Google attempted to steal some thunder away from Apple when the Cupertino company unveiled new details about their first ever smart watch. They did so by posting a quick video urging folks to “wear what you want,” and showed a wealth of energetic beings rocking the many different Android Wear watches out there.
The full video has now been posted online in case you were wondering how the whole thing plays out. Here’s a quick summary: a lot of cool people do a lot of cool things with a lot of arms and fingers. Be sure to take a gander below if you can afford to take a quick one minute break.
Moto Maker for the Moto X was and is a pretty big deal for those who value the freedom to express their personality, so it’s only natural that the same be true for a watch that’s going to sit on your wrist all day. As we’d heard before, the Moto 360 can now be customized via Moto Maker.
Buyers can choose from three case finishes, nine band styles and, of course, whatever watch face they desire. Essentially all the options at your disposal are already available in one standard configuration or another, or by purchasing bands separately, but being able to specify which exact casing and bands you want without ordering extra pieces and paying more money is much more satisfactory than the old way.
The Moto 360 still starts at 0, though you’ll need to add if you want the Champagne Gold body, and if you decide to go with a metal band over standard leather. Be sure to look through all your options here and order one if you aren’t already part of the big happy Moto family.
Here’s a quick heads-up on a deal for anyone who has urges to get into mobile coding at some point. Android Area has the Mobile-First Developer’s Bundle on sale right now, and you can pay whatever you want for it. The bundle is valued at over ,000. It features 10 courses from a variety of publications with hundreds of hours of educational content to develop apps for Android and iOS.
This deal is similar to the Humble Bundle. You can pay whatever you want, but to get all 10 courses you have to pay more than the average. At the time of writing this article the average price people have paid is only .94. The more people that buy this deal the higher the average will go, so grab it while it’s still under . If you’re trying to be a big shot you can beat the leader’s price, which is currently 0.
This is a great way to get tons of information about developing mobile apps at dirt cheap prices. Head over to Android Area to grab this deal before it ends in 4 days.
Here at Phandroid we’re always trying to bring you the best Android coverage on the planet. We cover the news, review the latest devices and apps, curate lists, make videos, do a podcast, and so much more. Android is our life, but we know it’s your life too. From time to time we take a step back and ask you, the reader, what you’d like to see on Phandroid.
Your Favorite Android Topics
We’ve been doing this since before Android was even on a single phone, and in that time “covering Android” has evolved to mean much more. Phones will always be the bread and butter of the Android world, but nowadays we also have tablets, watches, TVs, glasses, and even cars. Then there is all the apps, games, and services that actually run on these devices. Android is a monster, and we love it.
Our question to you is, which of these topics is most important to you? Check all that apply.
What types of articles?
All of these different topics can be covered in many different ways. There are simple news stories, leaks, and rumors, but also reviews, tutorials, editorials, polls (like this one), videos, and more. All of these serve different purposes. We’d like to know what type of content is your favorite. Are you a news hound or do you like to sink your teeth into something more in-depth?
Recurring Features
“Features” are what we call our original content. This includes our semi-weekly Android Wallpaper series, Best Apps of the Month, Best Phones of the Month, Phan Favs (reader-selected best apps), Deals of the Week, and more. These types of articles are what set Phandroid apart. They provide valuable information and analysis that you won’t find anywhere else. We’d like to know what featured content is your favorite?
Your Personal Android Experience
Android is a universal product. There are a bunch of different carriers and manufacturers making Android devices across the globe. So while one person across the globe could be using the same phone as you, someone else could have an Android device you’ve never heard about. That’s the beauty of this ecosystem.
Manufacturers
There are many, many manufacturers making Android devices. Almost ever tech company from Acer to ZTE has made some sort of Android-related device. Here in the U.S. we’ve got the big four: Samsung, HTC, LG, and Motorola. In other parts of the world the selection is much more diverse. Let us know who you like.
Carriers
Most of these Android devices require a carrier in able to function. Just like with the manufacturers there are four big carriers here in the U.S.: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. In the global scale these carriers are not even in the top ten. What carrier do you use?
Global News
We primarily cover news that happens here in the U.S., but we realize that some of our readers may want to hear about more global Android news. Even if you’re living in the U.S. you might be interested in what’s happening in India, or vice versa.
Give us your suggestions!
We just threw a lot of polls at you, but now we want to hear your own words. We love to hear from you, after all, this site would be nothing without readers. Share your suggestions in the comments below. What would you like to see more of on Phandroid? Do you have ideas for new recurring features? Let us know!
While it’s not uncommon for Chinese smartphone maker ZTE to launch an Android device here in the US, high-end handsets are another story entirely. The company, who has reportedly been sending invites out for a mysterious July 14th event in New York, is planning to launch a new smartphone, something they’re calling the Axon Phone. They even launched a new website for the device. Oddly enough, you wont find any mention of ZTE on the site, but the folks at PCMag did some digging and found out that the domain was registered by ZTE back in 2012.
In either case, the ZTE Axon Phone is an interesting handset, probably the most compelling smartphone we’ve seen from the manufacturer. Launching in a variety of colors — Phthalo Blue (don’t even try saying that out loud), Ion Gold, or Chromium Silver — it features a rather unique speaker grill design on the front. According to the branding on the back, it seems this Axon Phone was designed right here in the good ‘ol US of A.
You’ll also notice a dual-camera setup on the back, which — like we saw on the HTC One M8 — is supposed to help boost auto-focus speeds and allow users to refocus pictures after they’ve been shot. There’s also mention of both high fidelity audio recording and playback, presumably from those fancy stereo front facing speakers. Another interesting aspect is the phone is the custom UI, which — unlike ZTE’s usual efforts — actually doesn’t make us want to throw up in our own mouths. We posted a few screenshots for you to take a look at below.
Other hardware details are scarce, but the site does mention 4GB of RAM, an unspecified “lightning fast” processor, and large battery. You can visit the site right now if you want to be notified when Axon Phone officially becomes available where they’re even throwing a contest that will get you a free device along with the prospect of a ,000 grand prize. Source link provided below.
