Archives

Are you angry that online auction giant eBay isn't allowing you to sell your smartphone with Flappy Birds installed for $1,000 or more? Well we're likely now approaching the tail end of the Flappy Bird phenomenon anyway, but some companies are still finding creative new ways to capitalize on the craze before it vanishes. One such company is UpgradeSwap. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Consumer reception to the iPhone 5c has been on the whole underwhelming to say the least. Now former Apple advertising executive Ken Segall has penned a short autopsy of the iPhone 5c on his blog and comes to the conclusion that Apple's user base just has no use for cheap-looking plastic phones. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

During last quarter’s earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook all but confirmed that mobile payments will be coming to the iPhone. This always made sense: With iBeacons, Passbook, and AirDrop, Apple has all the pieces ready and now just needs to figure out how to put them in place. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

You wouldn't like BlackBerry CEO John Chen when he's angry. Ever since Chen took over as BlackBerry's CEO he's taken an aggressive stance against anyone who disrespects his company, whether they're smarty-pants bloggers or Ryan Seacrest. Now Chen is calling out wireless carrier T-Mobile, which angered BlackBerry fans recently by sending them targeted promotions encouraging them to switch to Apple's iPhone. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Google knows that it has its work cut out for it when it comes to making Google Glass more widely accepted by the general public, which is why it's put a strict ban on Glass facial recognition apps and other features that could potentially creep people out. However, Google also knows that some of its more zealous early Glass adopters could also pose an image problem for the product, which is why it's published a handy etiquette guide for Glass users on the do's and don't's of using its computerized headset. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

HTC just announced that the “Best is going to get better” on March 25th. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that this will be the day for the unveiling of the HTC One successor. Codenamed the M8, it has been rumored to be called the HTC One 2 and the HTC One+. Whatever it’s called, we will find out for sure in just over a month. HTC didn’t divulge the location, but we are expecting a simultaneous launch in London and New York City, just like last year. Since this will be HTC’s flagship phone of the year, this date will probably be the most important day of the year for HTC. The HTC One was a fantastic phone that received a ton of praise from the medi…

Famous leaker @evleaks released what appears to be a sample photo from the upcoming Samsung flagship. According to the Exif data from the photo, the resolution is 5312 x 2988 suggesting that the shooter will be in the 16MP (15.9MP to be exact) ballpark. The photo is a “test photo for AT&T.” What we also see from the Exif data is that the camera has an f/2.2 aperture which should help in taking better nighttime photos. With Mobile World Congress just a week away, and Samsung’s own Unpacked 5 just six days away, we’ll most likely know for sure in just a short amount of time. We have the sample photo for you after the break. source: @evleaks Come com…

2014 is set to be a big year in tech, and companies will have to release products accordingly in order to keep up in a quickly changing market. This is especially true for Intel, who is planning a big year ahead of them. The start of 2014 will see the release of Intel’s Xeon E7-8800/4800/2800 V2 and Xeon E5-4600 V2 processor series. The Xeon E7 series will be released using the Ivy Bridge-EX brand, with the Xeon E5 being branded under the Ivy Bridge EP4s name. Intel will also be making some big releases at Mobile World Congress next week. They will launch two new processors meant for tablets and smartphones. These processors will be released under the Merrifield n…

With companies announcing that they’re, well, going to be announcing stuff at other events being a common practice, it shouldn’t be a surprise that we see OEM’s announcing various things before Mobile World Congress next week. ZTE is no different. The company announced this morning that we’ll see the Grand Memo II LTE sporting a 6-inch screen and another smartphone called the Open C. That phone will run Firefox OS 1.3 A new version of its MiFavor UI was also mentioned and it will most likely debut on a few Android devices at MWC. Not much to go on other than that. Regardless, we’ll know more next week so stay tuned! source: Engadget Come comment on …

Remember that teaser Tweet HTC sent out last week about some sort of repair service? Well they finally explained what it was all about. They just launched HTC Advantage, which is for U.S. owners of the HTC One, HTC One Mini, HTC One Max, and we presume the newest flagship they will announce next month. It gives customers a little more than the traditional warranty coverages you will find from other Android manufacturers. With HTC Advantage, if you crack your screen within the first 6 months of ownership, HTC will replace it for free. One caveat is that this will only cover people who buy a phone from today (February 18, 2014) onward. Also part of HTC Advantage is the…

http://androidforum.us/data/MetaMirrorCache/f454ac83c24597053d6546704f5d6d8b.jpg HTC makes some of the greatest smartphones in the world — in fact, last year's flagship HTC One is easily still one of the best Android phones that has ever launched — and now consumers in the United States have yet another reason to consider HTC when purchasing their next smartphone. The Taiwan-based vendor on Tuesday announced a new program called HTC Advantage, an industry first that takes much of the pain out of one of the most painful things that can happen to your smartphone. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The Galaxy S5 will apparently not pack a fingerprint scanner under the screen, as many leaks have recently suggested, but instead it will embed the sensor in the home button, according to SamMobile’s insiders. Thus, the device will still feature a home button, as Samsung will not move to on-screen buttons like other Android device makers. Of course there's another popular smartphone we know with a fingerprint scanner under the home button, and Samsung looks to be taking inspiration yet again from its top rival Apple. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Believe it or not, one tiny fruit could change consumer technology forever — and no, fanboys, we're not talking about Apple. It turns out that the pomegranate, which is quite trendy right now for everything from flavoring drinks to scenting shampoos and candles, is also the inspiration for new lithium-ion battery technology that may feature dramatically improved battery performance and longevity. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

After various leaks, including a boring first photo taken with the Galaxy S5, claimed that Samsung’s upcoming smartphone will feature a 16-megapixel main camera, a new picture reportedly taken with the device has been shared. Well-known leaker @evleaks posted a Galaxy S5 camera sample image on Twitter, after discovering it on Flickr. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The "iPhone vs. Android" debate is an odd one but it's also quite prevalent among technology enthusiasts, so we cover it often here on BGR. Among the more interesting aspects of the debate are the perspectives shared by users who jump from one camp to the other and then share their thoughts; since we use both mobile platforms constantly here at BGR, the occasional outside commentary is interesting. In the past, we covered an account from an Apple fanboy who couldn’t stand using the Nexus 5 even for a full 24 hours, and we also found a more level-headed anecdote from someone who switched from the iPhone 5 to the Galaxy S4 for six months. Now, a Silicon Valley investor and …

Google Glass has come under some heat from some early adopters who have either reported getting headaches from the device or who say bluntly that they "*hate*" Google's experimental digital headset. However, the first generation of Glass might just be the start of something much bigger that will lead to major advances in the field of wearable computing. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The HTC Desire 8 hasn’t been to shy as of late. We have seen a photo of the device (above) and a leaked screenshot came attached with a possible release date. Now the specifications and potential carrier information have trickled out, thanks to LlabTooFer. This 5.5-inch display will have a resolution of 720p. Powering the device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.2GHz with 1GB of RAM. Along with 8GB of memory is a microSD card slot. Bluetooth 4.0, now an expectation, is included. The user interface is HTC’s Sense 6.0 over Android 4.4.2. And like the upcoming HTC M8, the Desire 8 will have on-screen buttons. The variants across the world will be: …

With Mobile World Congress just one week away, Acer has decided to start teasing what is in store. On Google+, the company posted the image above; however, they did not provide any information except saying that they will have some “must-have new products” ready in Barcelona. Attached is a hashtag that says “#AcerLiquid” which a line of Acer devices. Since the post has a countdown and said products (plural), I would assume we are going to get a teaser each day. Anyone have an idea as to what is below the camera lens? Could it be a fingerprint scanner? After all, those are the craze these days. Source: +Acer Come comment on this article: Acer teases new “must-ha…

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!! Carriers Mystery Motorola device shows up at FCC Phones Acer teases new “must-have” products for MWC New image of HTC Desire 8 suggests announcement next week HTC Desire 8 carriers and specs leak Huawei teases new devices for MWC with iPhone and Siri clones LG reps meeting with Google in hopes to continue partnership by showing off their new tech Mystery Motorola device shows up at FCC New p…

Knock Code is one of the coolest new features on the G Pro 2 is “Knock Code,” an enhanced version of Knock On that’s found on the G2. Knock Code allows you to set up a specific “code” for tapping on your device to wake it up, which was supposedly added as a security feature. There are a ton of different combinations of knock codes you can use to unlock the G Pro 2, and it’s shaping up to be one of the best features you’ll find on LG’s latest phablet. If you want to see the feature in action, (trust us, you do) you can check out the video below. Click here to view the embedded video. source: Android Central Come comment on this article: LG’s Kno…

The long rumored Samsung Galaxy GT-I9515, which could be called the Galaxy S4 Value Edition, received a Bluetooth SIG certification yesterday. This means that Samsung might unveil the device soon. The device is another variation of the Galaxy S4 but with a newer software equipped. There’s no official detail on the phone’s specifications but previous rumors hint that the features of the device is similar to the original Galaxy S4, sporting a 5-inch 1080p display, 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 processor and will run on Android 4.4.2 KitKat. The device is said to be available in seven colors: white, black, brown, red, pink, purple and blue. The smartphone has yet to be officia…

http://androidforum.us/data/MetaMirrorCache/b4e35833f7618fbc68f35936de6e1179.jpgMicrosoft on Friday released the first big Xbox One software update, which may have already rolled out to certain users. “For the vast majority of Xbox One owners who use ‘Instant On’ (the low power state that allows you to instantly power up your console by saying ‘Xbox On’), the console automatically checks for updates when customers turn it off,” Xbox’s Major Nelson wrote. "This means now that we’ve made the February update available, the next time you turn your console off it will take the update during off-peak hours in your local time.” Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Repo…

Basis, a company that sells health-monitoring smartwatches, is hoping to be bought by Apple... or pretty much anyone, for that matter. According to a report from TechCrunch, the San Fransisco–based company is seeking a “sub-hundred million” price and has reportedly talked about a potential sale to Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 are on a relatively level playing field as the new generation revs up, but Microsoft and Sony will find ways to help consumers differentiate between the two in the coming months and years. Sony has already played its trump card by offering free games through PlayStation Plus, but Microsoft might be closing in on its own digital initiative to give Xbox One owners better deals. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

One of the more overlooked aspects of the proposed Comcast-Time Warner cable merger announced last week was how it would impact Apple's plans for Apple TV. After all, Bloomberg reported right before the merger was announced that Apple was planning to unveil a major refresh to Apple TV in April and that it was working on a deal with Time Warner Cable to deliver content over its next-generation set-top box. However, now that Time Warner Cable is in the midst of getting bought up by Comcast, where does that leave things for Apple? Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report