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KDDI Japan intros new HTC J Butterfly with Duo Camera

HTC has just announced the new J Butterfly HTL23 with KDDI in Japan. It comes with high end specs like the One M8 but in a more plastic-like phone body. Coming in Rouge, Canvas and Indigo color, the new J Butterfly has a 13 megapixel + 2 megapixel dual camera module, offering HTC's Duo Camera features like UFocus and Duo Effects.



The latest HTC J Butterfly has a super powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz quad core processor (MSM8974AC), 5-inch Full HD S-LCD3 display, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and microSDXC card slot. For selfie photography lover, the 5 megapixel front facing camera is definitely good to have. You can also find the same dual-tone flash LED, which will give you a more accurate artificial flash light. The built in WiFi supports a/b/g/n/ac wireless network, while the 4G LTE has a 150Mbps maximum speed.


Like what Japanese smartphones usually have, the J Butterfly is protected with IPX5/IPX7 waterproof and IP5X dust proof. Check out this post for a detailed IP rating explaination.


The HTC J Butterfly HTL23 will be available by end of August in Japan. Will HTC introduce this model to other markets? When the first HTC J Butterfly was announced 2 years old, it was later launched as Droid DNA for Verizon Wireless. It is possible that the updated Butterfly will be re-introduced again in US.


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Hangouts for Enterprise now allows use without G+ account

Google’s Hangouts has been coming out with a lot of new features in the last few months to make it the default mobile and desktop communications app. Now, it’s the turn of Hangouts for Enterprise to enhance how it can be used to maximize “face to face” digital conversations within your business. The most important update now is that you can now use Hangouts without having to sign up for a Google+ account.



As long as the user has a Google Apps customer account, you can now use the video meetings of Hangouts without needing a G+ account. The feature allows up to 15 people to join a face-to-face hangout, as long as they are on a computer or a Chromebox. But they assure that this capability will also arrive soon for mobile phones and tablets as well. They are also allowing people on other video conference systems, like Blue Jeans (for H.323 or SIP-based videoconferencing systems) or InterCall (for those with mobile phones but through an InterCall audio-conference bridge).


Hangouts for Enterprise is now also included in the Google Terms of Service for other Business products like Gmail and Drive. This means that users can also avail of the round-the-clock customer support and a 99.9% guaranteed uptime. Later on, they will also be adding enterprise integration for Hangouts with the Google Apps Vault. Your company’s IT administrator will also now be able to easily manage these video meetings from the Google Apps Admin Console. You can start, mute or end a meeting all from the comfort of your own computer.


While Hangouts for Enterprise has been a great tool (as they claim) for companies like Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Eventbrite and Kaplan, it still has not caught on as they would like to in the corporate world. But as digital business meetings continue to evolve and Google Business apps try to improve integration and go mobile, Google might still be able to penetrate this market.




SOURCE: Google Enterprise


Yahoo! Finance app redesigned for Android

If you’re in the finance industry or are interested or involved in the stock market, chances are you’d always want the latest updates even before you reach the office or a desktop. While there are many finance apps out there, it never hurts to try one that comes from known names in the industry. Yahoo! Finance has a shiny brand new app, completely redesigned for Android devices and will definitely come in handy for stocks whizzes out there.



As there are sometimes too many stocks to follow, you can save the ones you’re interested about on your watch list. The app will then give you relevant information and news regarding those on your list. And of course, the information and updates you’ll be receiving are in real time, as this is a crucial aspect in this industry. You can even go beyond just the stock information and the app will give you information about currencies, industries and commodities.


The app also includes interactive charts and graphs that can help you analyse better the trends and information. If you view your phone sideways or in landscape mode, then you’ll be able to fully appreciate the full screen charts. You can also set up the app to send you push notifications on things like breaking news for the stocks that you want to follow.


To help you find finance-related news stories better, they’ve also added a news tab that will constantly be updated with stories that you need to know, based also on the information and preferences that you input in the app. You can download the new Yahoo! Finance app for free through the Google Play Store.


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SOURCE: Yahoo





Galaxy S5 Mini repairability: just as bad as the flagship

iFixit has done yet another one of its popular teardowns, this time on the Galaxy S5 Mini, Samsung's miniature counterpart to its flagship. While it only shares the Galaxy S5 name, sporting significantly lower specs, apparently this mini smartphone scores the exact same mark when it comes to iFixit's repairability index, meaning you might have tougher luck getting this thing repaired, at least on your own.



At first glance, the Galaxy S5 mini might look easy enough to take apart. After all, the back cover easily comes off and the battery is removable and not tied down, unlike the OnePlus One's strange arrangement. And in truth, most of the parts are simply held together by screws, plastic enclosures and secret doors, but the real problem is that the smartphone is constructed in a way that makes things harder than they are supposed to be.


After the cover and the battery, the display is the next thing you'll have to remove before you can get to any other internal component. If you will be simply replacing the display, then it makes this easier and faster. Otherwise, it actually increases the risks, since the display is glued rather strongly and requires a bit of coaxing and heat, hopefully without damaging the display in the process. The Galaxy S5 Mini also has two midframes inside, so that replacing any component requires an extra step of prying and un-screwing. There are also secret doors with hidden connectors that, if you don't know about, run the risk of pulling out prematurely.


The Galaxy S5 Mini thus scores 5 out of 10, leaning a bit towards the "more difficult to repair" end of the spectrum. This is the exact same score that the Galaxy S5 got. While iFixit's teardowns and guides are meant more to educate users how to repair things on their own, which they might not prefer to do, it does paint a rather disappointing picture of a device, or in this case, two devices, that won't exactly be too easy or too safe to repair, even perhaps for a professional.


SOURCE: iFixit


I/O 2014 app source code shows developers how it’s done

Last month, Google released its fancy new I/O 2014 app in preparation for its annual conference. Now it's announcing that the source code for the app is now available from Google's GitHub repository. While end-users might have no use for this, unless they happen to be knowledgeable about and/or like reading Java code, Google is inviting developers to take a look inside and learn about current best practices of creating an Android app and using Google's API.



Aside from giving users a window into the world of Google I/O, the I/O 2014 app also showcases many of the staples of Android app development, whether it be components and featuers like Fragments, receivers, and notifications or design considerations like toolbars and themes. It also shows newer and better ways to use Google's own services, like using Google Cloud Messaging (GSM) to keep devices up to date with the latest content and using Google Drive API to store users' preferences and sync it with all connected devices. It even shows how to make an Android Wear companion app.


But aside from just hard, cold code, the app also gives developers a preview into Material Design. The app uses the design principles of tactile surfaces, animated feedback, colors, imagery, and the metaphor of paper, to give developers an idea how to theme their apps in preparation for Android L. The app also uses API found in the Android L Preview and has a separate APK for those already running it on their Nexus 5 or 7, or on the Android emulator. The video below, summarizes some of those key design points.




The source code for the I/O 2014 app is being released under an open source license. This means that more than just a reference, developers will be able to use code snippets to kickstart their own apps. Those interested in learning more about the different API and features in this app should keep tabs on the Android Developers Blog, source link below, as Google will be sharing more details about the app in the coming weeks.


SOURCE: Google (1), (2)





Milk Music premium service now available for Galaxy owners

Streaming music services are the In thing now when it comes to listening to songs on your mobile device. Samsung launched Milk Music earlier this year, exclusive for Galaxy owners in the US. And following in the footsteps of most other music apps like Spotify, Rhapsody, Beats, etc, they are now offering a premium service for those who want to have additional features aside from those in the free service.



When Milk Music was launched last March, their distance advantage over other music services is that they are ad-free. While that is still true up to this day, even with the launch of the premium option, there is a disclaimer on the app page that it’s for a limited time only. What the premium service offers in addition to the free features is that users will now have unlimited song skips (for when a Pitbull song inexplicably comes up in your rock station). They will also now have the option to turn off the DJ commentary if they start becoming too talkative and annoying). It also has a Sleep Timer if you want the app to pause after a certain time has elapsed. It also gives you a chance to listen to some of the stations even while you’re offline.


Compared to other music streaming apps though, Milk Music is still very limited. It’s only available for those who have Samsung Galaxy phones or tablets and is limited to the US only (although a lot of those service started out like that as well). What makes it a little different is that it has a customizable dial, that will give you a feeling of nostalgia for when you used something like that to switch radio stations.


If you are a Galaxy owner and would like to try this exclusive music app, you can download Milk Music from the Google Play Store. The premium service will charge you $3.99 per month.





Samsung patents rounder smartwatch, wrist strap charging

Clearly Samsung isn't done yet with smartwatches, though now it's more a question of whether it will go with more Android Wear or stick to Tizen. Whichever OS it chooses, it might already have a design in mind, as seen in new patents filed last March, showing smartwatches with less angular faces and a charging connector built into the wrist strap.



Look to our smartwatch and Android Wear tag portals for more wearable bits and bites!


Except for the watch face, the overall design of these smartwatches seem to make a return to the Galaxy Gear aesthetic, particularly the strap. This is even more apparent with the presence of a camera on the strap, something that Samsung "fixed" in the Gear 2, where the camera was relocated to the frame of the watch itself, leaving the strap free to be swapped with other colors and styles. That said, the presence of a camera clues us in that this might actually not be intended for Android Wear, as Google's wearable platform currently doesn't make provisions for cameras. If so, then Samsung might be going with Tizen again on this one, which will surely sour relationships between the two companies even more.


The rounder faces of these smartwatches are notable in themselves. At the moment, only the Moto 360 has, or will have, that kind of display and its usability has yet to be tested in the real world. It seems, however, that Samsung is also a believer in this circular form. That said, it seems to also have a fallback, a watch face variant that is more quadrilateral but still sports rounded corners and curved edges. How the smartwatch will charge is also an interesting point, which again could hint that this is a Tizen design. Current Android Wear devices have the charging pins located at the back. Though Samsung's Gear 2 family follows the same convention, it is more free to change things on its own when it comes to Tizen. In this case, the pins are located on one end of the strap, which makes one wonder about the form of the actual charger itself. Hopefully it means more cumbersome cradles.


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Of course, these are merely patents, which is no guarantee of an actual device, interesting as they are. Samsung is practically just calling dibs on these designs. Given its push for wearable technologies, however, it could very well make it into an actual product line. The company has also recently trademarked the name "Gear S" in the US, which could be what the rumored SIM-toting Gear Solo would be called. At the moment, there is no rumor yet if Samsung has any upcoming smartwatch in the works, but we could likely hear whispers about it this coming IFA Congress in September.


VIA: SlashGear, SamMobile

SOURCE: Mobilegeeks.de





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