Author: Nathan Alvarez

A new report from Digitimes says Samsung has set a goal to sell 500 million handset devices in 2013. This is a step up for Samsung given that they sold 420 million handset devices in 2012. The report also stated that BOE, a China-based panel maker, is supplying Samsung with a rate of 10 million panels per month for its entry-level and mid-range handset devices. Samsung is shooting for the stars, and depending on the success of their newly announced Galaxy S 4, they may very well reach their goal.

Source: Digitimes

Come comment on this article: Samsung sets new goal: 500 million handsets in 2013

TuneIn Radio, a popular radio and music streaming app, has been updated to make discovering new music easier. Called “TuneIn Live”, the update presents consumers with a new tab on the homepage of the app. Upon tapping the live tab,  album art in the form of tiles appears that represents the music playing on each respective station. By default, the live feeds will display stations from the country, hip hop, jazz, news, rock and sport genres, but allows for user customization beyond these. This UI leaves behind confusion and brings forth an intuitive new design that allows users a better experience of discovering new music. The update comes for both the free and pro versions of TuneIn Radio and is available after the break.

Play Store Download Link – Free

Play Store Download Link – Pro

Come comment on this article: TuneIn Radio update brings new intuitive design to discover new music

AT&T has announced that the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 will be available on their 4G LTE network beginning on April 5th, 2013. Customers can choose plans for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 starting as low as $10 per month on AT&T’s Mobile Share plan. According to AT&T, “with Mobile Share, new and existing customers can share a single bucket of data across smartphones, tablets, and other compatible devices.”

AT&T is also offering a limited time promotion deal for those who purchase a $399 32GB Kindle Fire HD 8.9 with a two-year data plan by taking $150 off the total purchase, bringing the tablet to $249. Are you picking up the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 on AT&T’s 4G Network? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: AT&T

Come comment on this article: Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9 coming to AT&T’s 4G network on April 5th

The FCC has just gave the Verzion variant of the upcoming Galaxy S 4 from Samsung the go ahead. Some things to note are the presence of 4G LTE, as expected, on both Verizon’s 700 MHz band and their AWS band which they recently acquired.  Also worth noting is the presence of HSPA-3G network which could mean a better experience for consumers who travel overseas. As of now the only other carriers left to pass through the FCC’s tests are AT&T and T-Mobile, but we don’t expect that to take very long.

Source: FCC

Come comment on this article: Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4 gets green-light from FCC

It appears Google may manufacture units of their infamous Google Glass in the U.S, as opposed to abroad. According to a new report from the Financial Times, Google will work with Foxconn to produce units of Google Glass in Silicon Valley, California. This idea that Google will manufacture Google Glass locally is no surprise really. Google’s headquarters is located in Mountain View, California, while Foxconn’s manufacturing plant is steps away in Santa Clara, California— so it makes sense that an innovative product such as Google Glass would require special attention by Google and be manufactured locally, as opposed to being manufactured abroad and would almost be an expensive proposition for the search giant.

So far this decision is only mentioned to be for the initial 8,000 units meant for contest winners who won the #IfIHadGlass contest earlier this year. Whether or not Google plans to keep production within the U.S. after a global launch remains to be seen.

Source: Financial Times

Come comment on this article: The first batches of Google Glass could be made inside the U.S.

Another day, another Motorola X rumor. Unlike previous rumors claiming the Motorola X will be a series of phones rather than a singular phone, the latest rumor shows specs for a single Motorola X phone. PhoneArena received a tip from an anonymous source stating that the Motorola X phone will have a 4.8-inch display made out of sapphire, which is said to be three times tougher to break than Gorilla Glass. Other specs mentioned are a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU clocking in at 2 GHz and a 4,000 mAh battery. The device is said to also be water resistant with a design that includes a carbon fiber back and rubber bumpers on the corners. Whether or not there is any legitimacy to this rumor remains to be seen, but if they are indeed true, this is sure to be a very impressive smartphone.

Source: PhoneArena

Come comment on this article: Rumor: Motorola X phone to be launched in November with a 4.8-inch display, Sapphire glass, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 800

A Korean news report suggests that 70% of the initial 10 million units of Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 smartphone will have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 processors rather than Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa processors. According to the report, Samsung’s LSI team, who is responsible for the next generation of Exynos processors, were unable to correct all the performance and production issues in time for the Galaxy S 4 launch in late April. Samsung confirmed production issues when they announced a couple of weeks ago that the Exynos 5 applications processor would not be mass produced until the second quarter of 2013, well after its initial launch.

Samsung faced a similar problem last year when production problems regarding the case delayed initial sales of their Galaxy S III devices. Rather than risk early losses, Samsung is now looking to Qualcomm to supply them with their Snapdragon 600 processors which have been reported to be exclusive to U.S. variants of the Galaxy S 4. Qualcomm has done well partnering with Samsung in the past and it is sure to come to Samsung’s rescue until production issues can be sorted out with their Exynos 5 Octa processors.

Source: UnwiredView

Come comment on this article: Report says 70% of first 10 million Galaxy S 4s to have Snapdragon 600 processors

Earlier in March, images of  mid-range devices from Lenovo appeared online implying the company was working on more affordable handsets for consumers. One of these devices, the S920, has been officially announced by Lenovo with specs matching previous reports. The S920 features a 5.3 inch 1280 x 720 HD display, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, a rear camera coming in at 8 megapixels with a 2 megapixel front facing camera, 1 GB of RAM and a Micro SD slot all powered by a 2,250 mAh battery. The device also features a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor made by MediaTek whom Lenovo is partnering with. All of these components are encased in a sheer 7.9mm body. The S920 will be available in China in early April, but Lenovo has not yet announced global availability. Other devices that were seen in recent images have not been officially announced yet so check back with TalkAndroid in the coming weeks for more official announcements.

Source: UnwiredView

Come comment on this article: Lenovo announces S920 – quad-core smartphone powered by 4.2 Jelly Bean

One of the more innovative features of Sense 5 is BlinkFeed, which aggregates all of your social media and general news content into one gorgeous tiled interface. In their latest promo video, HTC highlights BlinkFeed in a pretty unique way. The video begins showing a young woman on a train alone with her HTC One. Upon using BlinkFeed, the images on her BlinkFeed come to life, reading aloud her status updates from her social networks as well as various news stories she has added to it. Check out the video after the break.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Come comment on this article: HTC One’s BlinkFeed highlighted in new promo video

If you love March Madness then we have some good news for you. This year’s March Madness Live app will be available for your Android devices and is completely free to download. The catch here is that any games broadcasted on cable networks will require you to login using the credentials for your cable or satellite provider’s subscription service. Any other games aired on CBS will be streamed for free using the app or on the web. According to the press release, the app has been “redesigned for optimization across platforms” which means we can expect a good looking app for our tablets as well as our smartphones. March Madness kicks off on Selection Sunday, March 17th, and the first games begin on March 19th, so be sure to look for the app in the Google Play store soon.

Come comment on this article: March Madness Live app will let you stream any game as long as you have a paid TV subscription

Ouya has announced a thank you party for backers of their Kickstarter project that will take place on March 28th in San Francisco. It is also expected that Ouya will distribute the first generation of its consoles at the same event to backers of the project. Those who haven’t backed the project, but want to get their hands on the console, will have to wait until June when it becomes available to the public and sold at select retail stores for $99.99. It’s been less than a year since Ouya went live with its Kickstarter campaign, and with over $8 million collected, it’s safe to say they have seen tremendous success so far.

Come comment on this article: Ouya announces launch event for March 28th

Google X Labs is where products are rigorously tested and often kept shrouded in mystery. Examples of innovations that have come from X Labs is Project Glass and self driving cars. This week at SXSW, X Labs division head, Astro Teller, spoke of an upcoming “moonshot” product to be released in a few weeks.

One of the many interesting rumors surrounding Google’s X Labs is the notion that Google had been working on a “space elevator”. Teller quickly debunked this rumor during a Q & A session stating that the idea had become more of a mascot for the X Labs division and is the basis of the term “moonshot” project. Teller said that there would be one of these “moonshot” projects released later this year, giving little detail about the project except that control systems would be the focus.

Teller says upon approving the project, Larry Page instructed the team to move at a pace such that five prototypes would break. With such a rapid working pace, it’s hard to tell exactly what Google is working on. All we know is that whatever the case may be, Google is planning to deliver yet another innovation to the world.

Source: The Next Web

Come comment on this article: Google X Labs to announce new ‘moonshot’ project soon

Google Glass has been banned at a local Seattle bar, The 5 Point Cafe, well ahead of its public launch. We already have a good idea of what Google Glass will be used for, and there is no question that everybody is concerned with privacy.

Owner Dave Meinert mentioned in his announcement, “People want to go there and be not known … and definitely don’t want to be secretly filmed or videotaped and immediately put on the Internet.” He also stated, “And ass kickings will be encouraged for violators.”

Bars are synonymous with social gatherings and individuals may be weary of having their picture taken during their “on-a-whim” excursions. On the other hand, security cameras are not banned from bars which are capable of taking the same embarrassing photos in a less discrete manner.

It will be interesting to see how many other businesses and public places follow suit. Glass is definitely intriguing, but Google has to get people to not only accept wearing them, but accept being in front of them everywhere all the time.

Source: The 5 Point Cafe Facebook
Via: PhoneArena

Come comment on this article: Google Glass already banned in Seattle Bar well before its launch

Another day, another decision in the ongoing patent war between Apple and Samsung. This time around, Samsung took Apple to court on the grounds that Apple’s way of processing and transmitting data on 3G networks violated three of Samsung’s patents in the UK. The English court ruled in favor of Apple, ruling that Samsung’s three claims against apple were all invalid resulting in the charges against Apple to be dropped. These patent wars have been going on since 2011 and show no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Source: Reuters

Come comment on this article: Samsung loses patent case in UK, Apple clear of 3G network patent violations

In a recent interview, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo said that due to competition from other carriers, Verizon’s subsidized prices are expected to drop within the next 2-3 years. Shammo said, “I’m a believer that over the next two to three years subsidies will start to decrease just because of the ecosystem.” Value-priced smartphones are becoming more prevalent in the competition, which is why it makes sense for Verizon’s move to lower subsidy costs. Shammo also mentioned that Verizon will start producing devices without CDMA radios built into them as voice technology moves towards LTE radios (VoLTE), thus averting more subsidy costs.

T-Mobile has said they plan to move exclusively to Value-Plans which has caused competitors like AT&T and Sprint to keep their eyes on the progress T-Mobile makes using these plans. It’s no surprise that Verizon plans to do the same. Carriers usually see a decrease in profit when they sell in higher volumes because of the subsidy costs. By cutting these costs, Verizon and the consumer both benefit; the consumer will have more affordable devices at their disposal while Verizon eliminates losses and generates more revenue.

Source: FierceWireless

Come comment on this article: Verizon’s Fran Shammo says subsidized pricing to drop within 2-3 years

Twitter has announced that it will no longer continue supporting TweetDeck on iOS and Android devices. Twitter says that this is due to a desire to focus more on its web applications and the Chrome-based version of TweetDeck. As a result, the mobile versions of TweetDeck are scheduled to be discontinued in May 2013.

Recently we wrote about Twitter denying a token extension request for the Falcon Pro app that allows users to access their Twitter accounts with some features not present in the native Twitter app. While TweetDeck isn’t a third party app, since it is owned by Twitter, it seems to be another effort to force consumers to utilize the native apps on both iOS and Android platforms.  What are your thoughts on the discontinuation of TweetDeck on iOS and Android? If this affects you, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: TweetDeck

Come comment on this article: Twitter to discontinue TweetDeck in May 2013

Images and specs of the T-Mobile Prism II (Huawei U8686) have been leaked online via @evleaks. A followup to the former Huawei Prism, the Prism II will feature a similar form factor to its predecessor and will come with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, a 1.0 GHz CPU and a HVGA (480 x 320) display. Not much else is known yet about this device but check back with TalkAndroid as we learn more about the device.

Sources: Twitter & Twitter

Come comment on this article: Low-end Huawei Prism II with Jelly Bean coming to T-Mobile soon

CEO of Nokia, Stephen Elop, was interviewed at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with topics ranging from Nokia’s goal in an emerging market to the reason behind Windows Phone 8 on Nokia flagship devices. When asked about Nokia’s outlook on emerging markets, Elop says that opportunities in an emerging market come from offering innovative technology at low price points especially for first time smartphone users.

When it came to the topic of using Windows Phone 8 in their devices as opposed to Android, Elop noted that the reason for choosing Windows Phone 8 was to stand out amongst the competition who are utilizing other platforms. Elop said that Windows Phone 8 “can be the biggest operating system in the world,” but also said that “we have a lot of work to do with Microsoft to make that happen.” As far as sales go, he said, “Demand has exceed supply in some of our markets.” For the full interview with Bloomberg, click the source at the bottom and let us know your thoughts on Elop’s interview in the comments section below.

Source: Bloomberg

Come comment on this article: Nokia CEO Stephen Elop on Windows Phone 8: ‘It can be the biggest operating system in the world’

The competition in the smartphone market could be getting fierce ladies and gentleman. Recent reports have surfaced of Sony’s Xperia C670X with specs that are seemingly on par with the popular HTC One smartphone. The specs include Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, a 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Reports are suggesting that the screen size of the C670X will be slightly smaller than the recently announced Xperia Z, coming in at 4.8 inches with a 1080p resolution, but a higher pixel density.

We would like to note that these specs should be taken with a grain of salt and has not been confirmed as of yet. However, it does make sense for Sony to want to keep up with the competition in the smartphone market. With HTC releasing their One phone and Samsung prepping to release the Galaxy S IV later in the month, competitors will have to step up their game to provide the best experience for consumers. What do you guys think about this potential flagship from Sony? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.

Source: TechCrunch

Come comment on this article: Sony Xperia C670X specs leak, possible competition for the HTC One

AccuWeather is about to get even more popular with consumers as they have rolled out an update that brings a new UI and widgets to smartphones and tablets. Also coming to tablets are portrait and landscape mode functionality. The ability to set custom forecasts based on your location is now present, as well as push notifications for potential weather disasters on tablets. AccuWeather comes in both a free version with ads and a paid version with no ads for just $1. Click the break for more details and for the download link to the update.

What’s new in version 3.0.1

• Completely redesigned for tablets and phones, with landscape & portrait modes
• NEW! Multi-location, resizable widgets with more detail.
• NEW! Customizable My AccuWeather forecasts.
• NEW! Pushed severe weather notices for tablets.
• NEW! European radar and a snapshot view for your saved locations

Play Store Download Link

Come comment on this article: AccuWeather update brings new UI and customizable widgets to phones and tablets