Android

Hot on the heels of the news that 10 million Samsung Galaxy S4′s were sold in its first month comes the news that HTC was able to move more than 5 million HTC One‘s in almost the same period of time. To some this might look like half the Galaxy S4 sales (and in reality it is), but it is actually pretty good news for HTC, especially considering the part shortages and smaller regional releases the One had to endure (and still endure) at its launch; to still have sold so many One’s in its first month is a great achievement. This is potentially very exciting for HTC, who appears to be picking up a lot of Samsung’s tricks, such as planning a mid-range, smaller version of their flagship (HTC M4) and looking to expand more into the mid-range internationally with phones like the Desire 600. And let’s be honest, copying some of Samsung’s tricks can’t be a bad thing if Samsung is able to grab 74% of the smartphone market in a financial quarter. Also hot on the presses at the moment is the possible existence of a ‘Senseless’ HTC One. If true, this could win over a small, but very vocal part of the market who crave for stock Android in that amazing aluminium body. Looks like HTC might be getting ready to cover all its bases. What do you think of HTC’s performance? Are things on the way back up? Let us know what you foresee in the comments. Source: Phandroid

Entry-level handset coming to O2, Carphone Warehouse Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Young, first revealed back in February, will be hitting British shores this weekend. The budget-focused handset packs a 1GHz CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 3.27-inch HVGA screen and Samsung's TouchWiz UI atop Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Around the back there's a 1300mAh battery and 3MP camera. Not cutting edge by any means, but it's likely Samsung's looking to compete on price rather than specs here. Samsung says the Galaxy Young will be coming to a range of outlets, including Carphone Warehouse and O2, in "a range of color options." On-contract prices start at £9.50 per month, or you can buy it outright on PAYG for £89.99

Google has placed orders for OLED displays from Samsung, to be used in the consumer version of Glass, says a Korean press report. Google is gearing up to manufacture and sell the consumer version of the Glass wearable computer, which the company’s chairman Erich Schmidt said might happen sometimes next year. Samsung, one of Google’s most important partners, will be part of the supply chain for Glass, according a report from Korea Times. Samsung’s display unit will manufacture the microdisplays required to create the virtual image that Glass projects on the user’s retina. The current versions of Glass, which Google has so far sold to developers and enthusiasts through the Explorer program, is said to feature a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) microdisplay, though official technical information isn’t available. If the report is accurate, Samsung will provide OLED on silicon displays to replace the LCOS technology. OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) require no backlighting, as liquid crystal displays do, which may let Google save space in the Glass by removing the lighting source. In addition, OLEDs have lower power requirements than LCDs, which is important in applications where the size of the battery is limited, such as Glass. At the Society for Information Display convention in Vancouver, Samsung Display’s CEO hinted at this collaboration: “OLED on silicon may be used for glasses-type, augmented-reality devices much like the Google Glass”. The executive went on to say that Samsung’s flexible OLED technology could be used in other wearable devices, such as smartwatches and health bands. Sources told Android Authority ahead of Google I/O that the Mountain View company is working on a smartwatch that has been demoed internally in several offices. Last month, Google’s CEO Larry Page visited Korea to meet, among others, with Samsung’s VP and heir apparent, Lee Jay-yong, who later stated that Page was interested in Samsung’s OLED business. LG was also said to have discussed with Google an alliance in “futuristic projects” such as Glass.

Chrome Beta for Android has been updated to version 28 (28.0.1500.21), which includes several new features like built-in translation. Here is the full changelog for the application, as posted by Google on its blog: Google Translate: When you come across a page written in a language that isn’t in the same language as your phone or tablet, look for the translation bar Fullscreen on tablets: Simply scroll the page to dismiss the toolbar Support for fullscreen API New graph showing your estimated bandwidth savings when you use the experimental data compression feature Mobile friendly error pages The most useful feature seems to be the Google Translate integration, which will certainly come in handy when visiting websites written in an unknown language, but full screen support on tablets as well as that bandwidth saving graphic are also interesting. Image Credit: Android Police The stable version of Chrome for Android has also been just updated to version 27 (27.0.1453.90), which also includes some interesting features: Panel windows for chat and more New Launcher positioning mode Per App list of open tabs & windows Horizontal three finger scrub moves between tabs New folder hierarchy on file manager Autocomplete in Drive search Memory management optimization Enhanced support for common wireless touchpads/mice Updated Chrome Office Viewer extension Pepper Flash updated to 11.7.700.202-r2 GTalk plugin updated to 3.15.2.0 Chrome for Android or Chrome Beta for Android are available as free downloads from the Google Play Store, just follow the Source links below.

The battle to design the thinnest phone in the world will probably continue till they are as thin as paper, but until then, everybody’s going to keep giving it a crack. Everybody’s favourite source of leaked smartphone photos, evleaks, has leaked photos of the soon-to-be-announced Huawei Ascend P6 and does it ever look ready to claim the crown for thinnest phone. The Android device will likely have a 4.7-inch display and rumoured to have a thickness of 6.2mm. 6.2mm! I think it’s a pretty good bet that the P6 will be the thinnest phone on the market when it releases. Overall the phone looks to be shaping up nice and clean, though one thing that I am not a fan of is the fact that the volume buttons are positioned below the hold button. The device will be officially announced at an event in London next month, and I hope it has some sharp specs to match its profile. Enjoy a photo of the P6′s black version: Are you wowed by the Huawei Ascend P6? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Source: Phandroid

$199.99 on contract with 16GB, shi?pping June 11 Looking for a bit more color in your Galaxy S4? The "aurora red" version announced yesterday is now available to pre-order over on AT&T's online store. Currently you're limited to the 16GB storage option, which will run you $199.99 on contract or $639.99 outright. Pre-order today and AT&T aims to get your bright red GS4 to you by June 11, three days before it arrives in brick-and-mortar stores. Pre-order at the link below, and hit the comments to let us know if you're placing your order today. Source: AT&T

The Hisense Sero 7 LT and Sero 7 PRO (which is Tegra 3-powered) are now available at Walmart for $99, and $149, respectively. If you’re on a tight budget and you want an Android tablet with decent specs, Hisense’s two new offerings, set to be available at Walmart starting today, might be just your cup of tea. Hisense, a company known best for its Pulse Google TV device, as well as for building Smart TVs, makes a move into the tablet market with the new Sero 7 LT and Sero 7 Pro devices. The most interesting of the pair is certainly the Hisense Sero 7 PRO, which offers you Tegra 3 performance at a price of $149. The 7-inch tablet’s specs also include 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory. The memory may not be much, but you can use the microSD slot to pop in a card. The Hisense Sero 7 PRO’s 7-inch IPS display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels; a 5 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front one complete the spec sheet. The tablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, promises 10 hours of battery life and, at that price, it sounds like a real bargain. But if the Sero 7 Pro is still too expensive for you, you can always get its lower-speced brother, the Sero 7 LT, marketed by Hisense as an “introduction of technology to a young child”, at $99 (at least you won’t feel too bad if it ends up in pieces). The Sero 7 LT has a 7-inch display, too, but the resolution is just 1024 x 600 pixels, while the CPU was downgraded to a dual-core clocked at 1.6 GHz. The RAM is still 1GB, but the internal storage was halved at 4 GB (you can use a microSD card to supplement that). The tablet also includes a 0.3 megapixel front-facing shooter and it must be mentioned that both are Google Play-certified (unlike Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD models, for example). Are you tempted to buy one of these tablets? Let us know in a comment. Hisense Launches Sero 7 LT and NVIDIA Tegra 3-Powered Sero 7 PRO Android Tablets Exclusively at Walmart Category-Leading Battery Performance, Screen Quality And Pricing Redefine Value For Broadest Market Appeal New York, NY, May 23, 2013 – Hisense today entered the tablet marketplace with the Sero 7 Series, delivering category-leading battery performance, stunning screen quality and exceptional value. The Hisense Sero 7 PRO ($149) and the Sero 7 LT ($99) are available in Walmart stores and on Walmart.com on May 24. “Hisense is proud to introduce cutting-edge tablet technology that is accessible to the broadest demographic, with unmatched performance in the current market landscape,” said Jonathan Frank, Vice President of Marketing, Hisense USA. “Our new Hisense Sero 7 tablets provide Walmart customers with an attractive, robust and highly powerful entertainment, communication and productivity tool.”Powerful, High Quality Tablet at $149 Hisense Sero 7 PRO is a 7-inch 1280 x 800 High Definition touch screen powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Key features include:• NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor • Android 4.2 Jelly Bean • 7 inch, 1280 x 800 IPS display • 1GB of RAM • 8GB of on-board memory • 2.0MP front camera • 5.0MP rear camera with flash and auto-focus • Mini HDMI, SD, and USB ports • 10-hour battery life – Twonky Beam, which allows users to share local and Internet resources with other equipment via a DLNA network• Built-in NFC (Near Field Communications) to share pictures, playlists and videos clips • Bluetooth enabled, providing secure transmission of data to and from devices “Tegra 3′s quad-core processor and fifth battery saver core deliver outstanding performance and amazing battery life,” said John Lonergan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Americas, NVIDIA. “The Hisense Sero 7 PRO, powered by Tegra 3, functions effortlessly with battery-saving technology and brilliant graphic capabilities, providing an amazing experience at a fantastic price for consumers

HTC -- A Smartphone Innovator A short film about how the smartphone evolved - from some of the early pioneering handhelds to today's most innovative smartphones. From: HTC Views: 11 0 ratings Time: 02:48 More in Science & Technology

Back at CES, we visited a little booth of developers that claimed they had revolutionized the virtual keyboard. One of these developers then held out his tablet, looked straight at me, and began to type a sentence out while not looking at the tablet. Okay, I was intrigued. Fleksy Keyboard is a new keyboard that had the soul purpose of creating a keyboard for the blind. Some of you might have come across the video online, where they demonstrated how it would work for the blind. That being said, a lot of you might have not been so intrigued simply because it did not appeal to you. Well I am here to tell you that even though their target audience was maybe for the blind, the style of this keyboard is right up my alley. What I really love about Fleksy Keyboard is the way it looks. It has a slick Holo-like look to it, and when tapping the keys, the letters jump off the screen. When hitting the spacebar, a streak of light beams across the middle of the keyboard, which is pleasing to the eyeballs. Other than having great animations, the keyboard is relatively like a lot of the other keyboards out there. When it comes to accurately guessing the word you intended to spell, Fleksy is a little hit or miss. If there is a word that is not stored within the keyboard, you can swipe up twice for the keyboard to remember the word. Swipe up one more time it will forget that word. If you complete a word and it was not the word you wanted, you can swipe to the left and it will completely delete the word. Swiping to right will put a period, so there is a good amount of swiping going on even if it is not “Swype.” I love the keyboard strictly because of the style and animations. I recommend not having the spell checker option on, because for some reason it kept adding an S at the end of my words. If you want to look more into Fleksy, head over to their site and check it out. It is still in the beta phase, and not yet released in the Play Store. They might still be looking for beta testers, so head to the site and see if you can snag a download. Check out my video review below, and let us know what you think. Fleksy.com

The animated film, Epic, will be coming to theaters tomorrow, and Epic: The Official Game is available in the Google Play Store. Gameloft, Fox Digital Entertainment and Blue Sky Studios, the production company behind the film, collaborated on the game. Users team up with the Leafmen, a band of samurai style warriors, to try to build a kingdom, while defeating bosses from the movie. Players compete against bosses like Mandrake, the leader of the Boggans kingdom, while attempting to keep the Jinn Kingdom safe. You can build up you own kingdoms within the game with the help of friends you can find on Facebook. Players can also challenge other kingdoms in online social multiplayer (PVP) battle mode. Other modes include Tycoon-style gaming, for building kingdoms from the ground up and reward-based missions for rewards. Google Play Store