Tags: Android / ROMs

Big Improvments for Android KitKat

- Thursday, October 31 No Comments

When you thought we were ready for Google's next announcement, along comes some fresh information, courtesy of regular Google news-breaker, Amir Efrati. He's apparently taken a look at confidential documents outlining what's going on with the next big mobile OS update.

The Android KitKat iteration will apparently tackle that tricky fragmentation issue, and has been designed to work well even on lesser-specced Google-powered handsets. The new Android OS "optimizes memory use in every major component," and will include tools to make memory-friendly apps for "entry-level devices" with memory even as low as 512MB.

The other major point is how Google, a well-known proponent of wearables, is already is prepping for even more smartwatches and visors on its mobile operating system. The new version will reportedly include support for three new sensors: geomagnetic rotation vector, step detection and step counters, which could be Android's way of answering Apple's inclusion of a dedicated motion processor in its latest iPhone.

The source reckons these are geared towards Google's rumored smart watch or possibly glass. Google is apparently still working on making NFC a bigger deal, and has also worked internally on improving smartphones' skills controlling your TV and other devices. Apparently, this will involve unifying how Android deals with IR blasters, rather than the fragmented approach brought by phone makers including Samsung, LG, Sony and HTC.

Bluetooth is also rumored to see significant improvements, with Bluetooth HID over GATT and Message Access Profile increasing what Android-running hardware can talk with. We'll hopefully see how much of this hits the mark soon, and we have our fingers crossed that there's also a new phone, primed with those sensors, to go with it.

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Tags: Android / Apps / Gaming

Downlad Grand Theft Auto 5 iFruit app for your Adnroid Smartphone

- Tuesday, October 29 No Comments

Rockstar Games has finally fulfilled its promise of bringing Grand Theft Auto 5's iFruit companion app to Android. Over a month after the game's launch and the app's iOS availability, you can trick out your ride or train Franklin's dog from your handset running Mountain View's OS. Our Nexus 4 phones and Nexus 7 tablets ran the app just fine, but there are reports of quite a few incompatible devices. Sound off in the comments if your device is compatible, we want to know. While you might be done with the game's story mode by now, at least you can have a custom license plate ready for GTA Online's first stimulus package. Better late than never, right?

Tags: Android / New phones

Nexus 5 Leaked System Configuration

- Saturday, October 19 No Comments

The upcoming Nexus 5 announcement is drawing near (just 10 days left to go) and the rumors are intensifying. Today we saw it briefly in the Google Play store and now information has surfaced detailing the memory and battery capacity of the upcoming pureblood Android.

According to unofficial sources the Nexus 5 will come with either 16 GB or 32 GB of built-in, non-expandable, storage. The addition of the bigger 32 GB variant is great news and seems to confirm Google (and LG) won't be opting for an 8 GB model this year.


Then there's the battery, which doesn't ring as high on the hype meter as the memory options. The next Nexus smartphone is said to bring a 2,300 mAh battery, which given the rumors of a 5" display and latest Snapdragon 800 processor doesn't really sound too exciting. Previous rumors of the 32GB version packing a larger 3,000 mAh juice pack have unfortunately turned out to be unfounded.

Finally said sources point to a release before the end of October, however they don't specify if that refers to a global release or just to select markets in a first wave.

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Tags: Latest / Nokia

Nokia Lumia 2520 Tablet Leaked (Press Image)

- Sunday, October 13 1 Comment

The upcoming Nokia Lumia 2520 Windows RT tablet made yet another unscheduled appearance, thanks to @evleaks. After allowing us to potentially catch a glimpse of its kickstand three days ago, the slate leaked out in a press image, dressed in a cyan outfit.

Update: @evleaks posted another press image of the upcoming tablet, this time dressed in a red outfit. See it below.

The tablet in the leaked images sports a design which is in line with the looks of Nokia Lumia range of smartphones. Its rumored specs include Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC, 10.1” 1080p display, and LTE support.

Nokia Lumia 2520 is all but certain to be unveiled at the Nokia World event in Abu Dhabi on October 22. The tablet is rumored to be available in four colors – black, white, red, and the cyan from the image above.

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Tags: Android / Apple / Nokia

iPhone 5s vs Lumia 1020 vs LG G2 Fight

- Friday, October 11 3 Comments

You know what they say - three is a crowd. On a second thought though, no one here's got romance on their mind. The three-horse race has had its highs and lows, but it's the playoffs and we got a front-row seat. It's not about heroes and villains anymore, everyone's a bit of both. Each phone here will look at the other two and see the worst of both worlds. Now, can we keep a cool head and try and see the whole picture?

One thing's certain, the Apple iPhone 5s, the LG G2 and the Nokia Lumia 1020 just don't mix. The three platforms are usually targeting a completely different set of users. But each of these gadgets is the best of its species and that's the cross section of everything the industry has to offer at this point.

Apple's iPhone 5s has just hit the shelves, setting a new sales record to be broken yet again a year from now. It looks the same as iPhone 5, but is powered by a brand new 64-bit A7 chip and runs the impressively redesigned iOS 7. Easily the standard-setting touch interface has just got better and the content Apple users have access to is second to none.

 
Apple iPhone 5s over the LG G2 and Nokia Lumia 1020:

    64-bit Apple A7 chipset and PowerVR (Series 6) G6430 GPU
    iOS 7 with Siri voice assistant
    Access to the impressively rich App Store
    Touch ID fingerprint scanner
    Premium aluminum build
    Compact size

The LG G2 is the top Android smartphone at the moment (this may as well be the most precarious position of them all, considering the rate at which droid flagships are released). But still, the timing is spot-on and the G2 being what it is has nothing to do with luck. LG has equipped it with the latest Snapdragon 800 chipset, a massive 1080p display and Android 4.2. They didn't shy away from experimenting either, and the result is nothing short of impressive.

LG G2 over the iPhone 5s and Nokia Lumia 1020:

    Huge 5.2" IPS True-HD+ FullHD display
    Snapdragon 800 chipset with Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM
    1080p@60fps video recording, dual-video recording, video stabilization
    2.1MP front camera with 1080p@30fps videos
    Great video playback capabilities
    Stereo FM radio with RDS (over the iPhone 5s only)
    Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with LG Optimus UI

Finally, the Nokia Lumia 1020 is the most powerful Windows Phone smartphone and by far the best cameraphone, with a 41MP camera sensor, optical image stabilization, xenon and LED, and even 4x lossless zoom. The video recording is limited to 1080p@30fps, but thanks to the HAAC microphones and the lossless 4x zoom you can even film at concerts without compromising the audio or video quality. The Lumia 1020 also has an AMOLED display and a premium polycarbonate unibody, while Windows Phone 8 has an unmatched office package and Nokia's free lifetime voice-guided navigation that also works offline.

Nokia Lumia 1020 over the Apple iPhone 5s and LG G2:

    AMOLED display
    41 MP camera (38 MP effective, 7152 x 5368 pixels, 1/1.5'' sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size), Carl Zeiss optics, optical image stabilization, auto/manual focus, Xenon & LED flash
    4x lossless digital zoom, high-amplitude audio capture (HAAC) microphones
    Polycarbonate unibody
    Windows Phone 8 with MS Office, Nokia Drive+, Nokia Pro Cam and Nokia Creative Studio

It's not like each of those phones is only as good as its weakest spot, but it's not as straightforward either as simply praise this one's camera, that one's app store or the other one's full-HD screen. This can easily get out of control and into a three-ring circus, but we're gonna give it a try anyway.

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