R
Robert Nazarian
Guest
Things were fairly quiet this week until we got word that Motorola may finally make a Nexus phone. NVIDIA announced the new Shield Tablet, but will anybody care about it? Speaking of who cares….the Amazon Fire Phone is officially available for you to waste your money on. We finally got our best look at the upcoming Moto X+1, but we are still waiting patiently for the Moto 360. And did HTC’s upcoming smartwatch appear in a video? It’s time to get caught up and get ready for what is sure to be another big week in the world of Android.
Editorials
Why wasn’t the Motorola Moto X commercially successful?
Apps – New
Amazon Wallet is a new digital wallet to compete with Google and Isis
Facetune, a selfie editor, is now available for Android devices
ChoreMonster brings technology and kids together to reward completion of chores
[New Android Wear App] Swipify brings useful tools to Google’s wearable platform
Google Hands-Free app icon appears in company post
Apps – Updates
New and improved ‘Explore Nearby feature’ coming to Google Maps
Facebook adds ‘Save’ feature that lets you save stuff to read or watch later
HTC puts the Sense keyboard in the Play Store for easier updates
Twitch for Android sees 3.0 update, bringing new interface and more features
[APK Download] Google updates Play Store app with Material Design
Fleksy updates keyboard app to version 3.0 with new look and features
Google Maps gets new Explore feature to help you find points of interest nearby
Foursquare gets a new logo and several new changes and features
HTC’s clock app for Sense 6 hits the Play Store for easier updating
Amazon adds ‘hundreds of thousands of songs’ to Prime Music service
[APK Download] Chrome Beta for Android adds a little Android L Material Design
Gmail and Drive get more integration
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides now work with any file across mutliple platforms
Shazam update brings full in-app song playback with Rdio integration
Android Wear
[New Android Wear App] Swipify brings useful tools to Google’s wearable platform
Carriers
AT&T LG G3 only supports PMA wireless charging, no Qi charging available
HTC Desire 610 available today through AT&T
LG’s G Vista coming to AT&T, according to leaked manual
Sprint not alone in wanting T-Mobile, Carlos Slim expressing interest
Kyocera Hydro Life coming to T-Mobile’s network later this year
More details surface about ZTE Olympia headed to T-Mobile
Samsung Galaxy Avant comes to T-Mobile on July 30, remote device unlocking in tow
T-Mobile is testing a phablet from ZTE
Verizon’s launch date for HTC One Remix (One Mini 2) finally known
Verizon launches “Smart Rewards” program nationwide to reward customers for doing mundane Verizon tasks
Verizon launching the HTC One Remix on July 24, $99 with two-year contract
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 now available on Verizon
Verizon will start throttling its unlimited data users on October 1st
Verizon allowing LG G3 owners to uninstall bloatware
Chromecast
Google redesigns the Chromecast site with improved usefulness
JW Player gets Chromecast support in new update, bringing casting support to millions of sites
Google rewarding Chromecast owners with 90 days of unlimited All Access
Gaming
Gameloft releases Modern Combat 5 trailer, pirates release the full game a little early
Amazon releasing new games to take advantage of Fire Phone features
NVIDIA announces the Shield Tablet and Shield Wireless Controller, pre-orders start now
Twitch for Android sees 3.0 update, bringing new interface and more features
The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land to swarm onto mobile devices in 2015
LG announces game that can be played inside the QuickCircle Case’s window for the G3
Modern Combat 5: Blackout arrives in the Play Store one day early
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stealthily places a game in the Play Store
Rovio releases Angry Birds Transformers teaser trailer
Google Play Store now has a separate section for Offline Games
Siri and Google Now duke it out, which is better?
Google releases updates focused on filters and views for Google Sheets
Google Maps now shows ad extensions in search results
You can now make Google Voice calls through Hangouts on your computer, all without a Google+ profile
Report: Google’s YouTube reaches deal to acquire Twitch for $1 billion
Google looks inward with new Baseline Study of human body
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides now work with any file across mutliple platforms
GPU benchmarking company drawElements purchased by Google
Google files patents for contact lenses with built-in iris and capacitive sensors
Google Hands-Free app icon appears in company post
Google Glass
Minnesota Vikings utilizing Google Glass in training camp
Phones – Amazon
Amazon releasing new games to take advantage of Fire Phone features
Amazon Fire Phone proves difficult to repair in iFixit teardown
Phones – Kyocera
Kyocera Hydro Life coming to T-Mobile’s network later this year
Phones – HTC
Verizon launching the HTC One Remix on July 24, $99 with two-year contract
HTC Desire 610 available today through AT&T
Phones – Lenovo
Specs revealed for Lenovo’s upcoming flagship, the Vibe Z2 Pro
Phones – LG
Korea’s LG G3 LTE-A finally unveiled, features Snapdragon 805 processor
LG’s G Vista coming to AT&T, according to leaked manual
AT&T LG G3 only supports PMA wireless charging, no Qi charging available
Verizon allowing LG G3 owners to uninstall bloatware
Phones – Nexus
Nexus Lives: Motorola rumored to be working on a 5.9-inch Nexus phone codenamed ‘Shamu’
Phones – Motorola
Leaked photos of Motorola’s X+1 show wooden back, no MicroSD slot
Here’s our first look at the Moto G sequel
Upcoming DROID MAXX and DROID Mini will each sport the Snapdragon 801
Motorola makes its digital tattoos for unlocking the Moto X more official with promotional video
Motorola launches Back to School Sale with discounts of over $100 on all Moto X variants
Sweet News for Verizon Moto G Users
Phones – OnePlus
OnePlus giving out 5000 invites in a “Blizzard of Invites”
OnePlus One bamboo cover coming in August
Phones – Samsung
Samsung’s Galaxy Alpha production may be limited due to metal design
Say hello to the Samsung Galaxy Alpha
Samsung struggling with relative success, eyes Samsung Note 4 for help
Samsung Galaxy Avant comes to T-Mobile on July 30, remote device unlocking in tow
Samsung launches enormous TabQ 7-inch phablet in China
Device certified by FCC seems to be Samsung’s Galaxy Mega 2
Galaxy S 5 HDR capabilities showcased in Samsung’s ‘Sunrise to Sunset’ video
Samsung appears to be rolling out firmware update to improve Samsung Galaxy S 5 performance
Phones – Sony
New Sony Xperia Z3X renders, specs surface
New specs leak for Sony Xperia Z3
Updated version of Sony Xperia Z3 pays a visit to the FCC
Alleged Sony Xperia Z3 images show its side and back
Phones – Xiaomi
Xiaomi announces what it’s calling the ‘fastest smartphone in the world,’ the Mi4
Phones – ZTE
T-Mobile is testing a phablet from ZTE
More details surface about ZTE Olympia headed to T-Mobile
Smartwatches
[New Android Wear App] Swipify brings useful tools to Google’s wearable platform
Kernel source files for LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live released by Google
Potential HTC smartwatch outed by the company’s “behind the scenes” video
HTC denies that smartwatch that appears in recent promotional video is an actual device
LG G Watch gets toolkit for rooting, unlocking, flashing and restoring capabilities
Moto 360 to include ambient light sensor, a first for Android Wear
Team Win Recovery Project adds support for Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch
Smart Glasses
Lenovo shows off their Google Glass knockoff
Tablets
Latest rumor suggests HTC has more tablets in the pipeline
NVIDIA announces the Shield Tablet and Shield Wireless Controller, pre-orders start now
Samsung releases official statement regarding deforming back covers on Galaxy Tab S tablets
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 now available on Verizon
Updates
Want an updated factory image of Android L Dev Preview? Not gonna happen, a Googler says
Samsung appears to be rolling out firmware update to improve Samsung Galaxy S 5 performance
HTC begins pushing out 4.4.3 OTA update to HTC One M8 Developer Edition
Virtual Reality
Samsung Gear VR Manager leaks
Miscellaneous
Samsung doesn’t think iPhone fans should wait 2 more months for a bigger iPhone
Samsung announces next Developers Conference
Conan O’Brien makes fun of the iPhone 6
LG ships record 14.5 million smartphones, experiences strong financial growth during Q2
Cellphone Unlocking Bill Moves to Senate Floor
Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for July 21 – July 27, 2014
Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!
News via TalkAndroid