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I know, Chromecast and Google TV are obviously two different products. They don't share the same features or functionality, and one can be wildly more expensive than the other. But they're also attempting to solve the same problem, albeit with competing philosophies. That problem? Making your TV smarter.
Welcome back to another week of the Android Police Podcast. To catch us live on Hangouts On Air every Thursday at 5PM PST (subject to change as per the calendar widget below), just head over to androidpolice.com/podcast. For the unedited video show (with pie smashing action), click here.
Buying a Verizon G2? You might want to think twice about rooting it, because Big Red has specifically configured its version of the device to show whether or not the phone is rooted in the "status" sub-menu of the About Phone area. Why? Almost certainly for the express purpose of voiding warranties or returns for people who screw up their phones (or, allegedly screw up) after rooting them.
Our time at IFA is drawing to a close, and after the dust has settled, it's pretty clear who came out on top in terms of interesting unveils - Samsung. The Note 3's new features, enhanced display, faster processor, and continued focus on maximizing screen space without increasing the size of the device itself have clearly kept people interested in the increasingly-popular line of handsets. Having played with the Note 3, I must agree - it's better in nearly every way than its predecessor. I have little doubt it will receive wide critical praise and an even stronger reception from Note fans.
Welcome back to another week of the Android Police Podcast. To catch us live on Hangouts On Air every Thursday at 5PM PST (subject to change as per the calendar widget below), just head over to androidpolice.com/podcast. For the unedited video show, click here.
We were lucky enough to spend some time with Qualcomm's upcoming Toq smartwatch this afternoon, and I left impressed. The Toq's primary value comes in the form of a Mirasol display. Mirasol was demoed in "production ready" form in 2011 at CES by Qualcomm, but the actual products never came.
We're back with another hands-on here at IFA in Berlin, this time LG's upcoming G Pad 8.3. This is LG's first tablet since the somewhat-disastrous G Slate, and it's a far more conservative approach to the tablet model. LG's pretty much stuffing the old Optimus G Pro's guts inside an 8.3" tablet's body, albeit with the G2's newer software.
Sony's oft-leaked Xperia Z1 finally made its official debut at IFA in Berlin yesterday, and I had a chance to take a few minutes and look at the company's latest smartphone creation. The Z1 has opted to keep the same basic dimensions of the Xperia Z with its 5" 1080p LCD, enclosed in an aluminum chassis sandwiched between two glass plates. As such, holding the Z1 is very reminiscent of the Z - lots of glass, and an extremely solid, premium feel. Of course, the Z has had its fair share of criticism for the potentially fragile glass back plate, and it seems the Z1 will be equally likely to draw fire on that point. There's also the whole waterproof aspect, which means those fiddly port covers are making a return.
After having been leaked in full yesterday, Sony has officially announced the QX series of 'lens-style' cameras, with two models introduced today at IFA in Berlin.
Hello, dear readers. I'm sitting here at Los Angeles International Airport waiting for my flight to Berlin to board (and probably grabbing a beer before I do), and I thought now would be a good time to give you a quick look at what we'll be up to at IFA 2013.
It looks like some images of the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, or at least a mockup used in an internal Samsung promo video, have leaked out. And, based on those images, this is apparently what the Galaxy Gear will look like in proportion to your wrist.
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 is big. Really, really big. That is quite literally the entirety of the list of interesting features that distinguish it from other Samsung smartphones. It is a shamelessly single-minded product. In a way, that's a good thing - it's certainly a big part of what even makes it possible to sell the Mega for just $480 off contract ($150 on).
The HTC One mini is, in many respects, very similar to its larger, older sibling, the HTC One. It has a [mostly] aluminum body, BoomSound speakers (though they've been noticeably downgraded), and HTC's Ultrapixel camera. It runs Android 4.2.2 with Sense 5, and its 720p S-LCD2 display with Gorilla Glass 3 is breathtakingly good for a "mid-range" phone.
So let's say you own a phone store, and your store has a logo that's a sort of distinct shade of magenta that you use on a lot of stuff. Let's say some guy down the street opens a competing phone store, and his logo is an almost sort of similar shade of magenta, but not really the same. And his logo otherwise doesn't look like yours, really at all. Do you: A.) take this as a coincidence and forget about it, B.) as a compliment that you have good taste, or C.) sue the ever-loving crap out of that guy because where does he get off almost stealing your color what a jerk?
Remote Locator Systems, LLC, a generic company incorporated in East Texas, filed a lawsuit against seven defendants recently for allegedly violating one of its patents. That patent can be found here. They've also filed against Google, Apple, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T.
As announced on Google+ earlier this morning by the Android Developers page, app devs can now distribute their [free] wares to users in Iran. Paid apps and all apps with in-app billing will have to wait, possibly indefinitely. The complex and restrictive embargoes the US has placed on doing business in the country, particularly when it comes to accepting Iranian currency or working with Iranian financial institutions, probably are something of a hurdle in that regard.
Welcome back to the Android Police Week In Review, where we round up the 20 most popular stories published on Android Police in the last week. Without further ado, here they are.
It looks very likely to be the case that Motorola will be charging a little extra for the wooden backs on the Moto X, and by a little, I mean in the neighborhood of $50 compared to the plastic X. Is there $50 of wood, workmanship, and assembly there to justify this premium? Of course not. It's an option that, like most "premium" add-ons for everything from cars to kitchen appliances, is there for those people willing to pay to get it. No one needs a phone made of wood, aluminum, or rich Corinthian leather. It's an upsell, and if you think you're generally going to get a "fair" price on an option that isn't included with the base model product, you're probably deluding yourself. That's just a reality of buying stuff generally. Look at the cost of bumping a phone's storage to the next tier, even $50 is a ludicrous increase compared to the actual cost of the added memory.
Google just published a major update to the Play Store Developer Content Policy, and whether you're a user or developer, you need to be aware of these changes. The content policy is basically Google's "this is what we don't allow on the Play Store" list. As such, you can understand why it's important. Google periodically updates this policy, but this is the biggest change I think we've seen yet - tons of areas have been touched on and modified, and there are significant ramifications to these changes. Let's break it down, starting with the one you're probably here for.
Want to design your own Moto X this morning? Great news, you can! You just can't buy it yet, unless you want to trek down to your local AT&T store. Why yes, that is kind of confusing and backwards-sounding. In order to customize a Moto X and actually place an order for said device, you'll need to head on over to an AT&T store (presumably a corporate location, not an authorized reseller), probably wait in line (make an appointment ahead of time!), and then ask for a Moto X card. The other catch is that this seems to be for on-contract customers only. You either need to be making a new AT&T account or upgrading your current device. I mean, it's worth asking, I guess, if you want to try to get it unlocked, but somehow I doubt they'll go for it.