Jeff Bezos gives insight behind the Fire Phone, admits to having used a Samsung smartphone

As to whether or not Amazon needed to make a smartphone of its own, that is for CEO Jeff Bezos to decide. In an interview with Bits, Bezos explains why Amazon opted to manufacturer its own smartphone and enter into a crowded, cutthroat market. He wanted to produce a device that was differentiated from today’s offerings, but wanted differentiation that mattered.

When pushed on the fact that the company may have waited to long, Bezos said “I don’t want to judge before all the facts are in, but I think this wireless thing is going to be big.” He then recalls five years ago when Nokia and BlackBerry were massive players in the wireless industry. Bezos clearly shows no signs of hesitation. The interviewer then questioned price, to which Bezos did not even budge. He defended the storage (32GB) and the extras from Amazon Prime and bundling one year of that service for free along with the premium build quality. Durability in the long run is something he and the company admires when seeing older Kindle devices still roaming around in the world.

So before the Fire Phone was developed, what was Jeff Bezos’ go-to? A Samsung smartphone, although he did not clarify which model. Interestingly enough, Bezos proudly said “the thing I’ve noticed is when I switch back to another phone, I’m still reaching for the gestures that work so reliably on Fire phone, like autoscroll.” But if he was using one of Samsung’s flagship smartphones, he would indeed be able to scroll with his eyes, right? Just a little thought.

Hit the source link for the full interview with Bezos.

Source: Bits (The New York Times)

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OnLive working towards bringing cloud gaming to WikiPad

OnLive is now working with WikiPad to bring cloud based PC games playable via WikiPad. OnLive is a cloud gaming service that allows users to play games by streaming them to compatible devices, and they have already brought the same games to a number of other controllers.

Users of OnLive can play games in two different ways. The first is that they can use CloudLift and play from an assortment of games, though if the user already owns the game on Steam, they won’t have to buy it again, just pay the $7.95 monthly subscription fee. Users can also use PlayPack.

The WikiPad can be bought for $199, and apart from soon being able to play games via OnLive, users can also play a number of other games available on the Google Play store. The WikiPad can also be taken out of the casing and used as a normal tablet.

Source: DroidGamers

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HTC takes a shot at Galaxy S 5′s Band-Aid design

If you thought companies were done slamming Samsung over the Galaxy S 5′s design, you don’t have to look any farther than HTC’s latest tweeted image. The graphic shows three Band-Aids that just so happen to share the colors of Samsung’s latest flagship, followed by the sleek HTC One. The image was captioned “One of these things is not like the other.”

HTC isn’t the first company to attack Samsung, and they certainly won’t be the last. None of HTC’s recent marketing tactics have put too much of a dent in the smartphone market, but that isn’t going to stop them from trying.

source: HTC

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Wireless charger for Motorola’s Moto 360 smartwatch stops by the FCC

Thanks to a brand new FCC filing from Motorola, we now know that the Moto 360 will either utilize or support a wireless charger. The FCC filing we are looking at uses the smartwatch, wireless charger, and AC/DC adapter for testing. And what is the wireless charging standard the Moto 360 will use? The Qi wireless charging standard.

We will certainly be hearing more about the Moto 360 and other devices when Android Wear is fully introduced Wednesday at Google I/O.

Source: FCC

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Google Play Games service getting improvements, including quest notifications and snapshots

Google’s gaming service, Google Play Games, is going to be getting a few improvements in the near future that should help developers bake more functionality in their games. Currently, the Play Games service manages things like achievements and leaderboards, but Google is working on more improvements to the system.

The first major improvement is the addition of notifications for quests in a game. These notifications would alert the player whenever a game had available quests, send notifications letting them know a quest started, and send a heads up when the quest was completed. Not a huge addition, but a nice visual feedback tweak that should improve the way games play on Android.

The second big improvement will come in the form of snapshots that relate to saving a game. Developers will be able to add snapshot functions into their game, which would make it much easier for the player to quickly jump in and out of save points in a game. With a mobile game that you may only play at a bus stop for five minutes, being able to quickly pick up and leave a game is incredibly valuable. This service might also push for more developers to take advantage of Google’s cloud saving functionality with Play Games.

We might hear a little more about these tweaks tomorrow during Google I/O.

source: Android Police

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Samsung may post a weak Q2 due to slower device sales

It looks like Samsung’s Q2 earnings may not be quite as great as the company originally anticipated. Early reports are saying that Samsung’s market share and device sales have dipped a considerable amount thanks to heated competition from other manufacturers like Apple and LG. Samsung’s market share in the smartphone market is predicted to drop to about 30 percent, and operating profits are expected to be around $7.74 billion. Those are still very impressive numbers, but for a company that’s on top like Samsung, shareholders want things to continually improve, not stagnate.

Samsung has reportedly sold about 15 million Galaxy S 5 smartphones, down from the originally forecast 21 million. That’s about a 25% discrepancy, so you can expect that to hurt earnings a bit, as well. However, Samsung is making big strides in the wearables market, and their processor market is doing fairly well, too. It’s not all doom and gloom, but it’s going to be interesting to see if Samsung can maintain their top spot in the Android ecosystem over the next few months.

source: Korean Herald

via: Android Authority

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UpgradeSwap Has Stopped Buying Used T-Mobile Phones, And You Probably Should Too

Sites that buy used phones and turn them around for a profit are found all over the internet these days, because there's clearly money to be made in the mobile market. One such site, UpgradeSwap, however, is going to stop buying used T-Mobile phones. There's some pretty questionable decisions being made by T-Mo, so anyone interested in picking up a used Magenta handset should also be aware of what's going on.

UpgradeSwap Has Stopped Buying Used T-Mobile Phones, And You Probably Should Too was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Aviate exits beta as it introduces awesome new features

Aviate’s contribution to the Android platform is acutely significant. The launcher offers a unique and smarter experience, granting organization tools and smart features that no competitor can match. The app’s distinctive nature was made more apparent after being acquired by Yahoo.

While the Aviate team moved to Yahoo, it was promised the original project would not come to an end, which is quite apparent now. The Aviate launcher has officially exited its beta stage and is now available for everyone. Invites are no longer necessary, and the deal is sweetened by some outstanding new features.

Of course, Aviate now puts Yahoo’s services front and center, but the team has also patched together some great improvements that should make certain actions funner and simpler. These include a Favorite People section, an improved calendar and what they call “Daily Delight” (a series of features that will customize to your daily usage).

Favorite People

Aviate makes it easier to call or text your contacts by simply swiping up from your home screen. We take such basic functions for granted, but this may be one of those new features you test and wonder how you lived without it for so long… as simple as it is.

Calendar

The calendar functions have been improved. Yahoo also acquired Donna, an intelligent calendar app. Its features have been included in Aviate. You can now call a cab or start a call directly from the calendar app, for example.

Daily Delight

Labeled with a catchy title, this addition to the “What’s New” section in the Google Play Store app page. It includes “a lightweight sleep-tracker, daily images for your homescreen, alerts for unexpected weather and a twice-daily news digests”.

Download

As already mentioned, this app is now free for anyone to use. You can download Yahoo Aviate Launcher straight from the Google Play Store. It’s completely free, so give it a try!

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LTE Chromebook Pixel Buyers Left Out In The Cold On Promised Free Data From Verizon

Chromebooks are a great little way to get things done. Even if it’s just small, menial tasks that could be done just as easily from your smartphone. While there are a range of Chromebooks out there, it is without argument that the Chromebook Pixel is probably the nicest one available, it’s just so damn expensive that it turned a lot of people off. The price was no factor for those who bought the LTE model however, as they ended up paying $1,450 instead of the original cost of $1,299. The issue that those users of the LTE model are having is not related to price, but to the loss of the free data packages from Verizon that used to be clearly stated in the Pixel’s product page.

Initially when the LTE model of the Chromebook Pixel was released, buying it meant that you had the option of 100MB of free data from Verizon Wireless for two years before you would end up having to pay for a data plan. The LTE model released last year however and some users are reporting having already lost their use of the data plan that they had use of prior to now. According to Computer World there had been no mention to users that the previously promised 100MB of data would be disappearing, but a disappearance seems to be exactly what LTE Pixel buyers are experiencing.

This wouldn’t be a major problem for most people especially if the promise of the data for a set period of time never existed, but the fact is that it was there to begin with and it was part of what people paid for. Some people may have decided to buy it simply just because it came with free data for the better length of time that they would be using the Pixel, and ultimately only got half of what was promised. Right now there are no further details on whether this was some sort of a mistake with users or if there was anything in the agreement that may have allowed either party to eliminate the free data plan. Were you a customer who bought the LTE Chromebook Pixel just because of the two years of free data?

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Yahoo Aviate exits beta, open for everyone in the Play Store

Upon being purchased by Yahoo and staying in beta, Yahoo Aviate Launcher has been relaunched for anyone to install without an invitation. For the unaware, Yahoo Aviate is an adaptive launcher by organizing everything specifically for you after learning trends and preferences. It also works with your location and time of day to tailor the experience. In a way, Yahoo Aviate is a little bit like Google Now except for the fact that it is always actively displayed.

Hit the break for the introductory video, gallery, and download links.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Play Store Download Link

Source: Yahoo Aviate

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[International Giveaway] Win One Of Two Moto 360s From Android Police And Appy Geek

Yes, we know – the Moto 360 isn't available yet. But you want to be one of the first to own one, right? Of course you do. And the only thing sweeter than being one of the first to get one is getting one for free. The good folks over at News Republic (the guys who power HTC BlinkFeed) were generous enough to offer up not one, but two units for us to give away as soon as they're available.

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2K Games And Firaxis Games Will Bring Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution 2 To Android

The holy grail of strategy world builder games is coming to Android. If you love Civilization, be prepared to at some point in the future to enjoy Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution 2. 2K Games and Firaxis Games have come together to bring the Sid Meier series of games to Android in the future, so if you enjoy the style of gameplay from the Civilization games your dreams are finally coming true. It’s a bit odd that the first Civilization Revolution game never made it to Android and that they’ll be starting with the second game in the series, especially since the game got its mobile port to iOS a few years back, in any case hopefully this will be the first of many more Civilization games to come.

Once the game releases, you’ll be able to take hold and rule a civilization from the dawn of man to the modern age, facing up against history’s most memorable leaders. There are a total of 16 historical leaders in all that players may have come up against from the previous Civilization Revolution game. Civilization games are all about building up your personal Civilization and becoming a world super power. Your goal is to become the most powerful empire the world has ever known. To do that you’ll have to best the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Napolean and others, all the while building up your defenses, discovering new technologies, engaging in and conducting diplomacy like a true leader, and even waging war… because sometimes the only diplomacy is the one that fires from the mouth of a cannon. Or whatever weapons your civilization has at the time.

Right now there isn’t any time frame of when we can expect Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution 2 to land on Android or what it will cost when it does, but the game will be a premium title so that means there shouldn’t be any IAP or ads within it, similar to the way that 2K Games did XCOM. That’s not to say that it will have the same cost as XCOM, but if it did then we could be looking at a $9.99 price tag. Are any of you out there Sid Meier Civilization fans and looking forward to this?

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