HTC One M9+ (Plus) to launch late March or early April, no longer exclusive to Asian market [RUMOR]

We were surprised to find that, during HTC’s big Mobile World Congress reveal, the manufacturer failed to mention anything about the oft rumored HTC One M9 Plus (aka HTC Hima Ultra). This was after the handset had been leaked numerous times, allegedly coming equipped with a MediaTek processor and fancy Samsung-like home button.

For all those anxious to get their hands on the HTC phablet, it seems it wont be much longer. According to @upleaks, he confirmed via his Twitter account today that the phone will allegedly launch towards the end of Q1 (late March), or the beginning of Q2 (early April). What’s more is the official launch name will be the One M9+, not “Plus.”

Rumored HTC One M9+ specs

• MediaTek MT6795 64-bit octa-core processor


• 5.2-inch WQHD display


• 3GB RAM


• 32GB internal storage


• Touch based finger print sensor (located on front)


• Android 5.0.2 with Sense 7.0


• 20.7MP + 2.1MP rear cameras (Duo Camera)


• 13MP front facing camera


• BoomSound


• Bluetooth 4.1


• 2,840mAh Battery

Originally, @upleaks mentioned the EMEA/USA version was going to carry a Snapdragon processor, but had been cancelled. While it seems the M9+ is apparently now on for EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), apparently it will still feature the same MediaTek processor as the Asian variant. Boo.

Best Buy might have Galaxy S6 pre-sale this Friday, plans to throw in wireless charging pad [RUMOR]

Put this one firmly at the top of the rumor category in bold letters: Best Buy might have Samsung Galaxy S6 demo units in-store as early as this Friday. That much was revealed by a Samsung rep at a Best Buy shop according to this Redditor.

Another user claiming to be familiar with Samsung (his posting history somewhat solidifies that) suggested the user was, in fact, correct, and a horde of other users jumped in to corroborate the information.

What’s more is that they revealed a couple of details about Best Buy’s pre-sales process:

• Pre-sales commence March 27th, the day the demo units are expected to arrive in stores.


• Pre-sales will only be held for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon, as usual.


• Launch is expected to be April 10th for all 3 of those carriers as Samsung has previously announced.


• Pre-orderers will get some sort of “free device” with their purchase, though which exact device remains to be seen. The supposed Samsung employee suggested it would be a wireless charging pad worth .


• Mostly all stores with a Samsung Experience booth will have the regular Samsung Galaxy S6, but not every store will have the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Be sure to call and check once the day arrives.


• Some Samsung Experience agents might already be walking around with a Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge as part of their training. If you ask around you might find one nice enough to give you a quick showing!

That was about the extent of the information available. Note that rumors are always to be taken with a heavy grain of salt, especially when the source is an unchecked (but usually honest) community.

So first movement on getting your Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge secured could happen as soon as this Friday. There’s only one question left — have you decided to buy one yet? Let us know!

[via Reddit]

HTC readies all new Butterfly 3 for a late April or May release in Japan [RUMOR]

Last year’s HTC J Butterfly 2

It was back during Mobile World Congress that HTC announced their flagship for 2015, the HTC One M9. But in Asian markets — specifically Japan — HTC’s flagship line is also known by another name: the HTC Butterfly. Sporting mostly the same One internals (but a much different design), this is HTC’s high-end device that goes head-to-head with the best from from Panasonic, Sharp, and Kyocera.

Up until now, we haven’t heard much about what HTC had planned for the Butterfly line in 2015. But in a few recent tweets from @upleaks, we could see the HTC J Butterfly 3 aiming for a late April/early May release in Japanese and Asian markets. The device is said to come equipped with a slightly larger, higher res display than the HTC One M9, measuring in at 5.2-inches and Quad HD (1440p) resolution.

The Butterfly 3 will launch first on KDDI in Japan where it’s said to support their new VoLTE network and will be available in 3 colors: red, white, and blue.

HTC One M9 will be covered against accidental damages, even carrier switching [RUMOR]

The battle between the next-generation of Android flagships is heating up. While it’s increasingly becoming harder to compete on raw hardware alone, OEMs are now forced to get a little more creative, looking to software or other services to gain that edge.

Last year, we saw HTC introduce the “HTC Advantage” which — aside from promising to deliver major Android releases for flagship devices — also offered a free, 1-time replacement of the display for the HTC One M8. It was a nice gesture, even if it was only limited to the first 6 months of the device’s life. For the One M9, HTC could be 1-upping that service on every level.

As Android Central is now reporting, HTC could be planning to introduce their new “UH-OH” Protection service (this is more than likely what HTC was planning on announcing during tomorrow’s event). The service will cover a new HTC One M9 purchase for up to 1 year from date of purchase and not just the display — even water damage.

Probably the most interesting addition is carrier switching is also covered, meaning if you change carriers during this year, you’ll get a free replacement to a compatible One M9 wherever your travels may lead you.

Suddenly, those early “overheating” reports don’t sound like the end of the world after all, right?

A higher-end LG G4 Note will launch with a metal body, not the LG G4 [RUMOR]

It was a little over 2 weeks ago we got a good look at the LG G4 in a few alleged press shots of the device. Like a slightly smaller version of the LG G Flex 2, the phone featured a curved LED display while keeping to LG’s current design language. One of the more interesting parts about rumors of the device is that it would it would feature a metal body — a first for LG on their flagship line. We’re not talking about that faux metal finish of the LG G3 either.

It was an interesting prospect and while plastic definitely has its merits, consumers really seem to have taken a liking to the premium feel of all metal phones like the iPhone 6 or recently announced HTC One M9 (Samsung added a dash of metal in the Galaxy S6 as well). Guess people like to feel like they got their money’s worth when they drop a several bills down on a new phone.

Well, hopefully those metal LG G4 rumors didn’t get your hopes up too much, as ZDNet Korea is now reporting that because of manufacturing and time constraints, LG simply wont have enough time to build a metal LG G4 if they hope to get it to market in a timely manner. Instead, LG will introduce a new even higher-end smartphone line, dubbed the LG G4 Note, that features an all metal construction. While not much is known about the new Note series, LG was quoted as saying it would launch during the second half of this year and “stand above” the G series.

LG definitely has their work cutout for them. With the HTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S6 launching April 10th, they’ll need to act fast before their competition gains too much ground. Luckily for them, early battery life reports of these devices left plenty of room for improvement, something we’re hoping LG will hone in on with the G4.

[ZDNet Korea (translated) | via GforGames]

Rumor: Microsoft could make it possible to run Android apps on Windows 10

Microsoft’s big developer conference is coming up next week, and while there normally wouldn’t be many implications for Android outside of announcements pertaining to their Office suite of apps, there’s even more reason to pay attention to this year’s conference.

Windows enthusiast blogger Paul Thurrott has revealed that Microsoft will most likely announce that Windows 10 will support Android apps. The details are slim, but we imagine it wouldn’t be much different than what Blackberry did a couple of years ago. The Canadian company created an Android runtime that would allow Android apps to run as long as the app was properly ported by a developer, a process which only took about 5 minutes of work.

Microsoft has struggled in the apps department to this point, with many developers opting to skip their platform altogether when it comes to mobile apps. The likely reason is that there simply isn’t a big enough user base on Windows Phone for developers to commit resources to. On the flipside, users aren’t going to want to use a platform that doesn’t have as many apps as the competition.

It’s your classic chicken or egg scenario: something has to come first, and it’s not crazy to suggest Microsoft believes that “something” has to be the apps. The onus is on them to attract developers and persuade them to build apps for their platform, and while Microsoft’s current efforts have been noble it simply hasn’t been enough.

Tell a developer they can port their pre-existing app to your platform in 5 minutes and the needle might finally move. That brings more apps, which brings more users, which ultimately might convince more developers to learn how to build native apps for the platform and make it the thriving marketplace it needs to be to survive in today’s mobile world.

This obviously won’t offer as great an app experience as an Android phone would, what with many apps taking advantage of Google Play Services’ unique APIs and services to create rich features. But a decent stable of apps to full a couple of gaps can’t hurt Microsoft more than they’re already hurting.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge 2 might not have all the high-end specs of the Galaxy Note 5 [RUMOR]

If previous Galaxy Note release schedules are any indication, we’re still at least a good 4 months away from Samsung revealing any news on a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 followup. Looking at the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, it only makes sense to assume that Samsung would plan something similar for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Looks like that might not be the case, if the latest rumors out of SamMobile hold true.

According to their sources, Samsung could be planning on a single Galaxy Note 5 model equipped with all the high-end features you’d expect from a phablet flagship: 2K or 4K UHD display, gobs of RAM, premium build materials and an Exynos 7422 processor that features CPU, GPU, and RAM on a single chip. No surprise there, really.

But when it comes to a follow up the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge sporting Samsung’s curved AMOLED display — codenamed “Project Zen” — the curved phablet’s specs may not be as high-end as the Note 5. It seems we could be looking at more of a mix in hardware, with a 5.4-inch or 5.5-inch Super AMOLED double-sided curved display (like on the S6 Edge), hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor, 16GB internal storage, 16MP camera with OIS, and an 8MP front-facing shooter. Of course the S Pen will also be included, but it’s interesting to see Samsung cutting corners with this new Note Edge model.

Of course, before you get too upset, nothing is set in stone and things can, — and more than likely will — change in time for the phone’s release. If true, would any of you be disappointed in a slightly less high-end Galaxy Note Edge 2?

Is the Samsung Zenzero the Galaxy S6 Active we’ve all been waiting for? [RUMOR]

There is a vocal collective of folks out there refusing to buy a Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge because it isn’t waterproof. But what about an “Active” variant? We’re all patiently waiting and hoping for Samsung to announce it, and we may have just gotten our first indication that it’s being readied.

A trusted source of ours revealed that a “Samsung Zenzero” device has been spotted in the visitor logs of a wide-known Android app. The details on the device are scarce, though the hit did reveal that it was running Android 5.1, has a screen resolution of 2560 x 1440, and a pixel density of 560. That would figure to be around 5.2 inches of display if our math is right, which is not quite large enough to be the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 that’s been spotted as the Samsung “Zen” in separate leaks.

Another interesting fact to consider is that the device has “zero” in its codename. If you don’t remember, Samsung’s plans to revamp the design and build of their smartphones starting with the Samsung Galaxy S6 was internally referred to as “Project Zero.” Could be a mere coincidence, though it could be evidence of a new variant of the original “Project Zero” device hiding in plain sight.

The timing is also interesting considering we have recently seen supposedly official renders of an AT&T-branded Samsung Galaxy S6 Active from a separate trustworthy source. The device we were shown looks like your typical rugged Samsung smartphone, complete with bolts on the rear and physical navigation buttons. Our source also tells us it’s a bit underwhelming to be a Galaxy S6 variant, noting that it’s more like an improved Samsung Galaxy S5.

It’s not out of the question to suggest Samsung is quietly working to introduce this thing in the near future, and it’s not strange that we haven’t heard anything official about it. Samsung has kept quiet on plans to make “Active” variants of previous models up until weeks before availability, so there’s no reason to believe they aren’t going to do the same thing this time around.

That’s the extent of our knowledge for now, but we’ll certainly be digging for more. Let us know if you’ve been holding out on buying the Samsung Galaxy S6 in hopes that Samsung is working on something that can take a beating or two.

Stand-alone Google Photos readies for launch, could be unveiled at Google I/O 2015 [RUMOR]

There are few things that we’re looking forward to more than the break up of Google+ and Photos in an all new standalone backup/editing solution for Android. Known as Google Photos, it’s been heavily rumored for what feels like ever now, only recently confirmed by Google execs during various talks.

Today, Bloomberg is reporting that Google Photos is just about ready to go live, with an official debut happening during this year’s Google I/O developer conference. Aside from just backing up photos and giving users access to near professional grade editing tools, Google Photos will allow users to publish their images directly to social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

Google, of course, wouldn’t comment on these latest rumors, but it only makes sense. Google typically reveals new features not only coming to Android, but their web services like Google+. With former Google+ head Vic Gundotra gracefully bowing out, it’s entirely possible we’ll see less Google+ and arguably funner stuff than just social networking.

Samsung wants to steal Apple’s iPhone 6S thunder by announcing the Galaxy Note 5 in July [RUMOR]

Samsung typically waits until summer months come to a close to announce the latest Galaxy Note phone each year, but new rumors suggest they could be pushing the announcement and launch of the device much sooner. Korean outlet WhoWired claims to have knowledge of plans for Samsung to announce the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 in July, a full two months sooner than their usual launchpad of September’s IFA event in Berlin.

“Why,” do you ask? Well, Apple’s refreshed iPhone 6 — which should be called the iPhone 6S if history is anything to go by — will be out by then, and you can bet Samsung doesn’t want to give Apple a two month window to reveal and launch a new smartphone without having something of their own to show off.

The source suggests Samsung has already finalized specs for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, though there’s still no clear idea of what we can expect. We can at least expect it to one-up the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge as Samsung typically uses the Note series’ launches to introduce their latest ideas and innovations. If word of its impending announcement is true then it won’t be much longer before we’re let in on all the juicy details.

[via PhoneArena]

A Motorola DROID phone could be getting Moto Maker love in the future [RUMOR]

To now, Motorola has only used Moto Maker to allow folks to customize devices from the Moto X, as well as the Moto 360. That exclusive list could be getting some new company, though.

A source familiar with the matter has revealed to Phandroid that Motorola is considering adding a DROID phone to the Moto Maker ranks. Unfortunately we weren’t treated to concrete details about which phone it might be.

The first guess might be the Motorola DROID Turbo, and that would make sense with it being Verizon’s most recent flagship DROID. Considering we’ve seen Verizon release a whopping 3 new color variants for the DROID Turbo in recent weeks it sounds like they’ve at least been considering it. Perhaps they even used that as an excuse to test the logistics that would go behind providing multiple color options for a DROID phone.

Of course, the DROID Turbo will soon be a year old and the next new kid on the block will be set to arrive later this summer, so it’s also possible they’ll look to provide Moto Maker customization with that particular device. What device might that be? We’re still not sure, but we know one is coming and Motorola probably won’t want to disappoint.

The Nintendo NX could emulate Android games [RUMOR]

Dreams of a Nintendo gaming console running Android may be dashed for the moment, but new rumors suggest the company will look to use Android in some way. According to a translated report from a Spanish gaming outlet, Amazon and Nintendo have been in talks about mobile goods ever since Nintendo revealed they’d be bringing a number of games to the smartphone scene.

Amazon supposedly rushed to contact Nintendo and set up a deal with Nintendo to ensure their games would launch on the Amazon Appstore the same day they go up on Google Play and the Apple App Store. That’s a given, of course, as Amazon would be quite ill to not have one of the best game makers of all times have any wares in their store on day one.

The more interesting part of this rumor is that Amazon apparently learned that Nintendo was working on an Android emulator for the Nintendo NX for purposes of playing those games on the company’s new console. The emulator would likely be akin to the Android runtime found on Blackberry’s devices.

If true, this could help Nintendo tackle two issues with one stone:

• It makes it easy for the mobile games they’re working on to be playable on the Nintendo NX, as they should.


• It makes it easy for developers to port their games to the Nintendo NX.

These are the same issues that an Android-based NX would have tackled, but you can merely consider it two different means to one common goal. One way or another, the Nintendo NX’s chances of supporting Android games in some way, shape or form aren’t as low as we thought. Let’s hope the rumor pans out.

[via Wii U Daily]