Google's Android 4.4.3 update may well be on the way for select devices, but while this rudimentary bump could be rolled out in the next couple of weeks, something much more significant is said to be on the horizon. Currently referred to as 'Project Hera,' the future implementation will aim to bring an aligned, synchronized experience across Android, Chrome and Web apps, with users able to carry out tasks in a seamless manner throughout the range of Google platforms.
Even though the Play Store is moderated to ensure that dodgy, malicious apps don't make it through the gates and onto people's devices, it's not a completely foolproof system. Virus Shield, a relatively new app that claimed to protect users from viruses and other such non-niceties, has scammed many folks out of their money because, at $3.99 a pop, it didn't actually provide any speakable anti-virus features. Although it has since been ousted by the search giant after being exposed, it remains to be seen whether the 10,000+ customers that parted with the substantial sum will see any kind of refund.
Samsung's Galaxy Note range had its fair share of critics from the get-go, with skeptics baffled as to why or how anybody would use devices of such monstrosities. Fast-forward a few years, though, and the word 'phablet' is thrown about constantly, with several of Samsung's rivals having followed the Korean companies lead in delivering smartphone-plus-tablet handsets. With the flagship Galaxy S5 almost upon us, the Galaxy Note 4 is the next big release as far as Samsung is concerned, and although we've heard precious little so far in its regard, a few details are now beginning to emerge.
Just under a week ago, HTC took to stages in London and New York to announce their newest flagship smartphone, and upgrade to one of the most widely renown phones of 2013, the HTC One. After using the phone for roughly 7 days or so, it's fair to say that HTC has done a stellar job with the new M8. It feels like a similar phone to the HTC One M7, which is a very positive thing in this case. More aluminum has been used in the construction, creating a more premium feel. The edges of the phone have been rounded off, resulting in a better experience when holding the phone. If I happened to be suggesting improvements to the original HTC One, these are a few of the things I would have given.
When we talk about Android, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? I bet 99% of the people will answer smartphones or tablets (unless there’s an app that you’re crazy about and that’s what you prefer). However, Android, being the open source platform that it is, offers much more flexibility in terms of the hardware that it can run on, and so there’s Android out there that can run just fine on x86 computer architecture as well. Yup - full-blown Android running natively, not the likes of BlueStacks! In this post, we’ll show you exactly how to get that.
Android's biggest weakness may be the huge numbers in which smartphones running the software have sold, but it's fairly safe to say at this point that phones and tablets running various flavors of Android are less than secure. In fact, the hacking of Android-powered devices is such a problem that it's been the beneficiary of plenty of attention from the security fraternity.
The introduction of the iPhone 5s during the final quarter of 2013 marked a significant hardware change in the mobile industry. Not only was the 5s the first consumer facing smartphone to introduce 64-bit architecture with the A7 chipset, but it was also the first publicly available smartphone to implement fingerprint scanning technology thanks to Touch ID. It's highly likely that biometric based detection and authentication will become increasingly popular over the next few years, with manufacturers coming up with their own unique uses. On the subject of biometrics, a new comparison video from Tanner Marsh gives a fairly comprehensive overview of fingerprint detection on what are arguably the market's two most powerful smartphones: the iPhone 5s and Galaxy S5.
The Motorola / Google connection may have been relatively short lived and not exactly a perfect match, but it clearly gave Google a thirst for innovative hardware. That thirst is still being quenched today thanks to Project Ara and we can now get an additional insight of those involved with building the block based smartphone thanks to a new Phonebloks video.
Last week, we caught wind of a new app that utilizes mesh networking to enable devices to connect to one another without the need for an Internet connection. Having established quite a strong following, the app has been ported to Android, and is now available to download, for free, over at the Play Store. Further details, as well as the download link, can be found after the jump!
Samsung may have announced the Galaxy S5 back in February, but the release of the device later on next week is only the first part of the story. Along with the recent specs leak of the Galaxy S5 mini, we now have what appears to be a legitimate glimpse of the Galaxy S5 Zoom, an upgrade on last year's Galaxy S4 Zoom designed specifically for photography aficionados.
