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We are about a month away from the Galaxy S 5 launch, which will not only bring updated versions for most TouchWiz apps, but it will also bring a few brand new apps. Many of these apps leaked and are available to download right now. They include S Note, WatchON, S Health, S Translator, the calculator, and Gear Manager. The only caveat, and a major one, is that you need a Samsung device running Android 4.4.2. Plus, some of the apps need to have the previous version uninstalled, which requires root. And of course, the Galaxy Fit won’t do much for you unless you have a Galaxy Fit, but you can at least see the UI. Download Link source: SamMobile Come comment on …

Last week, we informed you about a leak related to LG’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the LG G3, with the model number LG D850. There was also the VS985 model of the G3 which could be the Verizon Wireless carrier-based model. The company is expected to announce the device in May or June. Now, LG’s official website has posted the User Agent profile of the LG D850 model. According to the User Agent profile, the model has a Quad HD display of 1440 x 2560 pixels. Does this mean that the LG G3 could feature a Quad HD display? We can’t be sure, but this news coupled with previous rumors about the device coming with a Quad HD display hints that the device could possibly sport…

One of the great things about Android is that you can replace the default apps if you want to. This can help you personalize your phone so that it’s really custom to you. We’ve put together a list of the best SMS replacement apps on the market. Check them out for yourself and find the one that best suits you! 1. Google Hangouts by Google While Google Hangouts is already the default SMS app for Nexus devices and other Play Store edition devices, it certainly isn’t for most Android phones on the market. Google Hangouts for Android combines texting with the Google Hangouts Internet messaging service and video chatting. Furthermore, Google Hangouts syncs with your…

It’s no secret that Samsung has complete control over the Android smartphone market. The company has a market share of 65%, and has a marketing campaign that essentially squashes the competition. Its main competitors, LG, HTC, Sony and Motorola have global market shares of 7%, 6%, 5% and 4% respectively. Analysts are suggesting that these market shares will soon change. Lenovo, which recently purchased Motorola Mobility, will expand the brand to new markets in Europe, China and emerging markets. With a new focus, Lenovo/Motorola may be able to surpass LG’s 7% market share. Although making a run at Samsung may seem a bit far-fetched right now, it might not be in the …

Just like Apple does with previous-generation iPhones when new models arrives, HTC will also keep the previous flagship around once the All New HTC One arrives, Phones Review has learned. Apparently a source “close to a popular mobile phone retail chain” in the U.K. has seen the new model and has also heard that “talks are ongoing to try and offer the original HTC One for a lower price to consumers.” Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Microsoft is tired of seeing its global mobile market share sit in the low single digits each quarter, and it looks like the software giant is finally ready to take some more drastic measures in order to help Windows Phone proliferate. According to a report from The Times of India, Microsoft is following Google's lead and making its mobile software free for at least two smartphone makers, Lava and Karbonn. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Bad news, Amazon customers: the cost of Amazon Prime goes up next week. After batting around the idea of increasing the annual cost of its Prime subscription service by as much as $40, Amazon finally settled on a slightly lower figure. As of next week, Amazon Prime will cost $99 per year instead of $79, CNBC reported. The company is encouraging customers to sign up for Prime within the next seven days in order to lock in their first year of service at the current $79 rate. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Apple's new iOS 7.1 software isn't even a week old but we have already seen a flurry of new information surrounding iOS 8 leak. Apple has plenty in store for us later this year when it debuts the next-generation of its mobile software, and so far we know additions will include big improvements to the company's mobile mapping solution and a potential revamp of iTunes Radio. Now, 9to5Mac has revealed additional new plans for Apple's upcoming iOS 8 software. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5 didn't exactly knock people's socks off when it was finally unveiled last month during the annual Mobile World Congress trade show, but it was likely due in large part to the sky-high expectations brought about by months of rumors. Smartphone fans were expecting a quad HD display, a metal enclosure and even an integrated eye scanner, but none of those new features materialized. Instead, all we got was the best smartphone Samsung has ever built. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The much popular Threes! puzzle game on the iOS platform has finally made its way onto Android via the Google Play Store. Threes! is one of those puzzle games that takes a minute to learn, but then you find yourself diving into it for hours. For a limited time only you can purchase the game for 33.33% off at $1.99. QR code and download links after the break! Play Store Download Link Come comment on this article: Threes! finally makes its way onto the Google Play Store Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more! News via TalkAndroid

Thanks to the trusty @evleaks twitter account, T-Mobile might be landing Sony’s Xperia T2 Ultra handset sometime this year. T-Mobile also has the Sony Xperia Z1s, so it looks like T-Mobile wants to keep Sony’s devices in their lineup. For power users, the T2 may not be as attractive as it’s more of a mid-range device. You won’t find waterproof capabilities in this one, and the specs include a 6-inch 720p screen, a Snapdragon 400 processor, and 1GB of RAM powered by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. No other details on launch date, but more will come as we find out. I’m hoping T-Mobile keeps this Sony trend and also releases the recently unveiled Xperia Z2! source: evleaks …

YouTube received an update today, but it isn’t the update you’re probably used to. Once you update, you’re going to get nothing new expect that the icon in the top leftt of the UI that has a bone inside. It symbplizes Google’s “dogfooding” program, or internal testing program, for those not familiar with the term. The program brings a menu with ExoPlayer options inside. Not quite sure what exactly the options do, and there’s a good chance this update was sent out mistakenly. The update brings YouTube to version 5.5.26. It doesn’t seem like there are any other functional changes, but if we find something, we’ll be sure to let you know. Find a download link past the brea…

Google has updated their Search app with a handful of new features, so you’ll likely start seeing a few new additions as you get the update. A majority of the new changes are in Google Now’s information cards, including extra information for Cricket teams, sports card improvements, and expandable information in cards relating to stock information. Outside of the Now cards, Google has improved image searching, adding in the ability to open an image in a browser to quickly save it. One of the biggest pain points of Google image searching with the app was that it was impossible to save a picture if you needed to store it for later, so this addition is a welcome one. Google h…

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!! Apps [New Chromecast App] DrawCast lets your draw on your phone and TV at the same time [New Chromecast App] Class6ix brings personalized local and national news to your Chromecast Google Wallet app receives a new update, introduces “Orders” feature Google Translate update brings handwriting support for 13 more languages Google Search app updated with expanded card information, better image searching, a…

If you have friends who love to play games on their iPhones then chances are you've heard of Threes!, a puzzle game developed Sirvo that gives you a set of number-based tiles and lets you merge them together as long as their sum is a numeral of 3. So for example, you could combine a "2" tile and a "1" tile but not a "2" tile with another "2" tile. Ever since its release in February, Threes! has been a staple on the iOS top 20 paid apps chart and it has received rave reviews from critics who have praised it as a simple but heavily engaging puzzle game. And now here's the good news for Android fans: You can now buy Threes! for $1.99 on the Google Play store, which is a pret…

In the midst of the hysteria that has resulted from a near simultaneous launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, fans and the press alike have been more concerned with which company has the competitive edge than how the market is behaving as a whole. Natasha Lomas published her own analysis on TechCrunch earlier this week, showing the vast disparity between console sales in January 2007 and January 2014. In January 2007, around 2 million game consoles were sold. In January 2014, that number was closer to 700,000. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

If you thought Mozilla importing the Unreal Engine 3 onto Firefox was impressive, just wait until you get a load of what they've done with Unreal Engine 4. Less than a year after Mozilla showed off its successful port of the gaming engine behind the latest Bioshock and Mass Effect games into its web browser, the organization has come back with another video that gives us the first glimpse of its port of Unreal Engine 4. The video gives a brief two-minute tour of areas in the games Epic's Soul and Swing Ninja and they look nothing short of stunning. Of course, this trailer is only one short little demonstration and we still don't know whether Mozilla has solved a lot issue…

ISPs will ignore Google Fiber at their own peril. MarketWatch's Nat Worden writes that many cable executives he talked with four years ago were openly dismissive of Google's chances of succeeding as an ISP because the company didn't have the experience managing a network and dealing with customer service to make it work. Now, however, Google Fiber is up and running in three markets and is considering an expansion to nine other major metropolitan areas encompassing 34 cities and towns, meaning the time for Comcast and Time Warner Cable to scoff at Google's broadband adventure may be at an end. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Good news, everyone: You'll be able to keep searching through Google without the specter of annoying banner ads hanging over you. Marketing Land brings us word that Google search boss Amit Singhal said this week that the Google had cancelled its experimental program to introduce banner ads into searches that it played around with last fall. Under that program, people who searched for company names would be served an enormous banner ad that would be placed at the top of search results. Such giant ads would have run counter to Google’s statement back in 2005 when it said that “there will be no banner ads on the Google homepage or web search results pages” and that there “wi…

Sprint is openly interested in buying T-Mobile and has been trying to convince regulators that a merger will increase its ability to compete with AT&T and Verizon. Sprint may be fighting a losing battle, even as its chairman, Masayoshi Son, continues his charm offensive. Analysts skeptical of the merger compare the merger to AT&T’s attempted purchase of T-Mobile in 2011. The government shut that down, and according to Fierce Wireless, AT&T CFO John Stephens doesn’t think the government will change its mind with Sprint. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

New Apple job listings uncovered by AppleInsider reveal that the company is looking to fill several positions in its Camera Software team, with some of the listings mentioning for the first time ever the Apple TV alongside other Apple products that already have cameras. These new job listings seem to suggest that Apple may be soon bringing Kinect-like gesture-based controls to future Apple TV iterations and/or to its future television set that’s reportedly in the making. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Even if you make use of Snowden's tips for remaining anonymous online, there might not be much you can do to escape the NSA's latest expansion. Ryan Gallagher and Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept report that classified files reveal "new details about groundbreaking surveillance technology the agency has developed to infect potentially millions of computers worldwide with malware 'implants.'" Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Forget bringing back the flip phone — could Samsung be trying to resurrect the old-school candy bar phone? SamMobile has spotted a newly filed Samsung patent for a smartphone that has a 21:9 aspect ratio, which would likely make it the longest smartphone ever. Although a Galaxy device with a 21:9 aspect ratio would be strange, it wouldn't be unprecedented: SamMobile points out that LG's 2009 LG BL40 New Chocolate feature phone also had a 21:9 aspect ratio, although as you can see from the picture below the results weren't pretty. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The Gionee Elife S5.5 made some noise last month as it earned its spot as the world’s thinnest smartphone, coming in at 5.5 mm. The device will finally be hitting the market in China on March 18. Other countries have not been announced, but Gionee said that it will be launched in no less than 40 countries. Expect pricing to be 2,299 yuan in China, or about $374 or €269. Specs are decent for the price, as the phone will feature a 5-inch 1080p full HD display, a 1.7 GHz octa-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a 13MP rear shooter, a 5MP front camera, a 2,300 mAh battery and Gionee’s Amigo Android based OS. Source: UnwiredView Come comment on this art…

AT&T‘s CFO, John Stephens, commented on the recent news that Sprint intends to acquire T-Mobile, and said that he didn’t think that the merger was possible. Stephens mentioned that AT&T has wanted market consolidation in the past, but it didn’t happen. His skepticism towards the merger is possibly because of AT&T’s failed attempt at acquiring T-Mobile in 2011. Masayoshi Son, the CEO of Softbank, which is the Japanese company that owns Sprint, is much more enthusiastic about the merger, saying that it could ignite a “massive price war” and healthy competition in the U.S. market. Despite this, regulators said in meetings with Softbank and Sprint with the FCC …