Now Your Lost Android Device Can Phone Home
Google added a sneaky little update to Android Device Manager this week: A new lock screen button implores whoever found your phone to call a number that you specify. Now just hope that they're not calling to ask for ransom.
LG officially launches L60 entry level smartphone in Russia
The smartphone wars are getting to be such that no one manufacturer is able to control one market segment without any competition. We need not reiterate this fact in the entry level to mid-tier segments of the market, where the competition is fierce. With that, LG looks to bag some part of the segment by putting out the LG L60 smartphone, a Kitkat phone for this segment.
The naming convention on the phone – LG L60-X145 – seems to convey that there will be other iterations and variations to this model. But as such this first one, announced officially on LG’s Russian website, comes with a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM, just enough to push pixels to a 4.3-inch 800x400 display and run Android 4.4 Kitkat out of the box.
Other features include 4GB internal storage, expandable via microSD to 32GB, a 5MP rear shooter with LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera, dual SIM capability, and 3G HSPA+ connectivity. LG is surely not trying to impress many with these meager specs, but training its marketing on a specific market segment that would be happy with such specs on a Kitkat phone.
The LG L60 will come initially in white and black models, although that may change when the other variations of this model are launched. There is no information yet as to the pricing and release date of this specific model, but it should be available in the European market soon.
VIA: Fone Arena
Story Timeline
- ZTE Blade Q Mini enters the UK entry-level lineup
- LG G3 A: a smaller LG G3 but a better G3 Beat
- LG G3 Stylus likely a qHD 5.7-inch smartphone
Nuts! is a cute new endless ‘climbing’ game
If you’re looking for your next cute attack, check out this cool new game from Limbic, traditional purveyors of awesomely crafted games like Zombie Gunship and Tower Madness. This new game is an endless runner – or should we say, “endless tree climber” – called “Nuts!” which we think will be a sure hit with you and your family.
The search for the next great minute waster is always upon us, and after our tiff with the Timberman, Nuts! is a welcome cute addition to our game list. Users will control the speed and turns of a cute little squirrel called Jake. The speedy rodent can be controlled with smooth tilt controls, as users guide Jake up an infinitely tall tree.
As with games like this, you collect coins and power-ups along the way, making sure your lovable little character doesn’t run smack into a branch – three thwacks in the face and your cute critter has to restart his climb again in a new game. With power-ups and three tries, Nuts! can seem more forgiving than other endless games, but that is not to say that the speed of the game won’t challenge you.
This is, again, a very nicely-engineered and designed game that you can just pick up and play action without any hassle, and the cute 3D graphics make the game very easy on the eyes. The graphics in the game are well chosen, as they are adorable. The controls are fast and responsive. And the bonus? No annoying soundtrack song! Yey! Pick up the game for free at the source link.
SOURCE: Google Play Store
Story Timeline
- Timberman is here to frustrate you, waste your time
- Flappy Bird is back with more obstacles, multiplayer fun
- John Woo’s first mobile game Bloodstroke now available
Lepow ADD Magnetic External Battery Review – XDA Developer TV
Here on XDA Developer TV, we’ve covered a few external batteries to help extend the use of your device when the on-board battery starts to deplete. The items we have covered have been everything from a standard battery from Lepow, to a battery plus a plethora of options like an SD Card reader from RAVPower and a huge 14000mAh Power Bank from RAVPower.
In this episode, XDA Developer TV Producer TK takes some time to talk about a unique smartphone accessory, the Lepow ADD. This device is marketed as a backup external battery charger, but it has an twist, it has two parts, so you can have a huge battery, or separate it to charge one and carry a light stinger for your short trips. Does this one stand out? Check out this video to find out.
Be sure to check out other great XDA Developer TV Videos.
- Android L Preview Images Updated! CyanogenMod 11 M9 Released with Support for Xperia Z2 and HTC M8 – XDA Developer TV
- Android App Review: Get Reddit Right – XDA Developer TV
- Great XDA Mods for Your Sony Xperia Z2 – XDA Developer TV
- XDA Xposed Tuesday: Statusbar Gestures – XDA Developer TV
- Verizon G Pad 8.3 Gets KitKat, Android Fake ID Vulnerability Fixed with Xposed – XDA Developer TV
Link to Lepow ADD Magnetic External Battery
The post Lepow ADD Magnetic External Battery Review – XDA Developer TV appeared first on xda-developers.
Possible new Moto X benchmarked, to launch late September
The rumors about the new Moto X, the possible new flagship phone of Motorola, have been abundant. Most pertinent has been the code name Moto X+1, which the company has not fully confirmed nor denied. But the most recent information has to do with a late September launch, as well as some new benchmark figures that may or may not confirm some of the new phone’s internals.
First up, people behind the Droid Life blog have pointed to sources that say a launch for the new Moto X – whatever its name will be – could be expected around September 25 via Verizon, which in technology industry time is not that far away. We have to remember that Motorola has one other exciting piece of hardware that remains unofficial – the Moto 360 wearable, and so it might be logical to expect these devices being made public together.
Also, an unknown/unnamed Motorola phone showed up in the databases of benchmark software Geekbench, and it smells a bit like the Moto X+1. The specs are not really bleeding edge, but enough to be up there in the flagships (just like the Moto X when it launched). There’s a Snapdragon 800 processor in there somewhere running an Android 4.4.4 OS. The device is codenamed “Motorola XT1097”, a code we haven’t come across before.
Is this the new Moto X? It smells like it. The benchmark numbers are nothing to write home about, but not really so bad as well. If the device were to launch in September, Motorola has done a good job in “not leaking” this phone too much that the device still remains relatively unknown up to this point.
VIA: Droid Life and SlashGear
Story Timeline
- Moto X+1 1080p display hinted by Motorola screenshot
- Moto 360 with ambient light sensor, first in Android Wear
- Possible pre-production Moto X+1 photos leaked
- Leaked Moto 360 pictures show smartwatch’s secret charger
Sony pushes Kitkat update to Xperia E1, E1 Dual
Sony has been slowly bringing its devices up to Android 4.4 Kitkat standard – at least those that can hack Android’s latest and greatest version. Next up, according to the official Sony Mobile blog is the Xperia E1 and Xperia E1 Dual, both members of Sony’s lower to mid-tier class of phones.
The update should be rolling out any time soon, and it will be bringing some Kitkat goodness, as well as some performance tweaks and added features. At the top of the list is a new Status Bar and Quick Settings feature for the phones, a more “easier on the eye” version of it.
The update will also be bringing native ability to transfer applications to the microSD card storage – we keep wondering why phone manufacturers don’t do this out of the box – especially since the E1 and E1 Dual only has around 4GB of internal storage, with usable storage even a little less than that.
Lastly, both phones will be getting the latest and greatest versions of most of Sony’s apps – including Messaging, Smart Connect, TrackID, Sony Select, and Battery STAMINA Mode, and Sony’s Media apps WALKMAN, Album and Movies. The roll-out period will vary from carrier to carrier, and so Xperia E1 and E1 Dual users should wait a bit if they don’t see the software update notification yet.
SOURCE: Sony Mobile Blog
Story Timeline
- Sony Xperia E Dual pre-orders now available in the US
- Sony Xperia E1 aims for a quality audio experience inside mid-range specs
- Sony Xperia E1 up for pre-order in Europe