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Samsung seems to be on a bit of an update spree lately, trying to get its devices up to speed on Android 4.2. This time it's the LTE Galaxy Note 8.0 and the somewhat older Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 with 3G. Attacking the system update button like an enraged jungle cat won't do any good, folks. These updates are rolling out in stages.
For most people, a black phone is fine. The slightly more trendy might be drawn to a clean white exterior. But not you. Oh no, you want a phone that's brown like fine Corinthian leather. A phone that you can feel proud to hoist above your head and exclaim for all the world to hear that you are a man, and this is a man's phone! Ladies will probably like it too, but for different reasons. Lucky for everyone, the brown Galaxy S4 for Verizon is on sale at Amazon for $119 on all new lines (or accounts), and $149 on upgrades.
Sony is pretty cool about supporting the open source community by contributing code back to AOSP and helping developers tinker with devices. So it's no surprise that the company has already dropped source files for the Xperia Z Ultra.
Assuming you are not a shut-in who gets everything delivered via Amazon Prime, we've got a way you can save 20% on that 2013 Nexus 7 purchase. A new OfficeMax coupon allows you to save on a variety of items when you buy in the store, including printer ink, printing services, office supplies, eReaders, and tablets. You need that other stuff? Cool, but why not get the best Android tablet that's ever existed too?
HTC pushed the Android 4.3 kernel and framework code earlier today, and the update just started showing up for both Google Play Edition devices. Now Samsung is getting in on the whole open source thing. Yes, it has posted the new kernel source files for its Google Play Edition phone.
We knew it wouldn't be long, and sure enough, the Android 4.3 update has started hitting Google Play Edition devices. Both the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4 from Google Play are currently receiving update notifications. If you're lucky enough to have one of these devices, commence mashing the update button at your leisure.
You might have noticed the pricing of the Moto X when it was announced yesterday. $199 is a typical price for a new subsidized phone on a 2-year contract, but what about T-Mobile? The magenta carrier doesn't do traditional subsidies anymore, so what's the deal? Well, a close reading of the original PR makes it clear that T-Mobile isn't going to carry the device in stores or online. It'll still exist, though.
If you like the look of the Samsung Galaxy S4, but you're just a big butterfingers, maybe this is your lucky day. The Galaxy S4 Active is on sale through eBay Daily Deals, and it's quite the steal. The 16GB unlocked device is selling for $589.99.
After all those months of leaks and rumors, the Moto X is now a real phone that we can talk about and find fault with. Feels good, right? The device is going to be for sale through all the major US carriers, but that's not your only option. For a more Google-y experience, a Google Play Edition Moto X will be up for sale in the not too distant future.
Double Fine is a maker of quality games like Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, and now Dropchord. The latter title has just been released, and it's going to get your head bobbin' and your fingers dancin'. Really, the finger dancin' is mandatory. You have to keep up with the music as you guide a beam of light through a technicolor gauntlet.
Netflix profiles have been showing up intermittently on some streaming devices, but now the feature is officially launching. Profiles will start hitting some platforms in the coming days, with more to follow soon. Sadly, our beloved Android is not in this first batch.
There's yet another big Android announcement later today, but what can you do in the meantime? Messing around with some new apps is an option. If that sounds good, we can probably save you some money. Check out these sales before you check out that new phone.
The new Verizon DROID devices announced last week had been thoroughly leaked before the event, but one thing nobody expected was Motorola's new X8 mobile computing platform. The Google subsidiary was intentionally vague when discussing the chip, leaving us scratching our heads. Now Motorola has opened up about the hardware powering those DROIDs, and maybe the Moto X, which will be announced tomorrow.
Rumors about Chrome OS running on a tiny HDMI stick started leaking out a few months ago, but we were all wrong about what it was going to be. The Chromecast is not a shrunken down Chromebox – it's not even really a Chrome OS device in the strictest sense. The Chromecast is Google's latest attempt to be invited into your living room. It also might be the first one to succeed.
When you buy a new device, that's only the beginning. You also have to buy stuff for it. If you're searching for a case to protect your new Nexus 7, Amazon has a number of good deals. Updated versions of several cases from rooCASE are about to ship, and they'll only cost you a few bucks.
The power button is supposed to wake up your phone, and ideally it should work every single time. On Android 4.3, however, that is not necessarily the case. Running the Netflix app seems to invariably cause the device to freeze the next time it is put to sleep. It's an annoying bug, but Googler Dan Morrill swung by a Reddit thread to confirm Google and Netflix are aware of the issue and have "top men" working on it.
The updated Nexus 7 has already started shipping early in the US, but our kindly neighbors to the north haven't seen a mass influx of Nexus tablets yet. There is at least a trickle today as Staples, Best Buy, and Future Shop are beginning to show availability.
Anyone paying $20 per month for a premium cable channel should probably be doing everything possible to take advantage of it. With that in mind, the new update to Showtime Anywhere has added live streaming of Showtime to the app, but it's only available if you're a paying subscriber.
The time has come again to see what kind of deals exist in the wide world of Android apps. After all, only suckers pay full price. Whether you need a new game, or some kind of app that solves a problem you didn't know you had, we should be able to find something on sale.
AutoDesk's newest app on Android aims to take the guesswork out of interior design. Never again will you have to get into an argument with your spouse about whether the couch would look better here, or over there. Just pull out the Homestyler app and instantly prove that you were right by dragging and dropping 3D models of real furniture into your virtual room.