OnePlus confirms that you’ll initially need an invite to buy the OnePlus 2

We’d hoped OnePlus would have grown enough to do away with the invite system for the OnePlus 2, but it looks like we’re in for more of the same old song and dance. The company has confirmed that the OnePlus 2 will require an invitation to buy at launch.

Before you throw your arms up in a fit, it’s important to remember why OnePlus has to utilize these peculiar sales strategies in the first place. The biggest reason is that they don’t make a ton of profit on every device sold, so over-estimating their manufacturing needs by even the tiniest amounts could potentially be fatal in the long run. They also still don’t have the capacity to churn devices out at ridiculous rates like the big guys.

That doesn’t mean the OnePlus 2 purchasing experience will be exactly the same as the original device’s. We could see the invitation system evaporate much more quickly than it did for the OnePlus One (which only fully occurred just this morning) as the company has likely perfected and streamlined their manufacturing process to more efficiently meet demand.

Those are all the details OnePlus is willing to share with us about the forthcoming smartphone today, though rumors put its launch within a Q3 2015 window. We’ve also heard it will launch with a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 display, Snapdragon 810 chipset, 4GB of RAM and a 3,300mAh battery. It’s sure to be a smartphone worthy of attention by the time it arrives, though it’ll be up to you to determine whether you want to continue putting up with the sales and marketing hijinks OnePlus has become known for.

[via OnePlus]

Verizon’s Nexus 6 leaks again, confirms March 12th launch with Android 5.1

In recent weeks we’ve told you that Verizon’s Nexus 6 would be launching on March 12th, shown you images with Verizon’s branding, and shown you evidence that Android 5.1 comes with VoLTE support baked in. If you’re still skeptical that Verizon Wireless will finally be carrying the Nexus 6 in just a few days, we have some more information for you Verizon fans drooling for more information.

Yesterday on reddit, user Mh1781 posted the above image, which corresponded with our earlier reports that, indeed, the Nexus 6 was coming. We reached out to our very own dude in the know, aka sources close to Phandroid, and they were able to confirm the same information for us as well as provide pricing information. The Nexus 6 will be available for purchase on March 12 at verizonwireless.com, will be available in stores on March 19th, Verizon’s Nexus 6 will run you 9 with a 2-year contract, 9 if you decide to buy the Nexus 6 without a contract, or .16 a month on Verizon’s Edge plan. As for color and storage options, only the 32GB Midnight Blue version will be available.

Since Verizon’s Nexus 6 comes with Android 5.1, one can only assume that Android 5.1 Lollipop will be hitting other Nexus devices in a matter of days. Google generally doesn’t release a phone without providing factory images and source code in a timely manner. Fingers crossed Nexus owners.

Thanks Mr D!

Samsung confirms their next smart watch is circular and invites developers to help them

Yesterday, a pair of Samsung trademarks hinted that the company was finally ready to try their hand at a circular smart watch. It didn’t take long for Samsung to come out and confirm those suspicions.

The company has issued an open invitation for developers to help them build their next wearables platform ahead of launch. They’ve confirmed that it’s for the 7 generation of their Gear lineup, and while they didn’t exactly spell out the word “circular” the teaser you see above should do enough to convince you.

Developers who want to get their apps going on the upcoming watch can get started as soon as today by heading here and grabbing the SDK. Unfortunately that’s as much as we know right now as Samsung didn’t even give us an idea as to when this product might be ready for consumers. All we know is that if the Samsung Galaxy S6 is anything to go by, Samsung’s first circular Gear smart watch could turn this market on its head.

[via Samsung]

Google’s Sundar Pichai confirms plans to launch an MVNO wireless carrier and their motive behind it

Before we had our bit of morning fun over at the Android booth, Google’s Sundar Pichai — who heads the Chrome and Android teams — took to the stage at the Mobile World Congress opening keynote. The full talk was quite interesting and chock full of discussion about the now and the future.

Most of what you care about is in the future. Thankfully Pichai confirmed a few different rumors we’d been hearing since 2014 and earlier. The biggest confirmation was that Google certainly is exploring opportunities to introduce a new wireless service that leverages WiFi technology to facilitate ultra affordable mobile service.

Google’s not trying to become the next Verizon, nor do they expect to. Instead, the company will look to work with those carriers in an effort to help push connectivity and network stability forward.

Solving issues like seamless hand-offs between WiFi and cellular and the ability to have two calls automatically reconnect in the event of a drop are just a couple of the things Google wants to explore in their venture. We know it’s not purely about money — Google’s revenue stream is healthy enough as is — so we know their motives are fueled by their never-ending desire to innovate.

Google didn’t confirm who they’d be working with to get this off the ground (rumors suggest Sprint and T-Mobile are likely candidates), but the company will hopefully have more formal details to share at Google I/O later this year.

HTC One M7 will not go past Android 5.0, Mo Versi confirms

Owners of the phone that kicked off the HTC One craze will be sad to hear this news: the update train is over. Product manager Mo Versi confirmed on Twitter that the HTC One M7 would no longer get upgraded to major new versions of Android, and yes — that includes Android 5.1.

It’s worth noting that the device is currently on Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, so it’s at least ended its cycle on a very contemporary version of Android. Android 5.1 didn’t add many notable new features at all (in fact, HTC Sense already did a fine enough job providing the handful of changes it did bring). The update does fix a lot of bugs, but HTC addressed many of Lollipop’s pain points through fixes of their own.

And this doesn’t mean HTC wouldn’t still service the phone in the event that critical issues pop up. Security patches and fixes for experience-breaking issues will likely be addressed should they surface.

As such, there’s likely nothing to get up-in-arms about here. It’s been two years since the device has launched, and HTC has held up their end of the two-years of updates promise well enough. It’s time to upgrade, or turn to the aftermarket development community who we’re sure will keep the device’s clock ticking a lot longer than even you might need it to.

PS: This only applies to versions of the HTC One M7 which run HTC’s Sense firmware. Google Play Edition devices will continue to see updates for the foreseeable future.

Samsung confirms Galaxy S6 US pre-sales begin tomorrow for Best Buy and all major carriers

 

We’d heard Best Buy was going to have the Samsung Galaxy S6 in their stores beginning tomorrow, and that they were also going to begin pre-sale events at that time. Samsung has come out to confirm that information today as the company has announced the device will not only be available for pre-sale and on display at Best Buy March 27th, but also for all major US carriers — that’s T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and US Cellular. The devices will become available April 10th, Samsung previously announced.

Exact details about pricing and availability of 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models will have to come from each carrier, but we know that all five will be offering both the regular S6 and the curved Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless and MetroPCS are also confirmed to be carrying just the regular Galaxy S6. Other retailers who will eventually get in on the fun are Amazon.com, Costco Wholesale, Inc., Sam’s Club, Target and Walmart.

The timing of this pre-sale is very interesting considering HTC just announced the unlocked version of the HTC One M9 would go on sale online tonight. That gives us two very compelling devices to consider going with for 2015 on the very same day. Let the games begin!

Sony Xperia Z4 may have stopped by the FCC, confirms micro SD card slot ain’t going nowhere

There are no guarantees in life. When it comes to mobile devices, just because a previous iteration of a flagship device packed specific hardware (a micro SD card slot and/or removable battery for instance) doesn’t always guarantee the next model will have the same. And if the Samsung Galaxy S6 taught us anything, it’s that long revered hardware features can up and leave in a moment’s notice.

Be all that as it may, we’re hyped about Sony’s next flagship smartphone. Initially we though we could be a ways off from a Sony Xperia Z4 launch, but a new Sony device that recently passed through the FCC — packing almost the same dimensions as the previous Sony Xperia Z3 — could suggest we’re closer to a launch than we previously thought. While the FCC documentation doesn’t reveal too many surprises (the device in question is packing a nice amount of frequency bands to support US networks), it did manage to confirm the existence of the micro SD card slot on the device.

We know, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but sometimes it’s nice to have solid confirmation. Not only that, this could give a little peace of mind to Android fans who felt slighted by Samsung removing the SD card in the Galaxy S6. With FCC certification, we imagine it wont be too much longer before Sony makes it official.

[FCC | via PhoneArena]

Google announces Android Wear 5.1.1 again, confirms which devices will get WiFi support

Google announced Android 5.1 for their smartwatches running Android Wear late last month, but few devices ever saw the update. Bringing WiFi support and always-on apps, the update debuted on the LG Watch Urbane only to later rollout officially to the ASUS ZenWatch only last week. For everyone else, we were left scratching our heads as to when this update would be hitting our devices.

Today Google took to their Android Wear help forums to officially announce Android Wear 5.1.1 again, leading us to believe that the update is fixing to rollout for the rest of us. They also confirmed that only a few smartwatches will be receiving WiFi support, leaving out the LG G Watch R (sorry, guys). Here’s the devices receiving WiFi support:

• LG Watch Urbane


• Moto 360


• Sony SmartWatch 3


• Samsung Gear Live

Google says to make sure the update hits your Android Wear device, make sure you’re running the most up-to-date version of the Android Wear app on the Google Play Store. The rollout is said to be rolling out gradually over the next few weeks, but we’ve started seeing reports from both LG G Watch and LG G Watch R owners that the update is already hit their smartwatches.

Oh, and if you’re curious, check out the video below to see how those fancy new wrist gestures work.

Microsoft confirms Cortana personal assistant is coming to Android this summer

Microsoft today announced that Windows 10 will support Cortana integration not only with their own smartphone, but also for those using Android phones or the iPhone. The functionality will come as part of the OS upgrade happening later this summer.

Microsoft Cortana is a voice assistant service, not all that dissimilar to Siri or Google Search + Google Now. Cortana is actually pretty good at what it does, with some people willing to give it the throne of best voice assistant.

So what’ll it bring? Here’s a quick look at the feature set Microsoft is boasting:

• You can have Cortana remind you to pick up milk the next time you’re at the grocery store, and then your phone will wake up and buzz with the reminder.


• You’ll be able to ask about the weather.


• Or sports scores.


• Or anything else you would head to a search engine for.


• You’ll be able to track a flight using Cortana on both your phone and your PC, and get the updates on the device that you’re on so you don’t miss anything.


• Everything in Cortana’s Notebook will show up across all your devices and any changes you make on one device will be reflected when you use Cortana on any of your other devices.


• The Cortana companion app will help you complete tasks you begin on your PC wherever you are, on your phone.

Unfortunately Android and iOS users won’t be enjoying some of the other things made possible by owning a Windows phone, such as being able to toggle settings. That sort of stuff requires more open access to system settings which Microsoft doesn’t have. Regardless, it’s better than having nothing at all.

Microsoft also detailed some of the other Windows 10 integration being worked on, including syncing your files across devices with OneDrive and being able to play music stored in OneDrive through the Xbox Music app. It all sounds great and we can’t wait for it to arrive.

So when will it happen? Microsoft says a new preview version of Windows 10 is heading out in a few weeks, and the Cortana apps for mobile should be out by the end of June. That’s not a long wait and you can bet we’ll be checking it out to see if it can’t steal us away from Google Now.

[via Microsoft]

Samsung confirms a special ‘Iron Man’ edition Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge is in the works

This is a fan created concept render and not the actual product

Outside of a handful of Avenger style themes available in their Galaxy S6 Theme Store (and a brief Galaxy S6 cameo in the new Age of Ultron movie), Samsung hasn’t really done much with their Marvel partnership. But according to the South Korean press, Samsung could soon leverage it in new ways.

According to South Korean press, Samsung mobile marketing chief Lee Young-hee confirmed during a movie screening that they will be putting together an Iron Man edition Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge to tie-in with the movie’s release. It’s still too early to know exactly what they have in mind, but they did mention the color “red” will play a major part in the design. We can only hope they look as flashy as those fan-created renders someone put together a few weeks back.

The phone is due out sometime in June, so it’s still a ways out. Kinda odd that they waited until after the movie has been out for several weeks before jumping on this, but at least something is coming. For any comic-book nerds out there, you might wanna hold off on picking up a Galaxy S6 in the meantime. Don’t worry, the phone isn’t going anywhere.

[Korea Times]

Google confirms their self-driving cars will be on public roads this summer

Google’s self-driving vehicle prototypes are real, but they have yet to be tested in very real environments. That will change this summer, according to the Mountain View company.

They confirmed that the cars would be out on public roads in Mountain View as early as this summer, though obviously not without training wheels. Each vehicle will be manned by a human test driver who will have detachable steering wheels and pedals to take over driving whenever they need.

Each prototype’s speed will be hard capped at 25 miles per hour, which isn’t exactly freeway-friendly pace but should be both slow and fast enough for safe travels through small residential and commercial areas.

Google says their goal within the next few years is to learn what people would use these vehicles for by running a small pilot program. That’s a seemingly long wait for baseline consumer trialing, though this sort of technology is so new and delicate that you have to expect it to take years before a commercial product comes to market.

In the meantime just sit back, enjoy the ride (no pun intended) and know that Google is inching closer and closer to an autonomous future for roadways each and every day.

[via Google]

Microsoft confirms Cortana for Android beta will be here as soon as July

Microsoft has announced that Cortana for Android will be here in July just in time for Windows 10’s launch. To be clear, it’ll be unleashed as a beta, and as such you should expect that things aren’t fully functional from the start. We won’t get full Cortana love until later in the year.

Cortana, if you don’t know, is Microsoft’s digital assistant. It got its start on Windows Phone, but the company is looking to make it your go-to service no matter which device you’re on. Cortana will integrate with Microsoft’s suite of apps, with a Notebook feature allowing you to have her jot down notes and details important to you.

You can also use it to do things like set reminders, and once that reminder arrives it will alert you on any device where you have Cortana enabled (including other Android phones or tablets, Xbox One, or your Windows 10 PC). You can ask it things about sports, weather, movies, music and more.

Google Now is awesome and it always will be, but Cortana has enough going for it that it’ll at least be worth a try once it makes its way to more devices later this year. We’ll surely be on the lookout for the app’s release date as we inch closer to Windows 10.

[via Microsoft]

Motorola XT1585 “Kinzie” (Verizon) benchmark surfaces, confirms Snapdragon 810, QHD and other specs

It was a mere month ago that a reputable Redditor with inside knowledge dropped news of a few forthcoming Motorola handsets. Those handsets included what we believed to be the 3rd generation Moto X, as well as a phone being made specifically for Verizon (likely a DROID).

That phone was the Motorola XT1585 Kinzie, and now word of its existence seems to be backed up by a solid benchmark. GFXBench shows a phone that sports a 5.5-inch Quad HD display, Qualcomm’s Octa-Core Snapdragon 810, 3GB of RAM, “21GB” of internal storage (likely 32GB with a lot chopped off for the system), a 20 megapixel camera with 4K video and a 5 megapixel front camera. It’s also running Android 5.1, though that’s not too surprising.

So, par for the course for a 2015 flagship. That’s still about as much as we know about the phone to this point, though it’s nice to get a solid sheet of specs to look forward to ahead of announcement. Is this sounding like a DROID that you wouldn’t mind owning?