Is Huawei making the next Nexus smartphone?

It’s safe to say Google’s next Nexus smartphone won’t launch until summer at the earliest (and more likely fall, if we go off of previous year’s releases), but the rumors are already starting to swirl. The latest says not only will Google release two new Nexus handsets this year, but one will be produced by a Chinese manufacturer.

Google’s plan seems to include updating both Nexus models currently available. It’s too early whether or not to say they will retain the 5-inch and 6-inch form factors, but at the very least we should get a premium model (these early rumors say it will be produced by LG) and a more affordable option. The latter would be the device produced by a Chinese OEM, and the thinking is that OEM will be Huawei.

While we can’t put too much stock in the rumors as they sit, they make at least some sense. China continues to grow as a market for Google and Android, and it would do Google well to show some love to one of the biggest manufacturer of mobile devices in that country (and the biggest overall manufacturer of telecommunications equipment in the world). As for hardware specs? We won’t take any guesses at what those will look like just yet.

Android 5.1 Lollipop finally allows you to mute until your next alarm

One thing that many people have not been happy about in Android Lollipop is the removal of silent mode. The three new notification modes (None, Priority, and All) don’t allow you to mute the device while still letting alarms through. Priority Mode allows alarms to go off, but it also lets other things through. None Mode blocks absolutely everything, including alarms.

Android 5.1 is one step closer to bringing back silent mode. Now when you put the phone into Priority or None Mode you’ll get the option to have it disabled at your next alarm. In order to see this option you’ll need to have an alarm set to go off within the next 12 hours. This is the closest thing we have to silent mode right now, and it works pretty well. You can block notifications without worrying about your alarm being blocked, too.

To learn more about notification modes check out 15 Tips & Tricks for Android Lollipop and Top 10 Android Lollipop Features. Are you happy with this new feature?

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!

The next device from OnePlus may be made out of more premium materials

We’re coming up on nearly one year since the OnePlus One was announced, and the phone has held up well. The company has made a lot of mistakes, but you can’t deny the device is one of the best. According to recent rumors the next phone from OnePlus is shaping up to be even better.

The latest rumor about the “ OnePlus Two” is about the build materials. OnePlus chose polycarbonate for the original device, but they may be going with something more premium in the next model. Reports suggest that OnePlus wants the next device to come off as higher-end, of course we’re talking about metal.

The only problem with a metal OnePlus Two would be the potential higher price. Many people loved the OnePlus One for its affordable 0 price point. Metal does make sense if OnePlus is still trying to provide the #neversettle experience. HTC and Samsung are now using metal in their flagship devices. OnePlus is all about competing with the big boys, and this move would certainly do that.

LG’s next event happens April 28th in 6 different cities, & it should finally bring us the LG G4

LG has finally set a date for their first big event since CES 2015. The company has announced an April 28th shindig where they want us “see the great” and “feel the great.” We imagine this event will serve as the launching pad for the LG G4, especially since it’s being simultaneously held in 6 different cities (New York, London, Paris, Seoul, Singapore and Istanbul) and because LG has yet to bring us their flagship contender for 2015.

We still don’t know what, exactly, to expect out of LG for the G4. Recent leaks have shown that the device will adopt a design similar to that of the LG G3 of yesteryear and the LG G Flex 2 revealed at CES a few months ago. That said, leaks aren’t always reliable — ask @evleaks — and we could end up seeing something totally different.

One thing to note about the invitation being sent to press is that it looks like a leather book cover, such as one you’d find on a premium notebook. Does this mean the LG G4 will have that same faux leather with stiching we loved (or hated) on Samsung’s 2013 phones? That’s a slim possibility, but our bet is that — if this invite is indeed showing a notebook in its background — it’s teasing the Note variant of the LG G4 that will come with a stylus.

Or it could just be that LG’s PR team wanted to use a nice looking background, and we’re talking a whole lot of something about a whole lot of nothing. Either way we’ll know what the company is planning for sure once April 28th rolls around. Mark your calendars!

Asus ZenWatch 2 will reportedly launch next year in two sizes

The Asus ZenWatch surprised a lot of people as one of the best Android Wear devices of 2014. It was one of the more attractive square watches and very affordable. What will Asus do to follow the success? We’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out.

Asus CEO jerry Shen reportedly told NDTV Gadgets that they are working on a new smartwatch, but they don’t plan to launch the ZenWatch 2 in 2015. However, he didn’t say it won’t be announced, so hopefully we’ll hear something about it before the calendar flips to 2016. Shen also revealed that the watch will come in two different sizes for men and women, similar to the Apple Watch.

There will be many new smartwatches announced before the end of the year. Hopefully Asus doesn’t fall too far behind by waiting until next year. What did you think about the Asus ZenWatch? Are you interested in the ZenWatch 2, or is that too long to wait?

 

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]

Is this Motorola’s next version of the Moto 360?

It was only a matter of time before the next Moto 360 rumors and leaks started. The Moto 360 was (and still may be) the most popular Android Wear device to date, which makes the next model highly anticipated. An executive from Lenovo (who acquired Motorola last year) may have spilled the beans on their follow-up.

A Chinese Facebook community posted the photo you see above last night. They claim the photo was taken by Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing. We can see a padded case filled with different bands and what appears to be a bunch of old Moto 360 parts. Take a closer look and you’ll notice a few key differences.

The side button is now position slightly closer to the band instead of centered on the side. The bigger difference is the new lugs that connect the watch band to the body. The original Moto 360 didn’t have exposed lugs like most watches. The bands sort of disappeared underneath for a very clean look. The new Moto 360 with the lugs takes on a more traditional design, which frankly I don’t like as much.

It’s not an article about the Moto 360 if we don’t talk about the “flat tire.” Yes, it does appear to still be there. However, there is a good chance they are still using the old displays in these new designs. Motorola would be very foolish to ignore all the complaints about the “flat tire” and not get rid of it. We’ll wait before we rage.

Thanks Mike!

[via MyDrivers]

LG changed their mind, will launch the quirky LG AKA outside of South Korea starting next week

Originally designed exclusively for South Korea, LG has announced that they’ll soon be bringing their quirky AKA line to new markets, starting first in Hong Kong. The phones definitely have personality, something we never thought we’d say about a smartphone. Each LG AKA features a different character that peeks out from the top of their own accessories, showing off their own unique personas. There’s 4 characters total, which LG describes as:

• Eggy (yellow) who falls frequently in love


• Wooky (white) ever-so-impulsive


• Soul (navy) music lover with a soft-heart


• Yo-Yo (pink) who is always on a diet

It’s more than just cartoon eyes and cases, with the characters woven into the phone’s wallpapers, ringtones, and widgets. With soon to be global release of the device, LG has also added something they’re calling an “emotional UX element.” Essentially, users can further customize their AKA’s eyes with glasses or different eyebrows. They’ll even be including stickers and an “Art Toy” figurine which can be digitized by snapping a picture of it, then adding it to selfies or other photos taken by the phone.

The phone isn’t a high-end powerhouse, but it isn’t exactly low-end either, with the same laser auto focus found on the LG G3, as well as LG’s touch & shoot and gesture shot camera features. Here’s everything you’ll find in the LG AKA:

LG AKA specs

• 1.2GHz quad-core processor


• 5-inch HD IPS display


• 16GB internal / 1.5GB RAM / microSD slot


• 8MP rear camera with Laser Auto Focus / 2.1MP front facing


• 2,610mAh (removable)


• Android 4.4 KitKat


• 138.7 x 71.9 x 9.9mm


• 135.5g (without font slide cover) / 157g (with front slide cover)


• 4G LTE connectivity


• Wi-Fi / Bluetooth 4.0 / NFC / A-GPS / USB 2.0

The LG AKA was first introduced in South Korea towards the end of 2014, where it would later receive an iF Design Award for it’s quirky design. Apparently, customer feedback and sales have been so good, that LG decided to bring launch it elsewhere. The LG AKA will be launching in Hong Kong next week, then soon China, Taiwan, Singapore, and eventually Turkey. LG said they’ll announce new markets once they’re ready.

T-Mobile’s next big announcement is happening in New York City March 18th

Quick heads-up, folks: T-Mobile is getting ready to make another big announcement. They’ve even carved out a block of time — March 18th — and a venue in the Big Apple for this one, so it must be something big.

There aren’t any strong rumors floating about, but the invitation’s “This One is a Real Piece of Work” tagline suggests it could be business oriented. Will we finally see Magenta bringing all of the great Uncarrier features over to business customers? That’d be awesome, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. All will be known in about a week and a half so sit tight and we’ll bring you the news as we hear it!

[via TmoNews]

Huawei schedules an event for April 15th to launch next smartphone

As we’ve noted in the past, Huawei is so hot right now. They showed off a beautiful Android Wear smartwatch, and their name is being tossed around for the next Nexus. People might not be able to say their name correctly, but they are definitely paying attention to Huawei. So what’s next?

Huawei is sending out invites for an event in London on April 15th. They’re expected to show off a successor to the Huawei Ascend P7. We’re not sure what market this device will be for, but Huawei does say it’s a “global product launch.” It’s also possible we could hear more information about the Huawei Watch and other devices. Hopefully they have something for us here in the U.S.

How do you feel about Huawei lately? Are you feeling the hype around their devices? Do you want a Huawei device?

Here’s what the Oppo R7 will be like when the company unveils it next month

Oppo has a new champion arriving next month, and with as many leaks as we’ve seen going around we’d almost say there’s no reason for them to wait that long. It’s the Oppo R7, and it looks quite impressive.

From everything we’ve heard so far, the Oppo R7 will be one of the thinnest smartphones on the planet, if not outright claiming the title. It’ll do so with a form factor that’s just 4.85mm thin. To top that off the achievement won’t even require Oppo using a protruding camera lens.

One thing we’ve heard that will be a bit of a bummer is that the device’s battery capacity will have to take a hit as a result of its thinness, though Oppo’s VOOC fast charging technology should help alleviate some of the frustrations that come as a result. We’re hearing it’ll take just 5 minutes of charging to get 2 hours of talk time, and that the battery can be charged from 0% to 75% in just half an hour.

Another interesting point about the device’s design is the glass slathered over the front. Oppo will apparently use “2.5D” curved glass to make for a nice premium look, feel and effect. To be quite honest it all makes for a smartphone that looks quite “iPhone-ish,” but Samsung was able to borrow some design elements from Apple’s latest and greatest and they got by just fine.

Enough about the design — what about the specs? Prior rumors have put the Oppo R7’s specs in this rough ballpark:

• 4.7-inch 1080p display


• 20.7-megapixel rear camera


• Octa-core MediaTek processor


• 2000mAh battery

Doesn’t sound too bad on the surface, though we’ll obviously need more than just good numbers and good looks to see if it’ll be worth your attention come next month.

Your next Android phone might come with Waze pre-installed

Every time you start up a new Android device for the first time you see a bunch of pre-installed Google apps. These apps include the Play Store, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, Chrome, and more. All of these services are bundled together in a package that Google offers to handset makers. It’s Google’s way of having some sort of control over a free open-source OS. If you want to use the Play Store, which all Android users expect to have, you’ll also have to include a bunch of other Google services.

Google may be adding yet another app to this bundle. Back in 2013 Google acquired the ultra-popular crowd-sourced traffic service, Waze. Since then they have been slowly adding some of Waze’s features into Google Maps, but the data from Waze is still gathered from actual people. In order to get even more users on Waze they will be adding it to the Google bundle.

This is awesome news for anyone that uses Waze. There is already a massive user base, but this is a service that only gets better with more users. Waze will also start to display Amber Alerts if you’re driving in an area that has one issued. All of this news should cement Waze’s position as one of the best apps to have in your car.

[via The Verge]

More rumors point to Huawei being the next Nexus maker

The rumors about the next Nexus device never really stop. Last week we wrote about a rumor suggesting that the next Nexus will be made by an unlikely manufacturer: Huawei. They’ve just surprised us with a gorgeous smartwatch, and now it looks like they could be the next Nexus maker. As Mugatu would say “Huawei, so hot right now.”

The latest rumor comes from Gizmochina, which is based in Huawei’s backyard. They are reporting that this rumor has been “confirmed” by Kevin Yang, the director of China research at iSuppli. Of course, nothing is “confirmed” until it’s confirmed. The choice to go with Huawei would make a lot of sense if Google is looking for a greater presence in China. Xiami and Huawei made huge gains in 2014.

A Huawei-made Nexus would likely do great in China, but how would it do here in the US? Most people here don’t even know how to pronounce Huawei (it’s wah-way), let alone trust them enough to buy a phone. We don’t really know how well Nexus devices sell here anyway. There might not be any significant difference in the US, but the possibility for huge gains in China.

Would you be interested in a Huawei Nexus device?

Google Now on Tap takes Android’s voice recognition to the next level [VIDEO]

We thought third-party app support would be the coolest thing headed to Google Now this year, but we weren’t even close. Google has announced Now on Tap, a new context-driven element for Google Now that’ll help you figure stuff out, take action and look up information related to what you’re looking at on your phone.

The quick explanation is that you can be inside an app, and Google Now — should you call on its never-ending expertise — can automatically determine what context you’re speaking in, even without specifics. One example was Spotify. You could be listening to Skrillex, and say “OK Google, what’s his real name?” From there, Google Now knows that “his” refers to “Skrillex” and will load up a Google Search that’ll return that exact information.

Another example showed two spouses messaging each other and asking about a restaurant for dinner. Holding the home button — still within that conversation — automatically brings up the restaurant, with reviews and directions for driving there. It’ll also be able to surmise whether you’re talking about a movie within an email conversation, or if you’re trying to find out more information about a specific food item on a menu inside a restaurant’s app.

The most interesting part of all this is that Google claims developers will not have to make any modifications to their apps for Google Now on Tap to work. It just happens, and it’s damn cool.

It’s a little scary, sure — Google Now knows enough about what I’m doing on my phone to provide context-accurate information? That’s sure to raise a big red flag for any privacy nut, but if Google’s privacy policy for using your data on all their other services is anything to go by we aren’t so sure there’s reason to worry.

Privacy aside, Google Now on Tap is very cool, and is perhaps the single biggest addition to the service since its arrival a couple of years back. Be sure to check out the video demos of Google Now on Tap in action in the YouTube clip above, and look forward to being able to try it out on the Android M developers’ preview once it’s ready.

Here’s our first peek at the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man edition, coming “next week”

When Samsung first teased the Iron Man Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge we’d only gotten a look at a box. A very cool box, mind you, but it was just the box. But today we seem to get our first glimpse at the device itself.

And a “glimpse” is all it is, as there isn’t much that can be seen in this tease of a photo. We get a rear shot of the device, with much of its detail drowned by a strong source of light emanating from the background.

It’s just enough illumination to see that the phone’s rear plate will be coated in a shade of red, with the Iron Man logo shimmering in what would likely be a golden color on top. We can also tell that the accents — particular that of the camera ring’s and the metal bumper of the device — will be shaded some sort of gold (though there’s no telling if this is some sort of paint or real gold plating).

We also get one more tidbit of info from the photo: it’ll be here as soon as next week! It’s worth noting that all this was posted on Samsung’s Korean Facebook page, so it’s possible this launch window pertains to that region alone. Heck, it’s even possible that this unit will be exclusive to South Korea. We’ll have to probe our friends at Samsung to find out more, but in the meantime let us know if you wouldn’t mind owning one of these.

Your clothes will be your next smartphone with Google’s Project Jacquard [VIDEO]

The Google ATAP team took to the stage at a very interesting Google IO session this morning to talk about the future of wearable technologies. Google’s ambitions aren’t just more beautiful and functional smart watches, or a refined version of smart glasses. They want to take things a step further and make your clothes smart, too.

Project Jacquard is the result of said ambition. Google has come up with a way to manufacture conductive fabric in a way that’s inexpensive and that can be designed with the flexibility required by any self-respecting fashion designer. More than that, though, they’ve helped develop wireless technology that can seamlessly integrate with fabric to allow it to communicate with a device, such as smartphones, tablets and smart watches.

Conductive fabric is already a thing, if you didn’t know. You can even buy some on Amazon if you want.

The problem is that it’s not very beautiful (most are presented in rough greyscale), it’s not implemented in any fashionable brands, and there’s no meaningful platform for developers and users to easily take advantage of it. Those are the gaps Google hopes to narrow with Jacquard.

They had to start with finding a new way to spin conductive textile in a way that’s both compatible with existing techniques, as well as compatible with a wide range of existing fabrics (such as silk, cotton or polyester).

The result is a fabric suitable, flexible and fashionable enough for designers to make clothing with.

The fabric can be embedded under a layer of other cloth, or even interwoven with existing cloth to make large surface areas for touch.

As you can see, design isn’t sacrificed for functionality. Google then had to find a way to turn all of this:

Into this:

By the end of it all, you have a piece of clothing that can act as your second touch pad, and an open platform that’ll allow you to translate touch on your jacket (or pants, or whatever it is you’ll wear) into actions on a smart device.

Think of all the things you could do with it:

• Swipe your arm to make a quick phone call


• Double tap your arm to silence an incoming call


• Use your arm as a remote control for controlling presentations, including multi-touch and pinch-to-zoom

This isn’t just poised to become some experimental wet dream that eventually fades into nothingness, either. Google has gone as far as partnering up with top clothing brand Levis to usher the technology into the market in order to transform fashion in a way we have yet to see. You can even see the gentlemen responsible for the teams working on this technology wearing a Project Jacquard jacket in the photo below.

We’re hoping a lot more will jump on board once Project Jacquard takes off and everyone sees just how cool, innovative and forward-thinking this stuff is.

[via Project Jacquard]

Yu’s next phone is called Yuphoria, and it’s coming May 12th with Cyanogen OS

Yu’s first smartphone — the Yureka — wasn’t all that special aside from the fact that it ran Cyanogen OS. It was still a decent option for budget-minded folks, though, and now the company is set to follow-up with a sequel.

They have announced a May 12th date for the revelation of their next smartphone, which the promo image suggests will be called “Yuphoria”. The company is sure to use Cyanogen OS for software, though that’s as much as we know about it at this time.

Even if we don’t know what to expect we can always talk about what we want. What we don’t want? A copy/paste job based on a smartphone that already exists. We’re hoping for something unique that’ll turn heads even if its specs are unlikely to top any charts. We’ll be digging for more details, but May 12th isn’t even a fortnight away so we’ll know more soon enough.

HTC says next year’s M phone will be completely different

HTC has taken a lot of flak for the HTC One M9. It’s not a bad phone on its own, but the company did next to nothing different compared to yesteryear’s HTC One M8. Well, it wasn’t enough to get M8 owners to consider upgrading, anyway.

But the company says the iterative updates are about to go away. CEO Cher Wang confirmed to Focus Taiwan that HTC is planning to bring a fresh, innovative device for the next flagship M device ( HTC One M10, anyone?). We’ll see new goods in areas of both design and technology. It will have been the biggest departure from HTC’s tried and true engineering since the original HTC One (M7).

Beyond that, the company is also planning to launch another hero device later this year, which seems to indicate that they’ve ditched their strategy of releasing just one sole flagship device each year. Then again, they’ve already shown us that they have no problems releasing multiple high-end smartphones, even when their launches come weeks apart.

HTC’s also conscious about their questionable marketing efforts, and says they have plans to step it up down the line. We’re not sure what they will do, but we sincerely hope it features a lot less Robert Downey Jr.

Hearthstone is getting an awesome new game mode for the first time in next update

Hearthstone fans, rejoice! Arena, Ranked and Casual play are no longer the only three ways to have fun in the collectible card game. Blizzard has announced a great new update that will add Tavern Brawl.

Tavern Brawl is a new game mode where Blizzard sets some whacky conditions for building decks, as well as possibly changing card texts or increasing (and even decreasing) life totals. It’s a fun way to play the game that has been featured by many third-party tournaments in the past, so we’re glad to see Blizzard incorporating something into the game as standard.

The way it works is Blizzard will set up a new “Brawl” each week, with global parameters being applied to everyone who enters. One week might be building a deck where you can’t use any class cards, while next week you could see a zero mana cost Dr. Boom. Crazy, I know. Blizzard hasn’t yet fully detailed the rewards you get for participating in brawls, though they did note that the mode will be free to start (indicating there may be a pay wall — whether you have to use gold or real money — down the line).

Other changes coming as part of patch 2.7 include the ability to set card backs for individual decks, as well as buying (for .99, no other option) and using the new alternate heroes. These heroes won’t have different class cards or mechanics, but you do get a new face to look at, new emotes and possibly new hero power animations. You can see the Warrior’s new hero — Magni Bronzebeard — in the video ahead.

So when’s it all arriving? Blizzard’s only timeline was “mid-June,” which isn’t very long. We’d hope it’s in time for the weekend, though knowing Blizzard we’re likely to see it around Monday or Tuesday.

[via Blizzard]