Huawei starts MWC 2015 early, posts Huawei Watch promo and design videos to YouTube

Even though Mobile World Congress 2015 doesn’t officially start until March 2nd, Huawei has let the cat out of the bag on their upcoming announcement by posting two new videos on their YouTube channel. Huawei plans on joining the smartwatch race with what looks like a beautifully crafted Android Wear smartwatch or maybe they’re promoting a European Ski vacation. I’m not entirely sure.

From the promo videos, we can tell that this Android Wear smartwatch looks similar to the Moto 360 with it’s metal housing, thin bezels, and heart rate monitor; though the bands attach slightly different with Huawei Watch, Huawei’s offering doesn’t have a “flat tire” at the bottom, and the crown has been moved to the 2 o’clock position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtDzSMPuoMc

As for the design of the watch, Huawei apparently surveyed both men and women watch enthusiasts and determined that a 42mm body size is the most common. The watch will come in both steel and gold colors, have a variety of stainless steel and leather straps available for both men and women, and come equipped with sapphire glass. Huawei has also packaged their own fine crafted custom watch faces on their watch to enhance the watch’s elegant look and feel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=016WQrGexnE

That’s all we know for now, but we have Rob Jackson and Chris Chavez on the floor at MWC 2015 this week and we’ll try to get more information as well as a hands-on as soon as possible.

What do you think of the Huawei Watch? Let us know in the comments.

 

Google starts showing auto insurance comparisons in search results

At its core Google has always been about putting people in touch with information. It started with searching the web, and has since ballooned to many other things. The latest is a handy tool for comparing auto insurance. If you live in California you should start seeing comparison tools when searching for auto insurance. They’ve also made the tools accessible on a new website.

All you have to do is enter your zip code, car details, and some other information to get results. You’ll see a list of quotes from a variety of insurance companies. From there you can head to the provider’s website and finish your purchase. Right now the service is only available in California, but it will be rolling out to other states soon. With all the different commercials and ads from auto insurance companies it’s nice to have a place to compare them all.

[via Google]

Verizon’s HTC One M8 starts receiving Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade

Verizon’s HTC One M8 has been late to the Lollipop party, but as we always say it’s better late than never. The upgrade is now rolling out to users, Verizon has announced. There isn’t much different here compared to what we’ve seen from other variants.

HTC’s version of Lollipop implements the new notifications and recent apps multitasking as it was imagined in Android 5.0 Lollipop. They’ve also taken care to update many of their apps with Material Design and make it possible to search through settings using a built-in search box.

Beyond that, Verizon has enabled Band 4 LTE roaming, and has also made improvements to the device’s 3-way calling feature. Verizon says to keep an eye out for software version SU4A – 3.28.605.9, SU4B – 4.17.605.5. That’s a mouthful, but when you receive Android 5.0 Lollipop, you’ll know it. Be sure to hop on WiFi with a charged battery to check for it at your earliest convenience.

LG’s Galaxy Note competitor – the G Stylo – starts shipping this month

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 could come as early as July, and when it does, it’ll have some competition. We’ve heard that LG is cooking up a Galaxy Note competitor and today it’s finally been officially announced: introducing the LG G Stylo (aka LG G4 Stylus) which starts shipping this month:

more pictures coming soon…

Some of the key G4 Stylus specs:

• 1.2GHz Quad-Core (LTE) / 1.4GHz Octa-Core (3G)


• 5.7-inch HD IPS screen (258ppi)


• 1GB RAM / 8GB ROM / microSD


• 13MP camera (some regions to get 8MP)


• 5MP front camera


• 3,000mAh battery (removable)


• Android 5.0 Lollipop


• Size: 154.3 x 79.2 x 9.6mm


• Weight: 163g


• Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.1 / NFC / A-GPS / Glonass / USB 2.0


• Colors: Metallic Silver / Floral White

In addition to coming with the new Stylus Pen it will also come with key LG features such as Laser Auto Focus, Gesture Shot, Glance View, and Knock Code.

In an interesting twist of naming fate, LG will call it the LG G4 Stylus globally save for the North American and Korea versions where it will be called “LG G Stylo”:

The G4 Stylus (available as G Stylo in North America and Korea) will be offered in both LTE and 3G configurations in Metallic Silver or Floral White color options. The G4c is an LTE model only and will come in Metallic Gray, Ceramic White and Shiny Gold.

LG also announced the LG G4c – with the “c” standing for “Compact” – offering an easier to wield alternative to the LG G4 for those with smaller hands and/or different preferences. Sitting in a 5-inch frame the LG G4c rocks 1.GHz Quad core processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP camera, and 5MP selfie cam.

Both of these devices will begin shipping to retailers immediately but it’s not clear when they’ll be available to consumers through carriers and retail partners:

Both smartphones will begin shipping to retailers around the world in the next several weeks and throughout the month of May.

If you thought your decision was already tough between the LG G4, Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, and HTC One M9, you may want to reserve some time for some smartphone soul searching… this is going to be a toughie.

Official: Sprint gets the LG G4 June 5th, pre-sale starts today with 3 free goodies

Sprint has announced that they will be getting the LG G4 June 5th. The carrier is among the first to offer up solid availability. They’ll have a few different options for upgrading depending on what works best for you:

• Sprint Lease: LG G4 will be available through Sprint Lease for down at signing and per month. (Note that Sprint will always own the device and there will be no option to keep it if you end service).


• At the conclusion of the lease period, customers in good standing have several options, including returning the LG G4 and leasing another device or purchasing it.


• Sprint Easy Pay^SM: Well-qualified buyers can purchase LG G4 with down (plus tax), no finance fees and 24 easy monthly payments of (SRP: 0; excluding taxes; service plan required).


• Purchase LG G4 for $ 9.99 with a two-year agreement.


• Purchase LG G4 for 9.99 without a contract.

You can pre-order as soon as today, and doing so will net you some goodies, including a 32GB microSD card, a spare 3,000mAh battery and a charging cradle. You should also check out our LG G4 review if you’re still on the fence, but here’s a quick spoiler: you definitely couldn’t go wrong making this your smartphone of choice for 2015.

[via Sprint]

Samsung starts teasing the Iron Man Galaxy S6 Edge on Twitter

So Samsung might not be looking to bring out an entire collection of Avengers-themed Samsung Galaxy S6 devices (they do have a fleet of cases coming), but we can at least expect an Iron Man Edition to launch. Previous rumors tipped us off to that much and the company confirmed it to Korean press, and now Samsung has started teasing it themselves.

Unfortunately the graphic doesn’t give any other hints, such as when it’s scheduled to arrive or how much it’ll cost. All we get is an ominous “coming soon” note, and a box with a glow bright enough to make any cat curious.

We’ve already gotten an idea of how a Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge would look draped in Iron Man colors thanks to the conceptual work of one enthusiastic designer. This may not be the design Samsung ends up going with, but it gives us a good idea of what to expect — and if it’s anything close to the aforementioned render we’d say there’s plenty to be excited about.

[via Twitter]

Boost Mobile starts selling the LG Volt 2 and LG Tribute 2 today

Boost Mobile has announced immediate availability of 2 of LG’s latest smartphones. It’s the LG Volt 2 and Tribute 2, which are 2 smartphones that don’t come close to the stature of the LG G4 but will go much easier on your wallets.

The Volt 2 is a 5-inch 720p device with some decent cameras in a 5 megapixel front sensor and an 8 megapixel rear counterpart. It also has the 64-bit quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410, 1GB of RAM, LTE, 8GB of storage with microSD and will ship with Lollipop. That package will run you just 0.

Taking things down a notch is the LG Tribute 2, which sports a 4.5-inch display with 854 x 480 resolution. It enjoys a 5 megapixel rear camera, a VGA front camera, Snapdragon 410, 1GB of RAM, LTE, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD) and also ships with Lollipop. That’s enough of a downgrade to make it cheaper than its bigger brother.

Want one? They’re up for sale on Boost’s site right now, though you could also call in or head to your local Boost location if you prefer those routes. Find the appropriate links straight ahead.

Buy the LG Volt 2 for 0

Buy the LG Tribute 2 for 0