LG Optimus G gets ‘Carbon-Free’ certification

Sure, owners of LG’s flagship handset may not be running Jelly Bean just yet, but they do have something pretty impressive to gloat about. The glass covered quad-core powerhouse has been certified as Carbon-Free by the CarbonFund Foundation, assuring its minimal environmental impact. This means that from raw supplies to production, and on to distribution, the LG Optimus G was crafted with Mother Earth’s uncertain future in mind. This installment continues the growing trend from LG, who also has a slew of green refrigerators and other environmentally friendly home appliances.

Well done, LG. Well done.

Source: LG

Samsung to release the Galaxy Note 2 in black

A black Samsung Galaxy Note 2? Certainly not much of a surprise, but a great move by Samsung nonetheless. An image of the back side of the Note 2 in black was acquired which prompted this rumor to circulate.

While there’s no official word from Samsung on the validity of a black Note 2, it isn’t far-fetched and we should most certainly expect it to be released sometime next year.

Would you guys pick up a black Note 2?

source: Sammobile

Apple dropping patent claims against Samsung’s Galaxy S III Mini

Apple has decided to drop the litigation it has against Samsung’s Galaxy S III Mini smartphone due to the fact that Samsung isn’t planning on selling the device in the US market. With Apple’s raging pen war against Samsung’s other top devices, this is hardly a win for Samsung. At this point, I’m sure Samsung will take what they can get.

Apparently Apple didn’t see the need in including the S III Mini in the fight as long as the sales wont affect the much important US market.

The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Apple Inc. vs. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al., 12-630.

source: Reuters

Samsung Releases The Jelly Bean Source Code For Verizon Galaxy S III Smartphone

Many of you Verizon Galaxy S III owners are just recently enjoying that awesome Jelly Bean goodness, but there is additional good at hand. Samsung has quietly dropped the latest Jelly Bean source code (version LK3) for Verizon’s popular device– so this brings all of you developers and fiddlers one giant step closer to custom mod glory. Interested parties can find all the juicy deets once they hit the source link below.

source: Samsung Open Source

ZTE Nubia Z5 Quad-Core, 5″ 1080p Device Drops Today In China

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about the Nubia Z5 other than than the ‘December release date’ update back in early November. All of that changes today as the release of the ZTE Nubia Z5 has officially arrive in China. It looks like the early leaked information was correct regarding some of the specs including the device rocking a 5-inch, 1080p display and a 13MP rear camera. We now know that it’ll also have 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and also Dolby Digital Plus sound to go along with that 1.5Ghz quad core processor.

In the leaks of the device last month, it was being shown side-by-side against an iPhone 5. The pictures were – not too sneakily – comparing how thin the Z5 was compared to the very thin Apple device. As it turns out, it was for good reason. This quad-core beast is only 7.6mm thin which is the clubhouse leader in the 5-inch display market.  What’s even more remarkable is that it still managed to squeeze in a 2300Mah battery all while weighing in at 126g. I know, how much right? We’re looking ¥3,456, or about $550 for the aluminum version and a bank-breaking ¥7,890 (about $1,260) for the titanium edition. There’s no official word on international availability yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

source:  Engadget

Best looking apps for your new Android device

Did you get a new Android device for the holidays? Congratulations! Here’s a list of some our favorite and best looking apps for your new device. Check them out and let us know how you like them!

Social Networks:

Facebook - Everyone has Facebook, so check out the newly released native android app with much improved speeds and easier navigation.

Google+ – Google+ is one of the best looking and most fluid social networking apps currently available in the market. If you haven’t yet joined the growing social network, this app is a good excuse to jump in with both feet.

Falcon Pro / Plume – Twitter has a pretty decent native application, but if you’re looking for something with a little more eye candy, then try out either Falcon Pro or Plume. Both are very well designed and fully functional. Also check out the Falcon widget (a separate app) for some beautiful home screen Twitter action.

Path / lnstagram – If you’re into photo sharing, these are the best and most beautiful photo sharing apps out there.

Snapseed – Speaking of photos, Snapseed (recently acquired by Google) is a beautiful and full featured photo-editing software. You’ll be hard pressed to find anything more robust then Snapseed when it comes to editing capabilities.

Pinterest – If you’re a girl (or a man who likes girly things), check out the very well designed Pinterest app, so you can keep all your recipes and house decorating ideas in one place.

Oppo Releases The Ulike 2, Comes Decked Out With A 5MP Front-Facing Camera

Chinese manufacturer OPPO has just released a new device called the Ulike 2. This beast features a 4.5-inch 960 x 540 LCD screen, 16GB of on-board storage and is powered by Ice Cream Sandwich. While the device doesn’t sound like anything too exciting, here’s the kicker– the device features a full-fledged 5MP front-facing camera complimented by items like a countdown timer and face slimming among other things. Pretty freakin’ impressive indeed, right?

In case you’re wondering— no, the device won’t break the bank too much. The device is available in Chinese markets for a mere $370 USD. It’s a fairly small price to pay for a device with a better FFC than most other devices, right?

source: Engadget

CruzerLite teases upcoming Nexus 4 case

If you’re not happy with the protection that the official bumper case provides for your all-glass Nexus 4, you may be excited to hear that popular case maker, CruzerLite, is gearing up to release their very own Nexus 4 case. The company leaked this teaser shot of what we can expect, and as you can see it’s definitely a design geared toward the Nexus crowd, with microchip details engraved on the back. It looks as though the case has cut outs for all the buttons as well, meaning you want have to press your buttons through the rubber, which is always a burdensome process. Everything is looking good so far! We’ll have to wait for more details from CruzerLite for now, but hopefully they’ll be releasing the case soon. Clumsy people everywhere, rejoice!

Source: Phandroid

Roundup of Google Play app and game deals for the Holidays

It’s that time of year where many developers put their apps on sale to celebrate the Holidays. We have put together a comprehensive list here to make things easier for you. There are a lot of apps and more keep getting added. We will try an update as more get added. Some of these sales will last for a few day and some will run through the New Year. If you see anything we are missing please add it to the comments. Hit the break for the full list and links….

Was actual price Google paid for Motorola less than $2 billion?

A few days ago Google announced that it was selling the set-top box division of Motorola to ARRIS for a combined stock and cash price of $2.35 billion. This event has triggered a look back at the original purchase of Motorola by Google for a publicized price of $12.5 billion by the folks over atForbes. According to their analysts, two items of value can be backed out of the original purchase price.

The first is the set-top box division which we now know was worth $2.35 billion. The second are tax savings that Google will realize as a result of Motorola’s losses. Robert Willens, a New York tax expert, has estimated Google will be able to offset the Motorola losses against Google’s own profits to the tune of $1.7 billion initially and $700 million annually through 2019. By Forbes calculations, that brings the price down to $1.5 billion. My own calculations come up with $2.85 billion.

Whatever the final number is, we are closer to being able to assign a value to the patents that Motorola owned, which were the main target of Google’s acquisition.

source: Forbes

Archos announces 97 Premium tablet, unquestionably mimics Apple’s iPad

French electronics powerhouse, Archos, has long proven that it can consistently build quality Android tablets at affordable prices, but this time around it appears as though the company has gone too far. The manufacturer  announced today a brand new entrant into its luscious tablet offering, effectively bringing its portfolio full circle.

Despite just being announced, the Archos 97 Premium is nothing new. The device’s sole purpose is undoubtedly to compete head-to-head with Apple’s popular iPad. And while competition is a good thing, the 97 Premium is almost a direct copy of Cupertino’s slate, something you could only expect from a Chinese manufacturer selling $50 tablets on eBay.

Interestingly, as the name suggests, the device sports a 9.7-inch display–the same as the iPad. What’s more is that both tablets share the same “Retina” display resolution of 1536×2048. Sure, these things may not be enough to qualify the 97 Premium as a direct copy, but let’s take a look at the all-too-familiar design. Like the iPad, Archos has outfitted the 97 Premium with an unpainted, anodized aluminum backing, as well as curvaceous, protruding metallic edges.

I’m not saying that Apple should be allowed to hold a patent on rounded corners, but it’s time for companies to start becoming more innovative. Archos’ GamePad is a prime example of innovation at its best. It may not be the sleekest or sexiest device on the market, but boy does it function.

In all fairness, Archos has made a few subtle changes to deter Apple lawyers. The front-facing camera has been allocated to the top left-hand corner, while the company has tatted its own name in the center above the display. The corners are also slightly more rounded, though we all know this probably won’t make a difference when Apple inevitably takes it to the courtroom.

Source: Archos
Via: AndroidPolice 

TransPhone Gets The Pro Treatment, Looks To Give ASUS PadFone A Run For Its Money

Moveover ASUS PadFone 2, it appears that you have a new competitor in the smartphone/tablet hybrid market. A device called the TransPhone has recently been announced and brings a modest smartphone and tablet dock into an affordable package. The new TransPhone is a “Pro” model that features a 3.5-inch 960 x 540 display, a dual-core 1GHz MediaTek dual-core processor and Android 4.0 among the noteworthy features— while the tablet dock features a display of 1024 x 600 7-inch display. Not the prettiest or glamourous  features, but hey— at least the device comes with a not too shabby $240 price tag when you pre-order.

Light Flow adds 61 new compatible apps, and multiple calendar support in latest update

Light Flow, an app that allows you to control your notification light and sounds, got a significant update today. Light Flow is now compatible with 61 new applications and adds support for users who use multiple calendars (in Android 4.0 and above). The app can be yours for $2.49 in the Google Play store, and there is also a free version with some limitations. Hit the break to see if any of your favorite apps have been added to Light Flow, and if you decide to buy it, use the QR code below.

Google steals Samsung’s VP of Marketing to work for Motorola

We just reported on Google’s and Motorola’s secretive and super forward-thinking X Phone, and part of that story was about the heavy emphasis that Google is willing to put into marketing the device. In the story, we heard that Larry Page told Motorola that he is willing to allocate a significant amount of funds into marketing the X Phone. Well, now we know where a portion of those funds are going: to Brian Wallace’s salary. Google just nabbed Samsung’s Vice President of Marketing, Brian Wallace, who helped push Samsung into the Android success story that it is today. Wallace spent the last year working at Samsung and is responsible for the passive-aggressive (and highly successful) “The Next Big Thing Is Already Here” campaign that took swings at Apple’s most devoted fans. Before that, Wallace worked for over ten years at RIM, where he tried to help the struggling Blackberry maker make a turn around. Today, Brian Wallace will sit at the helm of Motorola’s marketing strategies, and hopefully will push the fledgling company back into the powerhouse territory where it used to reside. Let’s hope this all ties into the thickening plot of the Google/Motorola Super X Phone.

Source: All Things D

Amazon Instant Video now available on Google Play for your Google TV

Amazon Instant Video app is now available on Google Play for your Google TV. Amazon Instant Video has more than 140,000 titles, including new release movies and in-season TV episodes to rent or purchase. Purchased movies and TV episodes will appear in your video library to watch at your will. Anyone willing to give this app a shot?

 

Google Play Download Link

ASUS to show off two 7-inch tablets at CES

On the heels of the Nexus 7 success, ASUS looks to be bringing a pair of tablets in a 7-inch form factor to CES next year. First up is the ASUS ME371MG which looks similar to the Nexus 7 but will supposedly will have a 1280 x 800 display, 16 GB of internal storage, and an Intel Atom 1.2 GHz single-core processor. I’m sure many people will be disappointed at that low clock speed and core count, but I’m personally excited to see Intel try to make some strides in Android devices.

The second device is the ME172V which sports a traditional ARM chip with Mali 400 GPU, but only has a 1024 x 600 resolution screen and a 1.3 front-facing camera on board. The good news is that both of these will launch with Jelly Bean 4.1 and will definitely be affordable tablets. Hopefully ASUS has something to really wow the competition with up its sleeve, though. Anybody interested in either of these tablets based on the specs?

source: Notebook Italia

Many Galaxy S III users reporting “dead” phones after mainboard failure

Galaxy S III users have taken to Reddit and XDA forums to express outrage after their beloved phone “just died” with no explanation. Before you go getting all anxious about your beloved S III kicking the bucket, we should mention that it’s pretty normal for a few bad units to make it out of the factories when any new phone is released. With that said, this particular problem is a little too widespread for our liking. It seems that a failure in the mainboard or the nand memory is the killer in this case. According to the threads, the devices seem to last about 150 to 200 days before failing. Thankfully, Samsung has been replacing them under warranty whether or not the devices have been rooted. The bad news is that Samsung has been replacing the failed mainboards with the identical version, meaning that the same problem may very well happen again in a few months time. There has been no official acknowledgment from Samsung on this matter, but reportedly the warranty call-center workers are verifying that they’ve seen this issue reported a lot lately. If you’re a Galaxy S III owner, you may want to back up your pictures and music, or move them to your SD card, just in case. It’s never a bad thing to be prepared. Have any of our readers experienced this problem?

Source: Reddit and XDA ForumsVia: Pocket Now

SwiftKey gets festive, offers new holiday pricing and theme in most recent update

Everyone’s favorite keyboard maker is feeling festive this holiday season and has released a new update in the Google Play store. For a limited time only you can grab SwiftKey 3 and SwiftKey 3 for Tablets at 50% off the normal price. $1.99 will get you SwiftKey’s famous (and excellent) predictive typing feature, and if you grab it while it’s on sale, you’ll save yourself some cash when the long-awaited SwiftKey Flow feature is released in the near future. Besides all that, SwiftKey has given us a candy-cane red theme just in time for the holidays! Use the QR code or download link below if you want this great keyboard.

Google Play Download Link

Google Play Music Brings Music Match Feature To The US

You might be thinking, doesn’t Google Play Music already stream my own music back to me? Yes it does but now it does it in a way that has a few hidden bonuses. Not only does matching the music in your collection with music in Google’s library mean all of your music will be played back at 320 kbps, it also eliminates the need for the long upload process. As a guy who still has tracks ripped at 128 kbps, this makes me very happy.

Google launched Play Music, including the music match feature, last month in Europe. The free service has a 20,000 song max. If that’s not enough music for you, check out our guide to the best music streaming options out there.

Source: Google Play on Google+

Run Jelly Bean 4.2.1 on your Kindle Fire

As mentioned in this space before, it never ceases to amaze what the developers over at XDA can cook up. One dev’s latest feat is actually getting Jelly Bean to run on the ‘outdated’ 512MB RAM equipped Amazon Kindle Fire. As with a lot of hacks, there are some features missing (at the time of this writing) such as Swype keyboard, USB camera support, and photo sync.

However, you do get the benefits of Google Now along with a straight port of basically the exact ROM being pushed to Nexus 7 and 10 users. The process itself is very much like flashing other ROMs on other devices, so those that are familiar with it will feel right at home. If you need to brush up on your rooting skills, you can check our guide and dictionary to assist. Click the source link below for the full list of instructions.

source:  XDA

AT&T 4G LTE Goes Live In Four More Cities

Fast indeed just got a little faster for AT&T customers in four more cities across the U.S. LTE is now live in the following cities:

• Tucson, AZ
• Melbourne, FL
• Springfield, MA
• Green Bay, WI

Do you live in one of these areas or an area surrounding it? If so, let us know what kind of speeds you’re getting now that sweet LTE service is live in those areas.

Samsung announces the Galaxy Grand; Essentially a 5″ Galaxy S II

In the wee hours of the morning (EST), Samsung has announced their next Galaxy device, the Galaxy Grand. With the looks of a Galaxy Note 2 and the internals of a Galaxy S II, the device will most likely be dubbed as a ‘mid-ranger.’ At 5″, I thought at first that this would be an awesome device that hits that ‘sweet spot’ when it comes to screen sizes. As I read on, I was disappointed to see the resolution at 800×480, especially for a display that huge. Here’s a list of it’s specs:

• 1.2GHz dual-core processor
• 5″ 800×480 TFT LCD display
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB storage (expandable to 64GB via microSD
• 2,100 mAh battery
• HSPA+
• Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean
• Single- or dual-SIM models

Basically a re-hashed S II in a slightly smaller Note 2 body right? No word yet on the availability or if it’ll ever make its way to US shores. More info and Samsung’s press release after the break!

Samsung releases Galaxy Note II Kirigami holiday commercial

It’s been pretty obvious Samsung’s pushing their Galaxy marketing campaign pretty hard, and they’ve had some incredible success with it. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Samsung’s getting in the Christmas spirit by running a commercial with some neat origami called kirigami to show off their Galaxy Note II and those awesome flip covers. The paper shows some really amazing paper art on the huge screen of the Note II, floating around in front of a nice Christmas scene. Hit the break for the video below, and see if it gets you in the giving mood to give a Note II as a Christmas present to someone.

Best Buy offering Samsung Galaxy S III for $49 on December 16th

Best Buy has been known to have some pretty good deals, but this one should have any Android fan pretty excited. Tomorrow only, Best Buy will be offering the famed Galaxy S III for only $49.99 with a new or renewed contract. This offer is good for all four major carriers: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. You’ll be able to pick up your shiny new Galaxy S III in any Best Buy or Best Buy Mobile store. This is a great deal for any of you looking to own one of the best Android phones around without breaking the bank. You might want to get to Best Buy early tomorrow, with a deal like this they might sell out as quickly as Google’s Nexus 4 did.  Anyone planning on picking one of these up tomorrow?

All Rovio HD games on sale this weekend for 99-cents

Rovio is celebrating the holiday season with a sale this weekend. All HD games are on sale for Android and iOS. All Android titles are just .99 cents in the Google Play Store. The sale ends this Monday, December 17, but why wait? Hit the download links below to get in on the action before it’s too late. Note: Bad Piggies is showing as Free at the time of this post.

• Amazing Alex HD
• Angry Birds Space HD
• Angry Birds Star Wars HD
• Bad Piggies HD

source: Rovio

Limited edition red DROID DNA for Verizon employees pictured

Verizon has been making a habit of offering special edition DROIDs to their employees. A few months ago, it was the DROID RAZR HD / RAZR MAXX HD, and now the DROID DNA gets the same treatment. As you can see the back is the same color red as the side grills that are on the normal retail model. It’s pretty cool looking, but might be a little too loud. If you’re looking to get your hands on one of these, you might want to check out eBay since you won’t find them in stores. A couple of more pictures after the break.

Samsung Pushes Jelly Bean Update To The Korean Variants Of The Galaxy S III Smartphone

News has surfaced that Samsung has (finally) pushed the coveted Jelly Bean update to the Korean variants of the Galaxy S III smartphone. According to the gang at SamMobile, the update is now up for owners of the different Korean versions of the smartphone and can be downloaded via Kies Desktop Software or through OTA. The massive update will bring the Android software version to 4.1.2 and the build to JZO54K, while bringing the usual goodies like Multi-View, Smart Rotation and revamped Notification Panel.

As exciting as this news is— the rest of the world is still waiting for the other versions of the Galaxy S III getting the Jelly Bean update. At least we’re seeing the devices get the update— one step at a time.

source: SamMobile

Media streaming AudioGalaxy bought up by DropBox

Hopefully there aren’t too many diehard AudioGalaxy fans out there, as it looks like Dropbox has bought up the music streaming service and has closed it to new subscribers. Existing users will be able to use the music streaming until sometime next year, but that’s not going to be around forever. Since AudioGalaxy isn’t a direct competitor to Dropbox, hopefully we’ll see this great music streaming service given new life as a new Dropbox feature. Music streaming is extremely popular, and cloud storage is extremely popular. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the popular Dropbox team try to tackle combining the two.

source: Android Police

Google helping users avoid bad ad clicks with confirmation feature

“Fat finger” users can breathe a tiny bit easier this evening as Google has introduced a new confirmed clicks feature. According to Allen Huang, Product Manager for Google’s Mobile Display Ads team, the new feature will be active for all in-app image ad banners. The new functionality will prompt users to confirm their intent to follow an ad link.

Huang indicates the new feature follows the work of the Mobile Display Ads team to improve the user experience when dealing with text ads. With the text ad banners, when clicking on a blue button, the user would go to the advertised item’s site. However, clicking on the text brings up a prompt asking the user if that really was their intent.

Research by Huang’s team found that when it comes to image ads, most accidental clicks occur at the edge of an image ad, usually when a user is trying to scroll or access content. The new feature will now ask for a confirmation when a user clicks at the edge of an ad as opposed to the middle area.

Huang says the extra confirmation step improves mobile conversion rates despite the lower click-through rate. The change improves not only the user experience, but the sales process for advertisers who no longer have to deal with visitors who, at best, are not interested in their product and, at worst, are angered at having ended up somewhere they did not want to be.

source: Google Mobile Ads Blog

Specs Leak For High-End ZTE Grand S

We already knew ZTE was planning to release a whole series of new phones but we’d yet to hear much about the ZTE Grand S. CNET discovered the device, which will be unveiled next month at CES, will feature a quad-core processor and 5-inch FHD display. The design could be quite interesting as the housing will be purportedly made of ceramic and will be in a “traditional Chinese style.”

ZTE may not have a long history of exciting high-end devices but neither did LG and the Nexus 4 seems to be doing just fine. ZTE’s Grand S announcement is scheduled for 1:30PM Pacific time on Tuesday January 8, 2013.

Source: CNET

The front and back screen YotaPhone makes its debut on YouTube [Video]

Remember the YotaPhone that we covered yesterday? Well it’s made its debut on YouTube for all of us to check out it’s dual-screen functionality. This phone definitely has me on the curious side and I’m sure you all would love to see it in action and what the e-ink screen has to offer. The front display holds a 4.3-inch 1,280 x 720 (720P) display, while the rear one can display a full e-ink content which can be used for displaying key information about your every day life such as weather or calendar events.

The YotaPhone is still relatively far from release and is expected around Q3 in Russia. No word whether it’ll make its debut anywhere else. Check out the video after the break!

EE Turns On 4G LTE Coverage In Additional UK Markets

It’s no surprise that EE is a pioneer in not only bringing 4G LTE devices to the UK, but bringing 4G LTE coverage to various markets and areas as well. Today the wireless carrier has announced it is flipping on the 4G LTE switch to the following markets in the UK: Bradford, Chelmsford, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Leicester, Luton, Newport, Reading, Rotherham, St Albans, Sunderland, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, Watford, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton. That means those of you living in one of those cities will finally be able to enjoy the true 4G speeds from today. In addition, EE has also announced a major enhancement to its existing 3G HSPA+ by upgrading its 3G pipeline to a dual-channel HSPA+… also known as DC-HSPA+ for short. The DC-HSPA+ upgrade should be ready by the end of this year and should be available to approximately 40% of all EE, Orange & T-Mobile customers with a compatible handset.Now if we can only do something about those steer 4G LTE prices, customers will really be in business. 

Google releases Maps app for iOS, did they do the right thing?

This morning brought great news for Apple users as they finally have a Maps app that just might work. Google came through and bailed out Apple with the release of the Google Maps app in the Apple app store last night. When this whole fiasco happened, I thought that Google shouldn’t bother developing an app. If Apple wanted to denounce Google, then let them wallow in their own mistakes. Furthermore, since Google wants to promote Android, wouldn’t they just keep it to Android to make it that much more appealing to iOS users?

Unfortunately that really isn’t the correct way of thinking since iOS is a revenue source for Google. Apple and Google might be major competitors, but they are two entirely different companies. You won’t find Apple-made apps in the Google Play Store because Apple has nothing to gain, but since Google derives revenues from ads and clicks, they have everything to gain by making their products available to the competition. In the past we reported that a lot of Google’s mobile revenues actually come from iOS devices, so why should Google shun that? It’s easy for me to say don’t do it, but it just didn’t make business sense for Google to ignore the situation. So iOS users now have a better experience thanks to Google. Maybe they will remember that the next time they buy a new phone. Probably not.

Google Sound Search now available in Play Store

It looks like Shazam and SoundHound are going to have a little more competition from Google. Google’s Sound Search widget was recently only (officially) available to devices running stock Jelly Bean, which is a pretty narrow slice of devices in the Android ecosystem. It couldn’t really gain much traction against established apps like SoundHound or Shazam because it simply couldn’t get on enough devices. Google fortunately realized this, and today made the Sound Search app available in the Play Store for any device running 4.0 and above.

The Sound Search has a leg up on its competition because it links you to music directly in the Play Store, since it’s all Google-maintained. It also features search history syncing across devices, so you can identify the song when you’re out and then actually download it at home on your tablet. Not bad, right? Hit the break for the download link if you’re interested.

Play Store Download Link

YotaPhone Brings One LCD Screen, One E-Ink Screen On One Device

Is a smartphone that utilizes both a regular LCD screen and an e-ink screen possible? Russian wireless carrier Yota Devices wants to remind you that yes, yes it is possible with its new YotaPhone concept. Under the hood, the smartphone has a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, an LTE chip and a 12-megapixel rear camera. However— the real kicker of the device is its two displays— one on the front, one on the back. The front display holds a 4.3-inch 1,280 x 720 (720P) display, while the rear one can display a full e-ink content. It appears the rear display will be best suited for displaying key information tied to a user’s everyday life like appointments, playlists or other things of that nature.

While the concept is indeed interesting, prospective customers will need to go through quite a wait before the device can get in the palms of their hands. The YotaPhone is expected to go on sale in Q3 2013 in Russia, while other markets internationally will see the device sometime after that. 

OPPO Launches The Find 5 Smartphone: A Premium Device With A 5-Inch Screen

If you’ve been looking to snag yourself a smartphone that’s bigger than normal, but find devices like the DROID DNA or Galaxy Note II don’t quite strike your fancy, then OPPO may just have the device for you. The Chinese giant has launched its latest device called the Find 5– a superphone with you guessed it a 5-inch IPS display with 441ppi that’s the most noteworthy feature of the device. In addition, the Find 5 has additional bells and whistles like a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 chip, 2 gigs of RAM and Jelly Bean. While it’s nearly identical to the DROID DNA specifically– there are some other things about the Find 5 that distinguish it from the competition: the 13MP camera and sound output. The 13MP camera supports full HDR photography unlike other smartphones, while the Find 5 offers full support for both Dolby 3D and Dirac HD sound– giving users a cinema-quality sound wherever they go. Very impressive indeed.

The phone may be attractive, but many of you are thinking that the device must come at a princely sum, right? Well the device is expected to have a premium price, but it’s likely going to be far less expensive than the competition at or around $500 for the US and Chinese markets. Oh and OPPO plans a major launch of the Find 5 sometime in early 2013 across select markets— so it just means you won’t need to wait too long for the next great thing. 

Google News gets revamped for tablets with new interface and gesture support

Google News is an extremely popular source for news articles, with Google citing 6 billion pageviews per month to linked articles. And with the growing popularity of tablets like Google’s own Nexus 7, it would only make sense for some adjustments to be made for those to conform to each other. According to Google, that’s exactly what’s going to happen over the next few days, too. The Google News site will be redesigned to better fit tablet sized screens, with a more spaced out layout for articles and gestures to find new articles and switching between sections, for example. It will also feature the “Explore in depth” feature that allows you to look at similar stories to a specific article.

All in all, definitely something to look forward to if you frequent Google News. At first it will only be available to US users, however, and it’ll take a few days to roll out to all users. Check news.google.com to see if it’s working for you on your tablet.

source: TechCrunch

Hulu Plus app adds kids sections and improved discovery in update

Hulu has been pretty content with their Android app lately as it hasn’t seen much of an update in quite a long time. But in the shadow of some looming competition, it looks like Hulu is trying to improve the experience with a few new features on their Android application. The biggest new feature in Hulu’s latest update is kid-friendly; there’s a new section dedicated to things younger viewers want to watch, as well as the ability to lock out some of the more mature content. If you let your children watch videos on your phone or tablet, this is going to be a pretty useful feature. They’ve also added in some new discovery tools, which makes it easier to find something to watch if you just can’t decide on a movie or show. Overall, a nice update to the application. Hit the break for the download links.

Google Play Download Link

Sprint, Clearwire moving closer to deal according to CNBC

Reporting on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, show host David Farber indicated negotiations between Sprint and Clearwire have been heating up in the last few days. Sprint, which already owns a majority interest in Clearwire, has been rumored to be working on a deal to buy out the remaining shareholders. Discussions with some of the other major parties, like Bright House, Intel, and Comcast, have been held in an effort to work through some of the complexities of a potential buyout. According to Farber’s sources, Sprint is trying to gain complete control over Clearwire in order to have access to Clearwire’s spectrum.

Sprint is poised to become a subsidiary of Softbank, probably in March or April 2013. Individuals familiar with the negotiations think the closing of the Softbank deal and the Sprint/Clearwire deal should occur at the same time. In order to provide appropriate notice, Sprint will likely need to issue a statement before the end of the year. Clearwire’s debt holders noted the company did not call First Lien Notes yesterday, adding to the speculation that Clearwire does not anticipate being an independent company for much longer.

source: CNBC