Android

Report: Samsung Will Stop Screwing Up Android

Samsung’s super Android phones, and its Android devices in general, have long been hindered by the terribleness of the proprietary UI and apps the company insists on bundling with its hardware. Re/Code reports that Samsung’s gonna cut it out. Let’s hope so. According to the report, Google is fed up with Samsung’s meddling, and has…

Rumour: The Nokia X Will Be a Super-Cheap Android

New specs have appeared giving us a look inside the Nokia X Android model, suggesting it’ll be a very low-spec budget phone. Conspiracy theorists might even suggest Nokia’s making a rubbish Android phone on purpose, to make its WP models look better in comparison. According to popular and usually on-the-ball Twitter news source EVLeaks, the…

Google and Samsung have made an agreement to cross-license each other’s patents for the next ten years. That includes any patents already held, or any new ones issued in the coming decade. Long live Android!

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Oh hey, look at that! Another week in the bag. Whether it was a great one or a crappy one, it’s Friday, so you can celebrate/commiserate with a whole slew of brand-new apps. Download, upgrade, and thumb-swipe your way to the weekend. Android Motorola Gallery Motorola’s update to Gallery adds a timeline view alongside the…

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Remember as a kid, when you’d go to weddings or plays or concerts or whatever, the adult sitting next to you would give you a piece of candy to keep you quiet? Apps are smartphone candy. Pass a few to your phone so it doesn’t start blabbing in the middle of the vows. Android Vizilife…

We knew LG’s curved G Flex was heading to US carriers, but it’s happening sooner than expected: you’ll be able to get the phone via Sprint from January 31st for $300.

Blackphone Promises To Be a Cellphone to Beat the NSA

Privacy is at the forefront of everybody’s mind, now more than ever. So Blackphone, which will run a “security-oriented” version of Android and claims to be able to foil the NSA, couldn’t be better timed. The brainchild of renowned cryptographer Phil Zimmermann—and in fact a commercial venture between his company Silent Circle and Geeksphone, a…

The Cheap Moto G Gets a Stock Android Google Play Edition

The Motorola Moto G is a wonderful phone for the money. And the deal just got a tiny bit sweeter for people who would rather run stock Android KitKat than Motorola’s very lightly skinned Android UI. It now comes in a Google Play Edition. You know, for the nerds. https://gizmodo.com/moto-g-review-the-best-cheap-phone-but-still-a-cheap-1479588299 Even if you’re a stock…

Sony Xperia Z1S Review: Big Camera In a Sleek Package

Sony finally got one mostly right when it came to tablets last year, but the Japanese company has struggled more with phones. The Xperia Zis the closest thing it’s had to a success, and ultimately, it left us wanting more. So, we were excited when we first saw theXperia Z1S, which on paper looked like…

Google has given Google Play Services for Android a big update—adding turn-based multiplayer support, a preliminary Google Drive API, and improved battery life for all users who run Location Reporting.

SwiftKey Is Embedding Itself in Your Dash

Popular Android predictive keyboard SwiftKey is about to pop up in a whole different series of devices, with the text entry system set to appear in the Clarion AX1 Android-based car entertainment system. It’ll allow passengers and distracted drivers to access the web and send messages in usual SwiftKey style. The Clarion AX1 is a…

Bloomberg: Samsung Galaxy S5 Due April, Maybe With Eye-Scan Security

If you’re holding out for the next Android superphone, you may only have a few months to wait. Samsung has spoken out about its upcoming devices in a long interview with Bloomberg, and it plans to have the S5 out by April. Speaking to Bloomberg, Lee Young Hee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile business,…

AMD Will Run Android and Windows on the Same PC, Too

Yesterday, Intel announced its plans to run Android and Windows on the same PC in perfect harmony. Now, it seems AMD has the exact same plan. Verge reports that AMD is teaming up with BlueStacks to develop technology which will allow Android to run within Windows, on the same piece of silicon, in a way…

Sony Xperia Z1S: This Thing Could Be Really, Really Good

In what is certainly the most enticing phone we’ve seen at CES thus far, Sony’s Xperia Z1S is heading to the U.S. as a T-Mobile exclusive, and it looks like an absolute powerhouse (as does its little buddy, for those who like smaller phones). Where to begin? It’s an Android phone with a 5-inch screen…

There’s Another Weird PadFone Coming Out For Some Reason

Well, if it were a human this thing would have borderline personality disorder. Asus is back with a second-gen version of the PadFone, the big ass smartphone that transforms into an even bigger tablet when docked, and it has yet to recover from this severe identity crisis. The KitKat-running PadFone X will be out later…

The Curvaceous LG G Flex Is Coming To AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile

You want a curved smartphone? Okay then, you can have your curved smartphone. Until now, only available in Asia, the bendy LG G Flex will launch on AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile in the U.S. later this spring. Pricing and specifics on availability will come later, but more importantly, now you can have a six-inch phone…

Vizio’s New Bluetooth Speakers Have Android KitKat Tablets Built In

Bluetooth speakers are all the same right? You connect your phone to them to wirelessly beam bumping music. Not Vizio’s brand new Smart Audio speakers though. Vizio’s Bluetooth speakers also have a freaking Android tablet running Kit Kat built in. Yes, there are 7-inch and 4.7-inch tablets on speakers now. The idea for these speakers—other…

Google Is Taking Android to the Car With Audi, GM, Honda and Hyundai

Google has just announced that it’s joining forces with Audi, GM, Honda, Hyundai and Nvidia to create the Open Automotive Alliance. In other words, it’s planning to take Android to the automobile. According to Google, the new alliance is “aimed at accelerating auto innovation with an approach that offers openness, customization and scale”. That echoes…

DreamWorks Dreamtab: A $300 Android Tab for Kids Full of Cool Content

DreamWorks has teamed up with hardware manufacturer Fuhu to produce an Android tablet specifically for kids, which will be regularly updated with exclusive content from the animation studio. The announcement, made in the New York Times, reveals that an 8-inch tablet will cost “under $300” and be available in spring, with a 12-inch version “also…

​Samsung Galaxy Camera 2: The Android Franken-Camera Gets Better Brains

It’s been more than a year since Samsung released its Android powered Galaxy Camera. And despite our initial skepticism, we were actually impressed that the merger of a mobile device and point-and-shoot camera was so well executed. The weird thing was wonderful, and according to Samsung, it sold pretty well! Which is why the Galaxy…