Google has just announced that Andy Rubin, chief of the search company's Android mobile platform, is stepping down from his role, with Chrome and Apps Vice President Sundar Pichai taking his place. Rubin has been at the helm of Android since the company acquired it way back in 2005, and has helped it become one the most widely-used mobile OS in the world. Pichai will take the reigns at Android, but will also continue his role as VP of Chrome and Apps for the foreseeable future.
Tomorrow, Samsung will finally get out of its way to announce the Galaxy S IV, a major upgrade to its flagship smartphone. Speculation has been great over the coming weeks, enough to fuel interest from third-party accessory manufacturers. One day ahead of the smartphone’s official announcement, a set of cases specifically designed for the Samsung Galaxy S IV have leaked onto the web, embodying many design cues that are expected to make their way onto the look and feel of the new smartphone.
For an advanced Android user, flashing is something they are bound to come across every now and then. Even more so, if you’re a regular visitor of one of the bigger Android modification and customization forums on the web, you’re more likely to have a knack for flashing different ROMs, tweaks, firmware and whatnot more than other users. Then, there are people who have an uncontrollable urge to try out every other ZIP file that they can get their hands on through recovery mode on their Android device, almost like an obsessive need to do so. Another group of Android fanatics that fall in this category are those who rely on nightly builds of any ROM – especially CyanogenMod – since they end up flashing a newer version almost every day.
Although Samsung's attention is being well and truly guided toward the imminent Unpacked event that will see the announcement of the Galaxy S IV, but that hasn’t caused the South Korean company to forget about their current flagship, the Galaxy S III.
With Apple being the world’s most valuable company, it’s hardly surprising that bootleggers dedicate their time and efforts to creating fake versions of its revered product range. The term knockoff has even been coined to describe these devices and their makers, and watching these attempts slip through the net and into the market has become something of a spectator sport. With the Cupertino company rumored to be plotting the ‘iPhone 5S’ for release in the near future, resident rip-off merchant Goophone has come through with its ‘i5S’ handset, and although we wouldn’t be tempted by a copycat device perhaps ourselves, it’s not hard to see how the company stays in business.
Yesterday, an alleged sighting of the Samsung Galaxy S IV in the wild was spread via Chinese forum. But while yesterday's leaked images gave very little away, the same source has come through with a hands-on video. It looks very legitimate indeed, and the handset, which is supposedly the China Unicom variant, bears striking similarities to the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II.
The soon-to-be announced Samsung Galaxy S IV has fairly large shoes to fill when it comes to following in the footsteps of the previous Galaxy S smartphones. Although we have seen a number of so-called leaks of the S IV that show what the hardware could potentially look like, it has long been speculated that Samsung could be planning on introducing a totally unexpected feature that could set the device apart from anything else released this year. Until the phone is actually announced and shown off, it is anyone's guess what that could be, but a recently discovered trademark filing in Samsung's name could point to the next flagship Android device coming with some kind of 3D camera functionality.
Early last week, Samsung began the ten day countdown to its UNPACKED Galaxy S IV event by running a little teaser trailer. A young lad by the name of Jeremy was handed the mission of minding the secretive, mystical box until the big day, and now, Samsung has given us an update on how both Jeremy, and his box of Galaxy wonder are doing. Naturally, neighbors have been asking him questions regarding the box he carries everywhere with him, but as far as revealing what's inside, he doesn't budge. The familiar spate of bad acting and cheesiness ensues throughout one and-a-half minute clip, so you have been warned. Check it out below.
With less than a week to go now before the Samsung Galaxy S IV is introduced at a special event in the city of New York, we've compiled a little round up of the almost certain, possible, and unlikely features of what will certainly be this year's biggest release on Google's Android platform.
So-called "social" smartphones have tried, and as yet failed spectacularly to create any legitimate niche within the market. With 1+ billion on Facebook and many millions more using the likes of Twitter, the social smartphone should, at least on paper, be an easy sell; but as HTC found out with the ChaCha and Salsa, not everybody likes to dance is so keen to buy into the idea of a device tailored to the social networks. Undeterred, the "quietly brilliant" Taiwanese company looks set for another stab with its 'Myst' handset, and if a specs leak via Unwired View's evleaks is to be believed, the mid-range handset sounds like a decent effort.
