LG G4 leaked in the most revealing and massive collection of photos yet

LG was planning on waiting until April 28th to fully unveil their latest pride and joy, but those plans were spoiled over the weekend. The company seemingly accidentally published a massive collection of revealing photos on a pre-launch minisite they were testing, and as luck would have it the most experienced leakster happened to stumble upon it.

The minisite was taken down as of the time of this writing, but the photos live on thanks to the internet’s inability to truly delete anything. So what new have we learned? Aside from confirmation of a few pieces of specs — namely, the removable 3,000mAh battery, a 16 megapixel OIS camera, a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 display and a microSD slot — we have a pretty good idea of what the thing will look like.

For starters, the stitched “leather” backing teased in invites is real, though it won’t be the only option. The photos revealed a collection of handsets sporting a more traditional looking backplate in 3 classic colors.

That said, if you like the leather look and feel you’ll be happy to know there are quite a few colors to choose from:

• Black


• Light Brown


• Mahogany


• Light Blu


• Tan


• Yellow

The photos also reveal that the backplate is removable to grant access to the battery and SIM card tray. This not only means you can swap batteries but also swap backplates — how cool would it be to get a different looking backplate depending on which style suits you and your wardrobe on a particular day?

Circling around to the front of the device doesn’t reveal much out of the ordinary, though LG looks to be using some sort of mesh-looking pattern to accent the bezels instead of the plain, jet black look we’ve gown accustomed to.

The leak also gave us an early look at LG’s QuickCircle folio case that’ll give you a look at pertinent information on a limited area of the display without having to remove the cover. Pretty standard stuff that we don’t expect to bring any surprises we haven’t already experienced on LG’s prior devices.

Rounding it all out is a decent look at the device’s software, which looks to be a nice take on Android 5.0 Lollipop with a flat, clean user interface and heavy dosage of Google’s Material Design.

So what do you think? We know LG will present a smartphone worth attention and money once April 28th hits, but is it looking like something you want to carry day after day? Sound off below, and be sure to stick around as we’re bound to hear more leading up to the days of the company’s big reveal.

[via The Verge, Google+]

Swipes is one of the most beautiful task managers we’ve ever seen

Would you believe me if I told you a popular iOS app with a design that would make Jony Ive smile has come to Android and embraced Material Design? Well believe it, because that is exactly what has happened. Swipes is a task management app that aims to help you stay organized and get things done. It works a lot like Inbox and Mailbox.

With Swipes you can plan your day on a timeline. If you don’t have time to do something right now you can easily snooze it for later. As the name suggests, the interface uses swipes to archive tasks, snooze tasks, and more. You can set priority for tasks, get reminders, and even use a light or dark theme. Swipes has Evernote integration right now, but soon they will also add support for Gmail and Google Calendar.

This is one of the nicest apps that has come from iOS. It’s great to see a developer treat each platform with care. You can also access Swipes from the web, which is very handy, and a Chrome extension is coming soon. If you’re looking for a clean and simple app to help with your to-do lists this is an excellent option. Swipes is available for free from the Play Store right now.

 

The most iPhone-ish feature of the Galaxy S6

The Apple and Samsung battle has been going on for years… in their marketing jargon, in the legal system, and in the court of public opinion. The two juggernauts constantly try to one-up each other yet aren’t afraid to borrow good ideas, a combination that has helped speed innovation and bring the best-of-the-best to consumers. So has the Galaxy S6 borrowed anything from Apple and the latest iPhone 6?

The Galaxy S6 is a huge diversion from previous Samsung devices, implementing a fixed position battery that cannot be removed which also means there is no expandable storage. The plastic is gone in favor of premium metal. The device is one solid piece of awesome. It’s probably the best device Samsung has ever made, but even the Sammiest of Samsung fanboys would have a hard time denying that one particular Galaxy S6 feature looks particularly iPhone-ish.

The three phones shown above (from top to bottom):

• iPhone 6


• Samsung Galaxy S6


• Samsung Galaxy S5

It’s pretty clear that in the move from the Galaxy S5 to the iPhone 6, Samsung agreed that Apple was doing some things right in terms of component placement and design. I’m not sure I even have to explain… but just to briefly summarize.

• Samsung moved the headphone jack from the top of the phone to the bottom of the phone, mirroring the iPhone 6


• Samsung did away with their waterproofing so there is no longer a cover to the MicroUSB port


• The speaker was moved from the rear of the device to the bottom, mirroring the iPhone 6


• The speaker “grill” holes look very similarly circular

I’m sure this will be argued endlessly, until of course the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7 or next DilemmaGate arrives. Perhaps we’re throwing fuel on the fire, but hey, we think it’s an interesting observation and one worthy of discussing. Regardless, after playing with the Galaxy S6 for several hours now, it’s easily one of the most beautiful phones – and maybe the best phone – I’ve ever used in my life. I’ll let Apple and Samsung figure out on what merit that came to be.

What do you think about these similar design choices? Is Samsung getting risky? Are the companies artificially inflating a Jay-Z vs. Nas style feud that helps both of their art grow exponentially? Did I just date myself and are you still even reading this?

I’m sure you’ll let me know all that and more in the comments below.