Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S5 running leaked Android 5.0 Lollipop build [VIDEO]

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Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S5 running leaked Android 5.0 Lollipop build [VIDEO]

When Google showed off Android 5.0 Lollipop’s new Material Design aesthetic during this year’s Google I/O, the first thing we thought about was how this would translate to the custom skins offered by OEMs like HTC and Samsung. Just before we kick off the weekend, the boys at SamMobile are quenching a little bit of this curiosity with an early look at Android 5.0 Lollipop running on the Samsung Galaxy S5.

This is actually the second time they’re showing off Samsung’s version of Lollipop, although this one is much more recent build. Although it’s still an early version of the software Samsung will eventually roll out to their Galaxy line, it clues us in on exactly what the OEM has in mind for their version of Google’s Material Design UI and really, it’s not half bad.

The current version of the TouchWiz running on the Galaxy S5 we found was actually much easier on the eyes and in some respects, not too far — at least in color scheme — to what Google introduced in Lollipop. The newly leaked version of Lollipopped TouchWiz shows a similar TouchWiz interface, only with small design tweaks to the Settings, Calculator, Dialer and more. Here’s what SamMobile noticed was changed from the previous leaked Lollipop build:

• New Note 4 fingerprint lock screen


• New system-wide font — similar to the original one, but a tad thinner.


• New animations, much smoother than before — there’s a screen off animation present as well.


• Google Search bar in recents menu


• Brightness slider in notification center has a new yellow color — while changing the brightness, the notification centre disappears and allows the user to view the content beneath it.


• Removed “Interruptions” from Sound settings


• Gallery: Media can be sorted using new filters including Pets, Events, Scenery, Documents, Food, Vehicles and Flowers.


• Music: Improved UI


• Clock: Navigation bar icons are now accompanied by text


• Calculator: Removed square grids which surrounded the numbers and symbols


• Contacts: New search box


• Stock Material Design inspired applications receive colored status bar


• Android Lollipop theme’s core green elements replaced with Samsung’s blue color


• Settings: Improved UI, new icon color


• New UI for setting wallpaper from home screen


• Better spacing between options in power off dialog

For more image comparisons, make sure to check out the post on SamMobile but in the meantime, check out their hands-on video below.

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Google’s Copresence leaked, send content directly between nearby Android and iOS devices

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Google’s Copresence leaked, send content directly between nearby Android and iOS devices

There have been hints that Google was working on a new service for transferring data between users in relation to their the individuals’ location. Dubbed “Copresence,” footprints of the new service have now been discovered hidden inside the latest Google Play Services update.

According to the data, it could allow for both Android and iOS devices to communicate with each other, sending miscellaneous files, pictures or other media via Bluetooth or even over WiFi. A treasure trove of files were not only discovered inside the new Google Play Services apk (complete with introduction images), but also APIs in the Chrome Dev channel. Apparently it may not even require a Google account to login, again, a good indication that it will be cross platform. Of course, this is all opt-in (as revealed by the image file names).

Typically, when 2 people want to send each other files this is usually done by uploading files to a cloud service like Google Drive — where they’re then saved, then having the other person download said media. In an age of privacy, not everyone wants to upload media to the cloud. Using Copresence, users on iOS or Android can send files directly to one another, possibly even communicating in other ways like voice messages. Totally private and secure.

No word on when we can expect Copresence to launch, although with although the XML files and Chrome APIs suggest it could be coming really soon.

[via Techaeris]

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Motorola DROID Turbo battery life test: nowhere near 2-days, but still pretty great

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Motorola DROID Turbo battery life test: nowhere near 2-days, but still pretty great

We’re getting ready to charge up our newly purchased Motorola DROID Turbo for the day, but before we do, we wanted to share some personal battery life stats with you. By now we’ve all heard Motorola and Verizon’s claims of 2-day battery life on the Turbo, one of the reasons we rushed out to buy the phone on day 1. So, just how true are those claims? Well, as to be expected they’re a bit overly optimistic, we didn’t get anywhere near the 2-day battery life as advertised but what we did get wasn’t all that bad either.

After about 21 hours, our battery life was down to around 17% and still kicking. We know. On the surface, that doesn’t sound too great considering the DROID Turbo is outfitted with a substantially large 3,900mAh battery but here is another factor to consider: our screen on time was a little over 5 hours.

Now, we’re not big phablet users but coming from a reasonably sized smartphone that is absolutely unheard of in our experience. Typically we only see around 2 hours of screen on time (full brightness) from most of our Android devices with light or normal usage before they die out in the same amount of time. With the DROID Turbo, we were doing quite a lot with it (installing apps, playing video games, streaming YouTube, taking pictures, loading Imgur). It’s not extremely heavy usage, but definitely more than we’d do on a “regular” device where battery life is always something you keep in the back of your mind (“Should I watch this YouTube video? Nah, better wait until I plug in just in case“).

One more factor to consider is we we had the brightness on nearly full blast the entire time we were using the DROID Turbo. And while battery life will never, ever, be the same for any 2 people (we know, you get 2 days of battery life on your old MyTouch 4G with blah blah screen on time whoop-dee-doo), we wanted to give you a ballpark figure of what to expect from the Motorola DROID Turbo should battery life be a major deciding factor in your smartphone purchases. Our guess for why battery life isn’t all that groundbreaking? The phone’s overkill 1440p display. We can only wonder how things would have looked on the Moto X with the same sized battery.

Keep in mind we still have our full review coming soon, in which we’ll be sure to take into account multiple charging cycles and report back our findings. Stay tuned!

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Virginia judge rules police can order a suspect unlock their phone via fingerprint (but not passcode)

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Virginia judge rules police can order a suspect unlock their phone via fingerprint (but not passcode)

On Thurdsday, a Virginia Circuit Court judge made a fairly groundbreaking and eye opening ruling involving the police asking someone to unlock their secured smartphone. According to the judge, demanding a suspect to provide the passcode to unlock their phone would be unconstitutional, while a suspect providing their fingerprint to unlock their phone would be fair game.

For those living under a rock, iPhone users since the iPhone 5s have been able to secure their smartphones using a fingerprint, a feature Apple calls TouchID. This was seen as a more convenient, but still plenty secure method of locking a smartphone to keep one’s data secure. If you’re a suspect detained police in Virginia, that’s not the case.

This relates back to the case of a man who allegedly strangled his girlfriend and police believe, may have recorded the act with this smartphone. Because his phone was locked with a passcode (and not a fingerprint), the defendant’s attorney argued that it was protected by the Fifth Amendment given that it would require a suspect to divulge knowledge. This is not in the same category as a person’s identity, which includes DNA, handwriting, or — you guessed it — fingerprints, all of which are within the bounds of the law.

While it would be easy to scoff at iPhone (or even Samsung) users who use fingerprint locking on their devices, keep in mind that Apple has a safeguard for anyone who hasn’t unlocked their phone in 48 hours which requires a secondary passcode be entered in the event that TouchID is enabled. That still gives police plenty of time after a suspect has been apprehended to require a fingerprint for unlocking.

How do you guys feel about the judge’s ruling? If you have a Samsung device, will any of you start using passcodes over the fingerprint scanner to secure your phone? Keep in mind, the NSA is watching this post. We kid…. (we think).

[Ars Technica]

 

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You can now watch Google Play Movies & TV on your Roku

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You can now watch Google Play Movies & TV on your Roku

With the Nexus Player and Chromecast, we always thought of the Roku as a competing product, one that Google would like to stomp into the ground. That’s not entirely true. Today, Google announced that they’re bringing Google Play Movies & TV to the tiny streaming set top box (Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States only).

Just hop on over to Roku’s Channel Store and you should find it listed. The coolest part? Google Play Movies & TV also supports the Android app’s new Info Cards. Press pause and watch as the actor’s name that appears on screen is revealed on your Android device. Pretty damn cool. Also, Google is giving away a free copy of X-Men the movie for anyone who signs in using their Roku.

Roku says Roku TV support is coming soon and the full list of supported Roku players can be found below.

• Roku 3 (4200X)


• Roku 2 (2720X)


• Roku 1 (2710X)


• Roku Streaming Stick, both HDMI (3500X) and Roku Ready (3400X, 3420X) versions


• Roku LT (2400X, 2450X, 2700X)


• Roku 2 HD (3000X)


• Roku 2 XD (3050X)


• Roku 2 XS (3100X)


• Roku HD (2500X)

via Roku

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DROID Turbo will tout its battery life as the “Moto Maxx” outside of the U.S.

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DROID Turbo will tout its battery life as the “Moto Maxx” outside of the U.S.

Motorola has always been one to release their U.S. devices in other parts of the world. The original DROID was released to the rest of the world as the “Motorola Milestone.” Now it looks like they will be releasing the DROID Turbo outside the U.S., but with a name that touts the battery life.

An invite to a November 5th event clearly shows the “ballistic nylon” back of the DROID Turbo. GSMarena reports that the device will be called “Moto Maxx.” In all other aspects the device will be identical to the model we had hands-on with for Verizon

The Droid Turbo comes with a 5.2-inch Quad HD AMOLED screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor, 21-megapixel camera, and a 3,900mAh battery which is supposed to last 48 hours. If you live outside the U.S., are you interested in the Maxx?

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Google gets fined for showing cleavage in Street View

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Google gets fined for showing cleavage in Street View

No, you are not reading The Onion. This is a real story.

Google has been fined by a Canadian court for using a photo in Street View that contained a woman and her cleavage. The woman in the photo claimed that she was so embarrassed it caused her emotional damage and a bout of depression. This all started in 2009, by the way, but today the case has finally been settled.

What kind of ridiculous amount of money did Google have to pay to make this woman feel better? A mere $2,000. The woman was hoping for more, but the judge did not buy her story about emotional damage and depression. If you don’t want to be embarrassed by cleavage maybe you shouldn’t sit on your front porch in the middle of the day in a low cut shirt.

[via GigaOm]

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Amazon blames poor Fire Phone sales on the pricing, ignores other problems

Despite its name, the Amazon Fire Phone has not been a hot seller. Last week Amazon shared financial data with investors, and they reported a huge quarterly loss. The Amazon Fire phone was likely not the lone culprit of the poor numbers, but it certainly did not help. Amazon themselves have talked about why they think the Fire Phone hasn’t sold as much as they hoped.

“I think people come to expect a great value, and we sort of mismatched expectations. We thought we had it right. But we’re also willing to say, ‘we missed.’ And so we corrected.”

- Amazon Senior VP David Limp

The $200 price of the Fire Phone was definitely a surprise move. Amazon usually prices their products very competitively, as we’ve seen with the super cheap Kindle Fire line. Still. that was hardly the only problem for the device. The UI is weird and clunky, the hardware is very uninspiring, and they advertise it on TV with kids. I’m not really sure that depicting kids using your device is a message they wanted to send.

The good news is that the Fire Phone can now be had for free with a new contract. Does that sweeten the deal any more? Only time will tell. What do you think of the Amazon Fire Phone?

[via Fortune]

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Best Android games from October 2014

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Best Android games from October 2014

Previous Best Games of the Month

The weather is starting to get a little chilly, which means you may find yourself spending more time indoors. Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of new games from October to keep you busy. The makers of Angry Birds roared back into relevance with two new games this month, a couple of classic old school games made the jump to Android, and a bunch of other great games were added to the Play Store. Check out the best games from October right here!

Angry Birds Transformers

Hold your applause. Angry Birds Transformers is officially available for Android. More of a run-and-gun shooter, the game accomplishes what it set out to do: provide Android users with an easy pick-up-and-play time killer. You control the blaster of a chosen Transformer as he bolts down a level, blasting pigs in the background as they balance on physics-based platforms.

Botanicula

Botanicula follows the adventure of five botanical creatures (named Mr. Lantern, Mr. Twig, Mr. Poppy Head, Mr. Feather and Mrs. Mushroom) who are trying to save the last seed of their home tree from evil parasitic creatures that have infested their home. This game started on PC, and has since migrated to iOS and Android.

Cars: Fast as Lightening

Race fast and free as Cars characters with nitro-charged arcade racing. Build your own 3D Radiator Springs, home of Lightning and his buddies. Watch it go from a humble town to a thriving city. Drive into a true Cars experience, capturing the fun personality of the characters that kids and fans have come to love, including Mater, Francesco, and more.

Champ Man 15

The world-famous Football Management game just received a major upgrade, with tens of thousands of real players available to sign and over 440 clubs from 23 playable leagues. Nurture and develop your players, design training programs for the team or target individuals for specific work, choose formations, give tactical instruction and then watch how all of this affects your overall team performance on match day.

Doggins

Doggins is a quiet little adventure game about a terrier, time travel, and a villainous monocled squirrel. Explore the moon, sniff some things, and unravel a plot to sabotage the history of human invention. It’s an incredibly original story and game. If you love dogs and time travel you need this game.

Dragon Quest II

The second installment in the celebrated Dragon Quest series finally comes to Android. Explore fair lands and foul dungeons in this all-time classic RPG. Every wondrous weapon, spectacular spell, and awesome adversary in this rich fantasy world is yours to discover in a single standalone package. Download it once, and there’s nothing else to buy, and nothing else to download.

Galaxy On Fire: Alliances

Galaxy on Fire – Alliances puts you in the role of an up-and-coming Commander of the Terrans, Nivelians or Vossk. Determined to claim and conquer a hitherto uncharted part of the galaxy known as the Shroud Nebula, you will set out to seek fame and fortune beyond the final frontier. Forge a strong alliance and assist one another in the epic pursuit of space domination.

Haegemonia – Legions of Iron

In Heagemonia Legions of Irons, the player has to explore and conquer the galaxy as the head of his fleet, planning colonization, terraforming planets, managing his resources and deciding on the appropriate technological research to lead mankind where he wants it to go. Research, combined with a top-notch spy network, will enable the player to survive in a stellar system which is much more dangerous than it would first appear to be.

Next: H-S

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What do these Halloween photos tell us about the Nexus 6’s camera?

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What do these Halloween photos tell us about the Nexus 6’s camera?

It’s one thing when a company presents carefully curated (and possibly edited) photo samples to show off their latest phone’s camera capabilities. It’s another when a representative of the same company posts a few casual shots to a social network. Which, we might ask, is the more accurate representation of the camera’s true nature? If you believe the latter, see Matias Duarte’s recent Google+ post in which he showcases his pumpkin carving skills and, simultaneously, the Nexus 6 camera.

Making these photos even more telling is the fact that they are night shots — the bane of many a smartphone photographer. While plenty of Android devices boast perfectly capable daytime shooting modes, it is when we transition into the dim lighting of the night that we really get a sense of the limits of any particular camera sensor. While it is important to note that Duarte is not presenting these photos in order to directly show off the Nexus 6 camera (and therefore they may not be representative of the best the phone is capable of), one could argue that this example of “real world” use says more about the latest Google phone’s photo capabilities than any set of PR-selected photos could.

We have mixed feelings about the results. As far as nighttime photos captured with a smartphone are concerned, these are pretty good. You can see plenty of detail out of the darkness, but there is a good deal of graininess. The resolution is there but it’s fuzzy around the edges. The colors don’t exactly pop, but the sensor is obviously sensitive enough to capture subtle differences in shadow and light. Needless to say, the Nexus 6 isn’t blowing us away here, but it seems perfectly capable of grabbing some decent photos in darker lighting conditions (anyone who wants amazing nighttime photos will need a more powerful camera setup than what’s available on the smartphone market, in any case).

What says the peanut gallery? Do these photos get you excited about the Nexus 6 camera, or do they leave you wanting more?

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Samsung announces Galaxy A5 and A3 with metal unibody design, 5MP front facing cameras [VIDEO]

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Samsung announces Galaxy A5 and A3 with metal unibody design, 5MP front facing cameras [VIDEO]

We’ve heard about Samsung’s A series many times in recent months. The subject of countless leaks, tonight, on the eve of Halloween, Samsung is formally announcing their metal-clad Samsung Galaxy A5 and Samsung Galaxy A3.

Samsung says the new phone line feature a more “trendy” design aimed at a younger demographic (probably those who love the look of the all metal iPhone) thanks to an all metal unibody exterior and a side profile Samsung says is their thinnest smartphone yet (because paper thin smartphones are still a thing). The Galaxy A5 measures in at just barely 6.7mm thin, while the A3 is 6.9mm (same as the iPhone 6). Yeah, these things are slim. There’s 5 colors too (no doubt limited by region): Pearl White, Midnight Black, Platinum Silver, Soft Pink, Light Blue and Champagne Gold.

The other interesting hardware spec is the front facing camera. Samsung opted for a 5MP shooter on the front because the kids, they’re all about the selfies nowadays. You know what the kids aren’t into? The smartphone spec arms race we saw this year. There’s no 2K displays or octa-core processors to be found on these devices. No, sir. The A series is all about style and aesthetics. Here’s where we’re at in terms of hardware:

Samsung Galaxy A5

• 1.2GHz unnamed quad-core processor


• 5.0” HD SAMOLED


• 2GB RAM


• 16GB internal storage w/ micro SD card slot (up to 64GB)


• 13MP rear / 5MP front facing


• LTE Cat 4


• NFC (LTE model only)


• 2,300mAh battery


• Android 4.4 KitKat

Samsung Galaxy A3

• 1.2GHz unnamed quad-core processor


• 4.5-inch qHD SAMOLED


• 1GB RAM


• 16GB internal storage w/ micro SD card slot (up to 64GB)


• 8MP rear / 5MP front facing


• LTE Cat 4


• NFC (LTE model only)


• 1,900 mAh


• Android 4.4 KitKat

Samsung mentioned that while the new Samsung Galaxy A5 and A3 will definitely be headed to China, availability will also be limited to other select markets as well (although was mum on details). Check out Samsung’s hip new promo video below and be sure to let us know what you think about the new A series.

[Samsung Tomorrow]

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The SNES classic Secret of Mana is now available for Android, but you probably wont like the price

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The SNES classic Secret of Mana is now available for Android, but you probably wont like the price

There’s nothing that brings back feelings of nostalgia like firing up a good old fashioned Super Nintendo game. The combination of 16-bit visuals and old-school soundtracks can instantly teleport you to a time when life was all about pogs, slap bracelets, and memorizing time tables. After launching for iOS back in 2010, Square Enix was kind enough to finally bring the 1993 classic Secret of Mana to Android devices.

Featuring a Zelda-like top-down view and real-time battle system, Secret of Mana was a breath of fresh air from Square Enix’s typical turn-based RPGs. The release shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Square Enix announced an Android port was due sometime in the fall back in August.

Available for a cool $9 on Google Play, Secret of Mana features a slightly tweaked interface (perfect for potato fingers) and 360-degree character movement (original game only had 8-directional movement). No fancy high-res visuals here, this is 16-bit gaming at its finest. Link down below.

Secret of Mana (Playboard) | Secret of Mana (Play Store)

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The SNES classic Secret of Mana is now available for Android

Phandroid

The SNES classic Secret of Mana is now available for Android

There’s nothing that brings back feelings of nostalgia like firing up a good old fashioned Super Nintendo game. The combination of 16-bit visuals and old-school soundtracks can instantly teleport you to a time when life was all about pogs, slap bracelets, and memorizing time tables. After launching for iOS back in 2010, Square Enix was kind enough to finally bring the 1993 classic Secret of Mana to Android devices.

Featuring a Zelda-like top-down view and real-time battle system, Secret of Mana was a breath of fresh air from Square Enix’s typical turn-based RPGs. The release shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Square Enix announced an Android port was due sometime in the fall back in August.

Available for a cool $9 on Google Play, Secret of Mana features a slightly tweaked interface (perfect for potato fingers) and 360-degree character movement (original game only had 8-directional movement). No fancy high-res visuals here, this is 16-bit gaming at its finest. Link down below.

Secret of Mana (Playboard) | Secret of Mana (Play Store)

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Android founder Andy Rubin is no longer working at Google

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Android founder Andy Rubin is no longer working at Google

After Andy Rubin helped build the best mobile operating system the world had ever seen, it took many by surprise when he decided to leave Android last year to pursue other ventures building robots within Google’s secretive X labs. Today, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Android co-founder is now leaving Google completely, creating a new startup aimed at helping up and coming hardware-based companies.

It’s not really directly Android-related per se, but given Andy Rubin is the Godfather of Android, we’re sure this is a major blow to Google who’s worked with him for so many years. Google CEO Larry Page had this to say on Rubin’s departure:

“I want to wish Andy all the best with what’s next. With Android he created something truly remarkable—with a billion plus happy users. Thank you.”

According to Jessica Lessin of The Information, Rubin was looking for more freedom from his robotics unit, similar to the independent anti-aging company, Calico. Best of luck to him.

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Angry Birds Transformers run-and-gun shooter is now finally available for Android

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Angry Birds Transformers run-and-gun shooter is now finally available for Android

Some of you were less than enthusiastic to hear that Rovio, in their insatiable lust to acquire larger stockpiles of money, were teaming up with Hasbro to develop what else, but a new Angry Birds Transformers crossover title. Adding insult to irony was the fact that, despite Android’s dominance in the smartphone market, iOS was given a 2 week exclusive on the title. For all those waiting to exhale, Angry Birds Transformers is now officially available for Android.

This isn’t even the first time Rovio has teamed up with other popular franchises for a mashup (Angry Birds Rio, Angry Birds Star Wars) but let’s just call it what it is: a money grab. That’s not to say the game is bad, it’s actually quite fun. More of a run-and-gun shooter, the game accomplishes what it set out to do: provide Android users with an easy pick-up-and-play time killer. You control the blaster of a chosen Transformer as he bolts down a level, blasting pigs in the background as they balance on physics-based platforms.

Our only complaint? Angry Birds Transformer doesn’t make a lick of sense. In an, admittedly, pretty rad 80’s style intro cartoon, the birds and pigs have melded into cybernetic, transforming bodies thanks to the “EggSpark.” I think Rovio said it best: they’re birds/pigs disguised as robots, disguised as, well…. other things. Don’t even get us started on the fact that the Grimlock bird — which is a bird, disguised as a dinosaur robot — now transforms into a motorcycle. For all that is holy, it seems like every year someone just keeps sh*tting on everything we knew and loved as a kid.

But it could always be worse. They could have went with Michael Bay’s Transformer character models. What’s that you say? Ah, yes. Bumble Bee and Megatron are both Michael Bay designs, not the 80’s cartoon the game is loosely based off of. For the love of Pete. The worst part is despite all this, we’re still going to download and have a blast with this game. Maybe that’s the real point. You can download Angry Birds Transformers for free from the Google Play Store below.

Angry Birds Transformers (Playboard) | Angry Birds Transformers (Play Store)

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Inbox by Gmail invites are going out to existing Inboxers

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Inbox by Gmail invites are going out to existing Inboxers

Last week the tech community went nuts after Inbox by Gmail — Google’s radical new vision for the future of email — was officially unveiled. The only problem is it was only sorta available to the general public, requiring early adopters to send an email first to Google in order to get invited. For all those invited, we originally got word that those selected would soon be able to send out their own invites to friends, family, and/or acquaintances.

Today, Inbox by Gmail is letting all current Inboxers know that they now have 3 invites to give out. Simply select the big red “+” button and you’ll find the option for “Invite to Inbox” waiting for you. Choose wisely, because you only have 3 invites to give out until Google sends out more sometime later. Because we’re good sports, anyone looking for an invite can simply leave a comment to this post and maybe some good Samaritans will send you one. Good luck!

UPDATE: All of our invites have been taken. Thanks for playing!

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You can barely see the bezel on LG’s latest display

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You can barely see the bezel on LG’s latest display

LG Display has announced a remarkable achievement for folks who can’t stand those annoying black bars bordering their screens. The company has developed a 5.3-inch full HD LCD panel that has a bezel width of 0.7mm, which is said to be thinner than the width of a standard credit card.

That mark gives them the title of thinnest bezel in the industry, and there are some pretty darn thin ones out there. LG gave us a pretty good rundown of how they were able to achieve the feat:

To realize the 0.7mm bezel width on the left and right sides of the panel, which is narrower than the 0.8mm thickness of a credit card, LG Display used its “Neo Edge” module processing technology and the world’s first “Advanced In-Cell Touch (AIT)” technology.

LG Display’s Neo Edge technology uses an adhesive instead of double-sided tape to attach and completely seal the total area and edges of the panel’s circuit board and backlight unit. Because there is no plastic guide panel to attach the panel and backlight, the Neo Edge technology helps achieve minimal bezel width, while blocking light leakage and being waterproof and dustproof.

The adhesive seal also prevents corrosion that sometimes occurs along the edge of the glass panel when double-sided tape is used, while dramatically improving the panel’s durability despite the narrow bezel because of increased elasticity as the adhesive hardens.

The company’s AIT technology, exclusively developed by LG Display, reduces the need for bezel space because the touch panel is embedded into the LCD module. The technology offers a slim design and excellent touch, while saving costs since a separate process for touch functions is not required.

LG’s all set to begin mass production of the display this November, with Chinese markets set to get first dibs on distribution (mainly due to the advent of demand for displays by many of the country’s up-and-coming OEMs). LG says they’ll also be promoting it and shopping it out on a global scale to anyone finding themselves in need of such a display.

We imagine the company will eventually want to get one of these things loaded up into their own smartphones, though they certainly aren’t talking about any possible internal uses today.

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Google Glass is now formally and officially banned in 56,000 movie theaters worldwide

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Google Glass is now formally and officially banned in 56,000 movie theaters worldwide

Can’t say we didn’t see this coming, but Google Glass is now banned in a wide range of movie theaters worldwide. The Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners have announced a new policy that would effectively land you in a world of trouble if you’re caught with Google Glass on your head during a movie showing. The duo also bans the use of cellphones and other video recording equipment while viewing a movie.

It’s a move that doesn’t surprise us in a tug-of-war between content makers and content consumers. Alongside the Recording Industry Association of America in the music realm, the MPAA has fought quite diligently to make sure their members’ copyrighted material is kept from being illegally copied and distributed. Piracy is illegal, and it’s in their right to protect their interests at whatever cost.

The MPAA makes up six of the largest movie studio companies around the world and are responsible for a vast majority of blockbuster films that release every year. NATO, on the other hand, represents over 56,000 movie theaters worldwide. Many of these theaters have already began to ban the use of Google Glass at their own discretion, but making it a worldwide policy makes it somewhat officially official.

It’s a very interesting policy that might spark some controversy among Google Glass enthusiasts. Many would argue that having a recording device on their head doesn’t automatically mean they’re using the device’s recording features and that the wearable should be an acceptable accessory to use. Some would liken it to smartphones being allowed in a theater, except it’s pretty obvious when a smartphone is being used to record a huge display — not so obvious when or if it’s Google Glass.

Do Glass owners have reason to be upset? Maybe, but they knew what they were getting into when they joined the Explorers program. Heck, Google even warned you about some of the troubles you’ll come across as you champion the wearable flag to help this new emerging tech category find its way. Fight the new policy if you so wish, but don’t be surprised if theater staff end up calling the authorities over it because that is now their right.

[via Hollywood Reporter]

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Samsung Gear S trots over to the United States starting next week

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Samsung Gear S trots over to the United States starting next week

Samsung has announced that sales of their standalone Gear S smart watch will begin in the United States starting in November. The earliest known availability is from AT&T, who will have the smart watch on November 7th. [Update]: Sprint has also confirmed November 7th availability.

For AT&T it’ll run you $200 on a two-year contract, and the watch can be added to a Mobile Share plan for just $10 more than what you’re currently paying. T-Mobile and Verizon are also confirmed to be carrying the smart watch, though we’ll have to wait for word regarding those individual carriers’ plans.

Unfortunately its status as a standalone smart watch doesn’t change the fact that you’ll need a Galaxy smartphone to use it, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 or the Samsung Galaxy S5. Needless to say, you’d basically be wasting $200 if you don’t already have one.

Should you be fully involved with Samsung, though, the smart watch will enable data without the need to be paired with a smart phone so you can use all your data enabled apps even if you leave your smartphone behind. It also enables calling and texting that is routed through your smartphone so you can get all of your communication without having to have the phone on you. Not a bad set of functions at all. Let us know if you’ll be grabbing one once they’re finally available.

[via Business Wire, AT&T]

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Devs: “OK Google” search command works with any app with 6 quick lines of code

Phandroid

Devs: “OK Google” search command works with any app with 6 quick lines of code

Google has just publicized an awesome feature for developers who want their apps to be searchable using the “OK Google” voice command. Putting 6 simple lines of code in your manifest file will enable Google Search to allow voice searches that originate from users using the command. Here are a couple of examples:

• “Ok Google, search pizza on Eat24”


• “Ok Google, search for hotels in Maui on TripAdvisor”

And here’s the line of code you’ll need to add to the AndroidManifest.xml file:

<activity android:name=".SearchableActivity">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="com.google.android.gms.actions.SEARCH_ACTION"/>
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

And that’s it. As long as your app has a searchable activity users can initiate the command and search like they would through Google’s own search engine (though you’ll need to be using English and have Google Search version 3.5 or higher installed on phones or tablets with Jelly Bean or higher). Can’t wait to see this make its way into many of the great apps in Google Play!

[via Google]

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Motorola and Lenovo are officially an item

Phandroid

Motorola and Lenovo are officially an item

Motorola and Lenovo today announced that they have completed a deal for the latter to acquire the former. Motorola is now a Lenovo company, and what that means for the future is still very unclear at this point. Much like when they were acquired by Google, Motorola has been working in an independent capacity and have carried on business as they always have. The acquisition didn’t change anything about Moto’s plan to seed the market with two of the most exciting smartphones in 2014 with the Moto X and DROID turbo.

Lenovo’s original statement on the acquisition is that they’re hoping to be able to leverage Motorola’s global market share and mind share to help them perform better outside Asian markets. Lenovo has been known to take global brands and succeed with them over time, such as the ThinkPad and IdeaPad business they bought from HP a while back. They continue to command a significant portion of the notebook PC market all this time later.

We’re not sure if we’re to see the same with Motorola. We’d imagine they’d want to  keep Motorola’s iconic name attached to the wonderful products they’ve been launching as of late, though if the IBM transition is anything to go by then we wouldn’t necessarily be worried if they decided to scrub Motorola’s name off all their products, either. Lenovo executive Liu Jun commented on the acquisition:

“Motorola has already built solid momentum in the market, and their recent results show consumers are excited about their exceptional products that stand out for their design and simplicity,” said Liu Jun. “With the complementary strengths of our two companies, we expect to sell more than 100 million mobile devices this year – including smartphones and tablets – by leveraging the Lenovo brand’s leading market position in China, our shared momentum in emerging markets, and Motorola’s strong foothold in mature markets like the U.S.”

Of course, it’s much too early to be thinking about any of this considering the ink probably has yet to dry. Let’s hope to hear more about Lenovo’s plans for Motorola in the near future.

[via Business Wire]

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Any.do 2.0 update brings cloud-driven collaboration to the superstar to-do list app

Phandroid

Any.do 2.0 update brings cloud-driven collaboration to the superstar to-do list app

Any.do is one of the best to-do managers we’ve used in a long time. The company stresses simplicity over complexity, and feels that less is more when it comes to trying to organize a busy life or work schedule. Today’s update makes the experience even better for those who work with others to accomplish their daily tasks in life.

Any.do 2.0 brings a cloud-driven collaboration engine that allows you and your spouse (or classmates, or coworkers) to organize important tasks and help keep you on track to completing your goals every day. Your wife might create a grocery shopping list, but she can’t get there herself. She can simply add you to the list and have you take care of it while you’re out. Real-time collaboration allows her to add or remove items that she thinks of and it’ll update on your phone pretty much instantly.

Apply that to multiple students working on a school project or a project manager at work having to divvy up tasks between employees. The free version offers one-on-one collaboration, but the premium subscription ($5 per month/ $45 per year thereafter) will allow you to bring as many people on board as you need. Any.do 2.0’s goal is to make sure anyone and everyone tuned into that list knows exactly what’s going on at all times.

They’ve also taken the simple to-do list a step further by introducing attachments, so you can attach images, audio, photos and video to a note or task list item to make sure whoever is looking at it has any relevant information they need. That particular feature allows files up to 5 megabyes for free users, though the premium experience wipes away that limit and lets you upload any type of file you want. Folks using Dropbox can even pull files straight from their Dropbox account in case they store things in the web (and we hope more services will be supported in future updates).

Finally, today’s update brings custom backgrounds (just in case the typical day/night themes aren’t doing it for you) and fine tuned reminders that give you the flexibility to create any type of reminder as frequently or infrequently as you want. You can find it all in the Google Play Store right now, and be sure to watch the video above to see how it might help enhance one’s life

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Motorola DROID Turbo now available from Verizon, watch it save James Franco’s life [VIDEO]

Phandroid

Motorola DROID Turbo now available from Verizon, watch it save James Franco’s life [VIDEO]

After a series of teaser videos starring movie star James Franco were uploaded to YouTube, tonight, as the clock struck midnight, the full ad has finally been revealed. This time uploaded onto Verizon’s YouTube channel, the video — which is now prominently featured on the DroidDoes website  — finally shows off some of the Motorola DROID Turbo’s best features (like the fact that it’s fast and can deliver 8 hours of battery life from a 15 minute charge). Verizon drives home the point with Franco free falling from a building but not giving AF thanks to his blazing fast DROID Turbo which he uses to change his trajectory.

In fact, the phone is now officially available for purchase from Verizon’s website in black, red, or ballistic nylon. The 32GB model will run you $200 with a 2-year agreement ($25 a month on payments), or 64GB for $250 ($27.08 on payments). If you’re looking to go the full price route, 32GB is $600 and 64GB is $650. Keep in mind the only color option/finish for the 64GB model is ballistic nylon.

We’ll admit, we tried to hold off on purchasing (weren’t a fan of the looks) but in the end, there’s just no denying 2-day battery life and a near stock Android experience. You win, Verizon. We’ll bite. Expect our full Motorola DROID Turbo review in the coming days.

Motorola DROID Turbo (Red)

Motorola DROID Turbo (Black)

Motorola DROID Turbo (Ballistic Nylon)

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