Rumor: Google To Redesign The Android Launcher Icons For Their Core Apps

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In what may or may not be part of Google’s push to unify things across platforms with Project Hera, Google seems to be gearing up for some changes to the design of the Android icons for its core Google apps. This is entirely a rumor at this point so if you absolutely love the new look, don’t get your hopes up just yet, but if the icons do get a facelift to the designs shown below or something similar, we welcome the change. The rumor was outted by a source who is apparently familiar with the matter and direction of the new icon designs, and sent out a screenshot to Android Police that displayed what could be the final design of the launcher icons for those corresponding Google apps, or it could be an early preview meant to give us an idea of where things are headed.

Either way the icons look pretty slick to us and a change like this or with a similar style to it, would definitely make the android launcher icons for the core Google apps more streamline with those of the web set. Since Google is rumored to be adding in a complete design change perspective for the UI of their apps through Project Hera, which is a goal to unify a multi-tasking experience across search, android, and chrome, new icons would potentially help to clearly convey the message that they want things to be more connected. As you can tell from the image, the proposed icons that we’re looking at are slightly different from the ones on the web, so if things are to look more unified in the end, Google may need to brings some changes to the web icons as well, although there hasn’t been any mention of that happening. Essentially, if the web icons don’t receive any sort of design update, then what we could end up having is android launcher icons that look more closely to those of the web set, but with the unique android flare to them.

All of the icons shown that seem to have gotten a change include Google Play Books, Play Music, Play Movies, Play Games, YouTube, Gmail, Calendar, Google+, People, Play Store, Hangouts, Chrome, Photos, and of course Maps. If the icons end up looking like this in the end and this is their final cut, do you like them better or are they worse than the current android stock icons? These potential new icons have a more sophisticated and complex flat style with hard shadows, whereas the ones now kind of have a more three dimensional visual appeal.

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Moto X+1 Backplate Styles Revealed In Leak With multiple Leather Options

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Last week we came across a leak from evleaks stating that the name of the new device from Motorola and the Moto X successor, would be called the Moto X+1. There was also some information that the new Moto X+1 would be offering a range of different styled backs, but with a new focus on faux leather instead of Wood. As it turns out, we’re learning some new details about the Moto X+1 on the leather back option that users will have to go for this time around. Motorola will reportedly be offering a myriad of styles and colors available for the new Moto X+1 with leather being the newcomer to the group of stuff already available for the Moto X.

According to evleaks Twitter post this morning, the Moto X+1 will have four color options available for the leather backs. Users will supposedly be able to choose from a leather backplate in either black, blue, red, or grey, depending on which color fits their taste more. Users will also have the option to chose from a wide selection of other backplate styles,-wood styles are still an option- with teak, bamboo, rosewood, and ebony for the wood selection. Those not interested in either wood or leather styled backs will have the option to choose from any number of colors included in the cool, neutral, and warm categories, with colors like Navy, Olive, Dark Teal, Lemon Lime, Cabernet, Slate, Smoke, Purple, Crimson, Chalk, and others. You can see the full list of colors and styles in the image posted down below.

From the sounds of things, the Moto X+1 is going to be just as customizable as the original Moto X, and we honestly expected nothing less. Users will likely be making their style selections for the backs in Moto Maker once the device is launched and have stuff shipped out to them. We wonder if Motorola will decide to offer some more wood and leather styles down the line or if they will stick with the four that are available for each category through the entirety of the device shelf life. So far there isn’t any word on how much these backs will cost or when things will be ready short of a planned summer timeframe, but at least now you can start deciding on which back you want.

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Deal: am Hybrid Bumper Case For The HTC One M8/Galaxy S5/Nexus 5

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If you were looking for a case to help protect that shiny new Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8, this am hybrid bumper case is on sale for a mere $0.01. You can’t get much better than that,short of free. It has a frosted transparent back panel with a black bumper that surrounds the edge of the device, giving your phone full protection on the back and sides. The case is slim so you won’t have to worry about adding a whole bunch of extra bulk so you can keep your device looking sleek. The case offers you easy access to all the buttons and features like the camera.

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ZTE Grand S II LTE Sells Out in 58 Seconds, Only 50,000 Units on Sale

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You’ve definitely heard of the Hunger Games, however ever heard of ‘hunger marketing’? Chances are you haven’t, it’s a pretty new concept currently being championed by the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi where device sales and resultant demand are racked up controlling the supply of said devices. In the latest news trickling in from Asia, a new ‘feat’ has been achieved by the ZTE Grand S II LTE which sold 50,000 units in around 58 seconds of sale time. Just to remind you, the Chinese manufacturer ZTE had announced their LTE handset – the ZTE Grand S II LTE – at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year.

Despite the hunger marketing strategy, the smartphone offers impressive specifications at a surprisingly good price point. The ZTE Grand S II LTE provides quad-band 2G connectivity, HSDPA+ 3G as well as LTE connectivity. The front of the device is graced by a 5.5 inch LCD display offering a full-HD 1920 x 1080p resolution display, which translates to an amazing ~401 ppi pixel density. Computing power is handled by the onboard quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800/801 processor with 4 Krait 400 processors clocked at 2.3 GHz, while graphics are amply taken care of by the Andreno 330 graphics processing unit. An ample 2 GB RAM handles routine and gaming requirements, whereas 16 GB of internal storage is present as well. In terms of cameras, a 13 mega pixels (MP) primary shooter is present which records 1080p videos (at 30 frames per second), while a 2 MP secondary camera takes care of the occasional selfie and video calls. The device is powered by a Li-ion 3000 mAh battery, however details of talktime are as of yet unavailable. The device is being launched with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, however an upgrade to the latest and greatest Android version – Android 4.4 Kit Kat is expected soon.

Despite the stellar sales figures, the Chinese website tMall reports that users are actually getting frustrated with the dearth of units available on retail. Hopefully the situation would improve soon enough. Does the ZTE Grand S II LTE excite you? Do let us know in the comments below.

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Samsung Gear Fit, Gear 2, and Gear 2 Neo Now Shipping from Amazon

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Amazon put the new Samsung wearables on pre-order earlier this week, with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S5, Gear Fit, Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo yesterday the pre-orders have now shipped and should be on their way to your front door. For those of you with Amazon Prime they’ll likely arrive either on Monday or Tuesday. The Gear Fit and Gear 2 Neo are available for $199, and the Gear 2 for $299. Additionally the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit are only compatible with a few Samsung devices. Those devices include the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2, and the Galaxy Mega. We may see more Samsung smartphones become compatible soon, but as of right now that’s all that is compatible.

The Gear Fit is unlike the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. It’s more of a fitness tracker, and integrates with S Health on the Galaxy S5 a bit more. It’s also got a curved display, which looks really nice. Although I’ve heard from a few people that it’s not all that great. Obviously, I’ll have to wait until I get one in hand to really find out for myself. You can still order the Gear Fit, Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo from Amazon right now and they should ship within 24 hours. Of course if you don’t have a Samsung device, you’ll need to upgrade as well.

Samsung Gear 2 Smartwatch – Silver/Black

Samsung Gear 2 Neo Smartwatch – Black

Samsung Gear Fit Fitness Tracker – Black

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List of 277 APKs for the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active Leak Out

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Now that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is out and available for everyone to pick up, we’re now starting to see a few more leaks for the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active. Last year, Samsung did a water-resistant version of their Galaxy S4, which was actually one of my favorite devices. I really liked it better than the original Galaxy S4, and for two reasons. I really liked the way it looked and felt in hand, as well as the display. I’m not a fan of AMOLED, and I know a lot of people are, but I prefer LCD and IPS displays. With that being said, the Galaxy S5 is water-resistant so why are we looking at a Galaxy S5 Active? Well because that’s what Samsung is known to do, release a ton of devices every year.

Last night, @evleaks leaked out a list of the 277 APKs found on the Samsung Galaxy S5, which you can see in the image below. The leak doesn’t really tell us anything about specs, etc., but if it’s anything like the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, I wouldn’t expect the same specs as what is in the Galaxy S5. Probably a 13MP camera, and a 1080p LCD display, Those were the two big differences last year between the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 Active. Last year, the Galaxy S4 Active was also exclusive to AT&T, hopefully Samsung doesn’t do that again this year, but then again I can’t think of a reason to buy the Galaxy S5 Active over the Galaxy S5. Although I’m sure Samsung will give us plenty of reasons too once it’s announced. Speaking of which, we’ll probably see an announcement later this summer, as we did last year for the Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy S4 Zoom.

Are any of you interested in the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active? Let us know in the comments below.

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Deal: 60% Off Klipsch Image S4i Rugged In-Ear Headphones

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Amazon has a great deal for a lot of Klipsch Image S4i Rugged In-Ear headphones today. It’s available in orange, blue, yellow and red. It’s normally priced at $99.99, but is on sale today for $39.99. So it’s a pretty awesome deal, around 60% off. The Klipsch Image S4i Rugged In-Ear Headphones are pretty rugged as the name says. It’s made for all-weather, so they are good for working out, being in the rain, in the shower, etc., it’s a great pairing for a water-resistant phone like the new Samsung Galaxy S5. There’s also a built-in remote as well for controlling your music and answering calls. Additionally, Klipsch has added a microphone, so you are able to speak when taking calls, which is kind of needed. We have all four models linked down below if you are interested.

Klipsch Image S4i Rugged All-Weather In-Ear Headphones

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