Droid my Drug

Verizon brings Android 5.0 Lollipop to Samsung Galaxy S5

The different variants of Samsung Galaxy S5 has been receiving Android 5.0 Lollipop updates albeit slowly. Those in the UK recently got their software update last month. We saw a video before 2014 ended that showed off the Lollipop sweetness in action on the Galaxy Note 4, Note Edge, and the Galaxy S5. In the US, Verizon Wireless subscribers are lucky to receive an update to the Android 5.0 Lollipop this week.

The Galaxy S5 getting a taste of the Lollipop means new features for the smartphone. Runtime has been improved and the mobile OS now features 3D views and complex animations, all thanks to Material Design elements. The update also allows the phone to access more apps and Android services on other connected screens like wearables, cars, and TVs. This also means a wider reach for the flagship smartphone from the South Korean giant.

With Material Design in mind, the Samsung Galaxy S5 gets more vivid colored themes, more fluid animations, and 3-D views. The on/off toggle button style has also been updated. For quicker access, shortcuts for Camera and Phone have been added together with Material Design-inspired notifications. As with most notification apps, you can now set privacy and priority for notifications that you want to appear on the lock screen.

With the Android 5.0 update, you can now control sound settings with advanced options. With priority notifications, you can set such for messages, phone calls, events, and reminders. You can now even set downtime for certain times and days, as well as, automatically control notification sounds.

Lastly, you can now access recently accessed or favorite Chrome tabs from the Recent apps page. No need to open Chrome app to view old tabs because you can access them easily from the Recent apps. For those who like to multi-task, there are multi-window icons for more convenience.

SOURCE: Verizon Wireless

Sharp Shows Us Their Clamshell Android Phone

Think clamshells are a thing of the past? Just like actual fashion is cyclical, the once-trendy feature phone design seems to be coming back in some manufacturers’ repertoire. Sharp jumped on the train with these low-spec but stylish clamshell phones that remind us of older times.

The post Sharp Shows Us Their Clamshell Android Phone appeared first on xda-developers.

Nexus 5 is back in stock, in black and with sizes

Although it seemed that Google was hunkering down on its device offerings, at least those it sells through Google Play Store, it might be making some concessions in light of recent revelations. It has quite silently switched the 2013's Nexus 5 to back to "in stock", perhaps to offset the difficulty in procuring a Nexus 6. Together with the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9, these three devices seem to be Google's final Google Play Store lineup as far as smartphones and tablets are concerned.

Google Play devices come and go, and we've all come to accept it as a natural part of device cycles. But with the removal of the HTC One M8 Google Play Edition last month, the very last GPE device on the list, we've come to realize that Google might actually be trying to slim down its portfolio. That leaves fans with only Google's Nexus devices to choose from, but even that has its own sad tale to tell.

Last week, Google finally acknowledged supply problems with the Nexus 6, which has led to no small amount of disappointment, if not annoyance, from would be fans of the smartphone. That, in turn, significantly hit Google's profits. Perhaps to help appease Nexus fans while it irons out problems with the Nexus 6, Google is returning the Nexus 5 to availability. For how long, no one knows beyond a "while supplies last".

There are, however, one caveat to this. The Nexus 5, formerly available in Black, White, and Red, is now only available in Black. Beyond that, you get access to both the 16 GB version, for $349, and the 32 GB model, for $399. Meanwhile, the Nexus 6 remains out of reach.

SOURCE: Google Play Store - Nexus 5 (16 GB), (32 GB)

New Humble Mobile Bundle Out!

The Humble Bundle is a great pack that allows you to pay what you want (with a minimum limit for second and third tier games) — starting from 1 cent! The newest Humble Bundle for Android brings you 11 Cartoon Network games (with more coming soon).

The post New Humble Mobile Bundle Out! appeared first on xda-developers.

Pics of new Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 leaked

Samsung have been pretty consistent in their commitment to put out ruggedized outdoors-y versions of their phones – always having one or two of them in their catalogs. The most recent devices have been the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and the Galaxy S5 Active – both ruggedized takes on the South Korean manufacturer’s flagship phones. We don’t know yet if there will be a Samsung Galaxy S6 Active version, but what has leaked is a rumored update to the Samsung Galaxy Xcover line.

The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 was launched in January 2013 – a small, ruggedized 4-inch phone with an IP67 dust-resistant and water-resistant certification (can be submerged up to 1 meter for 30 minutes). That said, there hasn’t been news of an update to this line, until today, that is.

samsung-galaxy-xcover2

The new Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 will carry the model designation SM-G388F, and it will still be a phone targeted for outdoor and rugged usage. The smartphone will reportedly pack a Marvell Armada PXA1908 chipset with a quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU and 1GB of RAM. A little more digging by internet tech hacks have spit out a GFX Bench entry, which adds more spec details – a 4.8-inch screen with 800x480 resolution, including 8GB of internal storage.

No news still on availability and pricing, although we would not be surprised if Samsung also launches this phone beside the Samsung Galaxy S6 reported to be unveiled at MWC 2015 in Barcelona. For those interested in this, watch this space.

VIA: GSM Arena

Microsoft Picturesque Lock Screen

Microsoft has released the Picturesque Lock Screen which offers many interesting toggles, missed text/calls indicators and weather forecasts. Check it out and decide if it’s worthy to give Microsoft a try.

The post Microsoft Picturesque Lock Screen appeared first on xda-developers.

Xiaomi finally releases Mi4 Wooden Cases

We've only been waiting for Xiaomi to release new wooden back covers for its Mi4 flagship phone and they're finally here. You can choose from among the six three wooden-bamboo designed covers. There's bamboo Bangkok, white oak, walnut, black apricot wood, and rosewood. These smartphone covers cost only 69 yuan ($11) each so it's really a great buy. You'll get a nicer looking and well-protected Xiaomi Mi4 at an affordable price.

These are official wooden back covers for the Mi4 flagship phone. This brings that natural feel to the smartphone which is actually made of plastic and not aluminum. These wood back covers are all smooth and set in different shades and desigs of various types of wood. Each wooden cover is coated with a protective layer so it would last longer.

Wooden phone case is a snap-on so it's easy to swap the covers whenever you want a new look for your Xiaomi Mi4. There are too many choose from but personally, I'm in love with the black apricot wood. I find it classy and unique at the same time. Enough of colorful snap-on covers. It's about time we get more "natural" and eco-friendly looking mobile accessories.