Sony Believes The Xperia Z2 Is Superior When It Comes To 4K Video

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The Sony Xperia Z2 may not be leagues ahead of its predecessor, but according to Sony it was never meant to be. Instead what Sony sought out to do with the Xperia Z2 was take the already elegant and stunning design of the Xperia Z1 and make small adjustments that needed attention. Basically improving on the Z1 in places that needed improvement, and leaving things alone that didn’t need to be altered. One of Sony’s big pushes with the Xperia Z2 compared to last years device is the capability to record 4K quality videos. This may not seems like such a huge advancement, but there aren’t that many handsets out on the market currently that have this feature. Of course like any big company Sony really believes in the quality of its product and thinks that what they have done with the Xperia Z2 in this department is a rather amazing accomplishment, so much so that they are not the slightest bit hesitant to claim that the Xperia Z2 can out perform other devices that also record 4K video.

What makes the Sony Xperia Z2 so special compared to the few other devices that hold this same capability to record videos in ultra HD quality? According to Sony’s VP Kichiro Kurozumi, it can’t be summarized into any one answer as there are a few reasons. One of them is the software that Sony has embedded into the device called Steady Shot, a feature that he and Sony believe set their phone and its 4K video recording resolution apart from the others. That isn’t the only factor here though as he also mentions a couple things like the Xperia Z2′s extra large camera sensor, which he claims can account for more movement than similar devices, as well as the re-engineered frame and the camera that weighs in with 20.7 MP resolution. For Sony it’s all in the details as you’ll hear them say throughout most of their new ad videos for this years Xperia line of devices, and while the Xperia Z2 may not look to have changed too much, that’s OK. As the old saying goes, if ain’t broke don’t fix it. Sony seems to have taken this to heart and only tweaked a few key factors. We’re just as eager as anyone to personally get our hands on the Xperia Z2 and test things out for ourselves to see just how good this camera really is.

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Pops Brings Your Ringtones And Notifications To Life With Animated GIFs And Videos

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If we think about ringtones and the way they are now, they’re infinitely better than they used to be years ago. Remember when polyphonic ringtones hit the scene? Yeah, some of you won’t have a clue what those are, but many of you know what I’m talking about. It was the pinnacle of ringtones to notify you of when a text or a call came in. It made all your friends with boring old mono ringtones jealous, and among groups of friends,(why i’m not sure)you were king for just a little while. Now a days we have just about any song you could think of under the sun that can be used as a ringtone for notifications or calls, even things like random noises and video game ringtones,(my current use, the mario 1-UP sound)movies quotes and movie sounds. I wouldn’t quite call it boring, but it’s nothing new.

If you’ve been wishing there was a new way you could liven up your call, message, or email notifications though and everything available to you now seems… sub par, then the Pops Ringtones & Notifications app might be just what you were looking for. Instead of the common ringtones that we’re used to from apps like Zedge(not hating here, it’s a great app and I still use it)you can use GIFs and videos as your notifications, so anytime a person calls or you get an incoming message, email etc. you see the selected GIF or video that you have picked. While all your friends and family might still be using In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins as their ringtone, you can have a GIF of some of your favorite memes pop up when you get a message or a call.

The Pops notifications are usable with just about everything, from SMS to hangouts to twitter, so you shouldn’t have trouble using it with any of the messaging apps that receive incoming notifications. With tons of options and the capability to edit the GIFs available with the built in video editor, plus the ability to shoot your own video and set it as your designated Pop, there won’t be any shortage of choices. You can set different Pops for different people of course, and Pops itself is free to download, with one caveat. There are IAP for some of the usable pops which some might want to use right off the bat. Other than that it seems like a solid app that is kind of fun. Worth looking into. If you want to check out Pops, you can grab it from the Play Store.

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Huawei and Xiaomi Battle it Out for Best Mid-Range Device With Low-End Pricing

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In the US we see plenty of attack ads and battles going on between companies. Most recently we saw this from Samsung and there attack on almost anyone who has made a tablet. China is apparently no different, they have companies that fight it out in public to win the support of consumers just like we do. One example of such, is a rivalry that seems to date back about a year between Xiaomi, and Huawei.

It all started back when Xiaomi entered the low-end device market in July of 2013. Xiaomi released a device known as Hongmi. However, though the price of the device was what Chinese consumers were used to seeing on low-end devices, the Hongmi had mid-range specs, almost carving out their own category of devices. The Hongmi did very well in sales, and why wouldn’t it, with mid-range specs at low-end pricing, the device was made to sell like hot cakes.

Seeing that success, Huawei wondered why they didn’t think of doing something like Xiaomi did with the Hongmi. In December of 2013, Huawei released not just one, but two devices that had mid-range specs at low-end prices. These devices were additions to an already popular Huawei line-up called Honor, the Honor 3X and 3C. People quickly figured out that the additions to the Honor line were meant to directly compete with Xiaomi and the Hongmi device. The Honor 3X had higher specs than the Hongmi did, however, exceeded the price point a bit. While the 3C matched the specs of the Hongmi as well as the price point.

Now, the fight continues, with the Xiaomi release of the Hongmi Note, which has similar specs to the earlier released Honor 3X. Though the Hongmi Note matches the specs of the Honor 3X, the price point is still lower. The Hongmi Note will launch at 999 yuan, with a lower end model around 799 yuan. Of course, it wouldn’t be a battle if Huawei didn’t do something in direct response of this news.

Huawei did just that, and they didn’t even wait a full day, with the announcement of a device that is essentially the Honor 3X. The difference is that the new Huawei device is marked at 998 yuan, awfully close in price to Xiaomi’s Hongmi Note. The best part about this announcement by Huawei, is that they really didn’t change much from the original Honor 3X. The biggest change was just the processor, with a bit of a downgrade to a 1.4Ghz CPU.

Unfortunately for those of us in the US, we will never see these devices, or any of the attack ads that are sure to come with it. However, we can read about it, and it does feel good to know that other countries like to play dirty as well.

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Android App Updates 3/21/14: Motorola Camera, Beautiful Widgets, Assist and More

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Motorola Camera Gets Updated

This week, Motorola updated a few of their apps for their 2013 line of devices. The Motorola Camera which is for the Moto G, Moto X, DROID Maxx, DROID Mini and DROID Ultra got a nice update this week. It mostly was bug fixes but also included the ability to take pictures with the volume key on your phone, so it can act as a physical shutter button within the camera app. Which is pretty awesome.

YouTube For Google TV has Risen, Gets Updated

Many people who own a Google TV probably thought that the YouTube app was dead. But it looks like it isn’t, since Google updated it this week. The update brings customizable closed captions, with better support of remote control. SafeSearch now respects system-wide settings and improved stability while playing Watch Later videos.

In addition to the Camera, Assist was also updated. This version has a few tweaks, but for the most part it makes the meeting mode more useful for users with more than one calendar. Which is a big thing, since many people have personal and work calendars.

Motorola Gallery Also Updated

So this week the Camera, Assist and now the Gallery were updated by Motorola. The update to the gallery fixed some issues users were having as well as added a new timeline photo view to the app. The Gallery app actually looks nicer than the one shipped on just about every Android device out there. Hopefully Google updates it soon.

Beautiful Widgets hits v5.6

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This week, Beautiful Widgets got an update to version 5.6. It’s one of the longest running widget apps out there, and not hat it still very popular. It’s available in both free and paid versions. Additionally, the update brought along some new widgets, as well as a new color picker for users to pick the right colors for their home screen. The pro version is available for $2.69 in the Play Store.

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Appy Geek 4.0 is Here! With a New Interface and Icon

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App Geek has just launched version 4.0 of this very popular news app. With the update, Appy Geek also shared some numbers which include them having 300 signed content partners, over 1.5 billion articles read and 7 million users across all four platforms – that’d be iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone. They also have 9 region editions, 6 languages and 4 sister apps. So Appy Geek is doing pretty well for itself. They are actually more popular than many other news apps out there like Flipboard – which powers the Magazine UX on Samsung devices – Feedly, and even Pulse.

With today’s update, Appy Geek has given the app a fresh new look, including a new icon and revised layout with more space for browsing and reading the news. There’s also the ability to experience “one feed” which is a unique reading experience with all your topics and breaking news in one place. You can also build a personal news profile and let the app learn as you read which it will then recommend articles which are most likely to interest you. Finally, Appy Geek has added a night mode which can now be activated in the settings. So if you are reading through the news and catching up at night, it’ll put less strain on your eyes. Which many other apps have included this feature and I just love it.

Appy Geek is a simple news app where you can find all your favorite sites, including your favorite Android news site, Android Headlines. So if you’re using Appy Geek be sure to follow us in there as well. You’ll find some great content from us as usual. Appy Geek is compatible with Android 2.2 Froyo and up. So that should take care of most of the Android users out there.

How many of you use Appy Geek to keep up with news? Let us know in the comments below.

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Radioshack Offering a $40 Discount on Galaxy S5 Pre-Orders Done In-Store

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The release of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is coming up pretty quickly. After Samsung announced it in late February, we are just now hearing about pre-orders and it launching on April 11th in about 150 countries. Today, pre-orders started at AT&T, US Cellular and Sprint, with T-Mobile beginning on Monday, March 24th. Now we’re hearing that RadioShack is doing pre-orders and that they have a special offer for you as well.

Radioshack is offering you a $50 discount when pre-ordering the Galaxy S5 through them. However, they have not confirmed any carriers just yet, but since just about every carrier has confirmed pre-orders starting today, I’d bet that you’ll be able to choose any of the carriers that Radioshack sells phones for. Which is basically everyone but T-Mobile. Additionally, this deal only works for pre-orders made in-store, unfortunately, so you’ll have to actually find a RadioShack and pre-order yours. RadioShack says that the Samsung Galaxy S5′s will be available for pick-up in-store starting in mid-April, which is about the same time as everyone else. Also that they are subject to stock availability.

Additionally, RadioShack is also offering you $75-300 off of a brand new Galaxy S5 when you trade in a select smartphone through their Trade & Save program. While that might seem like a nice idea, you can usually get more money if you sell your device through a service like Swappa.

So that’s another retailer that is starting pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S5. It should only be a matter of time before Best Buy and Amazon announce theirs. Which they are normally cheaper than the carriers are anyways, so that’s always a nice way to buy a brand new device, especially if you’re buying it on-contract.

How many of our readers are planning to grab the Galaxy S5 from Radioshack? Let us know in the comments below.

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Sprint Will Be Selling the Samsung Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, and Gear Fit Starting on April 11th

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Shortly after announcing their pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S5 beginning today, Sprint has also announced that they will be carrying all three of Samsung’s new wearables starting on April 11th. Which is also the launch day for the Sprint Galaxy S5. Sprint also revealed pricing for the new wearables, which is about where we expected it to be. The Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit are selling for $199, and the Gear 2 is going for $299. Now remember that these are the full pricing of these wearables, and there’s no contract involved here. Also the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit only work with some Samsung devices, unlike the Pebble, or the Sony Smartwatch 2, it’s not compatible with any Android smartphone, unfortunately.

Sprint will be offering the Gear 2 in Charcoal Black and Gold Brown, the Gear 2 Neo and Fear Fit will only be available in Charcoal Black. Sprint will also have the optional Wild Orange and Mocha Gray straps for the Gear Fit. The Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit are all pretty nice looking wearables from Samsung, and they are also running on Tizen. Which should make it a bit more fluid, when using the wearables, at least from a software standpoint. But unlike the original Gear, you won’t be able to side load apps like Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher on there and get literally Android on your wrist. That’s what Android Wear is for.

These are some great wearables from Samsung, but the only downside is that they are only compatible with Samsung devices, so that means you’d have to buy the Galaxy S5, in order to use the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo or Gear Fit. Which is unfortunate, but I don’t think Samsung will lose out on a lot of customers due to that, since they have literally millions and millions of people buying the Galaxy s5 on launch day.

Any of our readers picking up the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, or Gear Fit from Sprint?

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