LG G4 Note rumors gain momentum; Possible date leaked

News

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September 4, 2015

Earlier this week we told you about LG claiming the “G4 Note” trademark and now we’re seeing a brand new LG phone pass through TENAA which is China’s certification arm. Now we may be getting a possible release date too. While officials have already confirmed we will see a new LG flagship in Q4 of 2015, during a briefing apparently a loose lipped employee let it be known that October 10th would be the date.

During the briefing no specific device was mentioned but we’ve seen a ton of rumors of a G4 Pro or G4 Note to feel confident that this will be device that will be announced or released in October. LG has been on a two flagship per year release cycle just like Sony and Samsung but this would be the third flagship phone this year for the Korean giants. So far this year we’ve already seen releases of the G4 and G Flex 2 but the G Flex 2 bombed pretty hard and LG may be looking to reclaim some of the sales they’re losing in the later part of the year to Samsung with the redesigned Note 5.

We don’t have locked down specs for the LG G4 Note yet but in the pictures from TENAA we can see that the newest flagship will maintain the laser autofocus from the G4. It’s too early for the Snapdragon 820 to be released, 2016 seems more likely, so we’ll probably see a Snapdragon 808 just like the in the G4.

If the G4 Note keeps the rest of the internals from the G4 then we’ll see a Snapdragon 808 with 3 gigs of ram, 32 gigs of storage with a removable battery and micro SD card. With rival Samsung dropping the battery and expandable storage options, this could be a huge win for LG with disgruntled Note owners looking for an upgrade. There doesn’t appear to be a curved back like the G4 with these pictures showing a much thinner device.

Reports from March out of Korea had mentioned a 5.5″ 3K display might be included. LG was the first to release a phone with a QHD screen with last year’s LG G3 and we’ve already seen a 4K screen on the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium so these rumors might not be as farfetched as they would have seemed to be 6 months ago.

Source: AndroidAuthority via GforGames

ZTE Axon Elite announced at IFA: Hands-on

News

Josh Noriega

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September 4, 2015

0

IFA is in full swing here in Berlin. ZTE’s busy year has led to a hot showcase. The U.S. recently saw the launch of the “flagship” Axon Pro, but ZTE was not planning to forget the rest of the world. And it’s doing so with some extra flare.

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The newly launched, international variant is dubbed the Axon Elite. From the front, it may look like the exact same phone as the Pro, but turn it around and a couple extra features slap you in the face.

First, we now have a rear fingerprint scanner, following suit of another familiar Chinese Android smartphone OEM.

In addition, ZTE thought that the global market would appreciate a more luxurious appearance to those top and bottom plastic panels (exceptions to an otherwise all-metal chassis). It’s not apparent on the Pro that these panels are plastic (which house antennas), ZTE does well to hide the fact. On the Elite, we have a faux leather, accompanied by faux stitching.

You may be asking if there are any difference in specs between the two models. There are a couple interesting ones. The display resolution received a reduction, to FHD from QHD on the Pro. There is no clear reason for it, as both models have the same computational power, from the Snapdragon 810 chipset.

Another big difference is in the OS. The Elite runs Android 5.0.2. This drawback is due to a heavier custom UI than the Pro has, which is on Android 5.1.1. As Motorola has implied with the “Pure” variant of the new Moto X, ZTE appears to also bank on U.S. appreciating a more-stock experience with their Android phones.

However, ZTE’s software allows for some neat phone unlocking tricks. In addition to a quick fingerprint reader response, you also have the option to unlock the phone via voice or eye recognition. Yes, the front facing camera can save your unique eye pattern.

All other features of the Axon are present, including the 5.5″ IPS LCD screen, duo cameras (13MP + 2MP) for bokeh depth control, dual Hi-Fi chips for superior audio quality, 3,000mAh battery capacity, and the flashy, triangular grill accents. However, the Elite adds a dual-SIM tray, and cleverly makes one of the slots microSD compatible for expandable storage (something the Pro lacked).

[df-gallery url=”https://www.androidguys.com/gallery/zte-axon-elite-hands-on/”%5D

The Axon Elite will first go on sale on Sept. 24th, in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K., for 419.99 Euros. Afterwards, the device will rollout globally to Turkey, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Russia, and the Philippines.

What do you think of ZTE’s minor design tweaks to the Axon design?

Philips announces high-end series of TVs powered by Android

News

Derrick Miyao

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September 4, 2015

0

Philips is hoping to continue its success with Android on their TVs. Rather than try to develop their own proprietary software like LG and Samsung do with their smart TVs, Philips has decided to go the route with more customers by allowing Android to control the smart features like gaming and voice-control. All of the 2015 Philips TV range in 2015 will run Android L. Having Android L on your TV means better integration for your Android devices, more app availability, and more updates to keep your TVs current.

Here area few TVs from their 2015 lineup.

Philips 9600:

4K UHD 65″ display
Ambilight Projection where it projects onto the back of your wall enhancing your viewing experience by creating a halo of light.
Android L with the Google Play store
Integrated slim soundbar
New levels of brightness with capability of 4000-10000 Nit
Contrast levels of 10,000,000:1
Pixel UHD Engine to improve 4K quality further
Upscaling to 4K from any source
Hex core processing
Remote with built-in QWERTY/AZERTY keyboard

Philips Ambilux:

4K with Ambilight technology 65″
Like the 9600 the Ambilight TV has a row of LEDs on the back of the TV which project matching colors from the screen onto the wall to make a more enjoyable experience.
Android L with Google Play Store
Quad core processor
Advanced remote control with QWERTY keyboard

Philips 8601

4K UHD with curved display, 65″
Upscaling technology built-in to improve the quality of what’s on TV from any source
Integrated curved soundbar to match TV Android L with Google Play Store
Android L with Google Play Store
4 sided Ambilight technology
Hex core processing
QWERTY/AZERTY keyboard remote

If you want to read about the full lineup follow this link here. Let’s hope many other TV manufacturers follow suit so we can all have Android on TVs which is high up there on the list of electronic devices most of us use on a regular basis.

Perfect Bible for your child to explore, read, and interact with: Bible for Kids (App Review)

App & Game Reviews

AndroidGuys

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September 4, 2015

3

Keeping a child’s attention has always been a difficult task. Kids easily find things mundane and boring if they are not entertained. Their standards are much higher – when I was a child I could play with a stick and be entertained. The development team at Youversion that developed the popular Bible App that has over 50 Million downloads, has created a new spin on the Bible to help kids stay entertained while learning valuable lessons.

Overview

The Bible App for Kids is a free, digital storybook designed to explore the big stories of the Bible and is available for download via Google Play.

Setup

The set-up for The Bible App for Kids is simple: download and install the app from Google Play. Once the download is complete, Bible for Kids will update the app with current stories. After the update is complete your child is now able to explore the stories of the Bible.

Features and function

The Bible for Kids is an extremely vibrant, colorful application with high-resolution graphics, animations, and characters. In the Bible for Kids, the easy to use kid-friendly navigation allows you to explore from story to story and really brings to life the stories and adventures. A few of the stories available are The Creation of the World, Samson and the Philistine Temple, David and Goliath and many more popular stories from the Bible.

When you want to read a particular story, you click the download story button and the story downloads inside of the app. After the download, there are a few different options available for playback. You can have a narrator read the story aloud with or without music. Also, you can touch different elements on the screen, and those elements open up an alternate story experience. For example in the Story of Samson (A Hairy Tale) you are able to tap the soldier. When you tap the soldier he comes to life through animation and proceeds to cut Samson’s hair as he sleeps.

What I like about Bible for Kids is that it offers up fun incentives for the kids to read. The more you read Bible for Kids you gain stars. Also in every story there are hidden gems that are available to collect. Not only can you collect stars and gems you can also collect sets. Some of the sets available are the “Armor of God” in this set you are tasked to collect Helmet of Salvation, Shield of Faith, Belt of Truth, Good news shoes, and more.

Reading pictures and animations is fine but what’s the point of reading if you don’t remember it. In The Bible App for Kids, after each story, you are asked one question about the story you just read. If you get the question right you gain another star. If you get the question wrong you will get another chance to answer it correctly. The point is to help children learn and not to necessarily test them like it was a quiz in school.

The Bible App for Kids was extremely fun and enjoyable to use with my nine-year-old son. We were able to quickly travel from place to place engaging in fun and interesting stories. The Bible App for Kids allowed us to interact with the characters that we both loved. We both seemed to really like Samson and how strong and powerful he was.

Who will find Bible for Kids useful?

The Bible App for Kids is a great tool to have for Sunday school teachers, parents, and especially for children. The Bible App for Kids allows children to visually understand stories that might not have caught their attention and it helps put the complex writing in the Bible in more simple terms. To this day, even adults have a hard time understanding the Bible. The Bible App for Kids is good for stories for children to read alone, before bed, or something that parents and the whole family can do together before bed.

What we like

Colorful high-resolution graphics and interface
Brilliant visuals, narration, and storytelling
Ability to interact with the characters and the story

What we didn’t like

Would like for YouVersion to expand the number of stories available
Inability to actually read the whole Bible, you are just limited to the stories provided

Summary

I was extremely impressed with the developers at YouVersion and their creation with The Bible App for Kids. The Bible App for Kids is as exactly as advertised. An interactive experience that gets kids reading the Bible. I appreciate that The Bible App for Kids made it fun by having colorful graphics, easy navigation, and incentive based challenges for kids to remember what they learned. To top it all off The Bible App for Kids is completely free.

[pb-app-box pname=’com.bible.kids’ name=’Bible for Kids’ theme=’discover’ lang=’en’]

Moshi Mythro earbuds review: great headphones at a bargain price

Accessory Reviews

AndroidGuys

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September 4, 2015

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One accessory that will forever tied to smartphones are headphones or earbuds. It is one thing that allows us to listen to music on the go in a quality and quiet (for most) matter. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on Moshi’s entry level earbuds, the Mythros. For the most part, I have always used either the headphones or earbuds that have come with my smartphones (mostly the Galaxy series headphones) or cheap headphones that cost < $15. Headphones haven’t been a huge priority of mine until lately, where I listen to a lot of music during school. The Moshi Mythro’s are comfortably priced at $29.95, so let’s see if how they stack up.

Design

The design of the Moshi Mythro is pretty welcoming. They currently are available in six different color choices: Gunmetal Gray, Jet Silver, Satin Gold, Burgundy Red, Tyrian Purple, and Rose Pink.; the Mythros I got to review were of the Burgundy Red color.

At first glance, the first thing I notice is the aluminum casing around the headphones. This is very nice to see, especially since the majority of headphones I’ve seen or used have all had plastic casings. A lot of the time, those casings crack or break apart, so it’s good to see Moshi enforcing the Mythros with aluminum. Each wire below the casing is stamped ‘R’ or ‘L’ for right and left. What is nice on top of that is that the actual earbud is color coded as well. The right ear is red whereas the left ear is white. This really helps figuring out which side is which, especially when it is hard to see the little stamping of ‘R’ or ‘L’.

One issue I tend to have with earbuds over headphones, is that you have to find the right one because all ear canals aren’t all the same, who knew? The good news is that Moshi includes two additional sizes to the stock earbuds that come installed on the headphones. The good news is that they seal very well. I have found with cheaper earbuds, you don’t always necessarily get a tight seal.

As far as the cord on the earbuds, it isn’t as thick as I would like it to be. The headphone jack and connection to the earbuds do seem to have some extra bulk around the cord to help protect it from daily bends, which is good to see. So many times started to see wires becoming exposed at high stress spots on the wiring, so its good to see some extra enforcement.

The Mythro does also come with an included mic embedded in the cord. The button button below the microphone does add some functionality which includes pausing the song and skipping back and forth. The only downfall is that it does not have a volume control. That means you’ll have to stick with taking the device out of your pocket to change the volume.

Sound

Coming from cheap headphones and earbuds my whole life, I didn’t necessarily know what to expect. I mean my listening experience was never terrible, but I was excited to see what a little more money could come with in my sound quality. Let me tell you, I have been missing out my whole life. Listening to music on the go, even through Moshi’s entry level headphones makes a huge difference.

Most of music that I listen to is metal, so there is a lot of everything: bass, treble, mids. The thing is that the Moshi Mythro handled it all very well. The guitars would come through very crisp and well-defined and it would still allow for the kick drum to be well-pronounced. Usually with cheaper headphones, I have found that a lot of the sound runs together, but the Mythro does not have any of that.

The earbuds do have a solid bass to it, so if that’s something you’re into, these may be the perfect headphones for you. Moshi states “Moshi’s DR8 Neodymium driver that delivers a crisp sound with deep punchy bass”, and they aren’t lying. Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised with the output on these earbuds.

Conclusion

The Moshi Mythro earbuds are definitely a best in class value. They hit all the marks on design and sound quality without breaking the budget. If you are looking at updating your audio assortment, but don’t want to drop $100+, strongly consider these headphones. The are designed well with an aluminum housing and have crisp sound anyone can appreciate. You can find the Mythros on Moshi’s official website.

According to leak from Verizon, Android Pay will launch on September 16th

News

Dan Bartram

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September 4, 2015

0

We may finally have a date for Android Pay if a recent leak is anything to go by, having not really heard anything since its inception at Google I/O 2015.

Google Play Services 8.1, which sets the pathway for Android Pay to be enabled, is steadily rolling out to users in the Google Play Store also lays evidence that the new payment system from Google is coming soon.

The most solid evidence, however, comes from a leaked internal memo at Verizon that gives a date for Android Pay to be activated of September 16th.

Of course, the activation date of Android Pay and the adoption of the service from merchants is completely different, so whilst Android Pay could be activated as soon as September 16th, it may not be seen in a store near you straight away.

Source: Phandroid

Huawei launches all-metal G8 smartphone

News

Justin Marden

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September 4, 2015

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While we eagerly await a rumored Nexus device from Huawei, a new device was just announced under the company name, and it’s sure to catch the attention of mobile design enthusiasts. The Huawei G8 sports an all-metal body and specs that put it around the mid-range territory:

5.5-inch 1080 x 1920 display at 401 ppi
Snapdragon 615 processor (unknown clock speed)
Android 5.1 Lollipop with Huawei Emotion UI
3GB of RAM
32GB of internal storage
13MP rear camera
5MP front camera
3,000 mAh battery
Fingerprint sensor

While the specs aren’t going to put it in contention with the flagship devices of today, Huawei has certainly shown that it can do premium design very well, which might be a factor as we get closer to a rumored Nexus launch on September 29th. Take a look at a few more press images of the G8 below.

Huawei failed to mention a release date or pricing, but we do know this device will likely be sold in Asian markets first, followed by a possible U.S. launch.

Source: AndroidCommunity

Hopper making turbulence with good deals, now on Android

News

AndroidGuys

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September 4, 2015

0

Are you familiar with Hopper? Well unless you are a habitual traveler, the answer is probably not. Well if you aren’t living in airports, like some of us, Hopper is a fare finding application that attempts to find the lowest prices for trips that you’re taking.

The relatively new service is on the radar for those of us looking for the cheapest airfare possible to the places they are going. It will send you a notification when the app determines it is the right time to buy a ticket. The way they find that particular airfare is based on algorithms that predict if the prices are likely to go up or down in the near future.

Hopper works with all the airlines directly. What that means is you probably won’t see all of the low-cost airfares, unless the airline has been willing to give Hopper access to their database in real time. So although you may not have access to all the exotic destinations with only a couple of layovers to get there, it looks like most of the important points are going to be covered.

The application is quick to download, and looks easy to use. No special class is required to use this. Which is already one step further than some other offerings in this area.

Some interesting points about this application are:

The When To Fly Calendar is a feature within the new application that will help you with the best times of the day/ week or month to book certain fares.

For example, if you’re looking for the best time to book a trip to Italy, the When to Fly feature would tell you what days or weeks would be best.

The Price Prediction feature of Hopper for Android, will tell you when a fare will change in price. Hopper has been up to 95% accurate in telling the user of the service when an airfare will go up and when the same airfare will go back down, thereby saving hundreds of dollars on certain trips.

Hopper also has a great feature called Watch a Trip, which is watching the trips you want to book. Also at what price you booked any trip similar to that in the past or have planned for. If that trip’s price drops greatly then the app will notify the customer of the rate drop immediately, because the price won’t stay there long.

So, before you go somewhere like Orbitz or some other second rate website, try Hopper to book your next trip to… well, maybe CES? Go check out this great way to save on airfares. It’s available in the Google Play Store now!

[pb-app-box pname=’com.hopper.mountainview.play’ name=’Hopper – Airfare Predictions’ theme=’light’ lang=’en’]

(Deal) Get up to 33% off these great deals for Labor Day

News

Andrew Myrick

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September 4, 2015

0

Summer is just about over. The kids are going back to school, some have already started, and college dorm rooms are getting filled to the brim. Why not have one more great sale to get a few more goodies before heading into the fall time? Well, we’ve got you covered here at AndroidGuys with the help of StackCommerce.

3-in-1 Smartphone Photography Lens Set

Normally priced at $69, you can grab three different attachable lenses for your various smartphone devices for only $19.99. You will get a wide angle, macro, and fisheye lens with this set, and is a great deal to take some awesome shots with your phone of choice. Each lens features a “snap-on, snap-off” feature that allows for easily switching between lenses to ensure you get the perfect shot.