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The original Moto X was a breath of fresh air when it debuted in 2013, but Verizon didn't want any part of Motorola's relatively open stance when it came to unlockable bootloaders and customization (as usual). To alleviate this for users who wanted an easy path to root, software backups, and custom ROMs, Motorola offered the Moto X Developer Edition, a full-priced 32GB phone that users could unlock by requesting a code. It debuted at a whopping $650, but today you can grab one for just 9.99.
The HTC Butterfly 2 is a phone forever trapped in a nightmarish puberty of HTC industrial design. It uses high-end specifications like a 1080p screen and a Snapdragon 801 processor, but its plastic body is a step below HTC's flagships. It's packing a 13 megapixel rear camera, not unlike the newer Desire Eye, but it's saddled with the secondary Duo camera from the HTC One M8 (which is probably gone for the M9). The Butterfly 2 has identity issues, folks, issues which won't be helped by flashing all kinds of custom ROMs and modifications. But now you can totally do that.
Samsung and Qualcomm have been reliable partners since the rise of Android, to the mutual benefit of both the phone maker and the OEM chip supplier. But according to this report from Bloomberg, that relationship has hit a rocky patch as Samsung prepares its next flagship phone, presumably the Galaxy S6. An anonymous tipster told Bloomberg that Samsung will decline to use a Qualcomm chipset for the phone after poor testing of the Snapdragon 810, the OEM's top-of-the-line processor.
Verizon isn't making many friends when it comes to keeping private information private. Just two days after news broke that Verizon Wireless is collecting and in some cases selling web browsing info, its parent company has been given a black eye for insecure practices associated with the FiOS Internet service. Security researcher Randy Westergren discovered a way to access any FiOS user's Verizon email account by using the mobile API.
A new HTC flagship phone is coming. You probably already knew that. But the first possible (and frankly, quite probable) look at the device came today from the folks at NowhereElse.fr, a French leak site. Two photos show the front and back of the device, which follows the general design of the One family with a couple of important differences. The photos at the original website were taken down at the request of the anonymous source... which is usually a pretty good indication that they're on to something.
It's really hard living in the US, where it seems like we don't get approximately .5% of all the cool new electronics and services that other countries enjoy. It's a real penance having to stare at the goodies that get released elsewhere but not here, and the only thing we can do about it is flee to the comments section and complain to everyone. Case in point: this neat portable TV antenna from D-Link, which connects to an Android phone's Micro-USB port and lets users watch free over-the-air television.
Field Trip is one of Google's less-known official apps (from the same people who work on Ingress), and appropriately, one of the most unique. The urban exploration app gets its 2.0 update today, bringing the user interface in line with Material Design standards introduced with Android 5.0. As nice as it is to see Google keeping its apps fresh, I have to say that the redesign takes something away in this case. Field Trip's warm texture backgrounds and custom icons were visually interesting and distinctive - the new version just looks sterile.
With all the limited promotions, holiday sales, and convoluted pre-order schemes, you'd think that OnePlus would get it freakin' over with and just sell the flagship One phone directly to consumers already. And they will... for just one day. Considerably less than one day, in fact, since the promotion will actually only be available for two hours, 7-9PM Eastern Standard Time. That's in North America - in Europe it will go on sale at 7-9PM Greenwich Mean Time, and in Hong Kong and Taiwan it goes on sale from 7-9PM Hong Kong Time (presumably tomorrow, since it's already passed for the 20th).
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.
[Bonus Round] 2-Bit Cowboy, Strategy & Tactics: Medieval Wars, Secret Files Sam Peters, And Air Control 2
2-Bit Cowboy, Strategy
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a Game Boy-style platformer, a new entry in a long-running strategy series, an adventure expatriate from the PC, and an air traffic control sequel. Without further ado:
Say Google, is there something big you're hiding in the latest version of the YouTube Android app that justifies a massive jump in the version number? Because if you are, we can't find it. The YouTube app currently propagating across the Play Store is version 10.02.3, a huge jump from the previous (and not altogether different) 6.0.3. The newer version adds a grid-based share menu and a few changed icons and brings back the voice search option, plus a few changes under the hood, but it's a very strange jump for a comparatively small update.
Considering how popular the various high-profile music services have become on Android, it's a little strange that none of them have offered something like NextSong built in. It's strange, that is, until you remember how slow most of them are to conform to new Android functions like heads up notifications. In any case, music fans should definitely check out this handy app from independent developer Reactiv Sudios, whom we've featured before on Android Police.
About a year and a half ago when David Ruddock reviewed JBL's Charge portable speaker, he came away with an excellent impression, with the only caveat being that it might be a little too pricey. That problem has been alleviated by Amazon, at least for today: the online retailer has given the Charge a price drop on the Gold Box deal portal. That's a great price, but it also means that the discount is available for one day only.
Micromax's Yureka phone for the Indian market has been the center of quite a bit of controversy in the more passionate parts of the Android community, thanks to its official build of the CyanogenMod custom ROM. But if you happen to own one, said controversy probably isn't as important to you as the phone's ability to be tinkered with. So if you're ready to try another ROM on the Yureka, here's an official build of the Team Win Recovery Project to enable your tinkering.
Warning: the following story contains images that may be considered offensive by some readers.
You would think that professional wrestlers don't need an active fantasy life. They get paid huge amounts of money to pretend to beat people up and show off unbelievable physiques on television on a regular basis. But I suppose even wrestlers like to pretend that they're superheroes (the ones that aren't already superheroes, anyway). If you'd like to play along, Warner Bros and developer NetherRealm are here with an officially-licensed WWE fighting game that dials up the more fantastic elements of pro wrestling.
We know there are a lot of people in India reading this site - you folks really love your Android! If you love your music as well, you'll be happy to hear that you have one more option for streaming starting today. Rdio, a streaming music service that offers both free and paid options, has announced that it's now available in India. Rdia claims that its library of 32 million streaming songs is the largest available in the country.
Accessing and controlling a full-sized desktop on a handheld machine is no task for the timid, and making a tool to do it isn't easy, either. But virtualization software vendor Parallels knows a trick or two, and they've added one or two more into the Android version of Access. The latest update includes new tools to access remote computer files, better compatibility for the S-Pen stylus on Samsung Galaxy Note phones and tablets, and better audio options.
Ah, the good old days, when every phone, MP3 player, Walkman, and toaster included a pair of pack-in earbuds. These days you're lucky if you get a damn power adapter (just ask the folks over at Nintendo). If you're still using the ancient headphones that came as a freebie in you Nexus One or a long-forgotten iPod, then take a gander at this Sennheiser set over on Amazon. The MM30G, complete with in-line music controls and a mic, is off of the retail price for a cool .99.
This story is about American hardware and software company Apple and Swedish telecom infrastructure company Ericsson. Neither of these companies makes Android hardware (though Ericsson dabbled in it with its ex-partner Sony), but the outcome might affect all manufacturers that release phones in the United States. That said, it's about patents and lawsuits, so get ready for a snore-fest over the next few paragraphs. Don't say we didn't warn you.