As a part of its awesome Android One initiative, Google just launched three Android phones running a stock version of Kit Kat, the company's latest smartphone operating system, in India. The devices were launched in partnership with local brands Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles and cost a ridiculously cheap $100.
The OPPO N1, much famed for its CyanogenMod ties, will soon have a follow-up. While many aspects about this so-called OPPO N3 remain shrouded in mystery, one thing is clear based on these leaked press materials: it will have a rotating camera that is even stranger than its predecessor.
The rotating camera on the OPPO N1 is both economic and somewhat inspired. After all, why waste resources on two uneven cameras when you can have one that functions as both? Granted, you won't be able to implement fancy features such as taking a photo from both cameras at the same time, embedding the smaller "selfie" image inside the bigger one, like one of Sony's newest camera apps, but that use case might not be too common to warrant it in this case.
The fact that the OPPO N3 would also have a rotating camera isn't actually the most interesting aspect of the smartphone. What is even more peculiar is the form of the device itself. The photo seems to suggest that the N3 will be considerably thinner than the N1 before it. But in order to still accommodate a high sensor camera, OPPO had to put a thicker cyliner on top. The best way to describe the overall design is that it looks like half of a flip phone.
Not much else is known abut the OPPO N3 aside from this external appearance. Questions like whether it will be as gigantic as the OPPO N1 was or whether it will still offer some easy way to get CyanogenMod installed on it remain unanswered. We might not have to wait that long for the answers, though, as OPPO teased a press event in October to reveal its "One More Step" forward.
VIA: GSMArena
The newly-announced Motorola products, unveiled at the IFA 2014 in Berlin just two weeks ago, will now be available for pre-ordering through various sales channels. This includes the new Moto X (through carrier AT&T), the Moto Pure Edition, Moto Hint and Moto Turbo Charger. The other good news is that their round-faced smartwatch, the Moto 360, has been re-stocked after selling out since it was released in the market almost two weeks ago.
The new Moto X (originally thought to be named X+1 or X2), will be available for pre-order through AT&T starting Tuesday this week. Motorola’s new flagship device is an upgrade from the old Moto X, with a bigger 5.2-inch screen 1080p screen resolution and a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor. Meanwhile, the Pure Edition will have an unlocked SIM and an unlockable bootloader for $499.99. This one is the unbranded direct-sale version of the Moto X, for those that don’t want any of the US carriers’ mark on their smartphone.
Motorola’s newly-launched accessories will also be available for pre-order starting Tuesday. The Moto Hint, a discreet wireless earbud that lets you control your smartphone through your voice, will have an SRP of $149.99. The Motorola Turbo Charger is priced at $34.99 and will just take 15 minutes to add 8 more hours of battery life the newer Motorola phones. And as mentioned, the highly-rated Moto 360 smartwatch, running on the Android Wear platform, will be back on sale but with limited quantities only, so expect this to be sold out again in a matter of hours, maybe minutes.
They are also offering a Trade-in program, where you can send in your older Motorola devices and they will mail you a Motorola Visa Prepaid Card worth up to $300 so you’ll be able to make a customised Moto X through their newly-enhanced Moto Maker site, which now has new tools and more options. All of these products (except the AT&T Moto X) will be available for pre-order and sale through the Motorola website.
SOURCE: Motorola
When Google initially announced the Android One concept back in June, there was much anticipation to see how they will be able to develop reasonably priced but more than decent smartphones with emerging markets. There hasn’t been much news about it since then, until now when India’s Spice is set to launch the first Android One device and details have been leaked ahead of the official announcement.
The 4.5-inch dual-SIM smartphone with FWGA display will reportedly run on a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor and will have 1GB RAM and 4GB of internal storage plus a micro-card slot. It will also sport a 5MP main camera that has an LED flash, while the front-facing camera will be at 2MP. It has a 1700 mAh battery and will be supporting the latest Android 4.4.4 software. It will reportedly be called Spice Dream UNO, based on a listing that appeared in online selling site Flipkart.com, which has since then disappeared (but of course someone has post a screenshot already).
While the specs don’t seem much, you have to remember that the Android One program was meant to develop affordable smartphones for markets like India where majority of the public would not really spend all that money on the more expensive brands. But Google developed the program to be able to provide approved local carriers manufacturers with a turnkey solution, giving them not just a list of vetted specifications, but also closely monitoring the production to ensure that they will meet the same quality standards as the Nexus smartphones.
The first Android One smartphone will reportedly be priced at around $115, which is a little over the target price, originally below $100. There are two other devices to be launched alongside this in India, which is the world’s second most populous country. No details leaked yet on the other two, but expect all to be revealed when it is launched on September 15.
VIA: AndroidOS
Less than a week from Apple's huge Apple Watch announcement and already lines are being drawn: Apple Watch vs. Android Wear. It seems like smartwatches will also come down to a matter of choosing sides, but one Android Wear watchface tries to pull the two opposing timepieces together.
Many of Google's I/O promises are finally arriving. Earlier this week, the first few Android apps arrived on Chrome OS as part of Sundar Pichai's mission to entwine the two platforms. Now, Google's Android One smartphones appear ready for launch.
The more I looked at it, the more I was convinced I knew it from somewhere – it took a friend to look at my browser and say “Hey, that’s the Apple Watch, isn’t it?” For the record, I wasn’t looking at the newfangled smartwatch from Cupertino – I was looking at a smartwatch face designed by uHrArt and uploaded to an Android smartwatch via the same dev’s WearFaces app. The app allows for different watch face designs, and one of them mimicked that “colorful” design from Apple.
How do you use the app? Pretty simple. Install the app via Google Play Store, and then download the watch face designs from WearFaces. This is usually in the form of a ZIP file that you can import into your Android watch via the WearFaces app. If you still need help, you can watch the video below.
We say “designS” because in UhrArt’s defense, there are a lot of other watch face designs featured on the website. One of it just happens to be that Apple Watch-looking one. The colorful design aside, there are other nice designs to choose from, and it seems that a lot of developers are getting in on the new market. They have designs for square watches as well as round ones (hello Moto 360 that looks like an Apple Watch). Check out the other galleries at the website.
The WearFaces app is a free download from the Google Play Store, and there are some watch faces at the WearFaces website that are free to use as well. You can also donate to UhrArt in-app, if you’d like to thank them for the effort. They will not be the last developers who will provide us with smartwatch faces, even as the market for wearables continue to grow.
DOWNLOAD: Pear watchface by UhrArt