Video leak shows how Android 5.0.1 will look on HTC One (M8)

Not all Android devices have been Lollipop-ized yet, with some having to wait a few more days (or weeks or months) before they can find out for themselves whether the latest major Android update will actually change or improve their device's life. A leaked video from Vietnam shows how Android 5.0.1 will look on the HTC One (M8) so users can see a preview of it before it actually arrives on their devices.

Originally, HTC promised that Lollipop will arrive on their flagship device by January 3, but obviously, they already missed their deadline. But they have now said that it will be updated within "90 days of the original source code being released" which means the delay may have been from Google themselves. So now, the target is by the end of the month, but a leaked video from a Vietnamese site shows a preview of what your HTC One (M8) will look like, but of course this is not the final version.

There is nothing really new to report, aside from the things we've already come to expect from Lollipop, like the Material Design, the new way of viewing notifications, etc. What differentiates this from other Android 5.0 previews is of course it comes with HTC's Sense UI, which has its own charm in itself.

If you have the Google Play Edition of the HTC One (M8) and One (M7), then you're in luck as they have begun rolling out the Android 5.0.1 updates, which means additional bug fixes from the original. But for all other non-GPE owners, then just wait 1-2 weeks more, with hopefully no more delays from either Google or HTC.

VIA: HTC Vietnam

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First look at the Samsung Galaxy J1, a budget smartphone

Just a few days after Samsung went official with the Samsung Galaxy E5 and E7 (E Series), and also officially announced the super-slim Samsung Galaxy A7 (A Series), we’re now getting our first look at the first member of new Samsung J Series – the Samsung Galaxy J1. This is most probably a smartphone targeted at the lower mid-range to budget market.

The phone will be sporting a 64-bit Marvell 1.2Ghz quad-core processor supported by 1GB or RAM and 4GB internal storage. The device will have a 4.3-inch WVGA (800×480) display – some industry hacks are thinking if Samsung will still utilize its patented AMOLED technology here. We’re thinking not, as it looks like the South Korean gadget giant will have to skimp on the display to keep the price point down.

Sam Mobile is saying that the budget phone will come in four variants – single SIM and dual SIM LTE, and also single SIM and dual SIM 3G. At least those who will be considering this model will have the choice of LTE connectivity. The power consumption of the phone is a bit low that the 1,800mAh battery should be able to take it.

The phone will reportedly have a 5MP/2MP camera combo, and will feature a premium feature in the “Ultra Power Saving Mode” that usually is found in Samsung’s high-end line. The Galaxy J1 will come with Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box. If compared to the previous low cost, budget-friendly phones from Samsung like the Galaxy Y and others in that mold, we’re thinking the Samsung Galaxy J1 would probably give users better experience. But we’ll have to wait and see when it becomes official. Something tells us this will be very soon.

VIA: Sam Mobile

Story Timeline

• Rumored Samsung Galaxy A series to have LTE connectivity


• Samsung takes on youth market with Galaxy E7 and E5


• Samsung officially announces the Samsung Galaxy A7

CES 2015 Roundup: Android in full throttle

The dust of CES 2015 has finally settled down, so now we can take a more holistic overview of what went down at the world's largest consumer electronics event. Unsurprisingly, Android is at the center of many of the new, and some old, devices we've seen. But while wearables, particularly smartwatches are still somewhat of a hot topic, we're now seeing Android's growing presence outside of its usual form factors, in particular in cars and in TVs. Join us for Android Community's recap of CES 2015.

Smartphones

Of course, smartphones are Android's core market, so it's not surprising to see a lot of new ones this year. And by "a lot", we really mean a ton. Of course, you have new ones from top OEMs, like Lenovo's new P90 and Vibe X2 Pro, along with its rather quirky Vibe Xtension Selfie Flash accessory. ASUS' smartphones may not have the dual cameras we were hoping for, but the ZenFone Zoom's 3x optical zoom and the ZenFone 2's 4 GB RAM definitely pique our interest. HTC tries a Desire EYE repeat with the Desire 826, but those with a more limited budget might want to turn their eyes towards the Desire 320 instead. LG does out a new G Flex 2, but happily this second curved smartphone sports some specs that make the odd shape a bit more bearable.

Equally interesting, however, is the flood of smartphones from other brands. Alcatel is on the scene not only with the OS-agnostic PIXI 3, it also has a bunch of new LTE-enabled POP smartphones and one tablet as well. It even has a OneTouch smartwatch now. BLU Products also unleashed as much as seven new smartphones, some of which bear uncanny resemblance to some Chinese OEM models. Camera companies are also game, with Kodak revealing its first smartphone, the Kodak IM5 and Polaroid announcing the new Selfie, which might be in legal trouble for its imitation of the OPPO N1's core feature.

But perhaps the Saygus V2 (V-squared, not V two) takes the cake when it comes to hardware features, boasting of almost every high-end feature you can think of. 320 GB storage (64 GB internal plus two 128 GB microSD slots), a 13 megapixel front camera, Harman Kardon 3D audio, fingerprint scanner, IPX7 waterproofing, Kevlar edges, are just some of the juicy things this smartphone has. Hopefully, Saygus can make it to the market this time.

Tablets

Android tablets aren't as many, but they do still have a commanding presence. Aside from Alcatel's 4G POP tablet and Archos's budget tablet, there are also a few notable ones at CES. There's E-FUN's convertible Lollipop tablet and Polaroid's new L line, some of the first Android 5.0 tablets outside of the Nexus line. Lenovo also announced a few new Yoga Android tablets along with its new crew. And although it's somewhat hard to still call these "tablets", Fuhu revealed a few new large, child-friendly nabi Tabs. And by large, we mean devices that range from 32 to 65 inches!

Cars

Automobiles have always been present at CES, but this year, they are even more interesting for the Android crowd with a good number of them either sporting Android integration, connecting to Android Wear smartwatches, or promising Android Auto support in the future. Drone maker Parrot, for example, unveils its take on Android Auto with the RNB6. Pioneer and Kenwood are also collaborating on bringing the Android car platform to OS-agnostic systems. Hyundai shows off its BlueLink app now running on Android Weaer smartwatches while Volkswagen reveals details about upcoming Android Auto support in its smart cars.

Perhaps one of the biggest stars in this space was Audi, who not only showed a rather dashing dashboard, it also revealed some smartwatch integration as well. Sadly, its more interesting smartwatch that was custom-made by LG ran on the Korean OEM's webOS incarnation for smartwatches, but Android fans need not despair as the car maker does have support for Android Wear as well.

Gaming

Gaming and Android TV go hand in hand, and CES 2015 is testament to that. Accessories maker Mad CATZ just revealed its transforming L.Y.N.X. hybrid controller that can support both smartphones and tablets in different and weird combinations. Sony and Sharp have also brought along their new line of UHD Smart TVs, some of which run Android TV. But the gaming spotlight for CES 2015 most likely goes to Razer, not for its Nabu fitness band, but for its Android TV-toting Forge TV microconsole. Along with it, Razer has also revealed the Turret wireless keyboard and mouse combo, the Serval controller for both smartphones and Forge TV, as well as the promise of a more inclusive PC game streaming coming soon via Cortex: Stream.

Wearables

Of course, wearables are still here, whether they be in the form of a fitness band, smartwatch or glasses. As mentioned, Alcatel has teased some details of its OneTouch smartwatch. Sony, on the other hand, doesn't have a new smartwatch per se, but does have a steel-clad SmartWatch 3 available for purchase. Razer also reveals its Nabu X smartband follow up, while Lenovo has its VIBE Band VB10 to show off. Sony also has a different kind of wearable on display, with the new SmartEyeglass Attach! that can, well, attach to any eyepiece to turn them into smart eyewear, at least in theory.

Wrap-up

These are just some of the highlights of this year's CES show, so be sure to check our CES 2015 tag portal for the whole shebang. And once you've had your fill, it's time to take a breath as we prepare for the Mobile World Congress 2015 in February.

Wattup wirelessly routes power to your devices

As wireless charging tries to become the new normal when it comes to getting power to our various devices, we need to have more options aside from just docks or mats or your car. During the recently concluded CES 2015, there were some products that tried to offer new ways of charging wirelessly, and one of those is called WattUp.

Instead of charging your smartphone or tablet or e-reader by plugging it on a wall socket or placing it on a charging mat, WattUp is wall-mounted and serves as a kind of "router" that can charge devices up to 15 feet away. The makers say it can charge up to 12 devices simultaneously, but of course the more you charge, the less power it can distribute. Four devices that are 15 feet away will be able to receive 1W of power but as you go closer, you will get more. But if you have all 12 gadgets within the field of power, they will receive just .25W each.

To manage power distribution, WattUp also has an app to help you out. You can set it up so that your smartphone or tablet will only charge when it has reached a certain percentage so that it will not automatically charge whenever you get into the range of the device. This kind of wireless charger can be pretty handy at the office if you don't want employees constantly plugging their devices on your wall sockets. But if you have a lot of gadgets and family members at home, then it can also be handy (or wallsy).

WattUp is still not available for retail consumers, but Foxconn and Haier have already expressed interest in manufacturing the device or maybe using the technology for some other device. Let's wait and see if this will be a new trend in wireless charging.

VIA: SlashGear

SnoopSnitch for Android detects possible smartphone data theft

Security Research Labs (SRLabs) is a German outfit that has released an interesting security app called SnoopSnitch – the app basically alerts users if someone is trying to spy on their mobile phone. The app can detect if someone is using International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers – along with other Android vulnerabilities – to spy on a device.

SnoopSnitch collects and analyzes mobile radio data to make you aware of your mobile network security and to warn you about threats like fake base stations (IMSI catchers), user tracking, and SS7 attacks,’ the official Google Play listing reads.

For the uninitiated, IMSI catchers are more commonly known as 'stingrays' and are heavily used by hackers – or even by government security agencies – to listen in on private calls, read text messages, and locating users via signal tower. It can also be used to do SS7 (Signaling System 7) attacks on your phone.

The app requires a number of things – first on that list is a rooted phone, a Qualcomm chipset that is running on stock Android version 4.1 or higher. The description of the app also says that the detection capabilities of the app improves by using crowd-sourced data contributed from other users of the app. Will you give this a try?

DOWNLOAD: Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• Google's new security tools to track and protect online life


• Train to be a "security expert" with new Cryptoy app


• BOSS phone promises super security, privacy

Build a fire breathing kingdom with Dragon Mania Legends

Dragons have never really been out of our consciousness, but they've enjoyed a sort of renaissance in pop culture the past years, with the awesome triple threat of dragons in Game of Thrones, then the scary (and mocking) Smaug from The Hobbit movie adaptation. But while those dragons are awe-inspiring, they have nothing on the fierce but adorable ones from Dragonlandia in a new Android game called Dragon Mania Legends.

The land has been taken over by Vikings and now it's up to you to raise an army of cute hatchlings and then try to train and turn them into a fierce army of fire breathing dragons to help you take back your homeland. The goal is to become the ultimate Dragon Lord and rebuild Dragonlandia. There are over 100 species of dragons that you can breed and raise, and later on send into battle against your enemies. You can breed them on several habitats on Dragon Island and then breed the powerful dragons to create even more powerful (and cuter) baby dragons.

Once they're of fighting age, you can send them into the 3-on-3 battle system where you can unleash Dragon Fury (if they've mastered it already). You can teach your warrior dragons several special skills to bring them to victory. The game also has over 100 points of interest so you can explore and choose your own path as you go along.

Dragon Mania Legends is free to download on the Google Play Store. However, it has several in-app purchases, so be careful if you have your auto purchase option on as you may have zero discipline when it comes to buying stuff for your cute baby dragons.

Help aliens get home in Shuttle Shuffle game for Android

Aliens don't always have to be the enemy, whether in movies (remember E.T.?), on TV shows (some of those alien folks over on V were a bit friendly right?) or even in mobile games. A new fun game for all ages (neither too complicated or too simple) has just been released on Android and us earthlings have a responsibility to take the aliens back to their mothership in Shuttle Shuffle.

For some reason, the aliens became scattered when they landed on an unknown planet, and now they need your help to get back to their shuttle before they get stuck on that planet forever. You will be able to do so with different puzzle games that are pretty easy to understand, but fun nonetheless. There are 72 campaign levels which will give you endless hours of gameplay, with no time limit, giving you enough time to figure it out without the added pressure of a countdown clock.

But probably the most fun thing about the game is that you can create your own levels and it will take you just a few minutes (or even seconds) to do so with the integrated level editor. You can also share these self-created levels to your friends and others playing the game so you can see if they're up to the challenge.

Shuttle Shuffle is available to download from the Google Play Store and it's free. The game is meant for both children and adults, but there are in-app purchases available, so make sure you turn on safety precautions before leading a kid play with it on your smartphone.