MLB.com At Bat gets Material Design makeover for 2015 season

With what seems like half the United States buried in a thick blanket of snow, it’s easy to forget that in the lands of grapefruits and oranges the 2015 MLB season is well underway. Spring Training began in earnest this week, and as players prepare for the grind of another year in the big leagues fans are being given the opportunity to spruce up their app game with a new update to MLB.com At Bat.

The big takeaway is a shift toward Google’s Material Design standards, bringing a truly native look to the app which provides fans with a way to stream live video and audio of MLB games direct from their smartphones and tablets (you’ll need to pony up for a subscription to enjoy the full benefits). The new UI stretches across team color-specific designs for all 30 designs plus an overhauled scoreboard view. Also included is support for Spanish language for the béisbol fans out there. You will still need to manually adjust your device’s language settings, however.

The new app is available now to download for free. While certain features can be enjoyed without a subscription, to get the full experience you will need to pay a .99 yearly fee or .99 monthly fee.

Download MLB.com At Bat from Google Play

 

Huawei starts MWC 2015 early, posts Huawei Watch promo and design videos to YouTube

Even though Mobile World Congress 2015 doesn’t officially start until March 2nd, Huawei has let the cat out of the bag on their upcoming announcement by posting two new videos on their YouTube channel. Huawei plans on joining the smartwatch race with what looks like a beautifully crafted Android Wear smartwatch or maybe they’re promoting a European Ski vacation. I’m not entirely sure.

From the promo videos, we can tell that this Android Wear smartwatch looks similar to the Moto 360 with it’s metal housing, thin bezels, and heart rate monitor; though the bands attach slightly different with Huawei Watch, Huawei’s offering doesn’t have a “flat tire” at the bottom, and the crown has been moved to the 2 o’clock position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtDzSMPuoMc

As for the design of the watch, Huawei apparently surveyed both men and women watch enthusiasts and determined that a 42mm body size is the most common. The watch will come in both steel and gold colors, have a variety of stainless steel and leather straps available for both men and women, and come equipped with sapphire glass. Huawei has also packaged their own fine crafted custom watch faces on their watch to enhance the watch’s elegant look and feel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=016WQrGexnE

That’s all we know for now, but we have Rob Jackson and Chris Chavez on the floor at MWC 2015 this week and we’ll try to get more information as well as a hands-on as soon as possible.

What do you think of the Huawei Watch? Let us know in the comments.

 

Watch us get Androidified at MWC 2015

Androidifying yourself is nothing new. The app has existed for quite some time and Google continues to utilize the resulting Android caricatures in advertising and media. This year at MWC 2015 they are inviting all attendees to Androidify themselves, offering custom badges and tote bags to commemorate the experience. Naturally, it’s one of the first things we had to do upon setting foot inside the show gates.

It’s hard to miss the giant Android head that adorns Google’s outdoor booth. We went right inside and got to work on making our Android counterparts by way of several large touchscreens adorning the walls. You can see the end result in the above video.

Yahoo will host an Android vs iOS Fanboy Smartphone Challenge at SXSW 2015 and I’ll be representing Team Phandroid

Newsflash everyone – I’m a fanboy. An Android fanboy.

On Monday, March 16th at SXSW in Austin, Texas, Yahoo is holding a Fanboy Smartphone Challenge. They’ll be putting an Android enthusiast and an iOS lover head to head in the ultimate fanboy showdown. Thanks to a little bit of luck and years of praising our Lord and Savior, Matias Duarte, I have been chosen to represent the Android faithful in glorious battle.

What does it mean to be an Android fanboy? Well, simply put, I live, breathe, eat, and sleep all things Android. A normal day for me consists of playing with an abundance of Android powered devices; from phones, to tablets, to TV consoles, to smartwatches, and even face computers. Besides owning an absurd amount of gadgets, I’m often found geeking out, talking about Android to friends and colleagues, writing about Android here on our beloved Phandroid or social media, and generally consuming as much Android related news as humanly possible. I also may or may not own way too many mini Android figurines, collectible pins, stuffed plushies, and enough swag to start my own second-hand Android store. It’s not an obsession. It’s just a hobby that I’m very passionate about.

For Yahoo’s Fanboy Smartphone Challenge, I’ll be put through a series of tasks against my opponent, which will be done game show style. I’m hoping that I can use my Nexus 6, since my opponent will be using an iPhone 6, though Yahoo wasn’t too confident in hooking my Nexus 6 up to their A/V system. I did inform them that the Nexus 6 works beautifully with a Chromecast, however they sent me a Nexus 5 so that I could use it with a Slimport to HDMI adapter just in case. To be a little honest here, that kind of upsets me a little bit, seeing as I may not be able to use my daily driver, not to mention a phone that’s a year newer, and capable of activating voice commands while the screen is off – something my opponent’s trusty iPhone 6 cannot do. Oh well. I’ll turn it into a positive. My opponent is going to need all of the help that he can get. I don’t mind starting with a handicap.

It’s worth mentioning here that this game show will be done in pure jest. This is all in good fun. I’m not one of those fanboys that hates the other platform. In fact, I surely can recognize a positive when I see one and I’ve been known to praise Apple where applicable. Their products may not be for me, and I may not agree with everything that they do, but Apple does get a lot of things right. It doesn’t matter if you’re first to bring a product to market if it’s a horrible product or an implementation that isn’t very user friendly. This is why the general media sees Apple as the Jesus of computing. When Apple enters a market or launches a service you can bet that there will be little to no snafus along the way (well, except for people getting lost and bending phones). And speaking about markets, almost no one can drive a market like Apple can. I’m excited to see what they’ll do with mobile payments and wearables this coming year. Their success only means additional success and greater adoption for Android Pay and Android Wear.

Anyways, this event sounds like a blast and I’m excited. If Yahoo wants me to be a fanboy, I’ll gladly ham it up and be a their fanboy. I’ll be on stage wearing my Androidify’d t-shirt, Android beanie, wearing my Moto 360, and by the sounds of it rocking both the Nexus 6 and Nexus 5. Praise Duarte.

If you’re in Austin at SXSW this Monday, be sure to stop by Yahoo’s Brazos Hall at 12pm to see it all go down. Sadly, there won’t be a live stream for all of you to watch at home, but Yahoo has told me that they’re planning on posting the recorded video promptly at YahooTech.com. Wish me luck!

Moto 360 (2015) alleged render shows full 360-degree display, new watch strap [LEAK]

It was 3 weeks ago we got a sneak peek at what could have been a Moto 360 successor courtesy of a Lenovo exec showing off prototypes on the Chinese blogging site, Weibo. More recently, details of the device of what could be the Moto 360 (2nd Gen) — codename Smelt — were uncovered by us, with the device boasting a 360×360 display.

Today, new alleged image of the watch is making the rounds and once again, comes to us from the Weibo. Now, it’s unclear where this person obtained the image, or even if its legit, but it does show a render of a watch that looks extremely similar to what the Lenovo exec was showing off the other day.

The image shows a very similar disc/hockey puck-like design, with new watch straps that feature metal attachable arms. It’s interesting because the previously leaked photos of the prototype device also had arms, but they were attached the smartwatch’s metal frame. These are more like inserts.

Also worth pointing out is the physical button is smack dab in the center, like last year’s model and not off towards the top as in the previous leak. You’ll also notice the the “flat tire” bezel, which housed the watch’s display drivers, is also not present in this render, which we admit looks great.

As is the case with most “leaks,” take this with a huge grain of salt. It’s been a little over a year since the original Moto 360 was officially announced, so we bet we’ll be seeing more of this Moto 360 followup in the weeks leading up to Google I/O 2015.

[Weibo]

Big Android BBQ 2015 is happening October 23rd, and it’s sponsored by Google Developers

It’s back, folks. Ideaa — the same folks who brought you the awesome Big Android Meat and Greet in Washington DC earlier this year — today announced that the Big Android BBQ’s dates are set. It’s all going down in Hurst, TX and will take place October 22nd through October 23rd.

The BBQ has grown to be a rich platform for developers and enthusiasts to come together for a good time, learn about Android development, and — well — eat. It’ll feature panels hosted by developers from all over the place, including Google’s very own crop of engineers in Mountain View (in fact, this year’s BBQ is “delivered” by them). You’ll also have workshops, parties, and the grandaddy banner event: some delicious Texas-style barbecue.

Early bird tickets are currently going for , and this will come with a nice “gift” that’s yet to be detailed. Early bird pricing ends May 22nd so you’ll want to get your order in as soon as you can.

You should also note that the early bird ticket will only entitle you to all the standard ticket features (which typically includes access to all panels, Code Kitchens and the BBQ itself). Upgraded tickets — which have yet to be detailed, but typically include perks such as private dinners and cool transportation — will be available at some point soon, and you will be able to upgrade your ticket if you so desire when that time comes.

Other details — such as travel discount packages — have yet to be revealed, though we’re sure Ideaa will be releasing that information in due time. If you’re absolutely sure you can make it to Texas for the shindig later this year you can head to the BBQ’s EventBrite page right here to place your order.

Start checking your inbox: Google IO 2015 invites are starting to arrive

If you signed up for Google’s big IO raffle, you might want to start checking your inbox: invites are now starting to roll out. It appears those who haven’t been accepted won’t receive an email saying so, and there’s a chance Google is sending invites out in waves (after unclaimed tickets become available) so don’t lose hope on getting one.

Those who have received invites to purchase a ticket have a limited time to do so (the first batch of invites are all saying by Thursday, March 26th) so it shan’t be long before Google knows how many more tickets they can issue. You’ll need 0 handy to pay for the ticket, though if you’re a student you can be admitted for just 0. Let us know if you’ve received one!

Google makes $17.3 billion in revenue in Q1 2015, Nexus sales suffered a “decline”

Google’s Q1 2015 numbers are in, and as usual the company raked in a lot of dough. They were able to amass .3 billion in revenue — which is a 12% increase year-on-year — and .85 billion of that was marked as profit.

Advertising was a big part of that, as usual, with that sector of Google’s business responsible for more than billion of revenue on its own. Google did mark a 23% increase of .8 billion in revenue for their “other” businesses (such as the money they get from Google Play digital and physical sales), though performance 2% dropped quarter-over-quarter.

Google attributed the slight dip to a decline in sales of Nexus devices. While they didn’t get specific, they are likely referring to the fact that the Nexus 6 was available at a high-end price point of 0 which could have deterred more sales than yesteryear’s 0 Nexus 5. It’s still odd considering the Nexus 6 was widely available on major American carriers for financed smartphone payment plans or subsidized contracts.

But the beat goes on as it always has for Google. They’re really not interested in selling more hardware than the next guy. They’re interested in creating great platforms and services that everyone will use so that their major money maker — search and advertising — finds its way into more and more hands. You can check out the full numbers at the jump.

[via Google]

Samsung retakes largest smartphone vendor crown from Apple in Q1 2015

The Samsung Galaxy S6 wasn’t even out until Q2 2015, but Samsung’s first quarter results were good enough to dethrone Apple and reclaim the title of biggest smartphone vendor. On the back of news that Samsung was able to rake in about .6 billion in profit for Q1 2015, Strategy Analytics revealed that Samsung commanded 24.1% of global smartphone shipments that quarter, while Apple came in a fair bit down at 17.7%.

To break that down in terms of units, there were 345 million units shipped in total, 83.2 million of which Samsung is responsible for. Apple shipped 61.2 million, while Lenovo-Motorola and Huawei shipped 18.8 million and 17.3 million, respectively. The rest were lumped into the infamous “others” category for a total of 164.5 million.

We’re not sure how Samsung was able to rebound so quickly, though one could point to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Sure, they weren’t out, but by this time Samsung’s 2014 handsets were likely put on sale all over the world in anticipation of the new goods.

Samsung’s Q2 should be even better with the company already having shipped a record number of Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge units. It couldn’t have come at a better time with Samsung having suffered a beating on their earnings reports for a few months now, but we’ll have to wait until the full numbers are in to see exactly what sort of impact the launch will have on the company’s outlook for the rest of the year.

[via Samsung]

Samsung expects to take a 30% dip in profit for Q1 2015, but the Galaxy S6 should make up for that

Samsung has posted an early outlook for their Q1 2015 results, and the numbers don’t look great. Compared to the same quarter a year ago, the company suffered a 30% drop in profit, from 8.5 trillion Korean won (.79 billion) down to 5.9 trillion (.44 billion). That hit was also reflected in overall revenue with 47 trillion Korean won ( billion) compared to 53.68 trillion (.18 billion) a year ago.

Samsung has been on this downward slope for more than a year now largely thanks to their mobile division, though they haven’t experienced much of a drop off quarter-over-quarter. The company posted 52.73 trillion Korean won in total revenue last quarter, but just 5.29 trillion in profit. Increased profit on decreased revenue doesn’t seem to be a bad deal to us.

Still, Samsung needs to bounce back in a big way, and the company is hopeful that the forthcoming launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 in just three days will change that. They’ve already recorded their highest pre-sales ever for a Galaxy S6 smartphone, and it’s poised to become one of the best selling Android smartphones of all time.

All of that is sure to help them recover quite nicely in 2015, and a renewed focus on premium products will certainly make people want to help them achieve that goal. We’ll have to wait for the full numbers at the end of the month to see what, exactly, caused the drop-off, and we’ll have to wait until next quarter’s results to see what impact, if any, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will ultimately have.

[via Samsung]

LG sold a respectable 15.4 million smartphones in Q1 2015

LG is really hitting their stride when it comes to knowing how to deliver desirable smartphones, and their latest quarterly results prove it. The company reported revenue and profit of .72 billion and .91 million, respectively. The profit is up “significantly” compared to the last quarter, all the while revenue was virtually the same as it was in the same period a year ago.

LG has many businesses that contributed to the result, though they noted their smartphone business has been doing quite well. The company shipped a total of 15.4 million smartphones last quarter, a 26% increase from the same period a year ago. It also accounted for .27 billion of the overall revenue, which is a 5% year-on-year increase.

The result was helped by particularly strong performances in North America and their hometown of South Korea. The former region’s smartphone sales jumped a whopping 66% year-on-year, while quarter-over-quarter performance in South Korea jumped 57%.

Much of the company’s success in the mobile sector last quarter can be credited to the launch of the intriguing LG G Flex 2, our review of which you can find right here. Expect the forthcoming LG G4 (see our hands-on) to take the baton and do even more. It might not be enough to topple the current smartphone king known as Samsung, after a string of bad years earler in the decade we can’t imagine LG is disappointed about recent results.

HTC turns a modest profit of $11 million in Q1 2015

HTC’s numbers will never look as gaudy as Samsung and LG’s considering they don’t have their hands dipped in nearly the same amount of industries, but the company did do quite well for themselves in Q1 2015.

Revenue for Q1 2015 came in at about .36 billion (25% increase year-on-year), million of which has been marked as profit. That’s not amazing for a company that does business on a global scale, though considering HTC was losing tens of millions of dollars in previous years we’d say they’ve rebounded quite well.

Like Samsung, these results reflect a time just before the company’s latest flagship smartphone was released. The HTC One M9 hadn’t seen a global launch until early April, so their Q2 numbers stand to look far better. We’ve also got the HTC One M9+ and HTC One E9 on tap for several markets, as well as a number of mid-range options on the horizon.

Needless to say HTC has positioned themselves quite well to have a strong first half, though we’ll have to wait another couple of months to see if HTC One M9 can help fully restore them to the former glory they once enjoyed.

[via HTC]

Reminder: Google I/O 2015 registration opens today at 9am Pacific, and here’s what you need to know

Here’s a quick reminder for any developers hoping to get in on the fun in San Francisco for Google’s annual developers’ conference: registration opens today at 9am Pacific. It will be hectic as Google I/O has consistently sold out within hours (and, in recent times, minutes) of ticket sales going live, but things will happen a bit differently this year:

• Registration will run three days — between March 17th and March 19th.


• Registering for a ticket does not guarantee you a ticket. Applicants are selected at random once the aforementioned registration window closes to give people a fair shot of going to the event.

This is a much saner route than years prior where Google would open the floodgates and only those lucky enough not to be smacked in the face with frustrating server issues are allowed to purchase a ticket.

The best thing you can do to prepare right now is to make sure your Google / Google+ profile information is all accurate and up-to-date. Google has used Google+ information as default registration details in the past so let this serve as a good reason to finally update that old profile you abandoned a while back. Google might also be making use of Google Wallet for payment, so be sure your payment sources are all up to date and ready to go.

Other than that, grab some coffee and start smashing that F5 button promptly at (or even a bit before) 9am Pacific. This new registration system doesn’t mean people won’t be eager to sign up. Servers might crash. Hair might fall out. People might die. OK, that’s a bit melodramatic, but prepare for anything because only so many people can be packed inside the 6,000-person venue known as the Moscone West, and there will be a lot more than 6,000 people trying to stamp their tickets to the event when it kicks off May 28th.

[via Google I/O]

ASUS ZenWatch 2 launch is still on for Q3 2015, says company

It wasn’t long ago we’d heard ASUS was putting the ZenWatch 2 launch off until 2016, but the company says the original comments that spawned the story seem to have been misunderstood. ASUS has confirmed that their originally-planned Q3 launch window was still in effect, according to Focus Taiwan.

We still don’t know what to expect from the smartwatch, though past comments by ASUS suggest they were targeting an insane battery life of up to 7 days (though current tests are coming in at just under 4 hours, which is still quite good for a smartwatch’s standard). We were also told to expect two different sizes to fit different tastes.

We imagine whatever they come up with will have to be as premium as they come, as the trend for wearables seems to be emphasizing fashionable taste as much as practical usability. That said, we’d argue there’s no need to worry as the original ASUS ZenWatch look quite good for a first generation smartwatch.

ASUS ZenPad leaked ahead of Computex 2015 reveal, 4:3 aspect ratio confirmed

ASUS is going to be waving their Taiwanese flag proudly at Computex next week, and the company is expected to introduce a new good-looking tablet to add to their ZenPad line. It’ll simply be called “ASUS ZenPad,” and the one thing you’ll notice from this newly-leaked render of it is that it’s sporting a screen ratio of 4:3.

Such a ratio was seen as odd at one point, but the prominence of Apple’s iPad seems to have gotten us used to it. In fact, perhaps we even prefer it.

ASUS is said to be going with Intel processors again as part of their new partnership. We still don’t know how we feel about that just yet as we have yet to put an Intel devices through its proper paces, but we’ll keep an open mind for sure.

One other detail suggests the company will introduce a 7-inch affordable model with 1024 x 600 resolution, while an 8-inch model will take things up a few notches with a resolution of 2048 x 1536. If ASUS can get these bad boys at or near that sweet spot of 0 we’d say there’s reason to take notice. We’ll have to wait until next week to find out more.

[via AUSDroid]

LG planning to launch a second flagship smartphone in 2015

Samsung won’t be the only South Korean company to launch two flagship smartphones this year. Focus Taiwan reports that LG is looking to introduce another flagship device in the second half of 2015.

This follows the launch of two very nice smartphones in the LG G Flex 2 and LG G4, as well as an assortment of mid-range and entry-level options to fill out the market. It isn’t all that strange to hear that the company isn’t satisfied with the size of their current 2015 roster.

Much of their motivation comes from the success of the strategy last year, when the LG G3 and LG G Pro 2 combined to drive some of LG’s best smartphone sales in the company’s history. With the LG G4 being a sizable upgrade over yesteryear’s option (read our LG G4 review to find out how) there’s no reason to suggest they can’t follow-up with an encore performance.

The full Google I/O 2015 schedule is now live, includes a 2.5-hour Day 1 keynote + hints of Android M

Google has released the full schedule for Google I/O 2015. It takes place May 28th through May 29th, as we’ve previously known, and the festivities will kick off with a whopping 2.5-hour keynote speech. That seems like a lot, but it’s important to remember that Google I/O used to be a 3-day event and Google would split keynotes between the first two days.

Regardless, they’ll be sure to have a lot to talk about as they always do. What are we expecting? There are no crazy predictions to be had just yet, but we can think of a few:

• More details about Project Fi and the future of Google’s wireless carrier experiment


• A focus on the connected home and Internet of Things.


• New features for upcoming versions of both Android and Chrome OS — we’re not necessarily expecting a huge Lollipop-esque update to be ready for some massive showing but Google will definitely want to give us a sneak peak at what they’re looking to introduce at some point in the near future. (Note: Google’s “Android at Work” session made mention of Android M, but the schedule has since been updated to remove it.)


• More details about the future of Google Glass? That would be ideal, especially since they’re sick of everyone proclaiming Glass is dead.


• New Android Wear goods to show, possibly including new product types.


• Free stuff for attendees, because history.


• Awesomeness, fun and excitement aplenty.

And, you know, your typical geeky developer sessions to help attendees understand what goes into developing for Android, Chrome and the mobile web. Phandroid will be right there in San Francisco to see it all go down so keep that in mind if you’re yearning for coverage once the day arrives. Be sure to check out the full schedule details right here.

We’re here: Google IO 2015!

After making 22 bold predictions about Google IO 2015, we jumped on a plane, flew to San Francisco, and got in line with hoards of others to grab our passes for tomorrow’s huge keynote presentation. You’ll be able to watch streaming video of the Keynote on Phandroid and follow all the event coverage with our Google IO Guide.

After waiting in line for about an hour we finally got into the belly of the beast where an awesomely decorated room awaited.

There will undoubtedly be much more in store tomorrow when we’re able to ascend two levels above, where various booths and stands showcase Google’s latest offerings.

For now, on the ground floor, attendees lounge around after getting their event badges, surrounded by several larger than life Android statues.

Meanwhile, smaller than life Android statues await in the Google Store where 3 IO themed shirts designed by local artists were also being sold.

Google staffers are hard at work preparing and setting up for two the company’s most important days of the year.

While our own hardworking Steve Albright works furiously on his swinging skills and pizza eating capabilities.

Want to see more “behind the scenes” style stuff throughout Google IO? Let us know in the comments.

Just want the breaking news? Follow our Google IO Guide.

Android Lollipop running on 12.4% of devices according to official numbers for June 2015

With Android M becoming official last week — and available now as a Developer Preview — you may have lost sight of the most recent Android firmware version yet to hit your device: Android 5.0 Lollipop. It’s been more than 7 months since Lollipop was released, and you’d think with that with that length of time under OEM’s belts a modest number of Android devices are running the most recent firmware. Well, not so much. Anyone curious to chart Lollipop’s progress across the Android globe need look no further than Google’s newly updated Platform Version numbers for the month of June.

According to the updated numbers, only 11.6% of active Android devices (those that have recently accessed the Google Play Store) are running Android 5.0, followed by Android 5.1 at .8%. That brings the grand total of devices running Lollipop up to 12.4% (up from last month’s 9.7%). It’s not a terrible number, especially considering all of this year’s flagships are running Lollipop in some capacity. Of course, it’s 5.1 — which significantly polished up Lollipop from a usability standpoint — that Android fans are really looking forward to (at least until Android M launches at the end of the year).

There’s a bunch of other numbers you’re likely not to give a hoot about. Not unless you’re a developer looking to support older versions of Android in your apps. We always look at these Platform Distribution numbers as more of an Android report card which really isn’t so bad considering all the varying amount of hardware and carrier meddling that goes into issuing software updates on our smartphones. With the LG G4 and Samsung Galaxy S6 picking up steam, we should see these numbers jump drastically in the coming months.

5 Nintendo games coming to mobile starting in 2015, Android likely included

Nintendo announced in their most recent earnings call that they have a plan to launch 5 new games for “smart devices” by Spring of 2017. The first title is slated to launch this year, with others sure to be littered throughout 2016 and the early parts of 2017.

Nintendo didn’t confirm any platforms they’d be targeting, but we imagine Android won’t be left out of the fun. It’s the biggest smartphone operating system by market share, after all, and if there plans were exclusive to Apple it’s likely they would have mentioned so.

So what’s coming? Early murmurings tell us not to expect direct ports of existing Nintendo games, and there’s no guarantee anything they’re planning will take their cue from existing intellectual properties, either. Whatever the case is, Nintendo says they’re expecting to promote each game strongly and support them like the “hits” they want them to be.

The one thing we do know is that there’s no need to worry that Nintendo will be bringing some heat. The company’s track record for producing and developing quality games is near flawless, and considering they’re one of the few console makers who have their attention focused exclusively on games there’s no reason to believe they won’t do much of the same for their mobile efforts. We’re likely to hear more at E3 2015 next month, which our friends from Wii U Daily, PS4 Daily and Xbox One Daily will be attending in full force.

[via Wii U Daily]