Despite rumors that Nike will be killing Fuelband, the company has finally released an Android app. It's long overdue, but better late than never, sure. Besides, even if the fitness band is on the outs, it still makes sense to support existing devices. [Google Play via Engadget]
Garmin's New Upgradeable Navigation App Starts at Just $2
In order to compete with the navigation apps that both Apple and Google give away for free, Garmin is introducing a new Android and iOS nav app called Víago that sells for just $2 (on sale for $1 until July 13th), with advanced functionality available as in-app purchases. It's still not free, but compared to Garmin's previous app which sold for $50, it might just be worth upgrading your smartphone's default maps app.
The Galaxy S5 (and Other Android Phones) Are Now Easier to Root Than Ever
Famed hacker Geohot has released a tool called Towelroot that will allow you to root your Galaxy S5, along with a number of other prominent Android devices.
Samsung Galaxy S5 camera gets top rank at DxOMark tests
Samsung's flagship has managed to get another medal pinned to its shirt, this time from photo and video test suite DxOMark. But while the Samsung Galaxy S5 technically shares the top spot with the Sony Xperia Z2, it does outrank Sony's camera smartphone in the video category.
That spot was once occupied by the Nokia 808 Pureview, a smartphone that was specifically designed for such a use case. However, last April, Sony's own latest flagship unseated it, making the Xperia Z2 the king of the hill when it comes to mobile photography needs. That victory might be a tad short-lived as now it has to share that rank with the Galaxy S5, at least for the overall score.
DxOMark tests smartphone camera performance on still photography and videos separately before grading the average. In the realm of photos, the Galaxy S5 scored 79/100, which is actually lower than the Xperia Z2's 81. While the test showed that the smartphone performed well overall, with good auto-exposure, accurate color reproduction and low noise in low light conditions, the auto-focus system was less than ideal and there was still some noticeable loss of detail in low light.
It is in video capture, however, that the Galaxy S5 shone the most, bagging a score of 79/100, significantly higher than the 73 of Sony's device. Testers billed it as the best mobile device tested so far, with good autofocus and good textures. However, it is all not perfect yet. The Galaxy S5 lacks that much desired Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which is rumored to arrive with the Galaxy F, a.k.a. Galaxy S5 Prime. But even so, it still managed to produce high-quality videos.
This draw between Samsung's and Sony's devices might be a curious situation to watch in a few months. In particular, the Galaxy Note 4 that is expected to be announced in September is rumored to ditch Samsung's ISOCELL technology. Instead, it is rumored adopt a 16 megapixel camera using Sony's own IMX240 sensor. It will be interesting to see whether it will give Samsung an edge over Sony's own Xperia flagship, or if it will prove the superiority of Samsung's technology, at least when it comes to smartphone cameras.
SOURCE: DP Review
The Secret Android Patents That Microsoft Forces OEMs to License
Microsoft has long licensed a glut of patents to Android hardware makers for them to avoid litigation—and how the Chinese government has made public exactly what they are.
Moto X+1 image leaks with specs and possible release date
The TK Tech News Blog is claiming dibs over what may be the first few images of an actual Moto X+1 smartphone, the rumored successor to Motorola’s highly acclaimed Moto X. But if you think about it, the Moto X+1 hasn’t really been one of the internet’s best kept secrets, has it? Motorola’s not-so-subtle “gaffes” in the past few months have all but confirmed the new gadget’s existence. Now we get a few more details, assuming this is all on the level.
The aforementioned blog claims to have insider mojo on the Moto X+1, and it is from that source that we get a photo of the unit – well at least part of it. The photo shows the bottom end of the unit and nothing much else. It shows more rounded corners than the Moto X, probably taking more from the Droid Ultra design than its predecessor. The blog owners say that there will be more photos as the day advances. We do hope that is the case.
The “source” also claims solid info on the specs. The main display of the Moto X+1 will be a 1080p full-HD super AMOLED display, and the smartphone will come with ample RAM, 2GB confirmed for the device. According to the source, the new phone will come out in 16, 32, and 64GB variants, and will be supported with microSD expansion. This is all vanilla up ‘til now, as we are all waiting on what kind of processing power this new phone will have. Until we have that kind of solid information, this is a little underwhelming at this point.
Lastly, the TK Tech News’s source also claims a launch date of around late August to September. This is notable for a couple of things, but mainly because the rumored Samsung Galaxy F and Apple’s iPhone 6 is probably set to be launched also around this time period. If so, Motorola is taking a big step of faith in trying to mix it up with the big boys and launching at around the same time is a big statement of intent. The blog claims that it will have some hands-on time with the unit soon, so let’s all watch out for that. Meanwhile, check out the blog's video commentary on their source and info.
VIA: TK Tech News Blog
Android 4.4.3 to arrive this month for Samsung Galaxy S5
It’s about time that Samsung’s premium devices get some Android 4.4.3 love, even as other smartphones have already incorporated the version in recent updates. Motorola’s Moto E, G, and X have all gotten updates, as well as Nexus and Google Play Experience devices. The update is coming to the Galaxy S5 this month, while Galaxy S4 users have to wait until July.
Android Geeks claim that the update will be for both Exynos and Snapdragon variants of Samsung’s flagship phone. It can be remembered that we reported on Samsung testing out builds for these devices, as well as the Galaxy S4 LTE-A variant, but without knowing when the updates will be arriving at that point. Well, we don’t have to wait for that information, as the schedules are now here.
What can we expect off the new version? Well, the update is majorly a bunch of bug fixes from the earlier version, mostly for Nexus devices. A number of other devices also get some minor bug fixes. The most people can expect in terms of new features in the version will be a slightly redesigned dialer, and that’s about all of it, as this version actually focuses on performance fixes. There were rumors about new navigation buttons, but those proved to be unfounded.
The updates are reportedly scheduled at the end of the month for the Galaxy S5, so it will just be a short wait before users start getting notifications about the update. It is not a major firmware update in terms of features, so users need not worry about that. Everything should be pretty straightforward when the update drops later this month for Galaxy S5 users and in July for Galaxy S4 users.
VIA: Android Geeks
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