APK BRO™ - Download APK Android Apps: 04/20/15

Monday, April 20, 2015

Japanese Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge doesn’t come with Samsung branding, goes on sale April 23rd

There are few companies that can boast a global brand presence as big as Samsung’s. The South Korean giant has their hands in just about everything these days, with televisions, washer machines, and smartphones accounting for their billions in revenue every year.

But despite their best marketing efforts, Samsung may not have much pull in Japan, where total mobile sales account for barely 5.6% of smartphones sold in the country. While it’d be easy to assume this could have something to do with the Japanese mostly favoring national brands like Sharp, Fujitsu, or Sony, keep in mind Apple occupies nearly 40.8% of the market. In any case, that’s not about to stop Samsung from who will be bringing their new Galaxy S6 flagship to the country on April 23rd.

What’s interesting is Samsung’s branding — at least for the NTT Docomo model — has been completely stripped from the phone, as pointed out by The Korea Herald. The S6 Edge model is completely devoid of any Samsung branding on the front, with only the carrier name and “Galaxy” branding on the back. The regular S6 model has Docomo’s branding on the front (where the Samsung logo would normally go) and once again, only “Galaxy” on the back. No S6, no S6 Edge — none of that.

According to Samsung, they feel the Galaxy brand has been “well established in Japan” but declined to comment further. While it’s not uncommon to find Japanese carrier Docomo de-brand handsets in favor of their own logo (it was the same case for last year’s Samsung Galaxy S5 and even their Note line in Japan), you’ll find Sony’s Xperia line was left alone. Go figure.

[NTT Docomo]

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LG G Flex 2 making its way to AT&T on April 24th for $300

BLU Studio Energy review

Twitter Rolling Out New Direct Messaging Features Including In-App Option To Receive DMs From Anyone, New DM Button, And More

Twitter is a public service by default, but when you need to take things private, there's always direct messages. They have traditionally been very limited, though. Twitter is rolling a change out to all devices starting today that makes them a little more useful. It's not clear if you'll need an app update or if this is all server side.

Here are the DM changes you can exepct to see in the official app.

Twitter Rolling Out New Direct Messaging Features Including In-App Option To Receive DMs From Anyone, New DM Button, And More was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Samsung Announces Galaxy Tab A, Available May 27 Starting at $229

Samsung introduced a new tablet this afternoon, the Galaxy Tab A. Set to hit the market on May 1, the Tab A comes in a variety of versions, with different colors and display sizes. The most modestly priced model, which is $229, is a 8″ tablet that comes in Titanium, Blue, and White. The slightly larger model, which features a 9.7″ display, also comes in the same color options, priced at $299. In addition, a separate 9.7″ model will include an S-Pen for $349, and goes on sale starting May 17.

As for the processor, each variant of the tablet uses a Qualcomm-made APQ 8016 with 1.5GB of RAM. The tablets are WiFi-only, and feature Lollipop out of the box. While they do feature SD card slots, the onboard storage is set at 16GB, and those processors are clocked to only 1.2GHz. So, it is possible you will meet a few performance hiccups from time to time.

If you are interested, the tablets are now up for pre-order on Samsung’s dedicated site here.

Via: Business Wire

Samsung Announces Galaxy Tab A, Available May 27 Starting at $229 is a post from: Droid Life

Camera samples of the LG G4 emerge, look pretty impressive

The LG G4 is expected to break cover on April 28 as the company’s teasers have revealed. But it seems like the smartphone will be revealed bit by bit before its official unveiling later this month.

Today, we’re getting an idea of what the G4’s camera is capable of courtesy of a few sample shots and a promo video published by the company.

From the sample image available, it is quite clear what the f/1.8 sensor on the smartphone can do. In what appears to be a major shift, LG is trying to target professional photographers with the camera here. The company has even hired a professional photographer to talk about the camera of the new flagship.

The sample image looks very impressive and we can’t wait to get our hands on the G4 to tell you more about its potential. LG is utilizing a 16-megapixel sensor with the G4, so it’s on level pegging with the Samsung Galaxy S6 which is currently touted to be the best Android phone available.

A little over a week ago, we came across a large collection of press images of the LG G4, showing the device in its entirety. So the handset is barely a secret ahead of its launch next Tuesday.

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Twitter update removes Direct Messaging restrictions

Twitter has today announced a new update for its platform which brings some changes to the way Direct Messages are handled by the users. Previously, sending a direct message to somebody required them to follow you first. This has changed today as there will be a new setting which will allow users to allow DMs from practically anybody on Twitter.

Users can toggle to receive Direct Messages from anybody on Twitter, so it’s still a choice and not mandatory. This is a neat feature to have and will allow users to converse with the other users on Twitter without having to follow each other.

Twitter will start showing a new Direct Message button on user profiles, making it easier for you to send messages directly from their profile. The feature should be making its way to Android version of the app pretty soon, although Twitter only has a screenshot for the iOS version at the moment.

Do you welcome these changes to the Twitter apps? Sound off below.

Source: Twitter

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Samsung Galaxy Tab A officially announced for the American markets at $230

Samsung has officially announced the arrival of the Galaxy Tab A with a metal chassis for the American markets. The device will be available from May 1 starting at $230.

The hardware onboard the tablet is less than flattering, although the device seems to be a decent budget ranged offering from the Korean manufacturer. The series comes in an 8 inch and 9.7 inch avatar with the latter costing $300.

Samsung is currently taking pre-orders for the tablet through its official retail site in the U.S. During launch, the tablet will be available via Best Buy, HH Gregg and Amazon as well.

As far as the hardware specs are concerned, both sizes of the Galaxy Tab A feature an underwhelming display resolution of 1024 x 768, while there’s a 1.2 GHz quad core processor to handle the heavy duty tasks. Other specs of the tablet include a 5MP camera, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, Android 5.0 Lollipop and a 4,200 mAh battery on the 8 inch variant while the 9.7 inch model gets a slightly larger 6,000 mAh pack.

All variants of the Galaxy Tab A will be supplied with 100GB of OneDrive cloud storage for a period of two years along with access to apps like Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

Samsung is also selling a special variant of the Galaxy Tab A 9.7 with a S-Pen stylus included for $350. This variant will be available starting May 17.

Catch the press release below for more details on the two tablets.

Connect to All You Need with the Samsung Galaxy Tab ANewest Galaxy Tablet Series connects you to your Galaxy and beyond

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (Samsung) today announced the introduction of the new Galaxy Tab A™, delivering an assortment of benefits to better connect with people, entertainment, work and more. Featuring an extremely thin design, the Galaxy Tab A™ is a lightweight portable tablet for everyone in the family.

“This latest addition includes some of the best features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab series, while streamlining connectivity,” said Gary Riding, senior vice president, Mobile Computing at Samsung Electronics America. “The tablet will let users connect to everything that matters, from family members, friends and colleagues, to work and entertainment content, as well as other smart Samsung devices.”

The Galaxy Tab A™ is designed to fit seamlessly into your life through useful features, from letting kids learn in Kids Mode*, a fun and safe environment, to providing a personalized tablet experience in Multi User Mode. The Galaxy Tab A™ is the perfect fit for every member of your family both young and young-at-heart. Additionally, the tablet’s 4:3 aspect ratio and Adaptive Display ensures the optimal viewing experience, automatically adjusting color gamut, contrast and sharpness to content on the screen — making it a great tablet for reading, watching a movie or surfing the internet.

For those looking to create and connect with more, the Galaxy Tab A™ lets you do so with ease through a range of features. Multi Window allows for easy multitasking, and with Microsoft Office for Android you can review and save changes to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel on your tablet. Plus, with an additional 100 GB of storage on Microsoft OneDrive™, complimentary for two years, you can keep all of your favorite photos, videos and documents in one place. The Galaxy Tab A™ also comes loaded with a variety of Galaxy Essentials and Galaxy Gifts from the world’s leading premium mobile content and service providers, available for free via download and chosen to make your experience with the device even more enjoyable. Additionally, Samsung’s Milk Music™, a streaming radio service that’s an instant and fun way to discover and play the music you want to hear, will come pre-loaded on the tablet.

Featuring a range of tools such as Quick Connect, SideSync® 4.0 and Smart Switch, the Galaxy Tab A™ makes it easier than ever to share your content across most Galaxy devices, while connecting and controlling your Samsung ecosystem.

Available for pre-order from major retailers and at Samsung.com starting today, Galaxy Tab A™ will be in stores nationwide, including Best Buy, HH Gregg and Amazon starting on May 1. Consumers will have the choice between the 8.0-inch Galaxy Tab A™ at $229.99 and the 9.7-inch version at $299.99 – both offered in White, Smoky Titanium and Smoky Blue. Additionally, a 9.7-inch Galaxy Tab A™ version in Smoky Titanium will include an S-Pen for $349.99 and will be available for sale starting May 17.

For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

*Kids Mode downloadable from Samsung Galaxy Essentials

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New Humble Tin Man Mobile Bundle Includes Up To 10 Gamebook Adventue Titles

There's a new Humble Mobile Bundle already up and running today, and it's another developer tie in like the previous Sega and Crescent Moon deals. This time it's Tin man Games, which is the developer of all those neat gamebook adventures. You can get as many as 10 of these game right now with more on the way.

In case you've never played one of these gamebook things before, it half short story and half RPG.

New Humble Tin Man Mobile Bundle Includes Up To 10 Gamebook Adventue Titles was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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ZTE’s Spro 2 Smart Projector launching on AT&T this week for $400

Report: Elon Musk Almost Sold Tesla to Google for $6 Billion

The big headline today covers something that happened a couple of years ago, that being a possible acquisition of Tesla Motors by Google for just $6 billion. In a time when Tesla was near financial ruin due to its inability to turn pre-orders of its vehicles into finalized sales, Elon Musk turned to Google, looking for serious support.

The deal was that Google would buy Tesla, but continue to keep the company running to produce vehicles. Of the $6 billion that was reportedly discussed, $5 billion of it would go straight to the Tesla factories, which involved continued development on its batteries and vehicles.

However, being the great business mind that he is, Elon was able to convert those pre-sales into deliveries, essentially turning every employee at Tesla into a salesman. He is quoted at saying, “I don’t care what job you were doing, your new job is delivering cars.”

As we all know now, Tesla is doing just fine on its own, with showrooms popping up in shopping malls all across the country. In fact, the company is nearing release of a reportedly $35,000-priced vehicle, which is said to be Elon Musk’s priority with Tesla. He wants us all driving electric vehicles, which seems cool enough to me, especially when the US government will pay you handsomely to go electric.

So, what could have been if Google bought Tesla? Most likely this, of course.

Via: Bloomberg

Report: Elon Musk Almost Sold Tesla to Google for $6 Billion is a post from: Droid Life

Samsung Announces The Galaxy Tab A For The US, Disappointing Specs In A Metal Chassis Starting At $230 May 1st

With the Galaxy Tab A, Samsung is giving its budget tablet line-up a touch of class. This is no dinky Tab 4. This 4:3 slate has a metal chassis! And now it's coming to the US. On May 1st, Americans will be able to buy the device from the likes of Amazon, Best Buy, and HH Gregg.

Unfortunately, the specs remain pretty underwhelming. Sure, we can make do with a 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage.

Samsung Announces The Galaxy Tab A For The US, Disappointing Specs In A Metal Chassis Starting At $230 May 1st was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Cyanogen OS 12 (Lollipop) update for the OnePlus One halted to add “OK OnePlus” voice command

If you haven’t yet gotten Cyanogen OS 12 on your OnePlus One, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. The company has announced that they’ve had to halt the rollout in order to push out a new version that adds the “OK OnePlus” voice command into the fold. The rollout will resume mid-week, according to company man Carl Pei.

One might wonder why they simply wouldn’t wait until the current rollout is over and add the feature in a follow-up maintenance patch, but one would have to be behind the closed doors of OnePlus to truly know. We’re just glad they had a very good reason (the addition of an awesome new feature) to do it, and that it won’t take longer than a few days to get things going again.

Of course, if you’re impatient and can’t stand to wait you can always get the previous Lollipop release loaded onto your OnePlus One manually. There’s a handy guide showing you how to do just that over at the OnePlus forums so be sure to check it out. Otherwise, hold your horses and know that the goods should be going back out over-the-air before the week is over.

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Sony Announces Google Cast-Enabled Speakers And A/V Receivers

LG isn't the only consumer electronics company looking to sell you very expensive sound equipment with Google Cast built-in. Sony has just announced a line of sound bars and A/V receivers that will support Google Cast. As with LG, these will not be cheap devices.

Sony's new sound bar collection includes four different sound bars including (in ascending cost) the HT-CT380, HT-CT780, HT-NT3, and the HT-ST9. The cheapest one is $349.99 MSRP and the most expensive goes for $1499.99.

Sony Announces Google Cast-Enabled Speakers And A/V Receivers was written by the awesome team at Android Police.