Samsung Galaxy Tab A now available for pre-order in the US, comes in 8 or 9.7-inch varieties

It must be a great day to announce product launches. After Sony announced both Google Cast ready soundbars, A/V receivers, and their upcoming Android TV powered 4K Ultra HDTVs, we now have Samsung chiming in with pricing and availability of their latest Android tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A.

Specs probably wont blow your socks off, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab A will be available in 2 different sizes — 8-inch and 9.7-inch models — both with a 1024×768 resolution display in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The 8-inch version will retail for 0, while the 9.7-inch (which comes with an S Pen digital stylus) will be available for 0.

The rest of the hardware specs include a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, micro SD card slot (up to 128GB), 5MP rear/2MP front facing cameras, and a 4,200mAh battery — all running on Android 5.0 Lollipop. Also worth noting, the larger 9.7-inch Tab A features two speakers on the bottom, while the smaller version only has one.

You can pre-order the tablets right now in the US via the link below in either white, blue, or titanium color options, with the official launch kicking off May 1st from retailers like Amazon or Best Buy. Let’s not all rush out at once.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8-inch

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7-inch with S Pen

The Verizon logo comes off the Nexus 6 so easily, there’s no reason to b*tch about it

Before: you can see the Verizon logo already wearing away

For all the fuss people make around Verizon branding their beloved Android devices, they’re not all that hard to remove. Well, when it comes to the Verizon Nexus 6 anyway.

We’ve heard reports about the Verizon logo coming off with a a little elbow grease and nail polish remover on other devices, but would you believe you only need a fingernail to get that nasty branding off your Nexus 6?

That’s what one Nexus 6 owner is reporting on Reddit, using only his fingernail (as well as a paperclip to speed things along, and alcohol for clean up) to completely remove the Verizon logo from his Nexus 6.

After: clean with no visible markings or leftovers

The end result? A beautifully unbranded Sexus Nexus. Just like the real thing. Anyone with a Verizon Nexus 6 willing to give this a shot?

We’re live at OPPO’s 10 year celebration event, here comes the R7 and R7 Plus

We’re live here on the ground floor of the AOYA Exhibition Center in beautiful Beijing, China to celebrate a decade worth of products from OPPO. It all started with the OPPO X3 MP3 player back in 2005 and the saga continues today with the announcement of the Oppo R7 and R7 Plus. Stay tuned to Phandroid for all things OPPO as we get our first look at their latest addition to the Android world.

Want to watch from the event from comfort of your own home? Tune in right here.

ASUS ZenWatch 2 comes in 2 sizes, features magnetic charging and a stainless steel chassis [VIDEO]

ASUS showed up at Computex 2015 as they always do (considering it’s the premier tech event in their own backyard of Taiwan), and they didn’t disappoint with a few nice announcements. One of the devices on tap was a new smart watch.

It’s the ASUS ZenWatch 2, and the rumors were true. ASUS cooked up 2 different sizes, one for those who prefer a little bulk and the more petite option that most women might prefer. The company is still going with a square watch face, though the chassis isn’t without a round nature.

The ZenWatch 2 features a physical dial (which we imagine can be used to navigate the system), an OLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Gorilla Glass 3 and IP67 specification for dust and water resistance. You get a magnetic mechanism for charging the device, which is a great feature as no one wants to have to clasp their smart watch into a bothersome cradle every night.

On the presentation side, there will be a wide range of wrist bands available post-launch — some in rubber, leather and even a special edition Swarovski set featuring actual Swarovski crystyals — though the device comes with stainless steel straps as standard.

For software, you can expect the latest version of Android Wear and improved wellness and remote camera apps, though ASUS didn’t go into detail about what, exactly, was different. We’re not sure if the watch will support Android Wear’s new WiFi support (the initial spec list doesn’t mention one) so we’ll have to dig for more to see if this thing can offer the same level of connectivity as LG’s Watch Urbane.

And that’s about all we know. ASUS didn’t have pricing or availability to mention, which makes us feel as if we won’t be seeing a product ready to buy until late Q3 at best. Let’s hope we’re wrong, though, because the ZenWatch 2 doesn’t look half bad.

Moto X (2nd Gen) getting Android 5.1 soak test in Brazil, comes with a cool new flashlight gesture

Motorola has announced that their 2nd generation Moto X has started receiving Android 5.1 Lollipop, though only in limited capacity. The rollout has started as a soak test out in Brazil, with the company saying they’re working hard to ready it for more regions and carriers shortly down the line.

Motorola has also detailed a new feature they’ve included alongside the bug-squashing goodness of Android 5.1 — chop twice for flashlight. It’s a new gesture that lets you move your phone in a chopping motion (as if you were chopping veggies) to quickly enable or disable your flashlight. It’s a nice alternative to having to unlock your phone, head to the app menu and find an app just to get that pesky LED light to turn on.

[via Motorola]

HTC Re discounted to $150 for Mother’s Day, comes with $60 in free accessories

If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for mom this Mother’s Day, the HTC Re portable camera is just as good a gift as any. The go-anwhere camera is seeing a discount, dropping from 0 to only 0 for a limited time. While that’s not the lowest we’ve price we’ve seen the camera listed for (Best Buy was recently selling them for 0), HTC’s deal does come with in free accessories.

It’s nothing too crazy, just a protection pack, bar mount (for bikes and whatnot), and clip mount (backpacks) — but it’s enough that it’ll make a complete gift. Or, pick up an HTC Re for yourself. Don’t worry, we wont tell anyone. We were wary at first, but fell in love with ours during our recent trip to Barcelona. You’d better hurry, the deal is only available until May 10th. Link provided below.

[HTC Re Deal]

Verizon’s Sony Xperia Z4v comes with Snapdragon 810 later this summer

Verizon has announced that they’ll be carrying the Sony Xperia Z4v later this summer. Their variant is a bit more beefy internally than the regular Xperia Z4, although it still uses the same Snapdragon 810 chipset. It’s a 64-bit piece of silicon that has gotten flak for apparent overheating issues, but it’s still a pretty powerful beast.

Their device also sports 2560 x 1440 resolution for its 5.2-inch display, as well as a roomy 32GB of internal storage (with microSD for expansion, if you need). You can also expect a 3,000mAh battery with built-in wireless charging (both Qi and PMA standards) and Quick Charge 2.0. Finally, you’ll get a 20.7 megapixel Sony sensor on the rear and a 5 megapixel camera on the front for your photo and video taking needs.

Verizon only had a “this summer” date to give us, though that’s not too long of a wait considering we’re already deep into the warm months. It’ll be available in Black or White. Be sure to sign up to be notified for more information once its launch nears right here.

Grab a Nexus 6 for $150 off on the Google Store, Nexus 9 comes with $50 Google Play credit

After discounting the Nexus Player last week by a mere (that’s actually not a bad percentage), the Nexus 6 is now following suit. Google is firing up another sale by dropping the price of the Nexus 6 by 0 on the Google Store where it now sits at 0 for the 32GB version, or 0 for the 64GB.

What’s more, Google is also offering a special promotion for the Nexus 9 where you can get in Google Play credit. It’s not a discount on the tablet, all that free software is definitely a nice bonus. The Nexus 9 promo ends June 23rd and although there’s no “limited time” tag on the Nexus 6, but it seems to be part of a Father’s Day promo, so hop on it.

Buy on Google Store: Nexus 6 | Nexus 9