Google just rolled out a massive update for the official Google Drive app for Android bringing a nice UI update, optical character recognition and other usability improvements and enhancements. For starters, the UI has been updated with the new cards UI giving the app a very polished and sleek look. The new grid view mode also makes finding the your files much easier. For new Drive users, there is also a new introductory section showing the capabilities of Drive. .
Looks like the Google Edition Samsung Galaxy S4 isn’t going to be sold outside the U.S.
By Stefan Constantinescu on May 22, 2013 | No Comments »
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Google did something insane at I/O earlier this month. They announced that they would start selling Samsung’s Galaxy S4 running stock Android in the United States in June. It’s going to cost you $649, which falls in line with what a high end smartphone should cost, but the first immediate question after that thing was announced was when will it be sold in another country?
HTC Desire 200 and Desire 600 leak … kind of
By Stefan Constantinescu on May 22, 2013 | No Comments »
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The first half of 2013 is almost over, and HTC has yet to announce any low end phones. That’s soon going to change according to Unwired View. The site has found evidence of two devices known as the Desire 200 and the Desire 600 on Taiwan’s equivalent of the FCC. There are no pictures, sadly, and the specs are rumored for now, but if you’re OK with that then keep on reading.
Sony cuts their sales targets for smartphones and tablets by $2.9 billion
By Stefan Constantinescu on May 22, 2013 | Comment (1)
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According to Retuers, Sony originally estimated that they would make 1.8 trillion yen in sales during fiscal 2014. That number has now been changed to 1.5 trillion yen. In American dollars, that means they shaved a hair over $2.9 billion off their estimates. Now when exactly does Sony’s fiscal 2014 start and end? March 2014 to March 2015. I know what you’re thinking, it’s weird for Sony to be giving estimates that far out; I don’t pretend to understand how investors work.
Samsung just bought 10% of Pantech for $48 million
By Stefan Constantinescu on May 22, 2013 | Comments (4)
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When you think of Korean handset makers, two names come to mind: Samsung and LG. But there’s a third called Pantech that doesn’t get a lot of attention. Why? Because Pantech sells budget phones in the United States that aren’t very impressive. In their home country however, the company makes incredible devices like the recently announced Vega Iron (pictured above).
Qualcomm shows off 5.1 inch display with a 577 DPI, sadly it’s several years away
By Stefan Constantinescu on May 22, 2013 | No Comments »
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Did you know that Qualcomm has been trying to get into the display business for years? The company first showed off their “Mirasol” displays in 2009 (see video below), but they’ve had limited success in the market. Why? Because the technology is too weird. As someone who has seen a Mirasol display in person, I can tell you that it’s far better than an electronic ink display, but it’s total garbage compared to an LCD or AMOLED panel. The whole point of Mirasol is to provide LCD-like color reproduction, but with electronic ink battery levels due to a lack of backlighting.
PSA: Chrome 27 is out, Google claims it renders web pages 5% faster on average
By Stefan Constantinescu on May 22, 2013 | No Comments »
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Chrome hard-locked on my Mac this morning (curse you, Adobe!), so I had to reboot it. After I did that, the browser alerted me to the fact that there was a new version available. So I clicked update, and it did, and then I went to the Chrome Releases blog to find the changelog.
The Verge: HTC is imploding, Head of Product Planning and several other key employees leave
By Stefan Constantinescu on May 22, 2013 | Comment (1)
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The Verge has learned that several key HTC employees have left the company. Kouji Kodera, the company’s Chief Product Officer, left last week. Jason Gordon, Vice President of Global Communications, is gone; as is Rebecca Rowland, Head of Global Retail; John Starkweather, Head of Digital Marketing; and Eric Lin, Product Strategy Manager.
Leaked GS3 firmware reveals evidence that Samsung is working on fingerprint technology
By Stefan Constantinescu on May 22, 2013 | Comment (1)
Earlier this week, the guys at SamMobile published a leaked Galaxy S III firmware that had Android 4.2.2 on-board. Someone by the online handle “Kalagas” went through the file and found quite a number of icons suggesting that Samsung is working on integrating fingerprint reader technology into a future Galaxy product.
Samsung teases brown Galaxy S4 in their latest YouTube video
By Stefan Constantinescu on May 22, 2013 | No Comments »
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Samsung uploaded a music video to their YouTube channel that shows off a Galaxy S4 in a new hue: brown. It’s tough to say whether or not it’s a pretty brown or a doo doo brown since the cameo only lasts for a second or two, but those who are interested in traveling down the unbeaten path should keep your eyes peeled for this new GS4 variant at your local electronics store.
