If this is Android TV, color me unimpressed

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: It’s a little box you plug into your TV, and runs onmobile technology. It has a simple big-screen TV interface that’s meant to be operated with a simplified remote with just a few navigation buttons. It has Netflix, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Vevo and Pandora, and of course you can rent or buy video and music through its own marketplace. It even plays some mobile games, re-jiggered for your TV.

This weekend, The Verge published details of Android TV, based on information in leaked internal documents. And if what that article divulged is what Android TV is all about, I’m totally disappointed. One of the largest and richest software companies in the world managed to build another Apple TV. Or Roku. Or Fire TV. Take your pick.

Look, guys, it’s another streaming media box!

According to the leak, the new Android TV would feature exactly the same stuff the other guys offer. Sure, the search bar is there (it is Google after all), but for the most part it looks like you scroll through categorized lists of movies, music, and TV shows available from the major services, including of course, Google Play. It’s a drastic improvement over the “search the Internet and your local guide for stuff” experience of Google TV, but that’s a pretty low bar to clear.

Android TV will allegedly serve up custom recommendations, and that’s hardly an earth-shaking innovation. Netflix, for one, takes great pride it its recommendation system. No doubt, Google will employ the same technology it uses to recommend shows to watch in its Google Now cards. But I hope it makes serious improvements to the algorithm, because I keep getting recommendations for movies that I’ve already watched. And Jeopardy! Always Jeopardy!

Image: The Verge

Oh good. They have that awful Superman movie. 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. Thanks for the recommendation.

Google’s descriptions of its product read like a carbon-copy of the talking points for literally every streaming media product ever. It will have an interface that is “cinematic, fun, fluid, and fast”? Get outta town! 

“Access to content should be simple and magical,” Google says? I think we may need to reset our expectations for what qualifies as “magical.” The Verge article doesn’t mention it, but I would be gobsmacked if Android TV doesn’t also allow you to push all Chromecast-enabled content from your phone or browser to it.

These are table stakes, folks. This is the bare minimum a streaming media box needs in 2014. Google isn’t supposed to be a “bare minimum” company, is it?

Solving exactly zero streaming TV problems

It doesn’t sound like Google is interested in solving any oflike Google is interested in solving any of the real drawbacks of streaming media boxes. There isn’t the faintest mention of live TV, or local news and weather, or local sports. I’m sure it will have apps like MLB.tv, which let you watch every team but your home team. These problems aren’t technological, as rights holders refuse to make their content available at a price that would allow a streaming box to challenge cable. And because the content rights guys are also the cable guys (see: Comcast/NBCUniversal, Time Warner), that’s not likely to change.

But there are no other “wow” features. Maybe Google could make a play for video quality, promising broad support for HEVC to deliver better visuals with less bandwidth. Perhaps it could promise the largest selection of 4K content, making it the go-to streaming box for the coming wave of 4K TVs. The company pushing gigabit fiber-to-the-home Internet access should probably be the one driving toward substantially improved video and audio quality, right?

How about dealing with the rip-off that is streaming rentals and purchases? Renting a streaming flick for $4 or $5 is the same price we used to pay the video store, where there was physical inventory and discs and loss prevention to deal with. And $15 to $20 to “own” a movie? For the same price as a Blu-ray, you get to stream the exact same low-bitrate data they send you for the $5 rental. Android TV, according to the leak, doesn’t seem to take aim at solving the “streaming rentals and purchases are priced poorly” problem.

Does it integrate with your cable or satellite box, puling together all your live and DVR content with streaming stuff? If it does, there’s no mention of it. 

Good enough isn’t good enough

To be fair, Android TV as described in The Verge piece is competitive. It’s fine. But I can’t help but be disappointed that it is only competitive. It’s just fine.

Everyone with a video content ecosystem, from Microsoft and Apple to Amazon and Google, is desperate to make sure their potential customers don’t get locked into their competitor’s stores. Google needs to push Android TV to market because they don’t want you to build a library of stuff from iTunes or Amazon Instant Video. But what is good for Google is not necessarily good for us.

Frankly, I expected more from a company with the resources of Google. In addition to the aping the offerings of the other major streaming TV boxes, I expected at least one big idea, one “aha!” feature or function that would make Android TV clearly more desirable than its counterparts. Instead, it appears to be a box that will compete on the merits of its refined interface and recommendation engine, neither of which have been Google’s strong suits in the past.

Of course, nobody has used Android TV yet, or even seen it in action. This is all based off an initial report from leaked internal documents and images. But if Android TV will indeed promise impressive features you won't find in other streaming boxes, wouldn't those documents have mentioned it? I want to be excited about Google taking yet another stab at the living room (what is this, the fourth, if you count Nexus Q?). But I just don't see a lot to be thrilled about.

The next version of Android could be truly business-friendly

Android has a lot of market share, but it doesn't have a big footprint in the corporate world; outside of special efforts like Samsung's Knox, the OS isn't well-suited to businessdemands. All that may change in the near future, though, as The Information's sourcesclaim that the next major Android release will place a much stronger emphasis on office-grade security. The new OS will reportedly allow apps that require their own authentication (including biometrics), as well as data storage on secure chips. It should also offer better remote management controls. If the rumor is accurate, we may not have long to wait to see these suit-and-tie features -- Google could unveil them at its I/O conference in late June.

The power of Search, now across apps

A task as simple as choosing a movie to see can actually be complex — and the information you want can be in several different places, often in apps. You might get your trivia from IMDb, the box office stats from Wikipedia and ratings from Rotten Tomatoes. Starting today, Google can save you the digging for information in the dozens of apps you use every day, and get you right where you need to go in those apps with a single search. Google Search can make your life a little easier by fetching the answer you need for you — whether it’s on the web, or buried in an app.

Getting you there faster
Let’s say you’re getting ready for the holidays but can’t remember the name of that classic Christmas movie you want to show your children. Now, you can use Google search to find the movie and learn more about it in one of your favorite apps.  

Helping you find just the right app
Sometimes, the best answer for a search can be an app. Say you want to explore downhill skiing — now, you can just ask Google for downhill skiing apps and get a collection of useful apps. 

These new features are rolling out now on Android (through the Google Search appor directly in Chrome and Android browsers). App listings for from Google Play will appear in search when they’re relevant. You’ll be able to search within a select number of apps initially . We’re working with developers to add more over the coming months

This is just one step toward bringing apps and the web together, making it even easier to get the right information, regardless of where it’s located.

This is why you never want to break your smartphone screen

We look at a lot of teardown videos and hear stories about screen replacements, but Youtube user LE55ONS has thirty minutes and ten seconds worth of reasons that you never want it to happen. Watch the grueling video of an entire screen replacement after the break, then go buy a case so this is never you.

Nokia unveils the Android-powered Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL!

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Nokia’s entry into the Android space was known for months, but this was only rumoured to be one device. At Mobile World Congress today, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop (fellow Canadian), surprised the masses and showcased three Nokia Android-powered devices: Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL.
As expected, all the devices will run a customized version of Android, built on AOSP and cuts out any Google services, and features a similar tile-based Home screen that appears on Windows Phone. All three of them will have a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, dual SIM, microSD support and 1500mAh battery.
The Nokia X sports a 4-inch IPS LCD display (800 x 480), 512MB RAM, 3MP camera and will be available in green, black, white, yellow, cyan and red. Overall dimensions are 115.5 x 63 x 10.4mm with a weight of 128.66 grams. The Nokia X+ is similar to the X, but brings the memory up a notch and offers 768MB RAM and a 4GB MicroSD card in the box. Finally, the Nokia XL has a larger 5-inch display (800 x 480) and has 768MB RAM, plus gets a bump up in camera specs with a 5MP rear-facing and a the only one that has a front-facing 2MP camera.
The Nokia X devices will have access to its own suite of app from the “Nokia Store” and come pre-loaded with HERE Drive, MixRadio, BBM, Plants vs. Zombies 2, Viber, Vine and Twitter, plus a bevy of Microsoft services such as Skype, OneDrive, and Outlook.com. Microsoft will also be offering up 10GB of OneDrive storage and 1-month of free Skype calls. Elop noted that “Nokia X together with Lumia represents a deliberate strategy to leverage Microsoft services,” and not Google’s.

Nokia X can be purchased now in Asia Pacific, Europe, india, Latin America, the Middle-East and Africa for €89 ($136 CDN). The Nokia X+ and XL will be launching sometime in Q2 for €99 and €109 ($151 and $167 CDN). As for availability, Elop noted that all these will be available ‘globally,’ but no specific word on Canada.
On the company blog, Nokia stated that these are “the first three phones in the family,” which hints that they are committed to this lineup and will launch additional Android devices in the future.

First dual-boot Windows Phone 8 and Android handsets said to arrive by June

Windows and Android are such good pals, they're quite literally inseparable on a number of dual-boot devices. 

Aside from some old community-driven projects, however, the relationship between Google's mobile OS and Windows Phone hasn't blossomed to a point where they're officially comfortable sharing a smartphone. Well, they better pencil in a bonding session, because The Times of India reportslocal manufacturer Karbonn is set to launch the first such dual-boot handset by June. With the ink now dry on a deal with Microsoft -- presumably a WP license agreed behind closed doors at MWC -- plans are to offer a range of split-personality devices with professional and tech-savvy types in mind. Perhaps they'll run Windows Phone 8.1 right off the bat, too, given the new version's broader hardware support, and show that you needn't create mutant advocates to tempt consumers one way or another.

Gear Fit: The Most Beautiful Wearable Gadget From Samsung

In recent times Samsung has been known to push boundaries, stepping into new technology categories that other major tech companies are still hesitant to go in to. While others are thinking whether to jump in or not (they will), Samsung is pushing even harder. Samsung today announced a new wearable gadget; a stunning smart watch called the Gear Fit.

Samsung Gear Fit

Samsung at the mobile world congress unveiled quite a few products. The main product was supposed to be the Samsung Galaxy S 5 but it seems another Samsung gadget has stolen the show – the Samsung Gear Fit.

The Gear Fit is a fitness tracker that has a stunning curved AMOLED display that is almost viewable on all angles. You can easily wear it on your wrist and the straps are removable. Samsung has multi-colored Gear Fits including designer ones.

The thing that is really going to draw people towards the Gear Fit is the stunning aesthetics; it is absolutely beautiful to look at. Those of you who appreciate a beauty in a product would definitely want to buy this.

Although the product looks amazing, there is a slight downside. The features in Gear Fit are not as many as those found on its siblings; the Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy Gear Neo. It doesn’t have a camera, speaker or a microphone; maybe Samsung has focused too much aesthetics.

We shouldn’t be complaining too much as this is a fitness tracker, most of the people who are going to buy this will use it in a gym or when working out.

The Gear Fit can measure your rate heart in real-time as well as the ability to count steps. It will also display notifications such as messages or other alerts. The built-in coach feature will let you know how you are exercising, whether to go fast or go slow; something many people are going to find very useful.

Samsung has skipped some features and opted for a light and more durable device. It is rated IP67, the same as Samsung Galaxy S 5; meaning you can use it in water and it is dust resistant.

Samsung Gear Fit will be launched on April 11, alongside the Galaxy S 5, Galaxy Gear 2, and the Galaxy Gear Neo. The price of the Gear Fit is not yet available, we will have it as soon as it is mentioned.

Samsung Galaxy S 5 (Complete Details)

Samsung has finally pulled the curtains on the next-generation Galaxy smartphone – theSamsung Galaxy S 5 is finally here! Those of you who couldn’t wait for the device would be happy to know that the Samsung Galaxy S 5 has received some major upgrades. Well, without waiting any more time lets take a look at what’s new in the Samsung Galaxy S 5.

Samsung Galaxy S 5

Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone manufacture by volume, pumping millions upon millions of smartphones around the world. These smartphones range from low to expensive ones, but the smartphone that you will be interested is the flagship one; the top of the range;the Galaxy S 5.

Today in Barcelona, Samsung unveiled the next-generation smartphone, the ultimate device for Samsung and Android fans.

Samsung Galaxy S 5 Design

Let’s begin with the design of the Samsung Galaxy S 5. As you can see from the pictures above and below, the design of the Galaxy S 5 is almost similar to that of its predecessor, the Galaxy S 4. In fact, from the front, both devices are completely the same, one might mistakethe Galaxy S 5 for the 4; something which happened with Apple’s iPhone.

But the back is an entire different story. The Samsung Galaxy S 5 has a perforated back, removing the cheap plastic-y look previous Samsung phones had. This is an update which you might be happy with.

The Galaxy S 5 has a 5.1 inch Super AMOLED 1080p display, almost similar to the Galaxy S 4. The Galaxy S 5 also includes a fingerprint sensor just like the iPhone 5S. But you will have to swipe slightly above the home button to activate it, unlike the iPhone.

Another welcoming feature for the Galaxy S 5 is the IP67-rated water and dust resistance. What this means is that you can submerge your Galaxy S 5 up to one meter (three feet) in water for up to 30 minutes; and it is also dust resistance – which is great.

Samsung Galaxy S 5 Camera

Samsung has considerably improved the camera. The Samsung Galaxy S 5 now packs a cool 16 megapixel camera with amazing new features such as automatic HDR and Selective Autofocus.

Automatic HDR (High Dynamic Range) allows you to take great pictures, which many other smartphones already have. But the Galaxy S 5 has HDR for video too; the world’s first. The other interesting bit is the Selective Autofocus; meaning, you can now re-focus on a specific part even after taking the picture; no more blurry photos!

Samsung adds that it has improved the camera user experience, we are yet to find out what this exactly is once we get our hands on it.

Samsung Galaxy Specifications

Samsung has been known to include some powerful specs in their devices, and the Galaxy S 5 is no exception. Samsung Galaxy S5 packs a 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, an IR remote, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 BLE/ANT+, Cat 4 LTE. You get storages of 16GB or 32GB, depending on which one you want.

According to Samsung, they have included the world’s first MIMO tech in a smartphone with the fifth-generation WiFi – 802.11 ac; which is currently used in latest computers.

The battery has been upgraded too, it now features 2800 mAH; which in smartphone terms is quite a lot. This battery will power your Galaxy S5 up to 10 hours of web surfing on 4G LTE, and 12 hours of video playback. The Galaxy S5 has a feature called “Ultra Power Saver Mode” which will only use the most important functions of your device to conserve power. Samsung mentions if you turn on the utlra power saver mode on 10 percent battery, the Galaxy S 5 will last for 24 hours on stand by – which is pretty good.

The Galaxy S5 features an adaptive display which will control your screen based on your surrounds (not sure how this is different from normal “brightness control”). It also has a super dimming mode for those night times.

Samsung Galaxy Health

The technology world is moving towards health and Samsung is leading the way. Samsung today announced a complete new feature and a first of its kind on a mobile device – a heart rate monitor.

The heart rate monitor is situated slightly below the rear camera (you can see from the image above). You simply place your finger on the monitor and it will give you a reading within 5-10 seconds. And, according to initial hands-on, it works as advertised.

Samsung with its new S Health app will track and give you feedback on your health and exercise activities. It calls this new feature the “coach”; a coach that is with you all the time to help you stay fit.

This is definitely a welcome feature from Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy S 5 Price

If you have been impressed with the smartphone, then this is the next thing you want to hear about. What exactly is the price of the Samsung Galaxy S 5? Well Samsung did not give an official price of the device at the stage. But what we do know is that Samsung Galaxy S5 will be available in 150+ countries on April 11; that is the launch date of the Galaxy S 5.

Samsung has definitely introduced a great smartphone, it has paved the way for its future products and set goals on what it wants in the up-coming years. But is the Samsung Galaxy S5 a device worth buying? Well, if you want to take a leap over to Android’s side from another operating system, then the Galaxy S 5 is currently the best smartphone you could go for. But if you own a previous version, then you might think twice before actually buying it.

Android in 2020: the future of Google's mobile OS explored

Cast your mind back to late 2008, when the first Android-powered handset saw the light of day. Obama won his first Presidential election, Apple launched its App Store (the iPhone had appeared the year before), Google announced its own Chrome browser and we got our first look at the company's new mobile OS on the T-Mobile G1.

The Android of 2013 is a world away from that 2008 version, where the Android Market was in its infancy, there were no native video playback capabilities and the G1 had no multi-touch support. But Google is going to have to keep innovating and improving its mobile OS to keep the lion's share of the smartphone market.

We've taken a peek into the future to consider what Android might look like in the year 2020. With new Android monikers now appearing about once a year, its codename should start with an "R" - Rhubarb Pie, Rocky Road or Rice Pudding, perhaps? Or maybe even Rolos, given the tie-up deals Google is putting in place these days?

Here are the four key features we think could play the biggest part in Android's ongoing evolution over the next seven years:

1. Maps in Android in 2020

Apple's Maps app may not have set the world alight when it launched, but it's here now (alongside Nokia's offering), and that means Google needs to up its game to stay ahead. The 2013 Google Maps refresh brought with it a greater level of customisation based on your personal searches, and this 

will only increase in the future.

With Google Now and Google Latitude tracking your every move, you'll see directions to your favourite pub appear on-screen every Friday lunchtime. If the pub in question has an Android-powered bar installed, you might even find your tipple of choice waiting for you when you arrive

As for all of the services hanging off Maps, Google is already hiring out the Street View cameras and enabling you to peek inside buildings - you can expect Android 2020 to offer better imagery of most public buildings, as well as tappable info as you move around.

There might even be an option to enable Google to anonymously augment its Street View data with the snaps you take on your phone to provide an even more up-to-date view of the world.

2. Android messaging in 2020

Google has already made its intentions clear with the Hangouts upgradewe got at I/O this year. With Facebook, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Snapchat, Skype et al to battle against, there's no doubt we'll see Google push further into the universal messaging game, covering SMS, email, instant messaging and video calling with tools that are baked into Android.

You won't have to have separate apps for each of these, as the UI will be unified in a way that makes it easy to seamlessly slip between each method of calling.

We might even get Google Voice in the UK by the time 2020 rolls around, though don't hold your breath.

How far Google can go depends on the networks and its competitors in the field - it's already launched an ultra-fast internet service in the US, so telecoms could be next. And the company has been sniffing around unused wireless spectrum frequencies, too.

Don't be surprised to see free 5G video calling and texting between Android devices by 2020, with all of your conversations grouped by person rather than platform, and archived and searchable in Gmail.

Eric Schmidt has already predicted that every human will be online by 2020 (no doubt hoping that we'll all have a Google+ page too), and the more people his company can help get connected the better for Google's bottom line.

3. Android payments and security in 2020

Over the next few years our phones will become even more important for making payments, transferring money and verifying our identity (everything from getting through the door at work to logging into Facebook).

The Google Authenticator app of 2020 could work with your device's NFC chip to automatically log you into Gmail when you sit down at your laptop, for example, or pay for your flight when you step on a plane. Apple has Passbook, and Google will want an equivalent in place too.

We've seen tattoos and pills shown off as possible authentication triggers of the future, and Android 2020 will play a big part in proving you are who you say you are, whether it's at a coffee shop or Google I/O.

Basic face recognition is already available, but in the years to come it has the potential to get much more accurate. It might even be joined by fingerprint or retina scanning built into Android's camera app, or at least part of the phone, now that Apple has shown that fingerprint scanning is a viable option with its new Touch ID technology.

4. Android hardware in 2020

Hardware innovations are going to play a big part in Android's roadmap. Besides the obvious smaller, thinner, faster improvements for our phones,bendable screens should be in place in the near future - the likes of Samsung have the tech already in production, and Android will change to adapt itself through scrolling rivers of news, status updates and other notifications.

Ever-changing, ever-optimising displays will be the order of the day, and the batteries and mobile processors of 2020 should be able to keep up.

Google Glass has of course generated plenty of buzz this year, good and bad, as has the rumour of an Apple iWatch to compete with the Galaxy Gear. It looks like the wearable tech revolution is about to take off, and by the time 2020 rolls around this could mean miniature devices on our glasses, wrists and clothing, ready to capture every moment and record every movement.

You won't need to take photos any more, since Google will simply pick out the best pictures from the unedited stream of the day's events. Nor will you need to decide what to eat for dinner - Android 2020 will know what you've been doing today (and what you're probably doing tonight), and can pick out the most suitable foods for you.

Android: the 2020 edition

The only certainty about Android's future is that it has a fight on its hands to stay competitive. Apple's new-look iOS 7 has given Google plenty to think about, not least with its tie-ins with Facebook, Twitter, Bing, Flickr and Vimeo.

Android's continuing integration with Chrome and the desktop/laptop will make for an interesting story too - they're both run by the same man,Sundar Pichai, remember - and perhaps Google's biggest challenge will be to convince us that we can trust it with more and more information about where we are, who we communicate with and the way we live our lives.

Nokia releases Nokia X Android phone, runs all existing apps, costs just $120 off-contract

Here at Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, Nokia has surprised everyone by actually releasing the Android-powered Nokia X smartphone. It is available today, in Europe, for €90 (about $120) off-contract. The Nokia X (codenamed Normandy) is a mid-range phone that runs the Finnish phone maker’s own flavor of Android — but, don’t worry, it runs all existing Android apps. It appears Nokia is handling it in almost exactly the same way as Amazon’s Kindle Fire (which also runs Android): Developers will be able to add their Android apps to the Nokia Store — or users can use third-party app store or sideload apps directly.

The Nokia X is a mid-range smartphone that’s oriented towards emerging markets in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. I wouldn’t be surprised if it never comes to the US. It is a dual-SIM phone with a mediocre 4-inch 800×480 screen. There’s a 3-megapixel shooter on the back, an unspecified 1GHz Qualcomm SoC, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage (upgradable via Micro SD). The phone looks a bit like a Nokia Lumia, and has roughly the same dimensions (10.4mm thick, 115mm long, 129 grams). As you can see in the images throughout this story, the Nokia X comes in a range of lurid colors (via removable backplates).

Acer unveils Liquid range

Both phones are part of Acer’s new Liquid range. Both phones will be shown off in public for the first time at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The Liquid E3 will come with a 4.7-inch high definition IPS screen inside a unibody phone. The body itself is only 8.9mm thick.

As for internals, it will be powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and come with 1GB RAM. The company behind the processor hasn’t been named yet. Storage wise, it has 4GB of storage and Android 4.2.2.

The E3 will come with a 13 megapixel rear facing camera and a two megapixel front facing camera. The rear camera will come with a f/1.8 aperture lens with an ultra-fast focus.

As for the Liquid Z4, it will come with a four-inch screen and is backed by a 1.3GHz processor, 4GB of storage, Android 4.2.2 and five megapixel rear camera.

There is no word on how much RAM it will come with, but we’d be surprised if it is more than 1GB. Indeed, it’s much more likely bearing in mind the price to be 512MB.

Both phones will go on sale in the UK in April. The Acer Liquid E3 will cost around £165, while the Liquid Z4 will be priced at around £85.

Samsung Galaxy S5 to be waterproof?

At the event, we should find out the Samsung Galaxy S5’s launch date, price and its specifications.

Rumours have already given us a good idea of what to expect. But with just days before Mobile World Congress opens its doors, one more rumour has found its way on to the internet.

According to ZDNet Korea, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be both waterproof and dustproof. The site did not reveal the source of the quote. However, it has demonstrated that it has close contacts in Samsung in the past.

The flagship version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 isn’t waterproof. However, Samsung did produce a waterproof version of the phone in the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active.

We’ve also heard suggestions over the last couple of months that Samsung may include waterproofing and dustproofing as standard in the Galaxy S5.

Rival Sony already includes waterproofing and dustproofing as standard in its Xperia range of smartphones.

LG G Flex Coming Soon So get Ready

The first thing to point out here is that the G Flex is not the first curved screen smartphone ever made. Cast your mind back to 2011 and you’ll remember the launch of a certain Samsung Galaxy Nexus, that had a curved screen.

It was barely noticeable but it was curved alright and after a few weeks of using it you started to realise that actually, this could catch on. Move five years on and curved screens are now becoming the new ‘3D’, not only are the curves bigger but companies have started using ‘science’ to back up their reasoning as well.

The LG G Flex is the first of this new wave, boasting a huge 6-inch curved display and unlike its counterpart, the Samsung Galaxy Round, the curve is slightly more conventional, giving it a crescent moon-like appearance.

Going up against big-screened beasts like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Sony Xperia Z Ultra and the Nokia Lumia 1520 and cheaper Nokia Lumia 1320, the LG G Flex is designed to make it easier to use that enourmous 6-inch screen

Facebook buys WhatsApp messaging service for $19bn

Facebook has bought WhatsApp for approximately £11.4bn or $19bn making it one of the largest acquisitions in tech history. To give you some idea it's over double the amount spent by Microsoft buying Nokia last year.

The app, which is available for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 8 has over 450m users and counting. If the deal goes ahead Facebook will be buying one of the largest independent messaging services in the world, beating the likes of ChatOn and Line both of whom have also been seeing steady growth.

In a statement made last night Mark Zuckerberg said, "WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people. The services that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable, I've known Jan for a long time and I'm excited to partner with him and his team to make the world more open and connected."

For those of you wondering if WhatsApp will become integrated into Facebook's own messaging service fear not. According to the company it'll be employing the same approach it took with Instagram, leaving the company to remain separate whilst sharing expertise across the brands.

First image of the All New HTC One (M8) 2014 leaked

The first image of the new HTC One 2014 has been leaked showing off a new design along with the addition of what appears to be dual-cameras and a larger display.

Appearing courtesy of @evleaks the image shows a gold version of the new smartphone and claims that it'll be called the All New HTC One rather than HTC One 2 or HTC One+ as some had suggested.

Set to take on the soon-to-be-released Samsung Galaxy S5 as well as Sony's new Xperia Z2 the new HTC One appears to boast dual-cameras on the back allowing the user to shift focus after the image has been taken.

As well as new cameras it appears to come with a new larger display which integrates the buttons into the screen as well as a new version of HTC Sense and BlinkFeed, the company's UI which it places over Android.

Unsurprisingly HTC has been silent over the leak and until the HTC One's official launch date of 25th March it's important to still take these images with a pinch of salt.

Artemis pCell promises perfect phone signal

Artemis pCell is a new technology that, according to the company, would give 4G smartphones like thei Phone 5s and the Samsung Galaxy S4 a perfect connection, no matter how many people were around you.

Whereas conventional networks rely on large cell towers to broadcast the mobile phone signal, pCell uses numerous smaller pWave transmitters dotted around a location, they then work together to cut through the noise and give each smartphone its own personal cell.

What this means then is that rather than sharing a cell with hundreds, or even thousands of other people your phone would be getting the full signal possible, and along with it, the fastest speed.

The pWave is still in development at the moment but the company's founder and ex-OnLive CEO Steve Perlman has already given a demonstration in New York showing how with the pWave he can stream four 1080p Netflix shows and two 4K trailers all over the same 4G network.

Whilst for the moment this may not be an essential purchase for consumers it certainly seems to solve the common problem of phone signal dropping drastically in crowded areas like stadiums, shopping malls and city centres.

Google will force OEMs to ship devices with an up-to-date version of Android, says leaked report

Google has been struggling to bring the Android platform together for its entire existence. Despite what many have cited as a chronic fragmentation problem, Android has overtaken themobile market, and now makes up the vast majority of new phones sold. As Android matures and becomes more entrenched, Google is increasingly exerting control to keep OEMs in line, and that might extend to some new restrictions on how OEMs can release phones. A leaked document reportedly reveals Google’s plan to enforce a minimum OS version on all new Android devices.

Putting some hard limits on Android versions is something fans of the platform have been hoping Google would do for years. For much of Android’s history, it wasn’t uncommon for device makers to release devices with versions of the platform that were a year or more old, usually with a vague promise to update them in the not too distant future. Sometimes they lived up to that promise, and other times not so much.

The document in question is reportedly from a notice sent out to Google’s OEM partners and makes it clear the company will no longer certify Android devices running older versions of the platform. How old? Well, it varies. Android 4.1 and older expired on February 1, so OEMs are working only with version 4.2 or newer now. Android 4.2 expires on April 24 of this year, and 4.3 is slated for sunsetting on July 31. This works out to nine months for an OEM to move on from an old version of the platform when its successor is announced. That should mean all devices are no more than two API versions behind the Nexus program.