The Motorola Nexus Phablet Is A Confirmed Go According To The Information

While rumors and speculations continue to circulate about what Google could be doing with their next Nexus phone, the most recent came just a few days ago that Motorola might be the OEM to take on the upcoming Nexus smartphone to be launched. On top of that the rumors had stated that it would be a phablet device sporting a 5.9-inch screen size, and that it was codenamed Shamu within the internal pipeline. As of today, The Information is now reporting that they have three separate sources who are independently confirming that Motorola is in fact going to be producing the Nexus phablet to come and that it does bare the name shamu. The detail about shamu makes sense, as all of Google’s Nexus devices have had some sort of fish name I.E. mako, maguro, and tilapia just to name a few examples. This is reaching, but perhaps the reason they had chosen to go with shamu if the next Nexus smartphone will indeed be a phablet sized device, is because the devices size is appropriately represented by the size of shamu who was a killer whale or better known as an orca, which are known for being big mammals.

This news may come as a little bit of shock or a surprise considering the Lenovo buyout of Motorola from Google earlier this year, although the acquisition is not yet finalized so technically Google still owns Motorola and it’s entirely possible that if these rumors are true, that Google and Motorola had been working on this since before the agreement had been reached about the merger. According to the sources of The Information though that is not how it happened, and Google had only began working with Motorola on plans for the Nexus phablet after the announcement of the buyout. This could also very well be Motorola’s last act as part of Google before they are fully owned by Lenovo.

Concerns over favoritism about choosing a Google owned brand over another OEM to produce the next Nexus phone in the lineup would explain Google’s desire to wait on any sort of movement forward with this project, although it seems like a tight schedule for development and production if the phone is to be released sometime this fall which is when we usually new Nexus phones. As of now there are no actual concrete details from either Google or Motorola on this phablet device to be, but they will likely surface in due time.

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Reddit News Beta Updated To v7 With A Material Design Makeover

The latest app the take the bold step into a Material Design world is the popular Reddit client Reddit News, but only in the Play Store beta so far. Unlike some apps that claim to be implementing Material Design, Reddit News is doing more than slapping a floating action button (FAB) in the same old app.

The video demo above really shows off all those L-style animations. There are also some FABs throughout the app and plenty of fidget-able elements to play with.

Reddit News Beta Updated To v7 With A Material Design Makeover was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Google Updates Gesture Search App For The First Time In Over A Year, Adds A New Widget And Popup Tablet UI

If you use Google Gesture Search, an app that we have largely ignored over the years because, well, Google doesn't exactly do much with it, good news - it's been updated! For the first time in over a year.

Google Gesture Search 2.1.3 adds a new widget that allows you to quickly launch recently used things, and the app now displays as a popup on tablets. There are also the requisite "bug fixes and UI improvements." The widget seems, frankly, pretty damn useless aside from being a widget that displays things you sometimes are prone to doing on your phone, with no apparent logic behind said displayed items.

Google Updates Gesture Search App For The First Time In Over A Year, Adds A New Widget And Popup Tablet UI was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Featured Review: Octa TabletTail Monkey Kit

There are a great many tablet stands and holders out there, but none quite so versatile as the TabletTail tablet stand from Octa. The full kit from Octa is actually comprised of quite a few different pieces that you can mix and match together to make tons of different types of stands, but this specific kit is made up of the “tail” part of the TabletTail as well as the suction cup piece that holds your tablet in place, known as the Monkey Kit. The suction cup interlocks with the tail section of this kit so it doesn’t move, allowing you to secure your tablet to the suction cup and be ensured that it isn’t going anywhere. I personally found that the tablet can make this stand a little top heavy, so you’ll have to play with it a little bit to find the perfect position so that it stands up right and doesn’t tip over. Once you find that spot though the TabletTail works amazingly to prop it up in front of you, giving you an awesome hands free experience while also allowing the tablet to sit at eye level like a TV screen or monitor.

The tail is bendable so you can position it in just the right way for you and adjust it to different heights. You can even wrap the tail around things so if you’re sitting in a chair for example, you can wrap around the arm of the chair and get it to prop up while you relax. You can pretty much wrap it around anything provided it isn’t too wide. It may seem crazy but you can even wrap around trees, which is a great way to access videos, or any other useful information you might want while you’re working outside in the yard. The suction cup even has a 360 degree rotation so you can spin it to view at the most comfortable/enjoyable angle for you.

I found this to be quite enjoyable when I wanted to play games on my tablet either while stretched our on the couch or in bed, but I could still play games thanks to one of my Bluetooth game pads. Normally I would have to hold the tablet in my hands which is fine, but after a while holding my arms up while laying down gets tiring, and this alleviated that as I could rest my hands in my lap while controlling everything with the game pad. Although the tail section of the Monkey Kit is adjustable, it is unbelievably strong which allows it to stay in place. The tablet never once caused the tail to bend back due to weight issues nor did the suction cup come undone. You can release the suction cup on your own when you’re done using the Monkey Kit, but leaving it alone it took hours and hours for it to lose suction. If you need a versatile tablet stand you can’ go wrong with the TabletTail Monkey Kit. You can pick them up on Amazon right now for about $69.99.

The post Featured Review: Octa TabletTail Monkey Kit appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

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Android 4.4.4 OTA Is Rolling Out For The Verizon Moto X And Moto G

It's never a bad thing when phones get the latest version of Android software, and Motorola seems committed to sending it to their devices sooner rather than later. After the usual Verizon soak test a couple of weeks ago, the updated ROMs are ready and apparently flying out to both the high-end Moto X and Verizon's customized CDMA Moto G. If you don't see the update alert in your notification bar, you should sometime over the next few days.

Android 4.4.4 OTA Is Rolling Out For The Verizon Moto X And Moto G was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Did Google just post an image of the rumored Nexus 9?

When it comes to an upcoming product launch, it’s not too uncommon for big companies to slip up and let the cat out of the bag ahead of time. Tales of a rumored Nexus 9 (or Nexus 8) tablet have been floating around the net for many months now, building up hype with every passing “leak.”

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise then to find a newly published photo by the folks at Think with Google — Google’s own site for tracking current trends — is causing some stir around the net. The image, posted in Think with Google’s latest blog post (and on Google+), shows a rather nondescript tablet sporting a very un-Android aspect ratio. Given rumors that the upcoming Nexus 9 would have a similar form factor, it’s entirely possible the photo of the slab could indeed be legit.

So what do we learn from the photo? Well, not anything. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise us to find this is merely a quick mockup of an iPad Mini with the entire display/bezel blacked out. Latest Nexus 9 rumors pointed to a device manufactured by HTC that would feature front facing speakers — none of which are pictured here. We think renders of a tablet with front facing speakers on the Google Design site probably hold more weight than this leak.

I mean, you guys remember what happened with that Nexus 8 leak from a few months back, right?

[RootzWiki]

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The Information Reports "Shamu" Is A Motorola-Made Nexus Phablet

We provided some details a few days ago about a device that may very well be a Motorola Nexus phone, with the telling codename "Shamu" (because it's really big). Today The Information says it has independent confirmation that the device exists and that it is indeed a Nexus phablet. As for Android Silver? Well, that's looking a bit less certain.

According to The Information, Google began working with Motorola on a Nexus device shortly after the sale to Lenovo was announced.

The Information Reports "Shamu" Is A Motorola-Made Nexus Phablet was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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