Save the Date for Sprint’s “Hear it for Yourself” Event on April 29th

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

This morning, Sprint is sending out invites to their event on April 29th which they are calling “Hear it for yourself”. Now obviously we don’t know for sure what they mean by this, but we can pretty much figure out that they are talking about their rollout of HD Voice elsewhere. Right now, HD Voice is only available in Kansas City, but it is expected to be available elsewhere by July 1st. With this event taking place in New York City, I’d expect to see HD Voice launch there before July 1st. Unless, of course, this event has nothing to do with HD Voice, but I’m betting it is. Sprint also has about 24 smartphones on their shelves that support HD Voice, including all the latest flagships like the LG G2, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy S5, and the HTC One M8. We’ll probably also see a demo of HD Voice at this event which is typical for events like this.

It’s not often that Sprint holds events like this, so it must be something pretty big. We could even see more than just HD Voice at this event, but that’s basically a given right there. Maybe they’ll announce some new incentives to bring in more customers? Or some updates on their network? One thing is for sure, we’ll be watching to see what the nation’s third largest carrier has to announce in about 4 weeks time.

One thing that we shouldn’t expect, is an announcement that Sprint has bought T-Mobile. While it wouldn’t be out of the question, I’ve just never seen a company hold a press event to announce they bought another company. But we’ll see HD Voice and maybe some plans on VoLTE as well. Anyone else have any bets on what Sprint will announce on 4.29.14? Be sure to shoot them in the comments down below. We love speculation, in case you hadn’t noticed already.

The post Save the Date for Sprint’s “Hear it for Yourself” Event on April 29th appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1oqcik0

Xiaomi’s New Plug-In button Looks a lot like Pressy

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

Many of you may remember that Kickstarter project Pressy from not too long ago. Basically what Pressy was doing was creating a plug-in button that fits inside your headphone jack and is a button. So you could use it as a shutter button for taking pictures and many other things. As expected, their kickstarter gained a ton of attention and more than surpassed their goal.

Today, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi announced their own little Plug-in Button, which they are asking us to name. It looks a lot like Pressy, and even relatively the same functionality. Xiaomi’s button can also be programmed to do a number of different tasks, as expected. It’s a pretty interesting device, especially looking at the price. According to Xiaomi it’s due to launch on April 8th for about 4.9 Yuan which works out to about $0.79 USD. So it’s definitely not going to break the bank. Compared to Pressy which was available for $27 on pre-order. That’s quite a difference, but also the difference between a smartphone OEM and a startup.

One of Xiaomi’s Vice-President’s, and former Googler, Hugo Barra took to Google+ to announce this new plug-in button and also is inviting people to suggest names for the device for when it launches in the US. Of course, that may not have been a good idea since he’s getting a lot of nasty comments from Pressy fans. It’ll be interesting to see what it’s named when it does launch in the US, and also if Pressy has anything to say about this from Xiaomi. Of course, if they haven’t patented it there’s not much for Pressy to say about it.

Are any of you interested in a plug-in button for your headphone jack? I think it’s a pretty neat concept and would like to check it out, not sure I’ll like it, but it’s definitely interesting.

The post Xiaomi’s New Plug-In button Looks a lot like Pressy appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1jYoSVw

Huawei Working on New Flagship Device, With Both High End Specs and Price

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

China just keeps on coming, if not physically into the US, we sure are talking a lot about China OEMs. This could only mean great news, as Chinese OEMs are rumored to be making their way into the US sometime in the near future. One of the firsts chinese OEMs to possibly make more of the US market is Huawei. Is it possible that this newly rumored and leaked device could be the first from Huawei’s effort to expand the US market?

We have said many times before, that if Huawei or any OEM from China plan to make it big in the US, they will need to bring their “A” game. That said, Huawei seems to be preparing that game with an image that was (re)published by a software engineer who works at Huawei. The image shows an all metal backing of what will be a Huawei device when finished. However the image hints at more than just a metal casing.

Two cut-outs indicate a camera, and a fingerprint scanner, placed in a similar spot to that of the HTC One Max. Not sure if Huawei got the memo that people weren’t a big fan of the placing of the fingerprint scanner on the One Max, but it seems they didn’t. Still, this device is said to be a high-end device, complete with high-end design and specs.

The processing powers of this Huawei device seem to be at point with other 2014 flagships we are seeing. The processor inside, according to reports, will be an Octa-core Kirin 920 processor. That puts this device somewhere between the popular 801 and 805 Snapdragon processor. However with those high-end specs, we are going to see a sharp turn from where companies are focusing efforts as far as pricing is concerned.

Currently we are seeing OEMs from everywhere, focus their efforts on making devices affordable, and even tackling the low-end device range. Huawei has done that as well, just not with this device. Actually, Huawei has even come out and asked that if you are interested in a high quality device like this one, then you had better start saving up for it now. You should still wait to see if this device is headed for the US, you never know if this would be considered a spy phone instead of a smart phone. Also to add some ground underneath this rumor, the Senior VP of Huawei has said, that they are working on a new flagship device. This could very well be the back of that flagship device. So, let’s hear it, what do you think so far, looking good, or going to flop? We know there is still plenty to learn before we can pass final judgement, but like Huawei has said, we need to start now, or we won’t be able to afford this device.

The post Huawei Working on New Flagship Device, With Both High End Specs and Price appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1friySu

Google’s Play Store Now Shows All Your +1s and Ratings On the Desktop

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

Google has been bringing more and more of their mobile features to the desktop. We have seen Chrome Browser getting updates that allow for Google Now windows on your desktop. Now we are seeing an update to the desktop version of the Play Store. This update is being called “My Activity” and, as you may have guessed already, this is where you will find all of your recent activity in the Play Store.

In case you didn’t know, Google has made commenting on apps in the Play Store only possible through Google+. For some this is an inconvenience and for others it makes a lot of sense. The Google+ requirement allows you to find out if friends like the app, most simply through a +1. When you +1 an app, that action goes straight to a recent activities tab on your mobile device Play Store app, and helps keep track of what you like, in case you forget. Though with this update to the desktop version of the Play Store, you will be able to see this activity on your desktop.

This update hasn’t been fully completed as of yet, though we imagine it will be soon. Once finished, it has been assumed that you will not only be able to see your activity, but your friends activity as well. This could come in handy if you are looking for some new games or apps to try out, but only trust your friends to leave honest comments. Where can you find this my activity section of the web-based Play Store?

It is actually very easy to find it, on the right hand side, right under the “Devices” link, you will find “My Activity. Once you click it, you will be taken to a page that looks like the header image, all of your recent 1+’s will show up as well as comments. So now it is easier to track your history, and possibly in the near future, your friends history from the web-based Play Store.

What do you think though, do you like having access to your history, or do you find this useless? Where do you see the benefits and where do you see some downfalls to this function? Let us know down below, or on our Google+ page.

The post Google’s Play Store Now Shows All Your +1s and Ratings On the Desktop appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1pNURoF

Nest’s Learning Thermostat Now Available in the UK; Starting at £179

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

When Google purchased Nest a little while ago for a pretty large sum of money, our UK readers were probably interested in what all the fuss was about. Much like Google’s own Chromecast, Nest’s learning thermostat had been available for some time in the States and was making quite a name for itself in the tech media. The smart and simple way to monitor heating in your home, to keep things efficient and ultimately save you some money was catching on fast, and Google now own Nest after paying the handsome sum of $3.2 Billion. Now, Nest is available to purchase in the UK, but the question is after all this waiting should you care?

Well, if you’re a techie (which let’s face it, you are) then you will more than like already care about Nest. Reasons you should care however, range from being able to save some money on your heating bills and creating a gentler climate in your home without ramping the heating up, down or on, off all the time. In the UK, companies such as British Gas are selling similar solutions like Hive, but Nest is the original good-looking and slick learning thermostat. Over the first few days of being installed in your home, Nest learns from your heating habits and after that will smartly adjust to what it thinks you want from your heating system. Using sensors in the device, Nest can tell if nobody’s around and will cleverly turn off your heating in order to save a little cash, too.

For UK buyers, things are a little different than the US version as it comes with the Nest Heat Link which connects directly to your boiler and then relays info back to the main unit. Speaking of which, you can purchase your own from the likes of B&Q, Amazon, John Lewis and of course their own website for £179, or £249 with installation. A stand is also available for £29 if you’re not going the hard-wired route and npower customers will be offered the device from their provider as well. We love hearing from our readers – especially those in the UK – so drop us a line in the comments below if keeping tabs on heat in your home matters to you or not.

The post Nest’s Learning Thermostat Now Available in the UK; Starting at £179 appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1fqAvR1

Samsung Claims Their Ad Campaign For The Next Big Thing Caused Apple To Become Obsessed

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

The Apple vs Samsung trials have officially kicked off this week as of yesterday, and part of Samsung’s defense in this case which has Apple seeking over $2 billion in damages over patent infringement, revolves around a series of documents that contain internal Apple correspondence over matters like Samsung’s Next Big Thing ad campaign. We’re all familiar with these ads. Mostly commercials, they started off as making jokes that legions of loyal Apple fans waiting to pick up the next iPhone, were intrigued over seeing the next device from Samsung being used right in front of their eyes. Samsung’s lawyers are claiming that the ad campaign which jabbed at Apple with a gentle ribbing, drove Apple absolutely crazy and proves that Apple was concerned about not only Android as a whole, but mainly Samsung since they are androids largest OEM in terms of sheer number of devices sold.

John Quinn, who is representing Samsung in this case, is attempting to point out that Apple became so obsessed(Phil Schiller in particular who is the marketing chief at Apple) that they went so far as to send a personal email that stated simply “we have a lot of work to do to turn this around,” and even suggesting to Tim Cook they might need to consider switching ad agencies, which Apple actually held board meetings with executives over.

We’re not exactly sure what Samsung’s argument is in the matter, but it’s clear that they are putting up a fight with whatever they can to succeed in this trial. The case is expected to run all month long , and the honorable Judge Koh will be presiding over this trial as well just like the last one. The case is taking place in California, and if Samsung succeeds in becoming the victor over Apples newest claims, they’ll end up getting $6.9 million in damages over everything. I know we’re not the only one that finds these trials ridiculous. Do you find these trials between both companies a complete waste of time? It’s not clear whether the case will actually run through the entire month of April or not, but hopefully things will end sooner than later.

The post Samsung Claims Their Ad Campaign For The Next Big Thing Caused Apple To Become Obsessed appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/PeycGT

This Is The Story Of How Gmail Went From Closed Beta To Public phenomenon

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

Many of you may not remember, but Gmail wasn’t always so popular. It also wasn’t always meant for the wide range of general public. Once decided though that Google wanted to share the joys of Gmail with everyone, it entered a closed beta and well… the rest is history as they say. Fast forward to today and Gmail is probably one of if not the most widely used email service. Interested in knowing how Gmail came to be and ended up as one of the most commonly used services of people on the web? Good. Because we were too and we want to share the story. As I said, Gmail wasn’t always meant for the general public. However today marks the 10th anniversary of Gmail’s launch, and it’s quite interesting to think that most people saw this as a simple April Fools joke back then.

Gmail has seen a wide range of changes since it all began, launching it into the upper echelon of email powerhouses that we know and use in today’s day and age, but we shouldn’t forget it’s humble beginnings. Gmail for those of you who don’t know, actually started with search, or rather with a search feature, which if you think about it is kind of ironic given the nature of Google’s main service offered, which to this day is web searches. Gmail’s creator, Paul Bucheeit, began work on Gmail in 2001 but had previously attempted a web email service years earlier in 1996. Drawing from his experiences over the years, and gathering feedback from fellow engineers at Google who suggested that Gmail incorporate searching emails into its list of features and functionality, giving users the capability to search within their own email inbox to find specific content that they might have forgotten about, built Gmail with the idea that it could allow users to virtually keep their emails forever, and finding old mail by searching for it. This coupled with the decision to give users a large amount of space for storing emails made Gmail one of the most revolutionary web mail services at the time, and it still continues to innovate with fun and exciting new features.

Even Gmail’s design and look on a user based personal level has come a long way, offering things like the infamous Shelfie theme users can apply to their Gmail inbox as part of the April Fools set of gags this year. Gmail didn’t always look like this though. You didn’t always have the option for things like themes. just like most other web mail services, it had a basic design to it that had just the right amount of Googleyness, which we can thank Kevin Fox for,(Gmail’s designer)who was a new Google employee at the time. Gmail was finally launched in 2004, and Google had in fact methodically selected April 1st as the date to announce the release of Gmail to the public, because they knew that it would lead some people to believe it was just another one of their April Fools Day pranks. The jokes started for Google in 2000(Y2k as we might fondly remember), which is why they had a good idea that people would claim the Google email service as a fallacy. The date wasn’t the only factor which played into this theory, as the amount of storage space also had a small role to play, since 1GB of storage space for any email service at the time was unheard of. However, Gmail to much of the public dismay was not a prank, and now it is the proverbial champion among similar services. How do you use Gmail? Do you keep your inbox relatively clean or do you let things go on and on and on until the end of time?

The post This Is The Story Of How Gmail Went From Closed Beta To Public phenomenon appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/PeiV8N