iPhone deals, Android L hands-on, Budget Android Wear & more – Pocketnow Daily

Posted on by Jaime Rivera

Watch today’s Pocketnow Daily as we talk about our hands-on coverage of Android L, and what has changed. Then we talk about some Friday deals, including the iPhone 5s and Sony microSD cards. Samsung follows as the company has just joined T-Mobile in its Uncarrier 5.0 trial. Google follows as company executives reveal that the Nexus program continues. We end today’s show talking about a budget-priced Android Wear device in the works.All this and more after the break.Stories:- What’s new in Android L: a ...

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HTC One (M8) – After The Buzz, Episode 36

Posted on by Jaime Rivera

Most new device launches go the same way: usually the press gets review units before they’re widely available, and we get to use them for a few days -or a week if we’re lucky- as we work on our review.Then press day arrives. The embargo on media coverage lifts, and everyone posts their reviews and videos at the same time. It’s a huge frenzy, commenters go nuts, and it’s a giant explosion of frantic opinion-sharing activity.For about … a day. And then it all goes away. Sure, there’s followup coverage as people find bugs and hidden features, but after that initial blast, not many ...

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S sales hit the US today

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

This year has already been a busy one for Samsung’s tablet lineup, and a couple weeks back we saw the company debut the latest additions to that family, bringing OLED displays back into the fold with the launch of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Tab S 10.5. We saw pre-orders open shortly after Samsung’s premiere event, and today we finally reach retail availability, as both Tab S models go up for sale in the ...

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Windows Phone 8.1 numbers are up, even with OTA updates yet to arrive

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

With July in sight, odds are good that current users of Windows Phone 8 – those of you who haven’t dipped your toes in the 8.1 pool yet by means of the developer preview – are about to see over-the-air WP8.1 updates start landing in just a couple weeks. Until those days arrive, your only 8.1 options have been that preview release, or the rare new model shipping with 8.1 right out of the box. But despite ...

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How Android L will improve real-time audio processing

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

When we’re talking about audio on smartphones, most of the times our conversation turns to speakers; do they offer stereo output, good frequency response, and are they placed wisely? That comes up so often because the details effect so many tasks, from games, to video playback, and even speakerphone calls. But what if your concern is more about audio processing: taking a signal in, acting upon it, and outputting the result? Some platforms have managed to shine at this task, but ...

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Sony already delivering Android 4.4.4 updates, leaving other OEMs in its wake

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

When did Sony become the manufacturer to compete against when it comes to delivering timely Android platform updates to its smartphone lineup? Lately it’s felt like Motorola had the upper hand in that department, quickly getting Google’s latest releases out to its near-stock handsets, but Sony might be raising the bar even higher this week, as it distributes Android 4.4.4 updates to a number of its smartphones.Granted, Android 4.4.4 isn’t a big update itself, but it only even started rolling ...

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R.I.P. Facebook Home (2013 – 2014)? Maybe not…

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

The past few weeks have seen a flurry of interest in alternate launchers for Android phones. Nokia surprised a lot of Android users with the pre-beta release of its Z launcher, and we just saw Yahoo’s Aviate launcher leave beta and become widely available. Sure, custom launchers have long been an option for Android users, but it’s only recently that we’ve seen them mature from more of an enthusiast ...

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Android L vs Android KitKat (Video)

Posted on by Joe Levi

Google recently released a Developer Preview of its latest version of Android: Android L. Though it’s not final code by any stretch of the imagination, we wanted to see how it compares to Android 4.4.4 KitKat – the latest official release of the operating system.We headed over to Google’s “L Developer Preview” page, downloaded, and installed Android L build LPV79 to our Nexus 5 (there is also a build for the 2013 Nexus 7, though only ...

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Windows Phone joins the Photoshop club

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

It’s a story we’ve sadly seen all too many times before: a developer comes out with its hot new mobile app for iOS, and maybe delivers an Android port… and then that’s it. Either due to a lack of resources or perceived lack of benefit, users of smaller mobile platforms find themselves getting left behind. Companies like Microsoft and BlackBerry have been doing what they can do encourage developer engagement with their platforms, and today we learn of at least one of ...

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Friday deals: iPhones at Walmart, cheap Sony microSD cards

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Summer can be expensive: all those tankfuls of gas for road trips to the beach, tickets to the latest blockbuster movie, and you probably don’t even want to look at what that A/C is costing you to keep cool. If you’re trying to keep a handle on spending, though, that doesn’t mean you have to pass up on some of the hottest smartphones and their accessories, and today we’ve spotted a couple solid deals that should help your summer dollar stretch a little farther.Apple’s iPhone pricing has been notorious for its resistance to discounts. That’s not to say ...

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Samsung latest smartphone maker to jump on free trial bandwagon

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

When did offering shoppers free in-home trials of new smartphones become the hot thing for manufacturers and carriers to do? All of a sudden it feels like everyone’s getting involved with one of these arrangements, from Motorola’s two-week Moto X trial for just one cent, to T-Mobile with its seven-day iPhone 5S loaners. Now it’s Samsung’s turn to go after consumers who need a little more hands-on time with a ...

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Google’s invested in future Nexus devices; Android Silver’s not killing them off

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

For about the past five months now, rumors have been swirling around this idea that the Nexus series of Android phones and tablets was coming to a close. After initial talk of Google Play editions possibly rising to take their place, rumors of Android Silver popped-up, and it became the presumed replacement for the Nexus program. And while neither Silver nor Nexus came up at the Google I/O keynote, that new business of Android One ...

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