Android is an open source, Linux based operating system for smartphones. Original creators of the operating system, Android Inc. were acquired by Google in 2005. In 2008, the HTC Dream (Also known as the T-Mobile G1) was released as the first phone running Android OS. Android features a home screen with multiple pages which can have widgets or application shortcuts added. With many manufacturers building Android powered handsets and being supported by carriers all over the world, Android is one of the most popular and widely used smartphone operating systems. Read on for the latest Android news, reviews and videos:
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by Michael Fisher | May 22, 2013 6:45 PMRead OnIt's become a trope in mobile tech: write an article about Nokia, and someone will leave a comment suggesting that all the beleaguered company needs to do to return to prominence is build an Android phone. Mark my words: it'll even happen on this article, despite the contravening headline. And, fanboys being fanboys, a flame war (or at least a small brush fire) will erupt. As Emperor Palpatine might say, "it is unavoidable." You don't know the power of the (nonexistent) Nokia Android phone. While I disagree with the premise that a Nokia-Droid would save the company, I understand its ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 22, 2013 4:48 PMRead OnGoogle is on a bit of a tear lately, updating apps and services across the board. We follow up the recent changes to Google+ with an update for the Android Drive app, giving the program a new look. The Now-ification of Google apps continues with Drive's new card-based layout. You can swipe these around to navigate through your shared files, and there's a new quick preview mode. For those of you who like to work with documents on your phone – and not just view them – the new Drive gains some additional editing tools. When working with spreadsheets, you can now adjust cell alignment and ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 22, 2013 1:19 PMRead OnWaterproof smartphones: so hot right now. Sony got things rolling in 2013 with the Xperia Z, and with models like the Galaxy S 4 Active looming over the horizon, it doesn't look like waterproof phones are going away anytime soon. The latest to go official comes from LG, which today revealed the waterproof Optimus GJ. As the name implies, this handset shares much in common with last year's Optimus G. That means the same quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, and 4.7-inch 720p display. Like some of those G variants, the GJ also has a 13-megapixel main camera. Unlike the original Optimus G, ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 22, 2013 12:21 PMRead OnEarlier this month, we finally started to see all the rumors surrounding Motorola's X phone come together to take physical form, upon the discovery of imagery of an "XFON" apparently getting ready for AT&T. Then we saw what appeared to be the same handset hit the FCC as Motorola model XT1058, again showing support for AT&T's network. Since then, there have been signs that the XFON might also be in the works for other carriers, like a CDMA version arriving as model XT1060. Today, we've got yet another XFON contender to look at, with a Motorola model XT1056 for Sprint making its own ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 22, 2013 11:38 AMRead OnThe Galaxy S 4 is all about software. Some of us are less taken with Samsung's effort than others, but it's nonetheless clear that the company focused on creating a feature-packed experience for its users. It looks like Samsung is just as interested at keeping the flow of software coming that really highlights the GS4's capabilities, and to that end Samsung has announced its Smart App Challenge 2013, with $800,000 in prize money to be distributed. For this competition, Samsung wants apps to really show off its Samsung Chord SDK. Chord lets devices that are in close proximity discover each ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 22, 2013 10:55 AMRead OnHTC's 2013 Androids have thus far been generally higher-end devices. Sure, the First is no One, but specs like that 4.3-inch 720p screen make it clear that this is no bargain-basement model. We all knew that trend couldn't last forever, and sure enough, we're now getting a look at some lesser Androids to help fill out HTC's handset lineup, upon the discovery of evidence pointing to both the Desire 200 and Desire 600. The first thing you should notice is the naming: gone are the days of the Desire C and Desire V, replaced with a system reminiscent of Nokia, or even Qualcomm and its SoC ...
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by Joe Levi | May 22, 2013 7:39 AMRead OnBefore any large event or conference there's always a lot of speculation about what's coming next. It may come as a surprise to many of you, but any software development project is never really "done". There is always a list of features that didn't make it in, known bugs that were deemed not to be "show stoppers", bugs that weren't identified prior to release, as well as other patches and updates that come with the normal development cycle. As such, there will always be updates to software, including operating systems like Android. There are always rumors about what's coming in the next ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 22, 2013 7:03 AMRead OnA lily white version of Google's Nexus 4 has been teasing its existence for months now. We've had the chance to look at it from seemingly every angle under the sun, and it's pretty darn attractive. Of course, the big problem is that, now half a year since the Nexus 4's retail launch, this white version has yet to go official. As such, the white Nexus 4 has been tied to any number of rumors of refreshed Nexus 4 hardware, the idea being that Google would use the phone as an instrument by which to introduce some other new Nexus 4 feature, like proper LTE support (as opposed to any radio ...
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by Anton D. Nagy | May 22, 2013 5:09 AMRead OnSamsung and Pantech are direct competitors, and, even more, they're from the same country, South Korea, together with LG. According to a press release today, the announcement says that Samsung buys stake in Pantech. 10%, to be more specific, according to the wording. That tenth slice will cost Samsung 53 billion won (about $47.6 million), but, on the long run, it is believed to further strengthen "bilateral cooperation in smartphone and other business areas". With this move Samsung becomes the third largest stake holder in Pantech, after chip-maker Qualcomm Inc. with its 11.96% and the ...
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by Anton D. Nagy | May 22, 2013 4:54 AMRead OnThe captain is the last one to abandon a sinking ship. HTC's Peter Chou promised that he'd resign as the CEO of the company if the HTC One isn't going to bring the Taiwanese manufacturer above the floating line. However, until then, some important crew members have either left, leaving, or urging fellow HTC-ers to leave. Is HTC sinking? Jason Gordon, HTC's vice president of global communications, tweeted that his last day at the job was this Friday. Chief Product Officer, Kouji Kodera, left the company last week, alongside global retail marketing manager Rebecca Rowland, director of ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 21, 2013 5:11 PMRead OnYesterday, we got what seems to be our first real look at the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active, the waterproof version of the Galaxy S 4 that's been the subject of a number of rumors in recent weeks. What we saw looked great, and the rumored specs suggested that the phone would keep much of the original GS4's abilities, only really taking a small hit when it came to camera resolution. As Pocketnow reader Amer Lukac pointed out in the comments, a video of the GS4 Active has surfaced as well, only this time the specs attached to the model aren't quite as grand. The good news first: the video seems ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 21, 2013 3:42 PMRead OnMillions of shoppers turn to Consumer Reports for unbiased, in-depth comparisons to help them shop for anything from cars to chainsaws. That includes smartphones, and we've looked at the company's ratings a number of times in the past. CR recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S 4, and found itself so enamored with the smartphone that it gave the handset its ranking top-spot. Previously, that first place smartphone slot was inhabited by the LG Optimus G. Despite being a solid phone, it's not a particularly popular model, so it's really almost surprising to see it hold on to "best smartphone" ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 21, 2013 2:59 PMRead OnShortly after we learned of the special Google edition of the Galaxy S 4 running stock Android, we started hearing rumors about the HTC One getting the same sort of treatment. It wasn't long before HTC took the air out of those claims, announcing that it was "not currently planning a 'Nexus Edition' of the HTC One." In spite of this, the rumors refuse to fully dissipate, and yet another round has sprung up, looking to an end-of-summer release window. The info comes from developer/occasional tipster LlabTooFeR, who has been posting about a "Senseless HTC One" on Twitter. He claims his ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 21, 2013 1:12 PMRead OnFingerprint scanners are one of those weird features that have been around forever, yet have never really found a way to catch on in the mainstream. There are some good reasons for that, as the tech itself is a bit of a paradox: it can feel like a paranoid, high-security burden, while at the same time can be quite trivial for a determined attacker to bypass. We've seen it on the odd phone like the Motorola Atrix 4G, but it's really started finding itself in more and more headlines lately after rumors got started that the next iPhone might incorporate some kind of fingerprint-scanning ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 21, 2013 12:10 PMRead OnThe ruggedized Android dominating our thoughts for the moment may be the Galaxy S 4 Active, and while we're still waiting for much of this info we have on the phone to be confirmed, one item seems like a given: it's going to be expensive. If a reliable elements-proof construction is important to you but you don't have $600 to drop on a new smartphone, you may want to take a look at the Cat B15, which today goes up for sale online to North American customers. We first heard of this guy back at the Mobile World Congress, where we had the opportunity to go hands-on with the sturdy handset. ...