Could a cheap Nexus Fi Android Phone be Google’s next big unveil? [OPINION]

With the announcement of Project Fi and rumors surrounding a Huawei Nexus, I thought I’d have some fun with speculation, for the sake of hypebeasting something, since we haven’t hypebeasted in a while, so let’s let the hypebeasting begin. Hypebeast.

Are you ready? The above image is taken from a Project Fi video guide. This is clearly a phone or a render that we haven’t seen before. Google generally doesn’t use renders from unknown devices in their product videos. Project Fi only works with the Nexus 6, so why not use a Nexus 6 render, the phone that people have to use with the service right now? If you’re not going to use the Nexus 6, then you better show the guide videos on another supported phone, right? That makes sense to me.

Could this phone just be a generic render? Sure. Absolutely. That takes the fun out of hypbeasting though. And we came here to hypebeast, dammit.

What if the Android phone pictured above is the upcoming, rumored Huawei Nexus? It looks like a cross between the Nexus 6, mainly because of the top speaker grill, and a Nexus 5. Could it be a cheaper Nexus, built for Project Fi? A Nexus Fi, if you will, a play on Nexus Five and Project Fi?

Now, hear me out. Project Fi, as a marriage of cellular data and WiFi is cool, but that’s still a tough sell, because you have to buy a 0 smartphone to use the service. Sure, you can finance the Nexus 6 through Fi, but you still end up having to pay for the cost of an expensive phone over the next two years.

What if the rumored Huawei Nexus is a cheaper Nexus, built with Project Fi in mind. Right now, I can go out and buy a Motorola Moto E, Motorola Moto G or upcoming Huawei SnapTo on the cheap and jump on my MVNO of choice, except for Fi of course. While Fi isn’t your typical MVNO, having your MVNO locked down to one expensive phone doesn’t sound very appealing either.

Having a cheaper Nexus phone that worked on Project Fi sounds more Googly to me. Google is about service availability. Having a cheaper Nexus that’s available to budget conscious people, you know, those looking to save money on their wireless bill, sounds a whole lot better to me than the current setup at launch. I think having a Nexus Fi phone could seal the deal on this entire endeavor.

So, what do you think of my speculation? Plausible? Or I am reading too much into the generic render above, for the sake of hypebeasting? Who knows? Either way, I enjoyed confirming the launch of Half-Life 3. Cheers!

Mysterious SM-G890A could be the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active for AT&T

With the Samsung making the semi-controversial decision to ditch the water resistance of the Galaxy S5 in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, we tried to make sense of it. In the end, we conjectured Samsung would likely introduce a rugged “Active” variant of the Galaxy S6, like they did with the S5 and S4 before it. Of course, we didn’t have much to go on, only what history showed us. But a new discovery could be lending credence to our initial guess.

A mysterious Samsung device going by the model number SM-G890A was discovered in a user agent profile on Samsung Mobile. If we look at last year’s Samsung Galaxy S5 Active on AT&T (SM-G870A), the model number isn’t too far off at all. The UA prof also shows it coming equipped with the same QHD resolution display and if you needed further confirmation what we’re looking at here is the Galaxy S6 Active, @upleaks recently tweeted that same model number, also guessing it could be — what else — but the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S6 Active.

Now, nothing is confirmed at this point, but we imagine we’ll hear more as we near the April 10th launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. That being said, would any of you be willing to ditch the fragile glass back of the Galaxy S6 for something a little more durable, possibly with water resistance?

[Samsung Mobile]

Qualcomm’s 3D fingerprint scanner could finally allow Samsung to ditch physical home buttons [VIDEO]

Alongside an announcement that they’ve teamed up with CyanogenMod, Qualcomm had some other interesting news to share this morning. The first bit of news pertains to the next generation of Snapdragon.

The details are scarce at the moment, but we’re told to expect Snapdragon “820” to be built with a FinFET 14nm or 16nm process, which would make for a physically smaller die that uses less power. Qualcomm will also be taking this opportunity to introduce their own mobile 64-bit CPU architecture named “Kryo,” which is a custom ARM v8-A chip. Sampling will begin later this year, which should mean first devices will start to use the new chipset as soon as this time next year.

But that’s not even the most exciting news out of Qualcomm today. The company announced a new fingerprint scanning technology that utilizes 3D imaging through supersonic waves to capture a user’s fingerprint instead of 2D-based sensors currently used by the likes of Samsung and Apple.

Dubbed “Sense ID,” the fingerprint scanner’s ability to capture a print using supersonic waves enables the scanner to be used even if the scanner’s surface is covered by plastic, glass and metal. Imagine a device that doesn’t require a physical home button or any other visible, tangible part that the user has to interface with in order to enable fingerprint scanning — !%&* just got real.

Samsung currently uses Synaptics’ surface area fingerprint scanner for the Samsung Galaxy S6. As you’ll see in our quick video showing the feature it doesn’t require you to swipe anymore, but it does still require a physical surface (and we suspect that’s the main reason Samsung still uses physical home buttons aside from visual differentiation). Apple would wet itself if Samsung could finally meet everyone’s wishes to ditch that button and place a scanner beneath a small bezel area unseen by the user.

More than just practicality and design, the ultrasonic 3D imaging also makes Qualcomm’s implementation more secure. The sensor’s ability to map the surface area — including the depth of the ridges and all the other unique imperfections in your fingers — makes it harder for no-gooders to spoof a 2D pattern based on your fingerprint.

Qualcomm says some of their current chips (namely the Snapdragon 810 and the Snapdragon 425) already support Sense ID, so device manufacturers planning to use their latest silicon will have the option to put these scanners inside forthcoming phones without much issue. Qualcomm is also working on a standalone solution for even more flexibility.

As good as the fingerprint scanning technology on the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 is right now, Qualcomm’s innovative take on it has us looking forward. We can’t wait to see who’ll be the first to take advantage.

Amazon “Unlocked” could be like Prime for Android apps

If you’re a fan of the Amazon Appstore you’re well aware of the free apps Amazon gives away every day. Anyone can take advantage of the deals, but you have to use Amazon’s own Android Appstore. An internal presentation obtained by TechCrunch suggests that Amazon will be taking free apps to the next level with a new program.

The program is called “Unlocked,” and it sounds a lot like Amazon Prime. The Unlocked program would offer paid apps for free, and even unlock all in-app purchases for “free-to-play” games. It’s unclear how the program will work, where the free apps will be located, and how much it will cost. Amazon already offers many perks for Prime subscribers, such as free shipping, movies, TV shows, and music. It would make perfect sense to roll this into the current Prime benefits.

Would you use the Amazon Appstore for the Unlocked program? Would you consider signing up for Amazon Prime if it meant free Android apps? Would you sign up for a standalone program to get free apps?

Google could be working on a telemeeting platform called “GMeet”

Teleconferencing is all the rage with businesses in the internet age, and Google is just as poised as anyone to provide a platform suitable for the types of corporate meetings that have to take place in such a manner. If Hangouts video calling wasn’t already enough, the company could be working on a standalone platform meant specifically for businesses.

Google+ user (Google+er?) Florian Kiersch stumbled across a new app in the works by Google called GMeet, or Google Meeting. Details are largely unclear at this time, but from the outside looking in the app doesn’t seem all that different from something such as Goto Meeting. You sign in, you join a meeting, and you (presumably) conference over voice and/or video.

Kiersch says the app only accepts Googler logins right now, so it’s unclear if this is a tool meant for internal use by Google or if it’s a user-facing service where the prerequisite only exists to make sure prying eyes can’t get an early look at what’s inside ahead of any official announcement.

Searches for G Meet and Google Meeting pull up interesting anecdotes and code snippets from as far back as 2011, but most of the code references things we already have access to in the latest rendition of Hangouts, such as whiteboards, screen sharing, and integration with Google Calendar. A URL that once existed in the code (google.com/talk/meet) also now redirects to Hangouts’ main landing page.

A standalone meeting app would likely use Hangouts technology for its backbone so there’s nothing out of the ordinary than meets the eye. But until we can get into the app for ourselves or get an announcement from Google, we’re left to our educated guesses. Let’s hope to hear more in the very near future!

[Thanks, Florian!]

A Motorola Android Wear device codenamed ‘Smelt’ could be a Moto 360 followup

Even though the Moto 360 was late out the gate compared to Android Wear devices like the Samsung Gear Live or LG G Watch, it’s still considered a first gen Android Wear device. While there’s a lot that we loved about the Moto 360 — as mentioned in our review — it did come with its fair share of shortcomings and thus, there was still plenty of room for improvement in a followup.

With OEMs introducing quality watch designs with solid aluminum builds, the Moto 360 is no longer the only fashionable — or most durable — Android Wear device on the market. We got a sneak peek at what Motorola could have planned for a Moto 360 followup after a Lenovo CEO posted an image to social media of what appeared to be an all new smartwatch housed inside a soft briefcase (Lenovo bought Motorola last year for .91 billion). Other than that brief look, not much else is known. That is, until today.

We received a tip from a popular app developer who recently noticed a mysterious Motorola-built Android Wear device pinging his Android developer console from Mundelein, a city not too far from Motorola’s HQ in Chicago, Illinois. The device is carrying the codename “Smelt” and is reportedly running Android 5.1. On the hardware front, it carries a screen resolution of 360 x 360 and is powered by an “armeabi-v7a.”

While we’re not too familiar with the word “smelt” outside the context “whoever smelt it, dealt it,” Webster’s also defines it as a “small silvery fish.” Makes sense given the original Moto 360 went by the codename “Minnow.”

Currently, Motorola’s only Android Wear device is the Moto 360 and only makes sense that this mysterious “Smelt” could be their replacement/sequel/followup for 2015. If that previous leak is anything to go by, we could be looking at a device that’s even more premium or luxurious than last year’s Moto 360.

At the very least, we’re hoping it’ll be better built as the plastic back on ours has already begun cracking. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for details.

Google’s wireless service could charge you for only the exact amount of data you use

While it’s been confirmed that Google is looking into offering wireless service through some new network aggregation technologies in conjunction with Sprint and T-Mobile, we haven’t gotten many details on what, exactly, they were looking to do differently. A new leak may have shone a whole beacon of light on some of the details, though.

According to details uncovered by Android Police thanks to a leaked app that will be used to support the service, Google’s wireless network — referred to as Nova in many previous rumors, but also now known as Project Fi — could charge you only for the exact amount of data you use. That is to say, there won’t be any unlimited data (as much as we would all hope from an internet-strong company like Google), but instead a “pay-as-you-go” approach.

The thinking is that there will be a set per-gigabyte price and you buy however much you need by the gigabyte, but if you don’t use up your full gigabyte Google will credit you for the remainder. We’d hope such a plan would come with some very low rates instead of the outrageous per-gigabyte prices set forth by the country’s four major carriers. As for talk and text, you’ll have a flat rate and allowance for those much like any carrier offers these days.

Other interesting aspects of the service include a way to seamlessly switch your service to a different phone using an app, the ability to share buckets of data across however many lines you want, data-only plans for tablets, and even a way to opt out of sharing your cellular usage data with Google (yes, folks, your current carrier keeps an alarming amount of information about the calls you make).

Google would be a very new player in this arena, though if their approach to entering the broadband internet game is anything to judge by they could help shake up the wireless industry in a big way.

Take Google Fiber, for instance — it might not be as widespread as we would like just yet, but Google’s ability to offer gigabit speeds for the cost of typical internet service in the United States has already sparked major competition. Cable companies left and right rush to upgrade speeds and lower prices whenever Google’s pipes roll into town, and it helps bring a breath of fresh air into the industry that only genuine competition is able to provide.

We all know the wireless industry desperately needs much of the same (kudos to T-Mobile for getting the ball rolling) and Google’s arrival could be the turning point we’ve all been waiting for.

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.

Oppo could be working on a smart watch that takes just 5 minutes to charge [LEAK]

One of the biggest drawbacks of a modern smart watch is that they can’t quite live up to the battery expectations we demand. That’s why Pebble and their week-long battery is a big deal, and why people were likely disgusted at the Apple Watch’s 18-hour rating.

Oppo could change that with the smart watch they’re rumored to be working on. The company is supposedly making a smart watch that can go from 0 to 100% in just 5 minutes of charging. It might not make the battery last as long as we’d like, but to be able to top up in just 5 minutes gives us a lot more flexibility in when and how we choose to charge the thing.

The charging time will be made possible thanks to the company’s next-generation VOOC charger, a solution used for turbo charging their latest smartphones. Since smart watches naturally have much smaller batteries than smartphones then it’s not outside the realm of possibility that they can get such speedy charge times.

As much as we’re hoping this rumor is true, it is still just a rumor. For what it’s worth, we know OnePlus —  a very close ally of Oppo’s — is at least thinking about the possibility of introducing a smart watch. The company sent consumer surveys asking folks what they think about wearables. OnePlus isn’t Oppo, of course, but the two share design and engineering facilities so it’s possible they could be bouncing ideas off each other.

[via Twitter]

 

Samsung is considering an Avengers themed Galaxy S6, and this is what it could look like

There’s a good chance that the cross-section between people who like superheroes and people who like Android phones is pretty big. Manufacturers are well aware of this, which is why we’ve seen a few superhero-themed phones in the past. Samsung could be the next to take a dip into the world of comic books with the world’s most popular group of heroes.

According to rumors coming out of Korea, Samsung is considering producing handsets with a tie-in to the upcoming Avengers 2 movie. The phones seen above are concepts created by a fan on Twitter. They created a special version of the Samsung Galaxy S6 for ever member of The Avengers, including Nick Fury. We have to admit these concepts look pretty dang awesome. If Samsung does indeed go through with this it should make a lot of geeks happy (including myself).

Would you buy a Samsung Galaxy S6 Avengers Edition? Which Avenger would you want? Personally, I’m a fan of Thor, but Hawkeye concept is awesome too.

[via PhonesReview]

Incoming Android Wear update could add support for standalone WiFi and new gesture controls

What’s the best way to respond to a competitor’s product unveiling? Well, probably to improve your existing counterpart. Not that we needed a report to know that Google was working on some new updates for Android Wear, but The Verge claims to have some fine detail about what’s coming in the next upgrade.

Two of the biggest things to expect are support for standalone WiFi and gesture-based UI navigation. The former would do away with the need to use Bluetooth to communicate with whatever device your Android Wear device is paired with. This is great for situations where you might not be close enough to your phone for your smart watch to pick it up, though it obviously means you have to have both devices on the same WiFi network.

As for those gestures, there isn’t much — a flick of the wrist can now help you scroll through the user interface instead of having to navigate with your finger — but it’s a nice and natural step forward for those who might need to control their watches hands-free.

One last change we’re told to expect is easier access to both contacts and applications menus. When’s all this coming? There’s no word yet, though Google hasn’t been terribly slow to iterate with Android Wear to this point, and if we’re already hearing details about what the new upgrade will bring we imagine it’s almost ready to come out of the oven.

Google could be working on a built-in VPN service for use on open WiFi networks

Android 5.1 might not have a horde of obvious changes above the surface, but there’s no doubt Google put in a lot of work under the hood. Another interesting new change has come to light — the company might be working on bringing a built-in VPN service for use on public WiFi networks.

The change was noticed when a new app — called Google Connectivity Services — was found among the list of other apps installed on the latest stock build of Android 5.1. Using an app like QuickShortCutMaker will allow you to launch the following activity within the app:

com.google.android.apps.gcs/com.google.android.apps.gcs.WifiAssistantOptInActivity

Launching said activity brings up a dialog box letting you know that you will be connected to a Google VPN to transmit your data in a secure fashion. Clicking “Got It” takes you to the standard VPN menu, though the phone fails to connect to any VPN at that point.

So is Google working on a free VPN that anyone can access? It’s possible, though there are a couple of other things to consider:

• This could be a feature of the carrier’s upcoming MVNO service that was confirmed at Mobile World Congress. Google’s MVNO will leverage the use of both public WiFi and cellular networks for calling, messaging and data activity. Such a solution certainly could benefit from encrypted data. We expect to hear more about these efforts at Google I/O.


• It’s possible this could eventually be offered for Android for Work users who transmit sensitive data to and from the workplace.


• It could be a free-for-all where anyone and everyone who needs VPN access can easily get it with just a few clicks.

But without any official word from Google, it’s all just a series of guesses. The “learn more” button on the dialog box links to a generic support page so there are no answers to be had there.

We’ll be looking for answers from sources of our own, though, and will update you accordingly if we hear anything. Built-in VPN that anyone can use at any time? That would be a game changer, but let’s try not to get too excited before we know what, exactly, El Googs is planning.

[via Pocketables]

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge’s base model could start at 64GB in the UK

An interesting revelation was made over at Samsung’s site for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. While the company mentioned that 32GB, 64GB and 128GB options for the phones would be available, they’re listing the Edge variant with just 64GB and 128GB options for the UK. That could suggest the Edge variant will come with 64GB as standard.

One plausible explanation could be that the S6 Edge will have a higher base cost than the normal edition so Samsung decided it would be best to give people more for their money. We’ve seen that pricing model in the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Samsung Galaxy Note Edge so it wouldn’t be a shock to see it repeated here.

Of course, we could just be jumping way ahead of ourselves and this could all be a mistake. It’s also worth remembering that this could specifically be for the UK and we might not see the same structuring for other markets. We’ll do our darnedest to find out from Samsung themselves, though, and will update this post if we find out anything more.

[via SamMobile]

Newly announced HTC J Butterfly 3 could be the redesigned One M9 we were looking for

When the HTC One M9 was finally unveiled at Mobile World Congress, there were more than a few fans who were disappointed to find the design didn’t deviate much away from last year’s One M8. It didn’t help matters that only a few weeks prior to the official unveiling, famed tipster @evleaks revealed press renders of an alleged One M9 with a vastly different front face. In the end, that device apparently never made it out of the concept phase with HTC instead opting for something a little more familiar to consumers (perhaps even a little too familiar). But is it possible HTC incorporated that leaked design in its latest handset for Japan?

Announced in Japan, the HTC J Butterfly 3 is the company’s latest high-end device for Japanese carrier KDDI. It packs a design aesthetic eerily reminiscent of that leaked One M9 we saw awhile back, only with a few key differences. One, this phone is all plastic and the perforated speaker holes sit in between the glass display and the plastic bezel. It’s very similar to what we saw with the HTC Desire EYE. Running with that, the Butterfly 3 even packs a similar 13MP front facing shooter like the Eye, mounted directly in the middle of the top plastic bezel. You may remember this was rumored early on to come equipped on the One M9 (and shown in @evleaks’ leaked render).

On the back, HTC’s Duo Camera makes a return (another feature we heard would make it to the One M9 but didn’t), coupled with a 20.2MP rear facing camera. As far as other hardware specs, the Butterfly 3 features a pin sharp 5.2-inch 2560×1440 resolution LCD 3 display, Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB RAM, 2,700mAh battery, IPX5/IPX7 water resistance rating, and comes in 3 color options: red, white, and blue.

There really is a lot here to love and honestly, it makes us wonder if the Butterfly 3 doesn’t trump the One M9 in some respects. The Butterfly 3 will launch in Japan this June on KDDI.

[HTC | via Engadget Japan]

Facebook Messenger could be adding games in the near future

Facebook Messenger officially became its own platform back in March, so we knew the social network geniuses over at Facebook were brainstorming new ways they could add more exciting features into the service. Right now the in-app apps (app-ception) are mostly related to chat like functions, things like adding GIFs, stickers, or video clips — things that enhance conversations.

We thought it was a great idea, even if we weren’t crazy about the idea of the app becoming more bloated than it already is. As reported by The Information, apparently adoption of these new Messenger apps hasn’t lived up to what Facebook (or developers) had hoped. Now it seems the company will look towards gaming to help pour some fuel on the fire and create added interest.

It makes sense too. Just look at all the casual games out there (Words with Friends, or Evil Apples). These are all games that heavily rely on social aspects to connect gamers with each other. Tapping into that could mean added revenue for developers looking to publish titles on Messenger. While the options are nearly endless, these games could face the same pitfalls as current Messenger apps which developers say are having trouble gaining exposure.

Perhaps a stand-alone Messenger app store is in our future?

3rd gen Moto X could have a 16 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization and 4K video

Motorola will almost certainly introduce a new Moto X this year, though it may be a bit on the early side to start thinking about what, exactly, they’ll look to do. Some early information could have given us a hint as to Motorola’s plans for its camera, though.

According to information received by STJS, the 3rd generation Moto X will be equipped with a 16 megapixel camera, and that we’ll see the return of Motorola’s ClearPixel technology which uses an RGBC pixel filter to make for a sensor that performs better in low light. The camera will also supposedly come with optical image stabilization, a feature which the 2014 Moto X can’t boast.

Other features include the ability to record at a resolution of 4K (though you’re limited to 30 frames per second) and 120 frames per second (which limits you to 1080p). There’s also the option of recording at 240 frames per second if you can stand to keep your video resolution at a mere 720p. All of that sounds like the makings of a great camera and we’re hoping Motorola can make it more of a standout feature of this year’s flagship instead of the afterthought that it was in years prior.

[via PhoneArena]

HTC could be planning to infuse Blinkfeed with advertisements and sponsored apps

While HTC Blinkfeed is one of the better home-screen newsfeeds on an Android device, it could be getting an update that would stand to annoy the heck out of many-a user. Upleaks has reason to believe HTC is readying a Blinkfeed update that will look to monetize the social feed.

It’ll do so by placing advertisements in the form of sponsored apps and deals on HTC or HTC-related products. It’s not unlike what you might see on Twitter or Facebook when leisurely scrolling through your friends’ latest musings.

If the mockup Upleaks posted is accurate it may not be too much of a hindrance as you can simply scroll right past any advertisement you don’t fancy, though we’d be sad to see nearly half of the display dominated by cash grabs before seeing our first piece of news, social content or weather and appointments.

This type of advertisement would be fine if HTC Blinkfeed were a standalone app that could be installed on non-HTC devices, but we’re not sure those who paid 0+ for an HTC phone would appreciate ads being shoved in their face. Sure, it’s just as easy to disable Blinkfeed as it is to disable anything on a typical Android phone, but if you have to sacrifice a useful feature to dodge this sort of annoyance then there’s a definite problem.

It’s worth noting that HTC is still only in the “planning” stages (if this is even true), so there’s a chance they may not even go through with it. We’re not sure if community uproar could be enough to get them to reconsider, but you’d better start yelling now if you want to make sure this sort of thing never sees the light of day.

Android M could bring native support for fingerprint scanning hardware

Before the Nexus 6 launched, there were hints inside AOSP that suggested the phone would come equipped with a fingerprint scanner. And according to ex-Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside, it would have had Apple swooped in and muddied things up.

If you’ve been doing this Android thing for awhile now, you’d know that fingerprint scanning smartphones are nothing new to Android. You can find them on Android devices dating all the way back to the original Motorola Atrix. It wasn’t until years later — no doubt thanks to the success of the iPhone 5S — Samsung followed suit with a scanner built into the Galaxy S5, albeit much more clunky than Apple’s implementation. More recently, HTC jumped on board with the HTC One M9 Plus and before that, the HTC One Max.

We said all that to say this: without a universal Android API for OEMs to tap into, all these manufacturers have to build their own solutions. That means proprietary software and the fingerprint reader only playing nice with a specific apps. With all kinds of security methods built into Android (even face detection) it’s odd that Google hasn’t addressed fingerprint scanners into Android. But that could soon change.

A new report from BuzzFeed suggests that Google will soon support native fingerprint authentication within Android, allowing users to log into apps like the Google Play Store using nothing but their fingerprint. Ars Technica was able to corroborate this story with their featured post recapping some of the thing we can expect out of this year’s Google I/O.

Also worth pointing out is how current Nexus hardware wouldn’t be able to support the necessary software APIs with a lack of fingerprint scanning hardware. If these new APIs are confirmed in a few more days, it could mean this year’s Nexus device will come equipped with a fingerprint reader. How else would Google test their new software?

LG G4 could launch on June 2nd according to an official (now deleted) tweet

LG and T-Mobile are teaming up to take the recently announced — but still unavailable stateside — LG G4 on a tour bus, hitting up multiple cities across the good ‘ol US of A. This cross country tour even has its own dedicated Twitter account run by T-Mobile (@G4Preview) which basically announces where they’re headed next, and tweets out photos of lucky G4 winners.

While neither LG or T-Mobile are willing to provide a launch date, the aforementioned G4 Preview Tour Twitter account may have revealed its expected launch date. In response to an inquiry from one Twitter user, the T-Mobile account said that the LG G4 will be in stores Tuesday, June 2nd.

The tweet has since been deleted, and it’s interesting that the response was to someone asking about AT&T availability — not T-Mobile. Although all major US carriers have committed to offering the LG G4 on the network when it does launch, nobody is offering up any details outside of preregistering for the device.

[9to5Google]

Google’s Project Soli could change how we interact with wearable devices [VIDEO]

Google’s big keynote yesterday had plenty of interesting stuff for the Android lovers among us, but some really exciting advances in technology were shown off today by Google’s head of advanced technologies and projects division, Regina Dugan. Dugan introduced one new technology development as Project Soli, a gesture radar solution that Dugan and her team have been developing since last June.

Dugan started the presentation by setting up an everyday use case–that smart devices currently don’t have a reliable way to interface with them since they’re considerably smaller than our phones. Project Soli is designed to fix that problem entirely, as it’s a gesture-based radar solution. Interacting with small interfaces using radar was previously impossible, as radar dishes are much too large to fit into a smart device interface.

ATAP created its very own mobile gesture radar system that’s small enough to fit inside of a smartwatch. Check out the demonstration above and you can see Ivan Poupyrev, the ATAP Technical Project lead give a short demonstration of how the technology works. You can hover your hand over the watch to interact with its software, play games, or even just adjust the time. You no longer need to tap on your watch, or curse after you’ve mis-tapped twice in a row because the screen is so small.

According to Proupyrev, the APIs for Project Soli will be available later this year, which could mean the next generation of smartwatches could include wearable gestures that take the complication out of building a UI that needs to be compact but also responsive to touch.