are "illegible" and "incomprehensible" to the average user and that should be rewritten to make more sense. UFC-Que Choisir has slammed all three companies in the past for writing opaque policies that give the companies a lot of leeway for potentially violating their users' privacy. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Google+ probably has the most advanced image tools of the social networks, but Twitter is trying to catch up. Twitter announced new photo features today that include photo tagging and the ability to upload up to four images per tweet. You will be able to tag up to ten people in each photo with Twitter usernames, without wasting any of the 140-character limit. Tagged users will receive a notification just like a mention. For the second new feature, users will be able to upload up to four images per tweet, compared to the original one that was allowed. The pictures will be turned into a collage, or album of sorts which can be viewed on mobile, desktop, and embedded clien…

With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!! Guides How to setup and use Magazine UX on the Galaxy TabPRO 8.4, TabPRO 10.1, and TabPRO 12.2 How to use the Multi Window feature on the Samsung Galaxy TabPRO 8.4, TabPRO 10.1, and TabPRO 12.2 Apps HTC to release BlinkFeed and Zoe in the Play Store this summer for other devices Updated LastPass app now autofills passwords in Android apps and mobile Chrome browsers Last.fm shuts down radio subscription…

If you’re a T-Mobile customer and the HTC One (M8) is your next phone, you will have to wait until April 11. They will offer it both online and at retail stores, and it won’t cost you a dime up front. T-Mobile will offer it for $0 down and 24 monthly payments of $26.50 while utilizing their Simple Choice Plan. That comes to a total of $636. Who is going to grab one? Full presser after the break. T-Mobile Serves Up the Stunning All-New HTC One – As Only the Un-carrier Can HTC’s latest superphone available next month with no contract, no overages, no upgrade wait, no hidden costs – only on T-Mobile BELLEVUE, Wash. – March 25, 2014 - If there’s a small part o…

A couple of days ago, it was reported that Samsung might release the Galaxy S 5 in South Korea a little early because of a 45-day carrier ban imposed by the government. Then yesterday, it was reported that a deal wasn’t reached. Apparently Samsung wanted the global launch of April 11 to stay intact. Now today, Bloomberg is reporting that SK Telecom went ahead and released it anyway. “We are very puzzled,” Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung said in an e-mailed statement. “SK Telecom strongly asked for an earlier release of the product but we delivered our stance that the global release date of April 11 remains unchanged.” I guess this is good news for Samsung even th…

Motorola has been launching new DROID phones every year since 2009. This year is no exception, especially since they signed that exclusive agreement to continue to make DROIDs for Verizon Wireless. This year’s model(s) will hit around the 4th quarter and will sport a larger screen ratio, meaning less bezel. The latest DROIDs have sported Kevlar, and it looks likes Motorola will continue that trend. However, they will update it with supposed next-gen materials. Of course Motorola will also launch an updated Moto X over the summer, and just like last year, we expect the new DROIDs to have the same software and features. It still amazes me that the DROID line is s…

Pando's Mark Ames has been doing a terrific job covering fresh revelations about the probably illegal collusion between Apple and Google to not recruit one another's employees. And this week he brings us a new story about how Steve Jobs got a Google recruiter fired after she tried to bring one of Apple's engineers over to Mountain View. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

http://androidforum.us/data/MetaMirrorCache/74316d91e8c13b24936098211eab7765.jpg In addition to Android apps sideloaded from unsecure third parties, which can contain malicious code that can turn devices into slow cryptocurrency miners, antivirus provider Trend Micro has discovered two legitimate Google Play apps that have between them over one million downloads. The firm also found that the apps can turn Android smartphones and tablets into digital currency miners without the users knowing what’s happening. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Now this is a good idea. In the age of the smartphone as an extension of our bodies, people's faces are always buried in their iPhones and Android phones while they walk around. We see people walking into each other and into stationary objects all the time on trips to and from our Times Square office. Is there nothing that can save these poor souls from awkward collisions? Thankfully, Apple may soon come to their rescue with a brand new invention... that was already invented years ago. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

One of the biggest questions iPhone fans have about Apple's next flagship smartphone is whether it will have a display made from sapphire. AppleInsider has found a newly published patent application that gives us fresh evidence that Apple has been toying around with sapphire displays, as it describes a method for coating sapphire displays to make them resistant to oily fingerprints. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The photo you see above is one minuscule portion of a staggeringly massive infrared panoramic photo captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope that manages to squeeze the entire Milky Way galaxy into a single photograph. That single photograph, mind you, is a 6GB file. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Google I/O is a developer conference which is held annually by Google in San Francisco, California. Last month, the company announced that the Google I/O is scheduled for June 25-26 and that it would give the details in March on how to register for the event. Just as promised, the company launched the Google I/O website today and announced that the registration will be open between April 8 at 5:00am PDT and April 10 at 5:00pm PDT. During that time, those interested can register to attend the event. Once the registration is closed, Google will select random participants who will get the chance to attend the event. Each ticket costs $900 for general admission and $300 f…

The folks overseas in Asia always have it better when it comes to smartphones. While the United States offers quad-core smartphones, Asian markets have devices with eight cores! While the new HTC One (M8) does not have an octa-core processor, Asia does still have an advantage with the device. In the United States, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB) will be clocked at 2.3GHz; however, Asian markets will get the same processor (MSM8974AC) set slightly higher at 2.5GHz. Just 200MHz separates the two (as well as the end of their IDs). Will the difference between the two devices exist? Yes. Will it be noticeable? I highly doubt it. Regardless, owners of the new HTC One…

After only one year, Last.fm has shut down their radio subscription service, citing “the music industry’s rapid change” for the decision, likely referencing popular online radio services like Pandora and Spotify. While the service never really competed with other online radio services, it did have a following in Germany and Canada. Despite this, shutting it down could be the best option in order to focus on their goal of helping people discover new music. In January Spotify announced that users could listen to any music from its website in Spotify, and this partnership will still remain. Source: The Verge Come comment on this article: Last.fm shuts down radio s…

HTC will be releasing 4 versions of the all new HTC One - the normal carrier locked version, a Google Play Edition, an unlocked version, and a Developer Edition. You can get the Google Play Edition from Google Play now, with an estimated shipping date of 2-3 weeks. The Developer Edition is now available directly from the HTC web store. While the Google Play Edition runs stock Android, the Developer Edition is based on HTC Sense 6.0, and even comes with an unlockable bootloader. The device will cost $649.99, and will be offered in two colors – Amber Gold and Gunmetal Grey. In the US the handset will be available on AT&T and T-Mobile, and for the rest of the wor…

While Android’s popularity continues to grow at an exponential rate, it’s no secret that Google would love for their mobile OS to become even more lucrative for business users. Thus, Google plans on taking several steps to do just that for their successor to KitKat which should be released either during this year’s Google IO, or later in the fall, coinciding with their new Nexus smartphone. Google’s head of Android, Sundar Pichai, will lead the way in providing new features such as storage of sensitive information directly on chips, stronger data encryption, as well as compatibility with apps that require extra authentication. With Google IO registrations made…

Facebook on Tuesday made a surprising announcement, revealing that it purchased the Oculus Rift virtual reality startup in a $2 billion deal, although it’s not yet clear what the company plans to do with Oculus Rift in the future. According to a report from The New York Times though, a person familiar with the deal said the company “eventually plans to redesign the Oculus hardware and rebrand it with a Facebook interface and logo.” Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

In addition to Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, T-Mobile will also offer subscribers the new HTC One (M8) smartphone, although they’ll have to wait until April 11th to pick up their unit from a selected store or to order it online. The company announced that it’ll sell the “stunning all-new HTC One as only the Un-carrier can,” revealing that the phone will be available for $0 down followed by 24 monthly installments of $26.50 each, amounting to a total of $636. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Samsung is currently flooding the market with wearable devices. It sells the Galaxy Gear 2, which is its full-featured smartwatch, alongside the Gear 2 Neo, a cheaper and less feature-packed smartwatch. These two devices run a custom operating system designed by Samsung called Tizen. This was a switch from Android, which powered the initial Gear smartwatch. Samsung has one other wearable called the Gear Fit that is smaller and focuses on fitness tracking. Interestingly, it runs neither Android or Tizen. Instead, it uses a custom real-time operating system (RTOS) that helps the Gear Fit run efficiently, according to SamMobile. The custom RTOS allows the Gear Fit to achieve…

Take a victory lap, Microsoft: Your claims that Google is "Scroogling" its customers have stood up to scrutiny. The Guardian reports that the Advertising Standards Authority, a U.K. advertising watchdog, has ruled in favor of Microsoft and has said that Google's data collection practices are a legitimate point of criticism for Microsoft's "Scroogled" ad campaign. Specifically, the A.S.A. said that "because the ad made clear that the privacy claims were in relation to ad targeting, which Outlook.com does not carry out, we therefore concluded that the ad was not misleading" and that Microsoft well within bounds to call it out. Although Microsoft's "Scroogled" campaign hasn'…