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The YotaPhone 2 gives you two working touchscreens, front and back

If we had written this piece say in 2013, you could be forgiven for thinking that the makers of the YotaPhone had just complete lost all sanity. That is, of course, until the advent of Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge, which had manufacturers thinking out-of-the-box on what they can do with another touchscreen surface. Granted, what the YotaPhone has is completely unexpected and unorthodox – but you can’t say it isn’t worth a look in these modern times.



Modern smartphone design conventions will say the screen goes on the front, the camera on the back. But what if you utilize both front AND back spaces as active touchscreens? There definitely would be more real estate now to do more – but do what? The YotaPhone, being manufactured by Yota Devices who are mostly based in Moscow, is a smartphone that has a secondary (or another primary, however you want to view it) screen on the back of the device where the camera is. That screen is a monochrome e-ink screen that functions pretty much like a normal touchscreen does, sans the color.


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The YotaPhone 2, which has turned quite a few heads at in the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona early this year, is scheduled to finally launch this month, so we’re quietly anticipating that. The specs are pretty decent – it sports a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED screen as the main display. The back display is called the “Always On” display and it is a 4.7-inch 960x540 E-ink grayscale screen with full capacitive touch functions.


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Under the hood, there’s a 2.2Ghz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor backstopped by 2GB RAM and Adreno 330 graphics. The internal storage maxes out at 32GB and theres an 8MP/2.1MP camera combo with LED flash. Will this interest you? Tell us what you think in the comments section.


SIGN-UP: YotaPhone

VIA: Hi-tech@Mail.Ru





OnePlus One available today via Amazon India, launch event concluded

Today is the day that the elusive flagship phone – the OnePlus One – has finally been made available to the subcontinent of India. The OnePlus One is famous for its low price despite the high-end specs, but it is also famously difficult to get your hands on one. The Indian market is set to be the next step for OP, as it partners with Amazon India to distribute the device.



They’ve been teasing it for a while now, but OP has finally and officially landed in India. The OnePlus One smartphone can now be purchased through Amazon India, albeit the terribly annoying invite system that the company used is still present. Hopefully the partnership with Amazon will mean that it will get easier for OnePlus One fans in India to purchase the device rather than make it more difficult. Check out the Amazon page for the phone here.



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The OnePlus One 64GB model will be launching in India for INR 21,999, or a little over USD$350, which is roughly the same cost as it was sold before. The launch event was graced by Pete Lau, the founder and CEO of OnePlus, who sold the phone to an already adoring public. Also present was Amit Agarwal, Country Manager of Amazon India, and Vikas Agarwal, General Manager of OnePlus India.



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So the move to India is finally done for OnePlus. This is in the wake of its public breakup with OS provider CyanogenMod. The OnePlus One is still coming with CM’s tweaked Android OS out of the box, but we wonder how long that will last.


SOURCE: OnePlus





Be the master of your fate, master Android Programming [DEALS]

Who here hasn't thought of an interesting new feature or idea for an app and wished you had the arcane knowledge needed to write your own app? Well, wish no longer. With Master the Fundamentals of Android Programming, you can take your own fate into your own hands and learn how write you own Android apps from start to finish. And we even have a sweet deal for you here at Android Community to make the adventure worth your time and money.



Why would you want to write your own Android apps? Well, why not? Having one of the largest install bases in the world, Android is ripe for the picking when it comes to spreading your apps and maybe earning a bit on the side as well. But even if you're not looking towards monetization, you yourself can benefit from learning more about the OS running on your smartphone or tablet or even realizing that dream feature you've always wanted for an app, what programmers like to call "scratching your own itch."


And you don't need to be a hardcore programmer to get started. The course will take you from the very beginning, with no programming knowledge required to start. In fact, all you need is a computer, whether that's PC, Mac, or Linux, and a browser to view the contents. Oh, and you'll also need an Internet connection to get the content too. The course is spread over 105 lectures and has 9.5 hours of video, covering both basic and advanced topics, covering everything you need to get up and running and on your way to being an Android app master.


Features include:


• Over 105 lectures and 9.5 hours of content

• Learn The Skills Required To Build Apps For Android

• No Programming Knowledge Required

• Highly Detailed – Covers Everything You Need To Know

• Receive A Certificate Of Completion


As part of Android Community Deals, the Master the Fundamentals of Android Programming is offered at a heavily discounted price of $19. That's 80% off from the regular $99 price tag. Once purchased, you can watch it any time, anywhere on whatever device you have. It's all yours forever. And if you're not satisfied, you can even avail of a 30-day money back guarantee. How's that for a deal? Be sure to check out the other deals available at our new Android Community Deals portal.


Android Community Deals is brought to you in cooperation with StackSocial. Generated revenue helps fund this site. Deals are curated by StackSocial and are not representative of the opinions of the Android Community staff.


Motorola to roll out Lollipop soon for 1st Gen Moto G

Moto G (1st Gen) owners can be forgiven for thinking that Motorola has forgotten about them in all the hoopla about the flagship Moto X. But it looks like the OEM will be updating the device soon to the latest major Android version, Lollipop 5.0. The first step though is updating the Motorola Update Services app.



The changelog for the app simply states that it is necessary to update it in order to ensure the "future upgrade" of the Moto G (1st Gen) to Lollipop. It doesn't get simpler and more obvious than that. This is a good sign that the OEM has not neglected their older smartphones, as users are looking forward to experiencing the Lollipop-ization of their devices as well, which will make them feel like they have a new gadget as well.


Just a few weeks ago, Motorola started rolling out the updates for their Moto X (2nd Gen) owners under Verizon. This brought to them the much talked-about Material Design overhaul, with new app and system themes, widgets, colors and more fluid animation. Other major changes include notifications on lock screen, Downtime and Ambient Display settings, and changing the Recents section into Overview.


While the Motorola Update Services app update is now available, there is still no indication as to when they are rolling out Lollipop to your Moto G (1st Gen). And since the slightly older Moto G (1st Gen) will receive the major upgrade, owners of the Moto X (1st Gen) may very well receive an upgrade in the near future





Tangled challenges you to untangle puzzles in new Android game

No, this is definitely not a Disney animated movie tie-in. In another new game that can drive you to frustration and yet challenge you to no end, Tangled is a new puzzle game for your Android device. Just like some of the recent games we've talked about, it's minimalist, seemingly simple, but extremely difficult and not for the faint of heart.



The main objective of the game is to untangle the lines while making sure they don't overlap. It will actually fool you at first that it's that easy. The first 5 games are pretty standard and you can solve them in a matter of seconds. But afterwards, things get more and more challenging, and if you're the type of person who likes that, then you'll want to see it through, despite numerous hair pulling and mobile device throwing out of frustration.


There are 90 puzzles that you need to solve, all with increasing difficulty. And if by some miracle you've already finished those 90 puzzles, you can now sit back and enjoy several randomly generated ones with 10 difficulty levels, if you've not had enough of untangling lines. There are also 6 worlds in this game, a great accompanying soundtrack by James Primate, and a progress bar to see how far you still have to go for each puzzle.


Tangled is available for downloading from the Google Play Store. The great news is that it's absolutely free. There are no in-app purchases to help you along the way, so you need to solve all the puzzles by just using your brain and your multitouch smartphone or tablet.


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Kabam, Marvel team up again for upcoming free-to-play RPG

Even while the fruits of their first collaboration have yet to bear fruit, hopefully this week if not later this month, it seems that Kabam and Marvel have grown rather fond of each other. The two will take another stab at the growing mobile gaming market and have announced a still unnamed game. This time, however, the genre will be shifting gears towards a role-playing type. It's hard not to get excited but also hard not to be a bit cautious.



It's not that Kabam doesn't have a favorable reputation in mobile gaming. It has a few popular titles under its belt, including Heroes of Camelot, Kingdoms of Camelot, Fast & Furious 6, and The Hobbit: Kingdoms, just to name a few. At New York Comic Con last October, the reception to the upcoming Marvel Contest of Champions fighting game has been mostly positive, with people commenting on the console-like quality of the graphics. Kabam promised more intuitive controls for a mobile game, which we'll have yet to see once the game actually hits the market.


Marvel, on the other hand, has had hits and misses with its mobile titles. Most of them revolve around movie tie-ins and rarely around original content, like Avengers Alliance. Contest of Champions is one of that rare breed, and so all Marvel fans' eyes will be on this fighting game. Details of this new Marvel RPG are extremely thin at this point, with nary a hint about gameplay and combat mechanics. It will all hinge on whether Kabam and Marvel will be able to deliver a new experience that doesn't simply reuse the tried and tired tropes of mobile gaming. That said, it will still be a long wait, as the game isn't scheduled to land until Fall 2015.


As for Contest of Champions, that game is set to hit Android and iOS this month, with some pointing to sometime this week even. The game is promised to be available globally immediately at launch and that Kabam will increase the roster of heroes and villains, which already consists of 25 names, regularly. Marvel fans, especially fans of fighting games, might want to keep their eyes peeled for this one to see if Kabam does have a magic touch for Marvel's franchise.


SOURCE: Kabam


Samsung Galaxy Tab S now available on T-Mobile Un-carrier

Faithful T-Mobile subscribers always look forward to announcements by the network about new Un-carrier offerings. This tablet lineup of the carrier will add the latest Samsung Galaxy Tab S to its list of products with data plan.



Samsung Galaxy Tab S under Un-carrier will be available for $27.08/month on a 2-year contract with no downpayment but if you want it unlocked, you can get it for $650. This good deal arrives just in time for the holiday season. The number one tech items consumers want to receive as gifts are tablets. T-Mobile could be taking advantage of this behavior now by offering great deals of tablets and smartphones with data.


If you’re not satisfied with just one Galaxy Tab S, you can add another tablet for only $10/month. Match the data on your Simple Choice voice plan of up to 5GB of data per month. The latter will then be used for the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S. Note that this is different from the data plan you availed for your phone. No need to pay ‘access fees’ to use the data you already have though.


Other benefits of Un-carrier can be enjoyed when you get the Simple Choice plan like unlimited music streaming (Music Freedom), unlimited international data in more than 120+ countries, and no domestic overages. As usual, since this a T-Mobile tablet, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S on Un-carrier will come with Free Data for Life. This gives customers 200 MB of free data every month as long as they are subscribed to the 4G LTE network on Un-carrier.


SOURCE: T-Mobile





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