New HTC One (M8) Eye passes through China’s TENAA

Well, the HTC One (M8) Eye has finally surfaced – though unofficially. This new device that has appeared in the files of China’s TENAA is codenamed the HTC M8Ew, with the “w” a nod to China’s WCDMA networks. This was leaked a few weeks before and we picked on that, although the initial leak lacked anything in the manner of images. Now we have it.

The HTC One (M8) Eye takes considerably after its predecessor. No major changes here in the design language, but not that HTC fans are demanding any. It’s probably good that HTC chose to make this upgrade follow the form factor of the already popular HTC One M8. The main upgrade is the 13MP main camera, which we expect to be utilizing the dual camera setup that HTC has used in its flagship devices.

The camera is a significant upgrade away from the measly 4MP main shooter that the relatively older flagship model carries. There is no information yet on the other specs within this new HTC phone – as such, we really don’t know yet if this phone will be competing at the very top of the smartphone market.

The HTC One Eye is expected to launch next week in a press event by HTC. Until then, or until an enterprising person leaks the info out, we will have to wait for the full spec line of this new phone. There is a big possibility that it will have flagship level specs and should fight for more of the market with the older HTC One models.

VIA: GSM Arena

Story Timeline

• HTC planning to out a new smartphone, codename ‘EYE’


• Google reportedly looking at HTC to produce new tablet


• Bendgate continues: iPhone 6, One M8, new Moto X, Lumia 1020

Google adds Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact to Chromecast Screen Casting

The list of supported devices for Chromecast's screen casting capabilities has slowly been expanding. The latest addition is Sony's Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact which means the devices' users can now cast the content of their smartphones' screens, not just music and video, onto larger screens through the dongle.

When Google pushed the screen casting functionality to Chromecast earlier this year, those who wanted to show off their vacation pictures or their curated most hilarious tweets on a larger screen gave a sigh of relief. The entire screen of your smartphone or tablet can now be streamed through the HDMI dongle and not just the "cast-ready" apps or content of your devices. But this capability was just limited to several Android devices, like Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10, Samsung Galaxy S4, S5, Note 3 and Note 10, HTC One M7, LG G2 and G3 and now, the Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact.

Using the functionality is pretty easy. Make sure your device is running on Android 4.4.2 or higher, and connect it to the same WiFi as your Chromecast dongle. From the Chromecast app on your device, you need to select the Cast Screen option and then select your Chromecast device's name. There are limits over what can be streamed though, although Google has not said what kind of content is not allowed though.

The Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact are the first and only (so far) products from Sony that have Chromecast screen casting support. But hopefully, Google will be adding more devices to this list, although we cannot expect that older devices will be included. Also, the functionality is still in Beta mode so expect that things will not go as smoothly as of now.

SOURCE: Google

VIA: Android World

Story Timeline

• Chromecast finally gets Android screen mirroring


• Google offers more services as Chromecast turns 1 year old

Cyanogen reported to have declined Google’s buyout offer

Not everyone wants to be assimilated into the mothership and apparently Cyanogen, Inc. is of that same mind. Word is that Google's own Android top honcho Sundar Pichai approached the fledgling startup with an offer to save them from financial woes, to which the CyanogenMod makers simply said no.

That Google is eying Cyanogen, the company, is both surprising and somewhat worrying at the same time, with the biggest question being "why". There are various theories floating around and very few of them paint Google in a kind way. At the very best, we can think that the Android maker has been impressed by the genius behind the CyanogenMod ROM and wanted it for themselves. But given the ROMs goals are, to some extent, opposed to Google's proprietary hold over Android, the other theories are equally possible and frightening, such as Google trying to prevent the startup from snatching up Google's prospective partners in emerging markets or simply trying to silence the most popular and "divergent" Android ROM around.

This news, or rumor, also hints that Cyanogen, the company, might be in financial trouble. The startup was formed from the core developers of a not profitable open source community but it has so far manged to keep afloat only with two deals, one with OPPO on the N1 and one with OnePlus on the One. How long they can maintain the status quo is anyone's guess, but there is no doubt that Cyanogen, Inc. will need money in order to keep operating. There has been talk that it plans on putting price tags on CM themes as a source of income, but that could only go so far.

Interestingly, Cyanogen Inc.'s standing in the wider Android community isn't exactly clear cut. While they remain the core developers of CyanogenMod, the ROM is still an open source project. However, its move to incorporate themselves wasn't met with welcome arms all throughout, leaving some to leave the project and even make their own ROM. It will be interesting to see how Cyanogen will fare in the near future and how its own fate will affect the most popular Android ROM around. And hopefully it won't be as bad as what this news seems to be hinting at.

VIA: SlashGear

Dead Trigger 2 launches zombie-killing Ithaca Tour tourney

Dead Trigger 2 is almost a year old already on the Android platform and it has come up with an in-game tournament to liven up the gameplay of the millions of players it has on the mobile platform. It will of course be a zombie shooting tournament, and the game devs will be generous enough to put up 500k of in-game currency for each stop of the 5-city tourney.

The tournament has its own backstory cooked up by the game devs – you want to read up on that, check out the tournament-specific website here. That said, the short version is that there seems to be a lull in zombie activity (although they say it feels like a “calm before the storm” thing) within the game. The break will allow players to shore on their zombie-killing skills, hence the tournament.

The mechanics are pretty simple – you have to be at least Tech Level 5 within the game to enter, and plump up 1000 units of in-game cash as entry fee to the tournament. You will be given nothing but an Ithaca Shotgun and an M1 Garand to arm your player with, plus any other equipment you might want to take. Boosters and respawns will be unavailable within the tournament. You will get three attempts at the specified play area and your best score counts as your entry to the tournament.

The price, as we have mentioned, is 500,000 in in-game cash for the first prize an 250k for the second prize winner. The tournament starts in London at 1:00AM PDT and ends on October 5th. Of course, the tournament applies to people who have been playing the game for a while now. If you haven’t downloaded the game, check it out at the Google Play Store.

Story Timeline

• Dead Trigger 2 Arena update teased in new video


• Dead Trigger 2 "Arena of Death" update arrives in the Play Store


• Dead Trigger 2 adds hellish arena and alien weapons

Roku rolls out Screen Mirroring Beta feature for Android

Sharing content is now easier with Roku. The company recently announced the beta version of a screen mirroring featuring for some Android and Windows 8.1 devices. Now, it’s easier to mirror apps, videos, and websites to share with people around you. No need to install other software as any compatible device can mirror the things you want to display right from your phone or tablet to a TV. Of course, all these and more are possible via your Roku device, specifically the Roku HDMI Streaming Stick and the Roku 3.

Got photos or videos on your phone you want to show to family while at home? Enable screen mirroring on your tablet, smartphone, or PC and content will appear on the TV screen. If you’re in the office, you can easily share emails and presentations from your laptop or mobile device onto a TV.

Screen mirroring allows Roku users to connect their devices with their TVs in fun ways. It also runs the Play On Roku feature found on the Roku mobile app to send media content like music, videos, and photos to your TV. You can even use other apps like YouTube and Netflix to launch videos on your mobile device and then mirror straight to the TV. All these are possible through a Roku player.

This new feature is only available for select Android, Windows 8, and Windows Phone devices. For Android users, devices compatible are the following: HTC One (M8) by AT&T, Kindle Fire HDX, Google Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 by AT&T, Galaxy S5 by AT&T, and Galaxy Note 3. Note that minimum requirement is Android 4.4.2 except for the Kindle Fire HDX which runs Fire OS 3.0

SOURCE: Roku

Story Timeline

• Roku app update enables streaming from smartphones to TVs


• Roku mobile app sports a brand new look


• Roku Streaming Stick takes on Google Chromecast

Very early Android L on the Galaxy S5: gorgeous but raw

Android L should be, if the rumors pan out, just a month away, but of course it will be coming much later to OEMs and their flagships. The folks at SamMobile, however, were able to get a hold of an alpha build for the Galaxy S5 and took it out for a test, and the results are both impressive and a tad disappointing.

Of all the Android OEMs, Samsung is the most notorious for diverging from the Android experience, especially in the visual department. With Android L, however, Google is bringing a new design language and is more intent on keeping custom skins in check this time around. So it is quite interesting to see how Samsung intends to marry Android L's Material Design with its own TouchWiz aesthetic.

Given that this is from a very early Android L build, it isn't surprising that there is an uneven mixture of the two design. For the most part, however, it seems that Samsung is behaving well and applying the principles of Material Design even in its own apps. Perhaps it helps that Samsung has already switched to a flatter, more minimalistic design since the Galaxy S5. It is definitely encouraging to see that Samsung's custom apps are slowly getting a Material Design facelift as well, and one can only hope that the trend continues and improves in future builds.

That said, not everything is compliant with Google's own practices. In particular, the total of lockscreen notifications have been limited to two, versus Google's four, supposedly because of Samsung's fancy yet unnecessary unlocking animation. The Settings app is also still a jungle and it is unlikely that Samsung will ever be fixing that.

SamMobile notes that the build was quite slow and buggy, unsurprising for an alpha quality version. That said, things are expected to speed up, considering Android L's ART runtime promises performance and speed improvements all around. Hopefully, that will also be the case for Samsung's version, especially considering that TouchWiz is also infamous for being bloated and slow.

SOURCE: SamMobile

Story Timeline

• Top five Samsung TouchWiz features you might be missing on Android


• Android L and Material Design: tactile, bold, dynamic


• Did Google confirm that Android L will be Lollipop?

GroupOn pays users to shop with new Snap app

It's probably the dream of every shopaholic (or come to think of it, every person) to get paid cash for shopping. And that is basically what the new app from group buying site GroupOn called Snap does. Whenever you buy any of the featured items, you get a cash rebate off them and also a chance to win free groceries for a year worth $13,000.

How it works is pretty simple. After you download the Snap app, you need to look through the products and offers before you go to any grocery or supermarket. You can even build a grocery list within the app so it would be easier to keep track of what you need to buy. Head on over to any store and buy the featured items. Take a picture of the receipt, upload it to the app and they will put money into your account. As soon as you've saved up to $20, you can already opt to cash out and they will send you a check for the necessary amount.

Products include grocery items like bread, personal care, cleaning supplies, diapers and other household products. Some brands like Country Crock, PF Chang's, Glad and Huggies have introductory cash back offers as well. You can also earn $1 cash back everytime a friend or loved one opens an account and redeems their first eligible offer through your referral through Facebook or email.

To entice more people to download the app, those who submit receipts until November 11 are eligible to join the sweepstakes where the price is a year worth of groceries with a value of $13,000. Unfortunately, this app and all the offers it entails is only available for US and Canada residents. So if you live in those two countries, download Snap from Google Play Store and start earning money while shopping.

SOURCE: GroupOn