Phones

Last week both Google and Samsung introduced the Google version of the Galaxy S4 which turned out to be the only hardware announcement made at this year’s I/O event. Shortly after rumours begun to emerge that there would be a similar move made by HTC, which was quickly denied but the HTC One Nexus Edition release rumours refuse to die away. A new report is suggesting that an announcement for such a device could be made within the next two weeks as the company is supposedly having some serious discussions about launching a version of the HTC One running a vanilla Android 4.2.2 experience. This report also backs up claims made by serial HTC leakster @LlabTooFeR who previously predicted the device would be released by the end of the summer. It is thought that HTC is considering the move to further enhance its relationship with the developer community, but it is not known if any such device would be sold via the Google Play Store. Some will wonder how the two devices would compare as some of the standout features on the HTC One rely on the company’s Android overlay Sense 5.0, and if it was to work well will leave many wondering why there is the need for the extra software in the first place. We heard recently that the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update for the HTC One will be available shortly, but if more smartphone manufacturers start producing such devices you have to wonder what the future holds for the Nexus series. There has long been talk of Google allowing more companies to produce Nexus hardware and this could be the way forward in the future with versions of already available handsets getting released with stock Android. Recent talk of the Nexus 5 has hinted at a release sometime in the autumn around 12 months after the last model was made available, but consumers who desire a stock Android experience may be about to get more choice, although to begin with the Galaxy S4 model will only be available in the US. Source: Geek.

Every week some new details arrive about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 for specs and features, although in most cases these are just rumors from unconfirmed leaks. When the original Note launched it did so with a lot of criticism and lacked total carrier support, then when the Note 2 arrived it did so with a lot more carriers thanks to the success of the original. Now that we are moving towards the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date, still unconfirmed but expected at the end of 2013, you will see tremendous support from both consumer and phone network. Samsung has built a fanbase that not only look forward to seeing what’s on offer with the Galaxy Note 3, but these users also have a long wish list of improvements including better storage for the next incarnation. Feel free to share what Galaxy Note 3 features and specs you want to see in the comments, or take a look at some claimed Samsung Galaxy Note 3 benchmarks for early insight. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs. so called copycats – we have heard from a number of Android users stating, “Samsung’s Note made the phablet popular and now we’re seeing copycats”, which could be very true when looking at the past couple of years. The success of Samsung’s phablet is undeniable and now there’s a trend towards bigger smartphones we’re seeing many brands enter this space. The same could be said about Apple and their iPhone making the touchscreen smartphone popular, but in an interesting twist the latest rumors point to Apple needing to launch a bigger iPhone 6 in 2014 that competes with the Galaxy Note 3 to fill a gap between iPad mini and iPhone. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs. Nokia Phablet – a couple of days ago we reported some details on the upcoming Nokia Phablet, expected to gain a release date in 2014, which would directly aim at the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or even Note 4 if in late 2014. We heard that Nokia would launch their first phablet towards the end of this year, but the latest rumors in the above article point to a release next year, so it is most likely the bigger Nokia phone will launch in the first half of 2014. While we are yet to see the full specs and official confirmation of features for both Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Nokia’s Phablet, there have been a few leaks detailing what the specs might be, but the majority of people could find a choice between these two handsets easier than you think. It comes down to Android vs. Windows Phone 8 – While many Apple users claim they stick to the iPhone “for iOS”, it would be true that the upcoming Android 4.3 really appeals to some people a lot more than Windows Phone 8 does. We have included a video below this article looking at Windows Phone 8 vs. Android 4.1, which will give you a taste of how Windows Phone and Android compare. The reviewer explains that both operating systems are very different, but also have similar functions in many cases. Please note this is Windows Phone 8 vs. Android 4.1 and not Android 4.3, so there will be improvements but it helps newbies see the main differences. You can also see a breakdown of the main differences between Windows Phone 8 and Android Jelly Bean 4.2 in this article. Nokia is readying their Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rival phablet and it will be running Windows Phone 8, so share a comment on how much the OS will play a part in your next purchase?

We featured some details on Google’s Android Studio at the end of last week, which included a quick video review in that article, but since then we have heard from a few of our readers in regard to problems with the new developer software and its tools. If you are new to Android Studio then we recommend you take a look at the video in our earlier article, or watch the video below on this page if you want a quick guide on setting up the new Android Studio. Android Studio problems – the software is still pretty new and currently at version 0.1 for Mac, so the majority of early adopters would expect some issues with Android Studio. We’re sure another update will arrive in the coming days and weeks to fix the current bugs, but for now let’s highlight some of the feedback we have had. We explained the similarity of Android Studio and Eclipse with ADT Plugin previously, but one of our readers stated, “Android Studio is much slower than Eclipse”, and continued to explain that a new version of Android Studio should be built “based on Eclipse instead of IntelliJ”. Do you agree with this user? Another Phones Review reader had problems getting Android Studio to run in Windows 8, which they received some feedback explaining “There’s a missing environment variable for Windows 7″ and this could also be an issue in Windows 8. Their recommendation was to “set ANDROID_STUDIO_JDK to your Java JDK”. How has Android Studio been performing for you? Do you have any problems, and how do you rate it in comparison to Eclipse with ADT Plugin? We have used Eclipse to build over 20 apps and love the performance on Mac. It is also worth noting that a number of our readers are using Android Studio in Windows 8 with no problems. Share your thoughts in the comments.

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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

You might remember Apple's recent ad for the Apple iPhone 5 that concentrated on the camera; there was no talking in the ad until the end when an announcer said that more photos are taken with the iPhone than with any other camera. Now, the newest ad for the iconic smartphone reminds us that with a pair of ear buds plugged into the earphone jack, the device becomes a personal musical player...

AT&T customers can expect to pay a little more every month. The carrier has decided to add a 61-cent charge to each of their customers’ bills. Beginning May 1, the “Mobility Administrative Fee” is considered a “below-the-line” fee, meaning it appears with taxes and other surcharges at the bottom of a customer’s phone bill, below the service charges. A charge of less than a dollar might sound insignificant, but when multiplied by all of the number of customers they have, it could add more than a half-billion dollars of revenue for AT&T. AT&T is quick to say that below-the-line charges are ”consistent with similar fees charged by other carriers,” and that the revenue will “help cover certain expenses, such as interconnection and cell site rents and maintenance.” Source: Wall Street Journal Come comment on this article: AT&T adds new “mobility administrative” 61-cent fee to all monthly bills Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

lukehopewell1 writes "'Untraceable, undetectable, cheap and freely available.' That's how Australian police have described the 3D-printable gun known as The Liberator today as they announce that they will be seeking to make the download, construction and possession of these weapons illegal. In their tests, Police printed the 15 parts required to assemble The Liberator in 27 hours and assembled it within 60 seconds with a firing pin fashioned out of a steel nail. The two guns were test fired into a block of resin designed to simulate human muscle, and the first bullet penetrated the resin block up to 17 centimeters. NSW Police Ballistics division confirm that it would be a fatal wound if pointed at someone." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Velox is an iPhone-only jailbreak tweak that turns home screen icons into little notification folders or widgets. It's modular, stable, and it's a great buy for $2.

Patent trolls' days of effortlessly rolling into court and collecting licensing fees for products they don't produce may be coming to an end. The Washington Post reports that courts have been increasingly citing the landmark 1978 Supreme Court case Parker v. Flook, which is the strongest ruling that the court has ever made against patents for abstract ideas such as algorithms. Given that courts are applying the Parker v. Flook precedent more often in software patent cases, it seems that courts are starting to reassert control over what can and cannot be patented. The Post acknowledges that "not every citation of Flook means that a patent was invalidated" but says that "it’s at least a sign that the courts are wrestling with the limits the high court articulated more than three decades ago."