R
Robert Nazarian
Guest
It was a rather slow week, but there were some interesting things. Android One was officially launched for the next 5 billion people. The Galaxy Note 4 goes on pre-order, but does it stand a chance against the iPhone 6 / 6 Plus? Speaking of pre-orders, the Moto X 2014 is also available. Will it rise above the original? We seem to be getting closer to a new DROID launch on Verizon. Is turbo charging enough to make it successful or does Motorola and Verizon have something else up their sleeves? Oh yeah, Amazon announced new Kindle tablets. That’s right more devices with forked versions of Android. Woo Hoo!! It’s time to get caught up and get ready for what is sure to be another interesting week in the Android world.
Reviews
Galaxy S 5 Sport for Sprint quick review
Accessories
Nexus 9 keyboard shows itself in NCC filing
Microsoft’s new Universal Mobile Keyboard works with both Android and iOS
Android TV
After departure of project lead, Google’s Android@Home may be in trouble
ASUS ‘Nexus Player’ benchmarks surface, could be an Android TV launch device
Android Wear
Glitch causing some full screen Android Wear apps to close unexpectedly
Android Wear now Supported by OneNote
Apps – New
Adobe’s EchoSign e-signature service brought over to Android
Motorola drops four new apps on the Play Store for 2014 Moto X
Facebook could make private sharing easier with ‘Moments’
Findery, an app full of location stories and notes, launches for Android
Apps – Updates
Google to enable offline YouTube video playback in India
Moto Voice adds support for last year’s Motorola devices
Get answers to your questions much faster in Chrome for Android with hidden experimental feature
Shazam links to Google Play for listening and buying
Google rebrands Maps Engine to My Maps on mobile devices and desktop
Google rolls out Google Play Services 6.1 update, packs multiple API enhancements
Google Play Store 5.0 update gets a sneak peek
HTC Gallery updated with new Duo Effects for Seasons and Foregrounder
Google testing optional Home button for Chrome’s Android app
Samsung introduces KNOX Express and Premium, pricing is free to start
Cameras
Panasonic announces the Lumix CM1, an Android-powered smart camera
Carriers
AT&T pre-ordering open for Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 with 4G LTE
AT&T to start taking Samsung Galaxy Note 4 pre-orders on September 19th
Sprint revamps Prepaid plans to include more data at reasonable prices
LG G3 Vigor joining Sprint portfolio this Friday
HTC and Sprint announce the mid-range Desire 510
Motorola Moto X (2014) will not be available with Sprint
ZTE announces the ZMAX with T-Mobile as the exclusive carrier
Verizon launches Advanced Calling 1.0 with VoLTE and Video Calling
Verizon Moves Forward Upgrade Dates Two Months
Motorola to bring new fast-charging Droid to Verizon in October
Verizon to launch WiFi calling in 2015
Verizon launching the Motorola Moto X (2014) on September 26
Chrome
Chrome for Windows, Mac, and Linux can now Run Android Apps
Chromebooks
Run any Android app on your Chromebook with this hack
Chromecast
Chromecast adds support for WATCH Disney Channel, Twitch, iHeartRadio, and DramaFever
Sling adds support for Chromecast to Slingplayer app
Gaming
Vector Unit revs up Beach Buggy Racing in the Play Store
Real time strategy game Star Wars: Commander now available for Android
You can make your own Google Cardboard headset for less than $4
Google looking into utilizing drones to provide internet access in remote areas
Google rebrands Maps Engine to My Maps on mobile devices and desktop
Android Silver plans get shelved amid “serious doubts”
Google’s Material Design takes home the Gold Prize at the User Experience Awards 2014
Former Qualcomm executive takes the lead role of Google Fiber
Larry Page envisions a grand Google 2.0
Tim Cook’s new privacy statement for Apple jabs Google
Google’s “Active Watching” Patent gets Mixed Responses
The Play Store could start listing in-app purchase price ranges later this month
Google+
Google Removes Mandatory G+ Sign-up for new Gmail Accounts
Hardware
Samsung’s new Exynos 5433 is the first to use Cortex-A57/A53 cores
Phones – Android One
Google officially launches Android One, the smartphone for the next 5 billion
Some Android One devices require microSD card for pictures, downloads
MediaTek opens up kernel source for first batch of Android One devices
Phones – HTC
HTC and Sprint announce the mid-range Desire 510
Phones – LG
LG announces the 3G only G3 Stylus
LG G3 Vigor joining Sprint portfolio this Friday
Phones – Motorola
Motorola to bring new fast-charging Droid to Verizon in October
Motorola Moto X (2014) will not be available with Sprint
Students with .edu email get $50 off new Moto X
You can now preorder the 2nd gen Moto X in Black Resin, Black Leather or Bamboo at AT&T
Verizon launching the Motorola Moto X (2014) on September 26
Motorola Releases Three New Moto X Commercials
See how the new Motorola commercials were made in a behind-the-scenes video
Moto Maker web site goes live for the new Motorola Moto X
Motorola launches Moto Maker in the United Kingdom
Phones – OnePlus
OnePlus calls off StyleSwap covers and labels new pre-order system “a blessing”
Phones – Oppo
Oppo teases announcement of the N3
New Oppo N3 leak shows different design
The Oppo N3 will have a new cooling system
Phones – Samsung
Here is what the Samsung SM-A500 will look like
Samsung Galaxy A5 (SM-A500F) leaked in photos
Samsung SM-A300 shows up in UAProf file
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime leaks with a serious focus on selfies
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 display deemed to be the best around
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 pre-orders start tomorrow, available October 17
AT&T to start taking Samsung Galaxy Note 4 pre-orders on September 19th
Samsung Galaxy S5 Active Released for Canada
Phones – ZTE
ZTE announces the ZMAX with T-Mobile as the exclusive carrier
Security
New Android vulnerability described as “a privacy disaster”
Android L will enable device encryption by default for better security
Dropbox, Google, Open Technology Fund, Security Researchers to simplify security tools
Samsung introduces KNOX Express and Premium, pricing is free to start
Set-top boxes
Spotify brings service to Amazon Fire TV
Smart Glasses
Sony announces SmartEyeglass and software development kit preview
Smartwatches
Could a gold Moto 360 be on its way?
See how the new Motorola commercials were made in a behind-the-scenes video
Motorola Moto 360 owners reporting image persistence on display
Pebble Update adds Emojis, Compasses, and More
Samsung to implement a fingerprint scanner on their next smartwatch, but do they need to
Tablets
Amazon introduces the all new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9
Amazon unveils super cheap Kindle Fire HD 6 and Fire HD 7 tablets
Amazon Releases Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition
Nexus 9 keyboard shows itself in NCC filing
Nexus 9 could be released on October 16
NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet with 4G LTE and 32GB of storage up for pre-order
Another day another Samsung commercial, this time Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard get the lead
AT&T pre-ordering open for Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 with 4G LTE
Updates
Amazon announces version 4 of Fire OS, codenamed ‘Sangria’
Android L may hit Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 by early December
Virtual Reality
You can make your own Google Cardboard headset for less than $4
Take a look inside Samsung’s Gear VR
Qualcomm’s Vuforia empowers developers to build augmented reality apps for digital eyewear devices
Miscellaneous
Samsung is about to release their own sitcom because they aren’t on your TV enough
Motorola’s VP of product management is leaving the company
Sony losses expected to be around $1.7 billion thanks to their mobile division
LG billboard earns Guinness World Record entry
Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for September 15 – September 21, 2014
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