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Samsung Galaxy Alpha product page accidentally tells all

With August 4 almost over (at least in some timezones), it seems that Samsung won't be making the Galaxy Alpha announcement today after all. But that's OK, because now we're getting more solid details about this rather puzzling smartphone courtesy of an accidentally published, and now removed, product page from UK retailer MobileFun.



This leak doesn't really give us anything new to work with but simply consolidates and affirms most of what we've already heard. It's a relief to see that the 720p screen is indeed a slightly lower 4.7-inch one instead of 4.8 inches in one batch of rumors. The slight difference in size affords it a higher pixel density of 320 dpi. Although not named, the product description talks of an octa-core Exynos CPU with unprecedented speed. We're presuming, or perhaps hoping, that this would be the fabled Exynos 5433.


It is interesting that the description does include but doesn't really emphasize the "stunning metallic design" of the Galaxy Alpha, which would be a key differentiator of this smartphone from the rest of Samsung's brood. Perhaps Samsung just doesn't want to draw too much attention to the device's similarities with a certain competitor's design. The 32 GB of internal storage is mentioned, but the lack of any indication of a microSD card slot indirectly confirms rumor of that feature or rather the lack of it. There's also a 12 megapixel camera at the back and 2.1 megapixels on the front. And yes, there is a fingerprint scanner on board, though there is no mention of a heartrate monitor.


Interestingly, the Galaxy Alpha carries a ₤549 price tag, quite a hefty sum when directly converted to roughly $925. That is, of course, for the unlocked SIM free version in the UK but is still too much considering the Galaxy S5 only sells for around $600. Hopefully, we'll hear better news when the unveiling takes place, either on August 13 as previously leaked or on September 3 at IFA together with the Galaxy Note 4. MobileFun's page doesn't provide any photos, but, if you're willing to subscribe to leaks, we've got two batches of them in black and white.


SOURCE: MobileFun (Google Cache)





Kyocera builds water, shockproof Hydro Life for T-Mobile

So the idea for building a sturdier, more robust phone for those with active lifestyles is not a new one – we’ve already seen Samsung and Nokia do it. T-Mobile is willing to put out another sturdy phone into the market, with Japanese electronics giants Kyocera building the Hydro Life smartphone which is set to launch by August 8.



Hydro Life is a 4G smartphone that is IP57 waterproof and dust-proof, so it is able to stay underwater for at least 30 minutes submerged to as deep as 3.28 feet. The phone is also Military Standard 810G shock-proof from accidental (or intentional?) drops. So these two specs alone make for a very ruggedized phone.


For tech specs, what we know is that it will be sporting a 4.5-inch impact resistant qHD screen (540x960), 2MP front-facing camera for selfies, and a 5MP main camera. It’s advertised as a 4G phone, so hopefully it will include an LTE data connection. It will have a pretty robust 2000 mAh battery.


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The phone provides all of those outdoors-y consumers out there with another option on a smartphone to bring to all your hikes, mountain treks, bike trail romps and other such activities where you won’t need to worry about the Hydro Life phone taking a beating – it can take it. The phone will be available for USD$124.99 at Wal-Mart for T-Mobile consumers, while MetroPCS will also carry the phone by August 29th.





Rikomagic ready to ship 2nd version of MK902 TV box

Rikomagic is nearing the ship date for its MK902 II, which is an Android-powered TV box/mini-PC. Some people call it a TV box – because you connect it basically to your TV and then get to do stuff – and some call it a mini-PC, which is again understandable, as it more or less gives you a PC-like interface using the built-in Android OS.



The first version of the MK902 garnered relatively positive reviews – it put Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on a big screen and allowed users to control it with a mouse and keyboard. The second version of the MK902 now boasts upgraded internals – starting with a new Rockchip ARM Cortex-A17 quad-core processor (1.8Ghz) and ARM Mali-T764 graphics. This is coupled with 2GB of RAM, which should give the box some extra speed from the earlier version’s 1GB.


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The upgraded internals also make sense because the MK902 II now runs on Android 4.4 Kitkat. Other than that, the functional design pretty much looks the same – the box comes with a built-in 5MP camera, Ethernet jack, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 capabilities, four USB ports, a microSD card reader and comes with either 8GB or 16GB of built-in storage.


The wholesale price on this item is slated at USD$100, although various online retailers would probably add to that price for their own margins. The new TV box is scheduled to ship by the third week of August or thereabouts.


VIA: Liliputing





Download official Xperia firmware with XperiFirm

With the demise of the Sony Update Service software, it seemed that all Sony Xperia handset users were doomed to use PC Companion, which is now Sony’s only recommended software for getting firmware updates. So it is relatively a good thing that software like XDA Senior Member IaguCool’s XperiFirm is available for when you want to get the current firmware for your Xperia device officially from Sony servers without hassle.



Official interface software tend to be bloated with features that consumers won’t normally use, and for one, that equates to a pretty heavy download and installation that you wouldn’t normally acquiesce to (but then you have to). That is unfortunately the case with Sony’s PC Companion, and that was why the SUS software was so famous with Xperia users, until recently when Sony announced that it was killing off support for that specific software.


XperiFirm was developed not really in SUS’s mold, but certainly in the spirit of giving Sony and Sony-Ericsson device users a hassle free search for current firmware. XperiFirm searches Sony’s online servers for the latest firmware available, and only the ones that exist on Sony’s servers. From there, users can pick which one they want and download it through the app, and then decrypt it to output an easily usable FTF file (Xperia users should be familiar with this).


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There is more information about the app from its original XDA thread here. Initially, the app requires that your PC be running Java Runtime Environment and Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or better. Look for the download link via the source link below, and also check the original XDA theread if you have any questions.


VIA: Xperia Blog





Samsung launches #TabletRealities campaign with 3 ads

Do you still remember what was your primary reason when you bought your very first tablet? Was it so you could read ebooks or watch videos or access your social networks or for school or work? Samsung’s new ad campaign called #TabletRealities for its Galaxy Tab S series tries to reveal what people really are doing on their gadgets and to establish them as both serious and fun.



The first three ads for the campaign show different personalities (all fictional characters we assume) using Tab S devices. The “Artist" is Monique Veilette, and is described as a prodigy in the art world and is shown using the tablet in the park. The “Judge” is Thomas J. Walthall, the youngest judge appointed to district, and using a tablet in his austere-looking chambers. The “Mom” is Amanda Hayward, a mother of four and founder of a reading program at her children’s school and she’s doing something on her tablet while at home.


We won’t spoil it for you of course, but suffice to say, what the three are actually using their tablets may surprise you. Of course the ads also show off the gorgeous 2560 x 1600 Super AMOLED display of several of their tablets, namely the Galaxy Tab S 8.4” and the 10.5” variants, calling it “Vision redefined.” The tablets’ other specs are also impressive (although not actually shown in the ads), with Snapdragon 800 (LTE), 3GB of RAM, Exynos octa-core processor and 16/32GB of internal storage.


The ads are cute in itself, although they seems to be positioning the Tab S series as more of an entertainment gadget rather than something you can use for productivity or work. Although of course, who says you can’t use it for both? Let’s wait for more ads and see where the #TabletRealities campaign is going.


Monique Veilette working on her next achievement.




"Judge" Thomas J. Walthall rendering his biggest verdict yet.




Amanda Hayward getting lost in a world of fiction.




VIA: Talk Android


Changelog Droid manages and keeps track of app updates

With so many developers updating their apps and with your smartphone having so many apps as well, it’s getting more confusing and difficult to manage all of them. But as with a lot of our problems and needs now, there is an app to help you with that. Changelog Droid helps you keep track of all the changes in your apps, as well as manage the installing and uninstalling of different apps from the Google Play Store.



Changelog Droid constantly checks the Play Store and will let you know if there are any apps that need to be updated. While a lot of apps now are automatically updated already, this app makes sure you know what are the new features and changes that have been made to them. It also builds a complete version history for all the apps installed in your smartphone for your reference.


Aside from that basic function, Changelog Droid can also be your app manager, where you can launch the apps that you need and uninstall the ones that you don’t want anymore and search for an installed app that you are having trouble finding (if you have a gazillion ones already). If you have some that you don’t want to update for some reason, you can add them to a blacklist to stop pushing the updates. If you’re still not convinced that you need certain apps but you’d like to try them someday, you can put them on an observed apps list which you can also sync with your Google Play wish list.


If you don’t want ads popping up every once in a while and if you want to have themes for the app, you can get Changelog Droid’s premium version. But if you’re content with having ads and not having themes, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store.




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Redditor creates a new Android game… using Tasker

This is probably a testament to the endless things you can do with Tasker than anything else, but Reddit forum member “derSinologe” has posted on the social network’s /r/Android channel that he has just created a game – well, a simple one at that, but still – just by using Tasker’s settings and his Android phone’s interface.



Ok, so maybe Mr. derSinologe has a lot of time on his hands – but Tasker fans have been very fond of saying that “the possibilities are endless” with this little piece of software. The Reddit contributor has just given supporting evidence to the claim, proving that you can – if you put your mind and time to it – do a lot of magical things with tasker. Watch the video below for the “game” preview.




We’re sure your palms were all sweaty and that you guys just felt that excitement and electricity in the air after seeing that action-packed game (#sarcastic), but really, who would’ve thought that you could create a game out of an interface control app like Tasker? Yep, that’s what we thought so, too.


Mr. derSinologe has our congratulations for the effort he put into making the game. If you check the original Reddit thread, it seems like he has, at the very least, the admiration of some of the people at /r/Android. Haven’t tried Tasker yet? We’ll maybe now is the time. The learning curve is pretty steep, but you can do a lot more magical (read: more useful) things with it if you put your effort into learning it.


SOURCE: Reddit





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