Samsung applies for Gear S Trademark, Could it be the Gear Solo?

Samsung owns a decent part of the wearable market right now, which isn’t surprising as they do have 5 smartwatches out there already, and all released in less than 12 months. There’s the Galaxy Gear which was released alongside the Galaxy Note 3 last September. There’s also the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit which was launched alongside the Galaxy S5 earlier this year, and finally there’s the Gear Live which launched at Google I/O and is their only smartwatch running on Android Wear, so far.

Today, details surfaced that Samsung has filed for a trademark on the Gear S. Now the trademark application is pretty vague as it just describes the device as a wearable computer. But this could be the Gear Solo that we’ve heard quite a bit about. For those unaware, the Gear Solo is rumored to be a standalone smartwatch. And what we mean by that is simple. Right now most, if not all, smartwatches connect to your phone via Bluetooth to do just about anything. Otherwise they are useless other than to tell you the time. However, the Gear Solo is rumored to have a SIM card slot, so you can give it a 4G LTE connection without connecting it to your phone. In theory, it sounds like a good idea, but in actuality, that might be different. It’s also another line that you’ll have to add to your wireless account. So of course, carriers are going to love it.

However, we can’t be sure that this is for the Gear Solo. Or maybe another device. I’m sure we’ll find out soon. As Samsung is likely to announce another Gear smartwatch at IFA alongside the Galaxy Note 4, which isn’t too far away. In fact, it’s right around the corner. How many of you are interested in seeing what Samsung’s next line of wearables looks like? Let us know in the comments below.

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Facebook Begins Forcing Users to use Standalone Messaging App

We had heard a few months ago that this would happen, and well it’s finally happening. Facebook is completely removing messaging from it’s main app and pushing everyone to download and use their messaging app. Which I’ve actually been using for quite a while as it means I can still talk to my friends that won’t leave Facebook, but not have the actual Facebook app installed, which likes to chew on battery. Facebook began requiring users in Europe to use the Messaging app instead of through the Facebook app back in April, as a sort of beta test. And from what Facebook says, the results were great. So now they are forcing it on users worldwide.

“In the next few days, we’re continuing to notify more people that if they want to send and receive Facebook messages, they’ll need to download the Messenger app. As we’ve said, our goal is to focus development efforts on making Messenger the best mobile messaging experience possible and avoid the confusion of having separate Facebook mobile messaging experiences. Messenger is used by more than 200 million people every month, and we’ll keep working to make it an even more engaging way to connect with people.”

Messenger has received a few updates lately that have made the app really nice looking and performance has greatly been enhanced recently. It’s actually a good experience, and their design is much better than Whatsapp – which coincidentally, Facebook bought earlier this year. So if you haven’t already given Facebook Messenger a go, now’s the time too. Well forcefully. Facebook says that more people send messages, pictures, videos, etc., through messenger than the actual Facebook app. So there’s obviously plenty of people using it, and loving the experience with the Messenger app. How many of you already using the Facebook Messenger app? Let us know in the comments below.

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LG G3 will soon be offered in Moon Violet and Burgundy Red, starting in August

When LG first took the veil off the LG G3 in May, the company introduced the handset in five colors: Shine Gold, Metallic Black, Silk White, Burgundy Red and Moon Violet. Since then, we’ve seen the LG G3 arrive to all major markets across the globe including all four major U.S. Carriers, but neither the red or violet color have formally been introduced just yet. For those that have been waiting for the LG G3 to arrive in these colors, you’ll be happy to know that they are almost here.

In an official press statement, LG says that the two colors will start rolling out to select markets in August. It’s unclear exactly what regions the colors will arrive to, but those in the United States can pretty much bet that, if the colors arrive, they will be exclusive to either a specific carrier or to a retailer like Best Buy.

Additional G3 colors such as Moon Violet and Burgundy Red will be rolled out in select markets starting in August and continuing over several weeks. Exact colors and dates will be decided locally in conjunction with carriers. Announcements will be made in each market at the time of availability.

What do you think, which of the five colors do you think the LG G3 looks best in? How important is color choice to you when buying a handset?

Source: Phone Arena;



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Amazon Kindle Fire HDX With Snapdragon 805 Inside?

This year has been an incredible year for Amazon. The company shook the tech world when they released their first ever smartphone called the Fire Phone. Since the Fire Phone has taken stage, Amazon has been relishing the moment. Although it may look like Amazon is walking on new territory with their first smartphone, the Fire Phone isn’t Amazon’s only hardware device. The Kindle Fire HDX is another big seller that Amazon proudly holds and from new developments, will be getting beefed up this year. According to the AnTuTu database, the Kindle Fire HDX will be getting a more powerful processor inside.

Now before we get too carried away with this, I would like to point out that the move made by Amazon isn’t new. as GforGames puts it, “there’s a new “trend” in the mobile world.” That trend is mobile manufactures relying more on beefed up versions of current flagship devices. Nothing new and innovative is popping up anymore. The only “new” we get is a phone we already have with a better processor and graphics. With Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX, the same will happen with it. According to the database, the HDX will soon get a Snapdragon 805 SoC that features a quad-core processor clocked at 2.5 GHz per core and a more powerful Adreno 420 GPU. The current HDX tablets only have a Snapdragon 800 SoC and an Adreno 330 GPU.

With new hardware on board, the Kindle HDX should be really fast. Other than a more powerful processor, the HDX will have an 8.9 inch display with 1600 x 2560 resolution. On board will also be 2GB of RAM, an 8MP rear camera, and a skimpy 1MP front-facing camera. All of the specs are pretty much the same as the current Kindle Fire HDX except for one thing, this device is running Android 4.4.4. Not all information in database’s are true and if this is, Amazon will probably have their own “Fire” interface laying on top. It is interesting to see that Amazon would consider using a different operating system.

There is no word on when Amazon will release the beefed up Kindle Fire HDX. With a Snapdragon 805 SoC sitting inside, Amazon should have no problem pushing them off their shelves. Let us know what you think about the updated version of the Kindle Fire HDX. Do you really think they will have Android 4.4.4 running on it? Let us know in the comments below and you can also check out a screenshot of the information from the database.

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TouchPico – Android powered pico projector puts a touchscreen anywhere

Every once in a while a truly great and innovative campaign lands on the crowd funding websites. This time out we find a pico projector on IndieGogo. The project is called TouchPico and it is no ordinary projector; aside from being almost completely wireless in operation and housing its own full copy of Android, TouchPico pairs with a smart stylus which allows you to turn any surface into a touch screen.

Most pico projectors are simply slimmed down units capable of little more than projecting an input video signal onto the wall or ceiling. TouchPico also has an HDMI input, so you could use it as a plain old projector, but we think you’d opt instead to fire up the installed copy of Android 4.2 and run your own apps out of the Google Play Store. While the TouchPico will perform just fine for entertainment and media playback, including slideshows of the family vacation, the developers want you to push further, running games and other productivity apps that require significant user input.

The included stylus has an infrared emitter. In relation to the projected image, TouchPico is able to capture the location of the stylus, using its built-in infrared camera, and convert the location into touch screen coordinates. This means that no matter what surface you use, or how large you expand the projection, you are rocking a touchscreen with an input rate of 40 frames per second.

We do not have the actual device measurements, but TouchPico is shown off as being pocket friendly, weighing in “slightly heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S4 and just about the same size.” The rest of the specs list shows off as follows:

• Android 4.0 (but they say 4.2 in the video!)


• SD Memory card


• Audio Output


• 80 Lumens (up to 80-inch projection)


• Integrated Wi-Fi


• Wireless mouse


• Google Cast Streaming (No explanation is given here.)

With all of this tech and capabilities, TouchPico wants you think beyond your normal projection needs. Business professionals can use the device to make a large interactive smart table. Educators can use it as a small and mobile Smart-Board system. And, of course, you’d be missing out if you do not get in a game of Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja in large format.

The only reason you should feel the need to rush over to the IndieGogo project page is if you want to get in on the early bird specials. At the time of writing, the project has already reached 87% of its goal, and it has only been live for a couple days! The current early bird deal gets you your own TouchPico for about $310, with the device slated for a $500 price tag after it starts shipping in October.

Is the addition of touchscreen functionality and a built-in Android operating system enough to get you excited for the TouchPico projector?

Via: Tech Crunch; Source: IndieGogo;



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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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