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LG G3 A: a smaller LG G3 but a better G3 Beat

Now we're getting to see how much LG really wants to capitalize on the success and popularity of its G3 flagship. After announcing the G3 Beat, or G3 S in Europe, last month, and after "accidentally" leaking the LG G3 Stylus yesterday, the company is now unveling the LG G3 A in Korea. If LG was poising the G3 Beat as an affordable mid-range, then this rather puzzling new arrival would be mid-high-range, if there ever was one.

The reason for that unusual categorization is that the LG G3 A sits cozily in between the LG G3 and the G3 Beat. It is basically smaller than the G3, weaker than the G3 but bigger than the G3 Beat and more capable than the G3 Beat. It's 5.2-inch screen flaunts a Full HD resolution, meaning 1920x1080 pixels. The processor that drives this smartphone is a 2.26 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. It is joined by 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage, still expandable with a microSD card. The cameras basically boast of the same features as the G3, meaning a 13 megapixel shooter at the back equipped with the new fangled Laser AF system and a 2.1 megapixel camera on the other side. To put these specs into perspective, the table below compares the three "G3" smartphones side by side.

lg-g3-comparison-2

That said, the G3 A does boast of some features that are new and, surprisingly, not even found on the premium G3. At least not yet. There's this "T Action", which is basically a wrist-based gesture action that can be set to, say, launch an app, answer a call, or silence the phone. If this gesture-based feature sounds a bit familiar, it's because the Moto X introduced this gesture with "Quick Camera", except LG is making it available for other actions as well. There is this new anti-theft feature that could be useful in cafe's. Plug the G3 A to a wall socket, enable the feature, go to the bathroom, and when someone unplugs the the device, it will sound an alarm. Pretty nifty features that hopefully will make their way to LG's other smartphones as well.

The LG G3 A is both an unexpected surprise and, at the same time, a rather decent alternative to a pricier G3. That is, if the G3 A is actually considerably cheaper. LG hasn't yet announced pricing and launch date for the smartphone but it did reveal this: the G3 A will be heading for Korea's SK Telecom. Whether that means it won't be stepping outside of its hometown remains to be seen.

SOURCE: LG

Google May Bring Multiple Accounts To Your Smartphone With Android L

Having multiple accounts on desktops and tablets seems like common sense. After all, we don't need nosey roommates or tablet-savvy children who sometimes act like nosey roommates interfering with our sacred apps and digital configurations. With Android L, it looks like Google is extending the same logic to smartphones.

WordPress mobile update: swipe stories,chat with support

If you’re a blogger who sometimes needs to fix stuff on your site while on the fly, the WordPress for Android app (well, that is if you’re actually using WP) is a pretty good tool to have lying around your smartphone. And now the app has gotten a pretty large update, to enable users to go through followed blogs easily as well as give your easier access to 24/7 customer service.

Aside from being one of the most popular blogging platforms, WordPress also serves as a reader for both your followed blogs and random posts that WP sends your way. The version 3.0 update allows you to use the power of swiping when going through these posts, allowing you the freedom to either skip a post that doesn’t interest you or choose to read it and then go on to the next.

Sometimes, especially if you’re not an intuitive tech person, handling a blog can be pretty overwhelming and you just need someone to guide you through a rough patch every once in a while. The WP app now has a customer service support where you can chat with a rep within the app. Other new features in the update include improved geotagging for your posts, opting in and out in settings for your analytics, and of course the usual bug fixes.

If you’re thinking of getting into the blogging game or if you haven’t yet tried the Android app, you can get WordPress for free through the Google Play Store. It won’t cost you a thing, and it is a painless, minimalist and easy-to-use app for your blogging needs.

Samsung Galaxy S5 available in Electric Blue at Best Buy

If you’re thinking of getting a new Samsung Galaxy S5 and blue is your favourite color, you might want to head on over to Best Buy instead of your preferred electronics or carrier store. They are offering an exclusive Electric Blue edition of the S5 and they are the only retail outlet that will be offering this in the United States starting August 17 and until supplies last.

Aside from the color, everything else is exactly the same as the earlier releases of the Galaxy S5. Samsung’s flagship device runs on Android KitKat 4.4, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM 8974AC processor. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera while its front-facing one is at 2-megapixels. The display is at 5.1 inches and 1080p and the smartphone also has a fingerprint scanner under the home button. When it comes to connectivity, it works with 4G/LTE and of course WiFi as well.

For the launch next week until August 23, Best Buy is offering it at $99 (that’s $100 off) for those with two-year contracts with AT&T and Verizon. If you want to get it at a monthly instalment plan, you can pay for it in 20-24 months at $0 down and you even have the option to change your phone after 12 months. This also applies to all other colors of the Galaxy S5.

As for the regular pricing of the S5 after the promo period (and beyond Best Buy), it depends on your carrier. AT&T offers it at $199.99 with a 2-year contract while Verizon is at $149.99 with a 2-year extension. If you don’t want a contract, you can get on at MetroPCS at either $649.99 or $599.99, depending on which color you get. But if Electric Blue is your jam, head on over to Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile specialty stores or BestBuy.com.

VIA: SlashGear

SOURCE: Samsung, Best Buy

NVIDIA SHIELD Portable gets Wireless Controller support

NVIDIA is pushing out a firmware update to the SHIELD Portable, the new name of the Android gaming handheld formerly only known as the SHIELD. While this update brings a number of improvements to the overall gaming ecosystem, its key point is that the SHIELD Portable can now be controlled using the new NVIDIA SHIELD Wireless Controller.

A wireless controller for the SHIELD Portable might sound redundant. After all, the SHIELD Portable is practically a controller with a clamshell-type display. This integration, however, does serve one purpose. If you want to play your Android games on a larger screen, you can connect the Portable to the TV and leave it there. You can then play and enjoy from your couch or chair using the wireless controller. The SHIELD Wireless Controller also has it's own 3.5 mm audio jack and built-in microphone so that you won't have to use the Portable's equivalent ports when it is a few feet away.

The update also brings in other changes, like the new SHIELD Hub app that rebrands and replaces the former TegraZone app. GameStream, which lets you play some of your PC games on your SHIELD Portable or Tablet, has also been improved, now with new onscreen controls. Netflix HD now also supports 1080p quality video when streaming in Console Mode. Plus, unique to devices that have wired connections, the SHIELD Portable's notification bar now sports an Ethernet icon of its own. That is, when connected via Ethernet and not WiFi or mobile.

With the integration of the SHIELD Wireless Controller into the SHIELD Portable, NVIDIA has practically come full circle, completing its new SHIELD Triumvirate. It will be interesting to see how the Android gaming market, and the entire gaming market in general, respond to this new thrust. While the SHIELD Portable was regarded to be well-favored and popular, it wasn't considered exactly a retail success. The SHIELD Tablet, with its hybrid gaming and note-taking purposes, is still too new and might be too niche to make a dent. The SHIELD Wireless Controller, on the other hand, is too exclusive to the SHIELD to make it of any use beyond NVIDIA's currently limited ecosystem.

SOURCE: NVIDIA

Chrome for Android Beta closes door on LastPass feature

It's only normal that software developers would patch up security holes in their apps. Unfortunately, there are rare times when such fixes actually break existing third-party features. That seems to be the case here when Google introduced a patch to the beta version of Chrome for Android which has effectively blocked LastPass from applying its autofill feature on web page forms.

The issue revolves around how both Chrome and LastPass on Android work. LastPass provides a service that will remember and automatically fill in passwords on websites, relieving users of the stress of having to remember and manage all those (hopefully strong) passwords. It's like what built-in browser features do except LastPass works across different browsers and platforms. LastPass implements this functionality as a plugin for browser such as Firefox, Opera, and even Chrome on the desktop. Unfortunately, Chrome for Android doesn't have provisions for plugins and addons, unlike Firefox for Android. What LastPass did, then, was to use a process called Javascript injection to get that same functionality to work.

The thing is, such a process is basically a "hack", that is, it's not a real solution. Even worse, it is, for all intents and purpose, a security exploit. If LastPass can use that door, then so could malicious software. Google can't really be blamed for wanting to close that door, which it did in the latest beta of Chrome for Android version 37. It has disallowed injecting Javascript into the browser, which means LastPass can no longer auto-fill passwords and forms, leaving users with a broken workflow.

Neither can really be blamed in this unfortunate situation and Google can hardly be expected to reverse that critical security fix just for the sake of LastPass. The good news is that there is still some time left before Chrome beta becomes the next stable release and LastPass developers are trying to work with Google to see if a win-win solution can be found or if the patch can be reverted. In the meantime, LastPass users on Chrome should switch to the stable version 36 of the browser or some other Android web browser that supports plugins.

SOURCE: LastPass

VIA: Liliputing

Leaked Moto 360 pictures show smartwatch’s secret charger

The upcoming Moto 360 smartwatch, the first one with a circular watchface, is already stirring up much anticipation. The latest leaked pictures show for the first time an idea of how users will charge their device, giving a small glimpse of the “secret charger”. The smartwatch, which will only be the 3rd one to run on the Android Wear platform, is rumored to come out this fall.

Based on the leaked photos on an Italian website, how the Moto 360 will be charged is a bit different from most smartwatches. One of the photos show a cradle where you place the smartwatch outwards so that you can still look at it even when it’s charging. There is still no confirmation which type of wireless charing will be used, although some FCC docs before showed it will be using the Qi standard.

Some photos show the smartwatch’s back unobstructed, revealing a few more details about it. Looks like it will be the expected stainless steel, but it also has other standard smartwatch things like the pedometer and the water resistant IP67. The photos show a bit more than what was reportedly revealed during the Google I/O last July and it will make the waiting for the official announcement even more intolerable.

Aside from the fact that it is circular, some features of the Moto 360 are highly anticipated. A hands-on video from Tech Crunch last month showed that it has ambient light sensor, which will automatically adjust the device’s brightness depending on the available light in your environment. The design also seems to be more sophisticated compared to other smartwatches in the market. Now the only question is: how much will we need to shell out to own this baby (and when are we actually going to get it!)