Sony Reveals The Xperia Z4, Its Latest Flagship Smartphone

Sony has revealed the Xperia Z4, its latest flagship smartphone, today. The device was made public in an announcement in Japanese, and, at this point, there is neither an international launch date nor an accompanying ‘Compact’ version.

The Xperia Z4 is much like its Z3 predecessor, with the same 5.2-inch screen, a thinner 6.9mm form, and a Snapdragon 810 processor which clocks a more modest 2GHz but is eight-core and 64-bit. The rear-facing camera has the same eye-popping 20.7-megapixels, the front-facing camera has gotten a wide-angle lens, and elsewhere there’s 3GB of RAM under the hood and Android 5.0 Lollipop runs out of the box.

Sony is known for its water- and dust-resistant devices, and the Xperia Z4 also delivers on that front. (That’s of note for any Samsung customers frustrated that the new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are not water-resistant.)

Sony had been rumored to be considering an exit from the smartphone space, though its latest restructuring didn’t see that eventuality realized it remains a possibility in the future. The Xperia Z4 is another iterative product and, while the Xperia Z3 received positive reviews, it didn’t sell particularly well, which makes it hard to see how sticking to the same recipe will dig the company out of its rut on mobile.

But, if you’re an Xperia fan, stay tuned for details of the Z4’s international launch, which will come sooner rather than later now that the cat is out of the bag in Japan

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LG's Latest Watch Ditches Android Wear ... And The Smartphone

Just days after unveiling the stylish-looking Urbane smartwatch, LG has announced a second model. The Urbane LTE runs software based on WebOS, rather than Android Wear, and doesn't require a phone connection at all—it takes its own SIM and can make and receive calls.We've seen smartwatches that can operate as standalone devices before—notably the Samsung Gear S—but this is the first to offer high-speed 4G LTE connectivity. In terms of physical looks, it's very similar to the Android Wear Urbane, which itself takes its cues from the LG G Watch R.LG's decision to release a smartwatch without Android Wear isn't a complete surprise, with various leaks to that effect over the last 12 months. At CES in January, an unnamed company executive told the Wall Street Journal that "we're going to slowly try to build an ecosystem around areas we can have more control over."Whatever LG's intentions to wrestle control away from Google, it had little choice but to develop its own software for the Urbane LTE: Android Wear remains dependent on a connected smartphone. Samsung's Gear S, the most direct competitor to the LG Urbane LTE, runs on the South Korean company's own Tizen OS.LG describes its new smartwatch software as the "LG Wearable Platform operating system, developed specifically for the company's proprietary wearable products." It doesn't mention WebOS by name—and LG has played down the WebOS angle to the Verge—but it would be a surprise if the firm was working on two completely separate OSes.The Urbane LTE also features NFC, for mobile payments and identification services, and health-tracking sensors including a heart rate monitor. Both Urbane smartwatches are appearing at Mobile World Congress next week where we should learn more about the software on board.It remains to be seen just how many users jump for a smartwatch that doesn't need a smartphone. While there are certain scenarios where it comes in useful—like a morning jog—only having a 1.3-inch screen would severely restrict productivity on the go.Independent research organization The Smartwatch Group estimates thatSamsung sold 1.56 million smartwatches in 2014, but didn't say how many Gear Ses are in that figure. Independent startups are trying the same trick too; the Neptune Duo (not yet released) will also be able to make and take calls from the wrist.While it's feasible that smartwatches could become more dominant for phone calls and notifications on the go (particularly in combination with Bluetooth headphones), for almost anything else—browsing the Web, typing out emails, looking through photos—the small screen size is a crippling disadvantage.

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iOS and Android dominate latest smartphone share stats

Latest figures from market research firm IDC reveal that Google Android and Apple’s iOS continued to dominate the smartphone scene in 2014. Microsoft and BlackBerry, however, both showed marked declines.Android enjoyed an 81.5% share of the market over the whole year, up from 78.7% in 2013. Apple slipped slightly to 14.8% from 15.1%.Windows, however, saw a 0.6% drop from 3.3% to 2.7%, while BlackBerry managed to take a mere 0.4% of the market, down from 1.9%.The figures for the last quarter of 2014 show a similar picture, with Apple enjoying a slight surge due to its record–breaking iPhone sales for the three months from October to December.Android saw a small drop from 78.2% to 76.6%, while Windows and BlackBerry both experienced declines of 0.2%.The stats bear out the harsh truth that beyond Android and iOS, rival operating systems are struggling to compete.Windows, despite a glitzy new launch, remains niche and unloved by developers, while BlackBerry’s relevance has shown a huge fall since its heyday almost ten years ago.

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Android 5.0 Lollipop Update Features News : Voice CommandsToggle Settings with Latest OS

 The progression of the Android Lollipop 5.0 update has been a slow one. While many Android users are waiting for the initial update to come to their devices, others are already figuring out all of the new setting this update allows.The Android Lollipop 5.0 now lets users activate toggle settings with Google Now's voice activation. However, in order for the voice activation to work, the latest version of the Google search app must be running.For example: say, "Ok Google, turn on/off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Flashlight" to get to the settings. A card and small toggle will be shown on the screen, indicating the change. The card and toggle are also there for users who need to make adjustments or correct the action if the activation was not intended. If the devices' sound is on, confirmation of the action performed will happen.Last year, the voice activation would take users to the settings and users would have to make the changes manually. Many thought this was fruitless as voice activation should allow users to adjust settings hands-free. Other settings, such as GPS and Airplane mode, that could be used with the voice activation are still unavailable. For now, only their setup menus appear if users ask Google to toggle them.Android Lollipop 5.0 is only available to 1.6 percent of its users. They said, "Since Google Now is an integral part of the Android Lollipop experience, it is no surprise that Google is tweaking its personal digital assistant to help users get more out of the latest and greatest iteration of Android."

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Microsoft’s latest app is a new Android keyboard

Microsoft has been churning out new apps at an impressive speed, putting the best it has to offer on competing platforms like Android and iOS along with its own Windows devices. Now there’s one more new app from the company to check out, an Android keyboard meant for getting work done.The new keyboard is designed specifically to work with Microsoft’s Excel app, and comes from the company’s experimental Garage incubator project. It’s a pretty simple keyboard, but adds a 10-key number layout on the left side like you’ve probably seen on some classic physical keyboard. That means you can blaze through Excel and other projects without needing to switch back and forth between letters and numbers.Unfortunately, there are a few limits to what the new keyboard can do. It only works on tablets, which makes sense since it’s a little too wide for smaller smartphone screens. It’s also limited to English characters for now, and doesn’t even include correct or gesture-based typing.Still, the new keyboard should be a welcome addition for any work-obsessed Android fans. Hopefully it won’t be too long before Microsoft improves the app, and maybe even releases an iPad version as well.

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Pebble SDK 3.0 developer preview released with support for Pebble Time features

The new SDK allows developers to craft and update their Pebble apps with the new features of the Pebble Time, such as the color screen and built-in microphone, in mind. Pebble gave a rundown some of the more notable features in version 3.0:

• Support for 64 colors which all have a name!
• A brand new animation framework
• PNG and Animated PNG support in the SDK
• Detecting which platforms you are building for at compile time
• Much more to come!

Pebble notes that apps that were built for the current version of the wearable are compatible with the 3.0 SDK with only minor changes required. Additionally, developers will also enjoy increased available memory (up to 64kb) and an unchanged screen resolution.

The release of the SDK comes in the wake of news from earlier today that the Kickstarter campaign for the Pebble Time has already surpassed the record-breaking funding of the original Pebble watch with 29 days left to go.

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Google to show sponsored apps on Play Store search results

The search giant has looked at how sponsored advertisements have performed on organic search results and now Google will be introducing a similar system for developers to take advantage of. In the coming weeks, a limited selection of consumers will see adverts from a pilot group of advertisers running the new system for their apps.There's a reason a developer might want to promote their app on Google Play: there's good money to be made. Says Google:

In fact, in the past year, we paid more than $7 billion to developers distributing apps and games on Google Play. We remain as committed as ever to making Google Play the best place to find great apps, games and other entertainment.

It'll be interesting to see how developers (and the larger companies like King and co.) utilize search ads within the store, and whether or not they will be of any use for consumers. More than 100 billion searches are made every month in Google Play, so there's a huge opportunity for exposure here — developers will just have to pay for it.

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YouTube reportedly considering new ad-targeting system after failing to post profit in 2014

According to a new report today, Google is looking at implementing a new ad targeting-system for YouTube. The new system would seek to make YouTube more profitable after years of struggling to generate significant revenues.Citing unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal says that YouTube managed to pull in $4 billion in revenue last year. While this is up from $3 billion the year before, the service only managed to break even after accounting for content and equipment costs.In light of the lack of profits, the Wall Street Journal says that Google is actively looking at introducing a new ad-targeting system that takes advantage of a user's search history from its own sites:

For example, someone researching vacation plans via Google search might see commercials for Caribbean getaways on YouTube. Today, YouTube advertisers are left to guess who is planning a vacation based on other travel websites that DoubleClick has spotted them visiting.

According to the report, the new ad-targeting system could debut sometime later this year.

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Google Play Music expands storage limit to 50,000 songs

You don't really need to do anything to claim the extra storage space. When you open up the Settings section of the Play Music site, Uploaded Songs should now reflect that you can store a maximum of 50,000 songs.So how does Google Play Music stack up with the competition for storing your music library in the cloud? Well, Apple's iTunes Match service will store 25,000 songs, half of what Google now offers, and iTunes Match will run you $24.99 a year. Amazon, meanwhile, will let you upload just 250 songs for free, though a $24.99 annual subscription puts that limit at 250,000.As a reminder, music purchased on the Google Play Store does not count against your storage limit.

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Authy snapped up by Twilio for two-factor authentication

Authy, a company that specializes in security through two-factor authentication, has been purchased by cloud communication services company Twilio. The two companies have been working together since 2012, with Authy using Twilio's technology to deliver authentication codes through SMS and phone calls. For the time being, Authy will continue to function as it always has, though certain parts of the company will expand with the acquisition, according to fonder Daniel Palacio:

First, our R&D team we'll be significantly expanding in the coming months. Second, we'll start providing 24/7 support across all time-zones worldwide. And lastly, we will begin offering the best prices to all of our customers - in the coming months all Authy customers will benefit from Twilio's volume pricing.

Palacio says that Authy will continue its efforts to expand access to and use of strong authentication. The Authy brand is expected to stick around through this acquisition.

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Google officially launches Android for Work to make enterprise push

Google has announced today the official launch of an initiative called Android for Work. Through the program, Google has teamed up with several partners to integrate enterprise-level security into the Android platform.

Google originally announced and previewed Android for Work back in 2014 at Google I/O. The main idea behind the program is to allow workers to use their personal phones for work tasks, but keep work and personal content and data separate. Google gave the following breakdown of what users can expect from the initiative:

• Work profiles – We've built on the default encryption, enhanced SELinux security enforcement and multi-user support in Android 5.0, Lollipop to create a dedicated work profile that isolates and protects work data. IT can deploy approved work apps right alongside their users' personal apps knowing their sensitive data remains secured. People can use their personal apps knowing their employer only manages work data and won't erase or view their personal content.
• Android for Work app – For devices running Ice Cream Sandwich through Kitkat, or that don't run work profiles natively, we've created the Android for Work app. The app, which delivers secure mail, calendar, contacts, documents, browsing and access to approved work apps, can be completely managed by IT.
• Google Play for Work – Google Play for Work allows businesses to securely deploy and manage apps across all users running Android for Work, simplifying the process of distributing apps to employees and ensuring that IT approves every deployed app.
• Built-in productivity tools – For everyday business tasks, we've created a suite of business apps for email, contacts and calendar, which supports both Exchange and Notes and provides document editing capabilities for documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

To make all of this work, Google has teamed up with a large number of industry partners such as Citrix, Adobe, Samsung, BlackBerry, Cisco, and many, many more. Google says these partnerships have allowed it to create a set of APIs to bring easier management of Android devices to IT departments, as well as create secure business apps and more secure devices.

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LG G Pad F 7.0 coming to Sprint on March 17; free on contract

The main features of the LG G Pad F 7 include a 7-inch display, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. On the camera front, the device packs a 5MP rear camera, along with a 1.2MP front-facing shooter. Finally, all of this runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop and comes in your choice of white or black versions — though the black option won't hit stores until April 10.

Along with the announcement of the G Pad 7 tablet, Sprint also says that it is running a limited promotion whereby customers can lease an LG G3 bundled with the tablet with unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of data for $90 per month. Alternatively, customers also have the option of leasing a LG G Flex2 with the tablet and the same plan for $95 per month.

If you're intrigued, but aren't quite sure about the tablet, be sure to check out our hands on with the G Pad lineup.

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Google's Sundar Pichai talks Google Wallet, China, and Google+ in new interview

One of the more interesting tidbits to come out of the interview were Pichai's comments on Google Wallet, particularly amid recent rumors that the Google may be gearing up to launch a new payments API called Android Pay at this year's I/O developer conference:

For people who use Google Wallet, the experience works. [The question is] how do you get Google Wallet present and how do you get all the point of sale terminals and the end-of-end ecosystem, the banks, the issuers. For me there's been a lot of progress in the last few months. I'm very excited with our road map there. Stay tuned. We definitely expect to make important advances in this area.

When asked about how Google is looking to leverage Android in China, a country which has historically been hard for the company to penetrate with its services, Pichai was vague, but said that the country presents a huge opportunity going forward:

We have seen a lot of interest from Chinese developers on Google Play, because the extent to which Android is used. We see those as opportunities ahead. If we can figure out a model by which we can serve those users, it would be a privilege to do so. So I don't think of China as a black hole. I see it as a huge opportunity in which we are playing as an enabling platform today and hopefully we have a chance to offer other services in the future.

Finally, while Google has already begun to separate Google+'s features into separate services with Hangouts and Photos, Pichai hinted that we may see an increased push to break them out further in the future:

I think increasingly you'll see us focus on communications [Hangouts], photos and the Google+ stream as three important areas, rather than being thought of as one area.

The full interview is a pretty good read, as Pichai touches on a number of other subjects including Google's relationship with Apple, as well as its vision of Android as a platform for innovation.

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Samsung's latest 128GB UFS 2.0 storage is all set to power next-generation flagships

The highlight of the new modules is that they offer SSD-levels of read and write performance while consuming 50 percent less energy.With read and write speeds of 19,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second), Samsung claims that its UFS 2.0 flash storage is 2.7 times faster than what is currently available in embedded memory solutions that utilize the eMMC 5.0 standard.

As to when we'll see the latest flash modules, it is possible they'll be in launching with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge next week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Seeing as how Samsung is a major manufacturer for embedded flash memory storage, it is likely we'll see these modules in other handset vendors' smartphones later this year.

Source: Samsung

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Visa announces partnerships for new mobile payment services on Android devices

These services will be enabled on through apps from banks and other financial institutions on the Google Play Store. The apps will enable you to pay with your Visa account from your phone:

Following a one-time enrollment process, customers of participating financial institutions who download and install the application will be able to pay in-store with their Visa accounts by waving their Android mobile phone in front of a contactless reader. These capabilities are an integral part of Visa Digital Solutions, a comprehensive suite of offerings that facilitate secure payments across a broad range of Internet-connected devices and wearables.

Apps from BBVA Cuscal have already launched their apps. Applications from Banco do Brazil, PNC Bank, N.A., and U.S. Bank are all expected in the near future.Visa's new payment service partnerships are an outgrowth of Visa Digital Solutions, an initiative launched by the company last year. It includes Visa's own SDK, their Token Service, and their support of Host Card Emulation, which allows payment information to be validated and stored off-site, making NFC payments more widely available.

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Distrust between US and Korean offices reportedly to blame for Samsung's mobile stumbles

Citing unnamed sources, Business Insider says that the relationship between the branches became especially strained in 2012 when Samsung's Korean office reportedly sent a team to audit the U.S. branch's Dallas office:

The Dallas-based employees had to go through all materials they used to sell and market Samsung's mobile products. They were accused of falsifying sales, bribing the media, and a bunch of other damaging actions that hurt morale in the office. The same US-based office that helped turn Samsung into a brand as recognizable as Apple was suddenly being punished for its work.After three weeks, the Korean auditors found nothing wrong with the way the US office had been operating and went home. But the damage had been done, and the perception remained at the Korean headquarters that despite its success, the US team was up to no good.

Overall, the piece is a pretty crazy read, and it will be interesting to see if the company is able to use its upcoming Galaxy S6 launch as a platform to turn around its recent slumping smartphone sales. 

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Qualcomm introduces first LTE chips to take advantage of unlicensed 5GHz spectrum

The new technology, called LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U), works by taking advantage of unlicensed spectrum on the 5GHz band instead of licensed and controlled spectrum — typically in lower frequencies — traditionally used by phones. One of the main concerns some may have with this technology is how it will affect current Wi-Fi networks that run on the 5GHz band. Qualcomm says:

 In order for LTE-U to provide maximum benefit, it must operate harmoniously alongside billions of existing Wi-Fi devices. Qualcomm Technologies is working to integrate LTE and Wi-Fi at the system level, and employs a robust set of protection features to promote the best possible co-existence between LTE-U and Wi-Fi networks. These innovations are designed to ensure users can connect to the Internet however they prefer, while operators can make unified use of all available spectrum to increase capacity. This is designed to result in easier and cost-effective network deployment and operations for carriers and a seamless experience for their consumers.

The company also says that its LTE-U solutions, which include a new RF transciever and small cell SoC will allow users to take advantage of better performance than either LTE or Wi-Fi by themselves.The company plans to show the technology off at Mobile World Congress next week, where it will hold demonstrations using its user test equipment. As far as availability, the company says that it expects LTE-U integrated SoCs to be available in the second half of 2015 — the question then will be how long before phone makers and carriers want to integrate it into their own plans.

Source: Qualcomm

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NVIDIA rolls out an update to the Shield Tablet to fix color reproduction issues

NVIDIA rolled out the 2.2 update last week, bringing more games available to stream to the Shield Tablet, several performance improvements as well as increasing battery life during standby. The update however caused the screen to desaturate colors, with users noting that reds were being muted. NVIDIA has now issued the 2.2.1 hotfix update, which is delivered to rectify the screen calibration issue.

Here's the official changelog from NVIDIA:

• Display color-space correction
• Improvements to Netflix experience

The update should now be available on your tablet. We've checked on our Shield Tablet, and colors seemed noticeably brighter. Head into your device's settings to check if one is available, and let us know if it fixes the issues with the screen.

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After FCC Announces New Net Neutrality Rules, Verizon Gets Pissy With A Morse Code Rebuttal

You might have heard the news already, but the Federal Communications Commission has voted three to two to classify Internet service as a Title II utility in the United States, marking the biggest win for Net Neutrality advocates in... well, ever. A lot of the "people" (remember, in America corporations are people too) who don't like that have issued statements about how much they really want to throttle Internet speed, block legal services, and charge double for content disagree with the FCC, but none have done so in quite the way that Verizon has. For lack of a better term, Verizon has officially gone Full Bitch with its response on its official public policy blog.Verizon issued its rebuttal statement in Morse code, calling the FCC ruling (which has the support of the president and millions of Americans) a "throwback Thursday" move, because it's using the Title II telecommunications definition from the 1930s. If it's been a while since your ham radio certification, here's the full text of the statement. Verizon assumes that anyone who disagrees with them isn't living in the 21st century.

Today’s decision by the FCC to encumber broadband Internet services with badly antiquated regulations is a radical step that presages a time of uncertainty for consumers, innovators and investors. Over the past two decades a bipartisan, light- touch policy approach unleashed unprecedented investment and enabled the broadband Internet age consumers now enjoy. The FCC today chose to change the way the commercial Internet has operated since its creation. Changing a platform that has been so successful should be done, if at all, only after careful policy analysis, full transparency, and by the legislature, which is constitutionally charged with determining policy. As a result, it is likely that history will judge today’s actions as misguided. The FCC’s move is especially regrettable because it is wholly unnecessary. The FCC had targeted tools available to preserve an open Internet, but instead chose to use this order as an excuse to adopt 300- plus pages of broad and open- ended regulatory arcana that will have unintended negative consequences for consumers and various parts of the Internet ecosystem for years to come. What has been and will remain constant before, during and after the existence of any regulations is Verizon’s commitment to an open Internet that provides consumers with competitive broadband choices and Internet access when, where, and how they want.

Whether or not you agree with Verizon's judgment that it has the right to charge content creators andend users access fees and prioritize conflicting traffic (see, we can spew a bunch of BS out of context too!), the contention that the ruling is foolhardy simply because it uses old laws is a red herring at best. Someone who was interested only in making headlines or over-simplifying an important argument might conclude that Verizon thinks "old" rules like the Bill of Rights or the Constitution they invoked right in their response aren't important. Hey, all those laws outlawing things like murder, assault, theft, and (ahem) monopolistic business practices are pretty old too - surely they have no bearing on the 21st century!

-... .-. . .- -.- .. -. --. ---... / ...- . .-. .. --.. --- -. / . -..- . -.-. ..- - .. ...- . ... / . -. -.. --- .-. ... . / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. --..-- / ... .- -.-- ... / - .... .- - / .- -. - .. -....- .... --- -- .. -.-. .. -.. . / .-.. . --. .. ... .-.. .- - .. --- -. / -... . .-.. --- -. --. ... / .. -. / - .... . / .--. .- ... -

Verizon Wireless is a wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon Communications, so you can take the pissy response to the FCC's ruling as the company line. Other corporations who stand to be limited by Net Neutrality like AT&T and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (whose past presidents include one Tom Wheeler, the current FCC chairman), have also expressed dissatisfaction at the ruling, albeit in much less bitchy ways. Corporate lawsuits against the FCC and various attempts to block the rules by opponents in Congress are inevitable over the next few months.

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Don't Trust Case Manufacturers For Device Leaks: HTC One M9 Edition

We are rapidly approaching that fun time of year when the largest Android smartphone manufacturers unveil their newest flagships. That means we're already in the silly season of rumors and leaks. Isn't it interesting to follow all the developments on, say, the HTC One M9? The M7 was great, the M8 was better...it's understandably hard to wait for official information about the 2015 iteration. However, whatever you do, do not look at product images from case manufacturers like Spigen to learn what the next phone will look like.

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