Moto G on T-Mobile 3G in Portland, OR
What do you consider to be fast internet? 10 megabits per second? What about 100mbps? We’ve heard that LTE-A service in South Korea is pushing upwards of 400mbps, and that Google Fiber clocks in up to 1Gbps, but is that good enough? We are learning that certain government agencies have their hands on their own shadow network that is getting real world, cross country transfers up to 91Gbps.
The private pipeline is called ESNet, short for Energy Science Network, it is supervised by the US Department of Energy and is used by the likes of NASA and Science National labs. The network also juts out of the U.S. with pipes headed to international scientific locations, such as CERN.
Scientists and researchers at the various connected locations across the United States are using the network to transfer large files and data sets like genome sequences from the Human Genome Project and data from the large Hadron Collider.
Click image to enlarge
The U.S. shadow network is designed using mainly commercially available hardware. Although these guys are not in the business of providing internet to the masses, we can still think of them as guinea pigs. Someone has to make sure that 100Gbps is safe for home use, who knows what could go wrong with those sorts of speeds.
If the thought of 100Gbps internet speeds is exciting to you, then you’ll love that the same crew of researchers and hardware manufacturers are now working on attaining 400Gbps using the same basic infrastructure. I can only hope that the then deprecated 100Gbps hardware could find its way to an ISP near you, in the hopes of seeing faster and less expensive speeds hitting every home and mobile device across the globe.
100Gbps is a great network speed, but we have to wonder how long it will be before the average consumer actually needs these sorts of speeds. Let’s just say that you are the average consumer, what would you do with 100Gbps data speeds?
Last year we told you about GravityBox, easily one of the most complete and far-reaching Xposed modules for rooted Nexus and AOSP ROMs. The creator is still expanding the module, and has quickly incorporated the Heads Up notifications recently featured in CyanogenMod nightly builds. Heads Up notifications pop up for easy viewing and action while in full screen mode. The feature is hidden deep in Android 4.4 code, and easily enabled here.
GravityBox Xposed Module 3.2 Brings Heads Up Notifications And More Goodies To Rooted Users was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
We’ve already spoken a lot about what we think is going to happen during this year’s Google I/O conference, what we won’t be seeing and we’ve even asked you guys what you want to see during this year’s conference. If you haven’t already guessed, we’re pretty excited for this year’s Google I/O. Why, you might ask? Well, to me and others here at Android Headlines, it seems like we’re in store for some changes during this year’s I/O and a whole new way to use Android as well. Here, I’ going to be talking about what’s going to big during the 2014 conference, what big things we think Google have in store for us.
While not so “big” in the physical sense, Android Wear is going to be a recurring theme during Google I/O this year and for good reason. The ‘Internet of Things’ is here to stay and there’s no fighting it, with this “new” internet comes wearable technology and miniaturization of processors, displays and battery technology has gotten so good that Google can now bring Android to our wrists. Android Wear has already been announced and we’ve gotten some fairly good looks at what Android Wear is going to look like. As a smartwatch wearer myself, I am pretty excited to see just how tightly Android Wear integrates with the main Android platform.
I’m expecting more software and partner announcements than anything else, but we could see some hardware from Android Wear partners, but don’t expect a full blown product launch, no matter how long Android Wear has been in development for, it’s still early days for Google.
I’m perhaps going out on a limb here, but the rumored redesign of Google’s mobile products, not just their icons, is more than likely going to rear its pretty head during the conference. We’ve since seen a new Google+ app redesign and some signs of new design cues in the GMail app. For a long time now, Google has been focusing more and more on design, after all their products are designed to be used by humans, so why not look nice? Google Now introduced us to a new type of subtle, appealing design that’s really quite nice. Project Hera is to be an expansion of this and I’m willing to bet that with this, Android becomes a little less digital and a little more friendly.
From what we’ve heard about Project Hera, we’re expecting icon redesigns and some changes to Google’s core apps on Android. We’re not expecting or even holding out for a new theme for Android, but rather some changes that make more of an effect that you might first think.
The Play Store has become a massive part of the Android ecosystem and a sizable money spinner for Google. Over the last few months, we’ve seen music, movies and magazines launch in more countries across the globe and in my eyes, that means another big push is about to come from Google. We’re about to see Google Play become easier to use, provide a wider selection and just generally give Apple and Amazon something to worry about.
2014 has been a pretty decent year for Google+ and despite a certain tech blog decrying its early death, it’s still going strong and even though its shepherd has departed the Google homestead, we’re pretty certain Google hasn’t given up on Google+. Will we see a big redesign? Probably not, we got that last year. What we’re more likely to see is lots of figures, lots of chest beating and some solid encouragement to businesses that Google+ is the future.
We’ve already asked you what you want to see during Google I/O, but I’d love to hear from you so shout out in the comments!
The post Android Headliner: What’s Going to be Big During Google I/O 2014 appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.
We’ve had a bit of a talk here amongst ourselves at Android Headlines and we’ve put together a list of what we feel are the absolute best Android devices available. These are the creme de la creme of Android smartphones today, and we’ve taken into account things like specs, overall experience, how easy it is to get hold of them and why they’re good devices in the first place. We’re sure that not everyone is going to agree with us, this is expected, so I welcome you to come join us in the comments (let’s just keep things clean, okay guys?).
The Moto G is excellent value for money, there’s no denying that. Motorola managed to create the definitive blueprint for what a budget-minded device should be, as we found out in our review. Others like Samsung and HTC might be able to offer extra features for a somewhat similar price, but there’s really no beating what the Moto G has on offer for such a great price. It’s running the latest build of Android, it has a good display, doesn’t feel cheap and there’s even a 4G version available. What more could you want for something around $200 unlocked.
You can find the Moto G on Amazon.
While we would love to put the Moto X higher up on this list, it just doesn’t offer the same sort of value as devices listed above it. After all, the device didn’t launch with the best specs in the world and sure, it still has some great tricks up its sleeve and the overall experience is good, but we can’t see the Moto X offering too much as time goes on. The Moto X+1 is on its way and well, compared to other smartphones out there that cost too much extra, the Moto X just isn’t the great deal it used to be.
For a standard Moto X, just head on over to Amazon or use the Moto Maker to create your own.
It has a 720p display and uses a slightly outdated Snapdragon 800 CPU, so why is the G Flex? Well, it’s a pretty interesting device, how many other phones out there are curved from top-to-bottom? Its 6-inch display will also please those looking for a larger device and in many ways it’s a sign of things to come in the smartphone industry. The self-healing back is a nice touch and even though it won’t survive a real beating, light scratches are kept at bay. LG continues to deliver excellent battery life and performance, so the G Flex is far from just a gimmick of a device. To find out how good a device it is, read our review.
LG’s G Flex is available from Amazon.
Sony’s latest and greatest is easily their best attempt at a smartphone. The 5.2-inch IPS display is their best yet, it has 3GB of RAM and the same sort of Snapdragon 801 as most other 2014 flagships. The software is good and that 20.7-megapixel camera is excellent as well. We really liked the Z2 in our review, but Sony continue to delay their device launches in North America and throughout the globe their devices are still somewhat overpriced, making Sony’s latest smartphone a little too hot to handle.
LG’s G2 might be around a year or so old at this point, but the device still exhibits excellent performance, excellent battery life and a good display. If there’s one thing about the G2 that doesn’t impress all that much is the glossy back to it which is like a fingerprint magnet, but that’s not too big a deal. Compared to the Z2, the 5.2-inch display takes up less space and the whole device feels easier to use in one hand. A great device that should be available for a great price on carriers throughout the country, the G2 is definitely worth taking a look at.
LG’s G2 is available through Amazon.
It’s great value, has a good display, isn’t too big a device despite the 5-inch display and its fast. Oh, did we mention that it’ll get Android updates before anything else? That’s easily the main reason the Nexus 5 is so appealing to Android fans, the software is completely untouched by carriers and it’s great if you want to experiment with ROMs and such. It’s not perfect by any stretch though, the speaker is poor and the build quality – while sturdy – isn’t exactly “premium”.
Despite some interesting developments surrounding the company’s ties to Oppo, the One Plus One is a great device. Its 5.5-inch 1080p display looks good, its got slim bezels and the device runs CyanogenMod, a dream come true to a lot of custom ROM users. The major drawback with such an appealing device is the availability of the device which requires some sort of invite system and the device is still delayed in some parts of the world. Still, if you want a slightly larger, stock Android device that’s great value, the One Plus One is a great consideration.
Samsung’s latest version of the phablet that created a new market is easily their best. It’s their best-designed Galaxy Note and has all the power and battery life you need to get through the day and then some. If you’re put off by large devices though, this isn’t for you, but then again you won’t be considering it if that were the case. If you want a nice, big display with some serious multitasking power, the 5.7-inch, Snapdragon 800 packing Galaxy Note 3 won’t disappoint.
The Galaxy Note 3 is available from Amazon.
The more I think about it, the more I keep on thinking that these two devices are two sides of the same coin. They both have good, 1080p displays, they both run the latest version of Android, they cost the same and they’re aimed at the same time of consumer. Want a device with better build and better sound? Go for the M8. Want an arguably better camera and some extra features? Go for the Galaxy S5. There are pros and cons for both of these devices, but no matter which you choose you won’t be disappointed.
With its 256- x 1440 5.5-inch display, it’s pretty impressive that the G3 manages to keep a svelte figure. Not much larger than last year’s G2 and smaller than the Xperia Z2, the G3 is a feat of engineering. Coupled with a Snapdragon 801 and 3GB of RAM (if you opt for 32GB of storage), the G3 is easily one of the most powerful devices on the market, not to mention one of the better-looking devices thanks to a metallic-infused build. The buttons on the rear of the device help the display take center stage and LG’s software has been revamped for the better. An excellent device that anyone would be happy with, the G3 is one of the absolute best smartphones available right now.
The post Top 10 Best Android Smartphones Buyers Guide: June 2014 Edition appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.
It may be a generation old now, but the HTC UK team thinks the HTC One (M7) is still something special, especially after being named the “Best Phone of 2013″ by an unknown source. To celebrate, they have had a 24k gold plated version of the device made and will be giving it away via a Twitter-based contest.
The full rules are available on their Facebook page. Entrants are only allowed one entry, accomplished by retweeting a specific tweet. The winner does have to be a resident of the U.K. If you are interested, you have until the end of the day on June 29th to get your entry in.
source: @HTC_UK, HTC UK on Facebook (rules)
Come comment on this article: HTC UK to give away 24k gold HTC One (M7)
News has surfaced that Mozilla is working on device to compete with Google’s Chromecast and could be close to releasing the device. Powered by the Firefox OS, it appears the new streaming media device will function in a manner very similar to Chromecast even to the point of being able to work with some apps that were designed for Chromecast.
At this point the device has no name and it is unclear who will manufacture the device, if it is even limited to a single manufacturer. Some prototypes have already been produced, as seen in the video below, but it appears the company that produced the prototypes will not be the final manufacturer. Meanwhile, a Mozilla spokesperson says “Firefox OS is an open platform freely available for any company to build on top of without restriction. This means companies can experiment with different form factors that run Firefox OS” in response to an inquiry about a manufacturing partner. This seems to hint at Mozilla releasing the code and specifications and leaving it up to manufacturers to put it on their hardware.
In addition to apps designed to run on mobile devices, including those powered by Android, Mozilla reportedly has been working on adding casting capabilities to their Firefox browser. The overall sentiment seems to be that whatever Firefox produces will be more open than what Google allows via their Google Cast SDK.
Now that the existence of the device has leaked out, to the extent that a video showing how it works has been released, we can expect to see more rumors and leaks surface in the coming weeks. Of course, some of the information we’ll be looking for will be pricing and availability information.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Gigaom
Come comment on this article: Mozilla working on Firefox OS based competitor to Chromecast
Yesterday, we dropped a leaked image and render of Volantis, an alleged upcoming Nexus tablet built by HTC. We also dropped specification info and pricing - and that's really what this weekend's poll is about.
This new Nexus tablet isn't messing around - it will sport an NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit processor utilizing the company's proprietary Denver CPU core, a very powerful desktop-architecture GPU, 2GB of RAM, an 8.9" display with 2048x1440 resolution (that's 4:3 aspect ratio), aluminum construction, and will likely launch with one of the biggest Android releases (the "L" release) to date.
[Weekend Poll] Is The Rumored 4:3 HTC Nexus Tablet 'Volantis' Going To Be Getting Your Hard-Earned Cash? was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
