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Samsung to Discuss Android and Windows Devices at June 20 Event

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 10:58 am

Samsung Premiere 2013

Samsung has issued an invite to members of the press for a media event called “Samsung Premiere 2013″ on June 20th, likely to launch new devices for its Android and Windows Phone lineups. The event will focus on Galaxy and Ativ devices, which is the South Korean handset maker’s branding for its Android-based and Windows-based smartphones respectively.

The event will take place at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, with doors opening at 6:00 PM local time ahead of a 7:00 PM start. A live stream of the event will be made available online via the YouTube channel for Samsung Mobile. What do you think Samsung will announce at the event?

[AllThingsD]

Android vs. iOS: It Shouldn’t Matter Who is Winning

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 8:59 am

Android iOS Logos Harry McCracken for TIME writes:

It would please me if it turned out that the mobile-platform wars continued on indefinitely, with both iOS and Android — and Windows Phone, and BlackBerry 10, and operating systems yet to be invented — remaining viable, evolving and exciting. When there are multiple attractive options, and nobody feels forced into using a product unwillingly, consumers win. That’s the state of affairs right now. And isn’t it the only victory that really matters?

Android might have larger market share, and iOS might rake in more profits. But, at the end of the day, consumers still have options. The last thing anyone wants is a monopoly in the mobile space.

[TIME via The Loop]

HTC One Sales Near 5 Million

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 10:02 am

htc-one-m7 Taiwanese handset maker HTC is in trouble, with declining revenues and internal struggles, but its flagship HTC One has been one bright spot for the ailing corporation.

HTC One shipments are now approaching 5 million since the smartphone was released in late April, an impressive number for a company that also has a dud called HTC First on its hands.

Despite its success, the HTC One isn’t the top-selling Android smartphone. That crown goes to the Galaxy S4, which is about to eclipse 10 million shipments according to Samsung.

Nevertheless, iFans strongly believes that the HTC One is the best Android smartphone released to date, outshining the Samsung Galaxy S4 in a number of areas: physical design, software features and low-light camera performance.

[CNET]

Samsung Galaxy S4 Ranked as World’s Best Smartphone By Consumer Reports

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 5:17 pm

Consumer Reports has ranked the new Samsung Galaxy S4 as its top-rated smartphone, dethroning the LG Optimus G handset. Its rankings are determined by several critical areas of testing, including the camera. In particular, the report praises the Galaxy S4′s screen:

The S4 has an excellent 5-inch, high-definition (1080p) touch-screen display, as well as oodles of gesture- and sensor-based tools for accessing and sharing content you create and capture on your phone. The display is sensitive enough to use with gloves on—handy during cold weather.

Multitasking is another strong point for the Galaxy S4:

A true multi-tasker, the S4 lets you run two apps simultaneously in a split-screen view. For instance, you can watch a video while checking e-mail, or you can use Google Maps and Messaging simultaneously. We did find that battery life and voice quality varied slightly between cell carriers, as with the LG Optimus G.

I’ll still side with the HTC One as the best Android smartphone, but the Galaxy S4 is still almost equally as impressive.

[Consumer Reports]

Can an Android Tablet Replace a Laptop?

Posted by Stephen Hall at 3:38 pm

n10-intro-thin

Whether or not an iPad can–or should–replace a good ol’ laptop has long been debated across the internet. But what about Android tablets? Is there anything about having Android that makes ditching your laptop any more compelling?

iFans forum member Yamada has created a thread asking exactly this and the answers have overwhelmingly been “no.” What do you think? Do Android tablets such as the Nexus 10 bring enough productivity capabilities to make it a possibility? Do you have an Android tablet that does everything you need? Sound off in the comments.

Google I/O Day 1: What Has Been Your Favorite Announcement?

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 4:35 pm

google i:o

The first day of Google’s massive I/O developer conference has finally drawn to a close, but with it came an absolute deluge of news and announcements. From new hardware, to dozens of news pieces of software, and even various surprises aimed at the developer crowd, the first day’s keynote had something for everyone.

But what has been your favorite part? Was it Google+’s brand new interface? Or maybe its the updates to Google maps? Or perhaps you’re more of a hardware person, and can’t wait to get your hands on the Galaxy S 4 with Google’s stock software. Personally, my favorite announcements are all of the small details: the updates to Chrome, as well as the new Hangouts messaging system, all show that Google is more focused than ever on making an excellent experience for its users.

Sound off in the comments!

Google Reinvents How Notifications are Handled

Posted by Stephen Hall at 1:30 pm

Google Cloud Messaging is a service announced last year that pushes data between your apps and its servers. The Google middleman that manages this transfer allows your app to use the smallest amount of data and battery possible all while providing reliability and speed. Google today announced a few new features apart of this service including one “synchronized notifications” which, as you might expect, synchronizes your notifications between devices. (more…)

New Google Hangouts Arrives: Will You Switch Away From iMessage?

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 12:38 pm

Google Hangouts

On Wednesday, at its Google I/O conference, Google announced its new unified, cross-platform messaging service called Hangouts. The service, which will be available for Android, iOS and Chrome, will be launched later today for all three of those platforms.

Hangouts adopts the same name as its popular Google+ feature, and combines Google Talk, Google+ Messenger and the original Google+ Hangouts video chat feature into one consolidated service. Eventually, those three aforementioned services will be retired. (more…)

Galaxy S4 Running Stock Android Jelly Bean Announced

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 10:56 am

Galaxy Android Stock

At the Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco, a new version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 running stock Android — no TouchWiz — with an unlocked bootloader was announced. The smartphone will begin shipping on June 26th on the Google Play Store for $649 (16 GB). While the Google I/O crowd was very receptive about the handset, prompting much applause, the audience went silent when the price tag was announced. It’s expensive.

Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will now gain the same treatment as the Nexus lineup of devices that Google offers. The Galaxy S4, to be available on AT&T and T-Mobile, will now receive more streamlined Android updates, without carrier delays or limitations. Other versions of the Galaxy S4, including the Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy S4 Active, are rumored to follow next.