Google Now update brings new cards for TV shows and Google Offers

        

Google improves location-aware and voice-controlled features for Now

An update to Google Now is bringing two new types of cards, TV shows and Google Offers, to users starting today. For those who have an internet-connected TV on the same network as their mobile device, Google Now can now listen to the show you're watching and offer more information -- such as actor or show details -- right on your device. For Google Offers users, Google Now will show reminders for upcoming saved offers when you're near a store that you can use the offer at, which expands on Google's current location-aware shopping and research cards.
Additionally, the latest update also includes a new voice action to play music from Google Now. You can now say "Play [artist name]", and a prompt will pop up letting you select your preferred music app from the ones you have installed. The app will then open and begin playing from the artist you asked for.
The new TV show card is U.S.-only for the moment, but the other new features should be available for everyone. You can grab the latest updated Google Search (which is Google Now) app from the Play Store link above.

Leef Bridge: USB Flash Drive for Android Devices, PCs and Macs

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Leef Technology out of California have just released the Leef Bridge, a funky new USB Flash Drive for sharing between Android phones and tablets, PCs and Macs – a first. It's a devastatingly simple idea: carry around the tiny lighter-sized, slidable flash drive in your pocket and transfer files between devices without cables, batteries, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cloud services. You can also play music and video direct from the flash memory meaning transferring from one device to another isn't even essential.  

The new Leef Bridge is a USB flash drive for easy data sharing between Android devices and computers 

Functionality

The device we tested performed exactly as expected, although the transfer speeds were less than remarkable. Transferring to and from devices was very easy (simply copy and pasting), and playback from flash memory was seamless. The fact that the one device can be used to copy pictures, music, video and documents from any of your devices and transferred or played back on any other device is beautiful in its simplicity. Cameras, smartphones, tablets, desktops, easy.

Design

Like most slidable USB drives, the Leef Bridge is a little larger than most other flash drives, but considering it houses a USB and micro-USB connection that's still pretty impressive. The main body is the size of a stack of postage stamps with a lockable sliding cover that exposes one connection or the other, or protects them both. It's simple, functional and it works.

The Leef Bridge works straight from the box with no cables, cloud, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth 

Ease of Use

I tried the Leef Bridge with a Samsung Galaxy S3 straight out of the box and it worked perfectly. The included instructions recommended downloading the Astro File Manager app to your mobile device but this wasn't necessary for me. Once it's plugged in the file manager is launched automatically. You can easily transfer files to the device and then either plug and play direct from the shared flash memory to your tablet, laptop or desktop, or transfer the loaded files as you normally would with a standard USB flash drive.

Compatibility

Leef Bridge requires Android Jelly Bean OS 4.1 or later for smartphones and Android tablets, it also works on Win 8 tablets and is of course Mac and PC compatible as a standard USB flash drive. The company's website features a full list of compatible devices that also includes Samsung Galaxy cameras, meaning you could pull photos direct from your camera without having to remove memory cards. The website also claims compatibility with the Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 5.0? The Leef Bridge currently comes in 16GB and 32GB, and in the near future 64GB.

Transfer and share files between camera, smartphone, tablet and computer 

Tech Specs

Device	Leef Technology Bridge (USB flash drive)
Capacities	16GB, 32GB, 64GB (in coming months)
USB	2.0 (Full Size and Micro-USB)
OS	Android 4.1 or later
System Requirements	Supports Windows® 8, Windows® 7, Windows® XP (SP3), Windows Vista® (SP1, SP2), Windows 2000®, Linux Kernal 2.6 or later, Apple® Mac OS X or later
Color	Black
Dimensions	23.8 x 56.2 x 9.6 mm

Conclusion

While the USB 2.0 transfer speeds are far from blistering (in my tests between 4.1 – 5.1 MB/s) – a short 225 MB video took between 44-55 seconds to transfer – there were no lags in playback when video or music was run direct from the flash memory. The device quite simply does what it claims to do and as long as you don't need to transfer files at high speed, this little gadget simplifies what otherwise can be a fidgety, occasionally irritating task. And that suits me just fine.

Android powers 59% of smartphones, tablets, and laptops says Canalys

New reports indicate that mobile platforms are continuing to dominate the market and that the Android is the go to operating system for over half of the devices out there.

The independant technology analyst firm, Canalys, released findings recently that exposed Android devices account for around 59% of all smartphones, tablets, and laptops currently on the market. According to the report, mobile computing device shipments grew by about 37% in the first quarter of 2013 which amounted to almost 309 million devices.
Out of this increase, which included a pool of smartphones, laptops, and tablets, tablets were found to be the fastest growing segment out of the bunch. In this report, Canalys senior analyst Tim Coulling suggest that sales of tablets were continuing to increase due to lower expectations of the devices when they were first released: "Spearheaded by Google and Amazon, the commoditization of the tablet market has happened far quicker than that of the wider PC market."
Included in the report was speculation behind the lagging growth of Apple's iPhone sales compared to that of rival manufacturers, mainly residing in what Pete Cunningham, another analyst at Canalys, described as an aging UI and increased fierce competition by HTC and Samsung:

But HTC and Samsung have raised the bar with their latest handsets and Apple needs to respond with its next iPhone. The iPhone user interface is now six years old and badly in need of a refresh. Hardware-wise, the biggest dilemma that Apple faces is what it does with the size of the display on the next iPhone. It cannot afford to ignore the trend for larger displays in premium smart phones.

All in all, Android remains on top of all smart mobile devices with a dominant market share of 59%. Apple placed second with 19.3% percent with Microsoft trailing closely behind at 18.1$.
With a surprising lead over competitors Apple and Microsoft, it seems like it's full steam ahead for Android and Google. However, the company should take note of it's own hubris and continue the innovation and creativity it has been known for. Not long ago, both Apple and Microsoft had spent time atop the podium.

Chromebooks are coming to a store near (and far away) from you

Chromebooks have been available through online portals for some time now. If you ever wanted to get your hands on one, you could easily navigate over to Amazon, Best Buy, and even Google itself.  But soon you’ll be able to see these Chrome OS laptops popping up in retailers across the globe, in fact, in over 6,600 stores around the world.

Google has announced that the Chromebooks will now be available at select locations, including Walmart and Staples by this coming weekend. As well, other locations such as Office Depot, Office Max, Fry’s, and TigerDirect will start seeing these show up in the coming months.
In a more global perspective, Google has also focused over the pond with select locations being added in the UK, Netherlands, France, Sweden, and Australia. As with everything Google does, more locations are expected to be announced in the near future.
Well, that certainly puts Chromebooks in reach of more consumers by expanding their retailer base by almost three. As someone who likes to get a hands-on experience of a device before committing to buying, this will certainly be handy in the near future. I'm sure I'm not alone when it comes to that.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Top 10 Tips and Tricks

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is probably the most feature-laden smartphone ever released. In addition to the wow-worthy Smart Stay and Air Gestures features, the Galaxy S4 is packed with helpful tools for increasing battery life, blocking unwanted calls and notifications and helping you stay safe when you're traveling alone. Let's take a look at some of Samsung Galaxy S4's top 10 tips and tricks.

Top Galaxy S4 Tips and Tricks / © AndroidPIT

1. Decrease Lag in Touchwiz

If you don't see yourself using S Voice too often, you'll find that disabling it will lead to a much smoother Touchwiz experience. Have you noticed the slight lag between hitting the home button and the home screen appearing? That's because your Galaxy S4 thinks you might be trying to launch S Voice. To speed up the transition, open S Voice and turn off the "Open via home key" option.
Another way to speed up Touchwiz is to change a few options in the Developer Options menu. Go to Settings –> More –> About Device. Then scroll down to the build number and tap it seven times.
Now go back and you should see the Developer's Option Menu. Turn off "Drawing," "Window animation scale," "Transition animation scale" and "animator duration scale."  There will be less animation now, but Touchwiz should be more responsive.

2. Prolong Your Power

So you've got 10% battery left and the whole night ahead of you. What do you do? It's pretty easy: to increase your Galaxy S4's battery life, all you need to do is turn on Power Saving Mode. You can find this option in the Quick Settings notification pane.
The feature allows you to turn on CPU power saving, screen power saving or turn off haptic feedback. For best results, try disabling all three. If that doesn't work, turn off your data connection.

3. Enable Multiple Window Mode

If you're a multi-tasking fiend like me, chances are you're going to want to enable multiple window mode on your Galaxy S4. This feature allows you to run two applications at once, like email and web browsing for example.
To do so, simply hold down the back button to trigger the multi-window menu, which appears on the left hand side of the screen. Slide it out, select which apps you want to run simultaneously and enjoy!

4. Customize Your Notification Panel

From the notification pane, tap on the icon that looks like a few squares and two arrows in the very top right corner. Now tap the pencil icon that appears on the left.
From here, all you need to do is drag and drop icons around to move your most-accessed settings into the top five.

5. Enhance The Quality of Your Photos

You'd think the Galaxy S4 would take 13MP shots out of the box, but you'd be mistaken. To enable the highest quality shots, you're going to have to set the size for 13MP by opening the camera and hitting the settings button.

6. Get 50GB of Free Cloud Storage for 24 Months

This one's easy: to enable free cloud storage, just download Dropbox and log in. Voila! You have 50GB of free cloud storage for two years! You can enable Dropbox to upload any photo you take yo cloud storage, which means you won't lose those photos if your phone gets lost or stolen. Yes, Google+'s photo upload feature works well, too, but Dropbox will save your photos in the highest quality.

7. Enable Air Gestures

To answer your phone simply by moving your hand above the sensor, enable Air Gestures. You can easily do this via Quick Settings.

8. Take a Screenshot

You can take a screenshot using two methods. Either hold down the power and home buttons together or swipe your palm across the screen. The latter method requires you to first enable it by going to Settings –> My Device –> Motion and gestures –>Palm Motion and switch on "Capture Screen."

9. Block Unwanted Calls

To ensure you're not bothered by unwanted callers, turn on "Blocking Mode" via My Device. With this enabled, you can block all incoming calls, notifications, alarms and even your LED indicator. You can either turn it on manually or set it to disable communication between specified hours of the day.
If you want to reject specific numbers, go to Settings -> My Device and under "Call" menu, go to "Auto Reject" enter a specific number, check the box next to it and you'll never have to hear from that person again. You can even have the Galaxy S4 send a personalized meson to the person explaining why their call was rejected.

10. Enable Safety Assistance Mode

This is a great feature if you're traveling somewhere alone and concerned something might happen to you while you're away. By holding the volume up and the volume down keys, you can send an emergency message to predetermined contacts, as well as two photos taken by the front and rear cameras. Your phone will also send your location to your contacts. To turn it goon, go to Settings –> My Device –> Safety Assistance

Galaxy S4 Survives Steam and Sparks in Epic Stress Test

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Samsung's Galaxy S4 Stress Test/ © Samsung

Samsung's stress test videos are my absolute FAVE because they:

1. Use bizarre contraptions that seem to have been designed purely to beat up phones.
2. Are insanely extensive.
3. (Most important) involve mechanical butts.

The latest Samsung stress-test video, for the Samsung Galaxy S4, doesn't include the aforementioned mechanical butt, which is disappointing to me on so many levels. But, it's still pretty damn entertaining. In it, the Galaxy S4 is flipped over and over again in a rotating machine, held underwater, placed in an oven and zapped with static electricity.
Unsurprisingly, the S4 survives all of these tests with nary a scratch. (That must be why Samsung insists on using plastic). To watch all the madness, take a look here:
When it comes to durability, certain phones (like the iPhone 4) have gotten a bad rep. But it seems like manufacturers are caring more and more about creating phones that can last a long time. Sony's Xperia Z, for example, can be used underwater (for more than a few seconds), and can also survive dust and dirt.
Usually I wince at videos like this but for whatever reason (the music? the sound effects?) Samsung's in-house durability tests are oddly soothing.
How important is phone durability to you? Do you look for this when shopping for a new phone? Let us know in the comments below!

Ascend P6 vs HTC One, Galaxy S4, and Xperia Z

With the official announcement of the Ascend P6 yesterday in London; Huawei is hoping to jump into the ring of high-end smartphones with the release of their ultra slim design. Whether or not the Chinese company can compete in the race for the top Android phone, alongside the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z, and Samsung Galaxy S4 still remains to be unclear. However, let’s have a look at all the devices side by side.

So, how does the Ascend P6 stack up compard to the rest? / © AndroidPIT

Media attention was all on board for the presentation of the Huawei Ascend P6 last night and as a part of the major event the smartphone was revealed to the assembled tech press. Here at AndroidPIT, we had a correspondent on location during the reveal and the first impressions of the device were very positive.
Behind the impressive design of this new smartphone, lies a somewhat confusing lump of hardware specs that don’t quite fit in with the coveted top spot it seems to be seeking. The Huawei Ascend P6 still does rank pretty well, but when put against the competitors in the same class, it seems to rank more closely to an upper mid class device. So, the main question remains: can the Ascend P6 keep up with the others? I’ve decided to compare it on seven different categories below.

	Ascend P6	HTC One	Galaxy S4	Xperia Z
Material:	Aluminium	Aluminium	Plastic	Glass
Display:	4.7 inches, LCD 1.280 x 720 Pixel 312 ppi	4.7 inches, LCD 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel 469 ppi	5 inches, AMOLED 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel 441 ppi	5 inches, LCD 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel 441 ppi
Processor:	Huawei K3V2 1.5 GHz, Quad-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.7 GHz, Quad-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.9 GHz, Quad-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5 GHz, Quad-Core
Software:	Android 4.2.2 Emotion UI	Android 4.1.2 HTC Sense 5	Android 4.2.2 TouchWiz	Android 4.1.2 Xperia UI
BAttery:	2.000 mAh	2.300 mAh	2.600 mAh	2.320 mAh
Dimensiomns:	132.6 x 65.5 x 6.18 mm	137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm	136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm	139 x 71 x 7.9 mm
Price (Amazon.com)	North American prices unconfirmed. From 449 € Euros.	From $680 US Dollars	From $630 US Dollars	From $590 US Dollars

Material

When it comes to the material that is preferred on a device, that of course is a matter of personal taste. The debate about the pros and cons of each material isn’t worth getting into a heated discussion over, however, personally, I think an aluminum body looks elegant and sleek, feels good, and is less susceptible to grease stains and fingerprints. As such, the HTC One and Ascend P6 are front-runners in my eyes.

Display

When looking at the data sheet above, you can see that the Ascend P6 has the lowest resolution, pixel density, and screen size (along with the HTC One) out of the bunch. In practice, however, the readability of LCD panels in the open air is known to be better than that of AMOLED screens and as we stated in a previous post, the human eye cannot distinguish anything more than 300 ppi at a normal viewing distance of 30 cms.

Processor

All the other manufacturers that were part of this comparison were running Qualcomm chips, with Huawei being the lone wolf building its own processors. Technically, the quad-core chipset of the P6 keeps up with the Snapdragons and is on par with what is behind the Xperia Z. Upon first impressions though; the performance of the device is absolutely satisfactory.

The Emotion UI draws some inspiration from Apples iOS. / © Huawei

Software

The Ascend P6 comes with the latest Android 4.2.2 and with that, Huawei stands ground along with Samsung in releasing the latest version of the OS. As with all the manufacturers, each brings their own user interface to the mix. As with the contentious issue of preferred material, the UI remains a matter of personal taste. The Huawei Emotion UI has similarities to Apple’s iOS and dispenses with the classic App Drawer. In previous tests of the UI, we found the Emotion UI to be surprisingly good.

Battery

The battery capacity of the Ascend P6 is much weaker than that of competing models. With the lower resolution and a smaller display on the Ascend P6, the battery should be more than enough for what it needs. Moreover, thanks to some power-saving technology built inside the device, the P6 should have about 30 percent more juice in its battery.

Dimensions

Here, the Ascend P6 is the clear winner, at least it you are judging it by having the most compact dimensions possible. Coming in at an impressive 6.18 mm in thickness, Huawei has unveiled the thinnest smartphone currently in the world.

Both sleek and stylish, the P6 also is the thinnest. / © Huawei

Price

Huawei also wins in this category as well. While street prices are not yet available, the retail price for the device definitely shows in what direction they’re aiming. With a price significantly below the $680 US dollar amount, the Ascend P6 is a real bargain compared to the other devices. Comparable in price to the Nexus 4, it has a much more pleasing appearance (in our opinion).

Conclusion

The differences are few and tiny. Even if the current top of the line smartphones seem a bit overpowered when it comes to the Ascend P6, it is technically still at the same level of the rest. In conjunction with the low price and stylish design, the Ascend P6 is definitely a serious contender. And while Huawei still has to take on the role of the underdog in most markets, it’s important to note that Huawei are the world’s third largest smartphone maker, behind Samsung and Apple, and are definitely looking to prove that they are up to the task.However, with only a slated release in specific parts of Europe and in China, it's unknown whether this device, or any Huawei device, will make its way to North American shores within the near future.

ATIV Q: Windows and Android under the same house

At their London event, Samsung announced their ATIV Q tablet, which runs both Android and Windows that can switch seamlessly between the two operating systems. Will the battle between Android and Windows end peacefully with this merger? I’ve been testing this hybrid tablet out.

Windows left, Android right. The ATIV Q can do both simultaneously. / © AndroidPIT

A multitalented tablet

If one pops up the flat screen of the ATIV Q, a keyboard is revealed which transforms the 13.3-inch tablet into a veritable small notebook. The display can also be rotated so that it floats horizontally above the keyboard; a useful setting to be used when drawing on the screen and interchanging between using the keyboard, notes Samsung. The operation with Samsung’s S Pen (known for its use in the Samsung Note series) is fluid and smooth. The resolution on the screen is great as well: the 13.3-inch qHD+ display sports a 3200x1800 pixel resolution with a pixel density of 275.

One of the many configurations of the ATIV Q, display hovering over the keyboard. / © AndroidPIT

The ATIV Q shines not only as a high-class display, but also from its design and hardware. The processor is housed in the base of the device and connects the display with the keyboard, the battery is installed in the lower keyboard, and the display contains only the screen and sensors, making it ridiculously thin.

“Both:” instead of “either or”

Windows 8 and Android 4.2.2 are both installed on the device and run in parallel. Just tap the Home button (on the ATIV devices, it’s the Windows key) and you’re being switch between the two. Both systems can also be displayed simultaneously in a split-screen view.

Windows 8..../ © AndroidPIT

.....or Android 4.2.2. / © AndroidPIT

I was surprised at how smoothly and seamlessly you can switch between the two systems.  Whether the Intel Core i5 processor is capable of handling computational hungry programs running in the background at the same time as having two operational systems is another story, but the short time I had with the ATIV Q really impressed me.
Although Samsung advertises that you can “enjoy” Android Apps on Windows, the technology behind it is less than spectacular. Folders and data between Windows and Android an be moved back and forth, the same as that can be done via the ATIV Q and an Android Device using a service called Samsung SideSync.
Nevertheless, the concept of the ATIV Q is very interesting. As soon as we get a hold of a tester of the device here at AndroidPIT, we will be able to discuss the Windows/Android hybrid again in more detail.

Samsung ATIV S Neo Announced For Sprint – 4.8 Inch HD Display, 1.4GHz Dual-Core CPU, and 8 Megapixel Camera Landing This Summer

Alongside the HTC 8XT, Sprint also announced the Samsung ATIV S Neo. This upcoming Windows Phone 8 handset will launch later this summer for $149.99 (after mail-in rebate) on a new two-year contract.

The Samsung ATIV S Neo rocks a 4.8 inch HD display, 1.4 GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM, micro SD card slot, 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera, 2,000 mAh battery, unlimited LTE, and more.

Possibly one of the most interesting features on the ATIV S Neo is ATIV Beam which allows owners of the handset to share photos, music, and videos to other Windows Phone 8 and (select) Android handsets. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Android support only extends to Galaxy and Note handsets

Sprint’s come out swinging hard with its launch of Windows Phone 8 devices, and the Samsung ATIV S Neo will certainly be of interest to many who have patiently awaited the carrier to bring the OS to its lineup.

Press release below

Sprint Plans Summer Launches for First Two Windows Phone 8 Smartphones to Feature Truly Unlimited 4G LTE: HTC 8XT and Samsung ATIV S Neo

SAN FRANCISCO (BUSINESS WIRE), June 26, 2013 – Sprint (NYSE: S) and Microsoft Corp. today outlined plans to launch the first two Windows Phone 8 smartphones to offer Truly UnlimitedSM Sprint 4G LTE this summer – HTC® 8XT and Samsung ATIV S™ Neo. Customers will appreciate access to the advanced features and capabilities of these devices with the benefit of unlimited 4G LTE (available in select markets) data, text and calling to any mobile with no metering, no throttling, and no overages, all while on the Sprint network.

HTC 8XT will be available for $99.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade, two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate via reward card1. ATIV S Neo will be priced at $149.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade, two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate via reward card1. Exact availability dates and full feature lists for both smartphones will be shared at a later date. Customers can preregister for more information and email updates about Windows Phone 8 from Sprint and HTC 8XT and ATIV S Neo atwww.sprint.com/windows8.

“We know our customers are anxious to get their hands on these Windows Phone 8 smartphones, HTC 8XT and ATIV S Neo,” said Fared Adib, senior vice president-Product Development, Sprint. “Without a doubt, they will rival any smartphone on the market today. Our customers will appreciate being able to use them all day, every day without worrying about overages or data caps.”

Windows Phone 8 won the PC Magazine Readers’ Choice Award for best mobile operating system in March 2013. The only phone with Live Tiles, Windows Phone 8 offers a truly personal smartphone experience designed to keep customers connected to the people and things that matter most. Windows Phone brings together the best of Microsoft with the same modern look and feel, including Bing, Office, Xbox and Skype, for a rich customer experience. In addition, the Windows Phone Store includes more than 160,000 apps to choose from, with hundreds added daily.

”We are excited to be bringing the most personal smartphone experience to Sprint customers this summer,” said Terry Myerson, corporate vice president, Microsoft Windows Phone Division. “With compelling hardware from HTC and Samsung, coupled with unlimited 4G LTE from Sprint, these Windows Phones will offer the complete package.”

Must-Have Features from HTC

Music-lovers will appreciate the amazing sound capability of HTC 8XT with HTC BoomSound™, introducing for the first time on Windows Phone 8 dual front-facing stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier that brings people closer to their music, videos and games they love. In addition, Beats Audio™ enables studio-quality sound, so listeners hear music the way the artist intended with unique audio tuning that delivers thundering bass, soaring midrange and crisp highs. And HDR recording uses advanced dual microphones and audio processing to capture clean, rich sound that is worthy of high-definition video.

“Inspired by the design that won the prestigious ‘red dot award: product design 2013,’ the new HTC 8XT brings a truly crafted smartphone with brilliant color, soft-to-the-touch texture and tapered design to be comfortable in the hand,” said Mike Woodward, president North America, HTC Corporation. “A pleasure to hold and a pleasure to hear, the front-facing stereo speakers are a first for a Windows Phone and deliver sounds that demand to be heard.”

HTC 8XT is also ideal for photo buffs with an 8-megapixel main camera with autofocus and LED flash, and a front-facing 1.6-megapixel camera. The main camera takes great photos in bright-light and low-light situations, and the ability to shoot video and take still pictures simultaneously. It also offers multishot burst mode to help capture the best picture of a moving photo subject, and a dedicated Windows Phone camera button to open the camera quickly, even when the phone is locked or sleeping, so users never miss an opportunity to capture life’s most important moments.

Inside the beautiful HTC 8XT is a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 processor with 1.4GHz dual-core CPUs supporting 4G LTE and 1080p video capture, 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM memory, microSD™ memory card slot with support for up to 64GB memory cards, a crisp 4.3-inch display, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, GPS support and 1,800mAh lithium-ion battery.

Advanced Features from Samsung

ATIV S Neo will offer a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, microSD memory card slot, international roaming, 4.8-inch high-definition display, Wi-Fi and 2,000mAh lithium-ion removable battery. Sharing is easier than ever with ATIV S Neo featuring ATIV Beam using near field communication (NFC) to share photos, music and video with other Windows Phone 8 and select Android™ devices. ATIV S Neo includes the Samsung exclusive Now feature, which highlights top news, weather and relevant information at a single glance.

“Samsung is committed to offering smartphones across a variety of platforms and the rich Windows Phone 8 experience on the ATIV S Neo is a testament to this effort,” said Kevin Packingham, Samsung Mobile chief product officer. “The ATIV S Neo makes it easy to stay in-the-know while connecting with friends, family and colleagues, through new sharing features and powerful productivity applications.”

Having ATIV S Neo in your pocket means users can do more with their smartphone camera. It will offer an 8-megapixel main camera with LED flash and a front-facing 1.9-megapixel camera for video chat. It will include a variety of camera apps preloaded, including the Beauty Shot mode for smoother looking skin in headshots, Manga Camera to give pictures a fun twist by turning friends and family into cartoons, and built-in Photo Editor that allows the user to edit, color, effect, decorate or share their pictures quickly and easily.

These smartphones also make it easy for customers to stay productive with Office Mobile for Windows Phone. With Office Mobile, people can access, view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from anywhere. Plus, customers can count on Office Mobile to keep content and formatting intact so documents still looks great when back on a PC, Windows tablet or Mac.

Microsoft Office 365 offered by Sprint is available for small and mid-sized businesses. It includes Sprint’s unique Carefree Cloud migration and onboarding assistance, end-user level support, predictable monthly costs with no up-front infrastructure expenses, pay-as-you-go plans, savings by bundling all of the necessary tools and advanced options to simplify management further, all with a single bill and single point of contact. Sprint recently announced expanded plans available with Office 365, including enhanced audio conferencing and availability at select Sprint retail stores.

Sprint offers 4G LTE in top summer destinations like Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sprint offers 4G LTE service in 110 markets nationwide and expects to provide 200 million people with LTE by the end of 2013.

For the most up-to-date details on Sprint’s 4G LTE portfolio and rollout, visit www.sprint.com/network.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 55 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2013 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint as the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all 47 industries, during the last five years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

Specifications and features subject to change.
HTC, the HTC logo and HTC BoomSound are trademarks of HTC Corporation. Beats Audio is a trademark of Beats Electronics, LLC. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Samsung and ATIV S are both registered trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 4G LTE when used in connection with Samsung devices refers to the fact that the devices are capable of operating on Sprint’s 4G LTE network.

1The American Express Prepaid Reward Card (“Card”) provided in connection with this Rebate offer is a prepaid Card that is usable at U.S. merchants that accept American Express Card. Some limitations apply. The Card is not redeemable for cash (except where required by law) and does not provide ATM access. Use of Card constitutes acknowledgement that it is given as a reward and no consideration, value, or money has been paid by the holder to American Express in exchange for this Card. USE OF CARD IS SUBJECT TO THE CARDHOLDER AGREEMENT. SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW, A $3.00 MONTHLY FEE WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST CARD BALANCE, STARTING SIX MONTHS AFTER CARD ISSUANCE, UNLESS FUNDS ARE EARLIER DEPLETED. For BALANCE, customer service and Cardholder Agreement, visit americanexpress.com/sprint or call 866-608-3756. Card issued by American Express Prepaid Card Management Corporation.

HTC 8XT Announced For Sprint – Windows Phone 8 with BoomSound Speakers and Qualcomm Snapdragon 400

Today HTC and Sprint announced the HTC 8XT Windows Phone 8 handset. The device is the first Windows Phone 8 handset that will ship with HTC’s BoomSound speakers, which first debuted on the Android-powered HTC One.

The HTC 8XT features a 4.3 inch display, 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, micro SD card slot (expandable to 64GB), 8 megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture and LED flash, 1.6 megapixel front facing camera, and 1,800 mAh battery.

The new Windows Phone 8 handset will launch some time later this summer for $99.99 (with $50 mail-in rebate) on a new two-year contract.

Stay tuned for more info on this sexy new Windows Phone!

Press release below

Sprint Plans Summer Launches for First Two Windows Phone 8 Smartphones to Feature Truly Unlimited 4G LTE: HTC 8XT and Samsung ATIV S Neo

SAN FRANCISCO (BUSINESS WIRE), June 26, 2013 – Sprint (NYSE: S) and Microsoft Corp. today outlined plans to launch the first two Windows Phone 8 smartphones to offer Truly UnlimitedSM Sprint 4G LTE this summer – HTC® 8XT and Samsung ATIV S™ Neo. Customers will appreciate access to the advanced features and capabilities of these devices with the benefit of unlimited 4G LTE (available in select markets) data, text and calling to any mobile with no metering, no throttling, and no overages, all while on the Sprint network.

HTC 8XT will be available for $99.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade, two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate via reward card1. ATIV S Neo will be priced at $149.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade, two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate via reward card1. Exact availability dates and full feature lists for both smartphones will be shared at a later date. Customers can preregister for more information and email updates about Windows Phone 8 from Sprint and HTC 8XT and ATIV S Neo atwww.sprint.com/windows8.

“We know our customers are anxious to get their hands on these Windows Phone 8 smartphones, HTC 8XT and ATIV S Neo,” said Fared Adib, senior vice president-Product Development, Sprint. “Without a doubt, they will rival any smartphone on the market today. Our customers will appreciate being able to use them all day, every day without worrying about overages or data caps.”

Windows Phone 8 won the PC Magazine Readers’ Choice Award for best mobile operating system in March 2013. The only phone with Live Tiles, Windows Phone 8 offers a truly personal smartphone experience designed to keep customers connected to the people and things that matter most. Windows Phone brings together the best of Microsoft with the same modern look and feel, including Bing, Office, Xbox and Skype, for a rich customer experience. In addition, the Windows Phone Store includes more than 160,000 apps to choose from, with hundreds added daily.

”We are excited to be bringing the most personal smartphone experience to Sprint customers this summer,” said Terry Myerson, corporate vice president, Microsoft Windows Phone Division. “With compelling hardware from HTC and Samsung, coupled with unlimited 4G LTE from Sprint, these Windows Phones will offer the complete package.”

Must-Have Features from HTC

Music-lovers will appreciate the amazing sound capability of HTC 8XT with HTC BoomSound™, introducing for the first time on Windows Phone 8 dual front-facing stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier that brings people closer to their music, videos and games they love. In addition, Beats Audio™ enables studio-quality sound, so listeners hear music the way the artist intended with unique audio tuning that delivers thundering bass, soaring midrange and crisp highs. And HDR recording uses advanced dual microphones and audio processing to capture clean, rich sound that is worthy of high-definition video.

“Inspired by the design that won the prestigious ‘red dot award: product design 2013,’ the new HTC 8XT brings a truly crafted smartphone with brilliant color, soft-to-the-touch texture and tapered design to be comfortable in the hand,” said Mike Woodward, president North America, HTC Corporation. “A pleasure to hold and a pleasure to hear, the front-facing stereo speakers are a first for a Windows Phone and deliver sounds that demand to be heard.”

HTC 8XT is also ideal for photo buffs with an 8-megapixel main camera with autofocus and LED flash, and a front-facing 1.6-megapixel camera. The main camera takes great photos in bright-light and low-light situations, and the ability to shoot video and take still pictures simultaneously. It also offers multishot burst mode to help capture the best picture of a moving photo subject, and a dedicated Windows Phone camera button to open the camera quickly, even when the phone is locked or sleeping, so users never miss an opportunity to capture life’s most important moments.

Inside the beautiful HTC 8XT is a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 processor with 1.4GHz dual-core CPUs supporting 4G LTE and 1080p video capture, 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM memory, microSD™ memory card slot with support for up to 64GB memory cards, a crisp 4.3-inch display, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, GPS support and 1,800mAh lithium-ion battery.

Advanced Features from Samsung

ATIV S Neo will offer a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, microSD memory card slot, international roaming, 4.8-inch high-definition display, Wi-Fi and 2,000mAh lithium-ion removable battery. Sharing is easier than ever with ATIV S Neo featuring ATIV Beam using near field communication (NFC) to share photos, music and video with other Windows Phone 8 and select Android™ devices. ATIV S Neo includes the Samsung exclusive Now feature, which highlights top news, weather and relevant information at a single glance.

“Samsung is committed to offering smartphones across a variety of platforms and the rich Windows Phone 8 experience on the ATIV S Neo is a testament to this effort,” said Kevin Packingham, Samsung Mobile chief product officer. “The ATIV S Neo makes it easy to stay in-the-know while connecting with friends, family and colleagues, through new sharing features and powerful productivity applications.”

Having ATIV S Neo in your pocket means users can do more with their smartphone camera. It will offer an 8-megapixel main camera with LED flash and a front-facing 1.9-megapixel camera for video chat. It will include a variety of camera apps preloaded, including the Beauty Shot mode for smoother looking skin in headshots, Manga Camera to give pictures a fun twist by turning friends and family into cartoons, and built-in Photo Editor that allows the user to edit, color, effect, decorate or share their pictures quickly and easily.

These smartphones also make it easy for customers to stay productive with Office Mobile for Windows Phone. With Office Mobile, people can access, view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from anywhere. Plus, customers can count on Office Mobile to keep content and formatting intact so documents still looks great when back on a PC, Windowstablet or Mac.

Microsoft Office 365 offered by Sprint is available for small and mid-sized businesses. It includes Sprint’s unique Carefree Cloud migration and onboarding assistance, end-user level support, predictable monthly costs with no up-front infrastructure expenses, pay-as-you-go plans, savings by bundling all of the necessary tools and advanced options to simplify management further, all with a single bill and single point of contact. Sprint recently announced expanded plans available with Office 365, including enhanced audio conferencing and availability at select Sprint retail stores.

Sprint offers 4G LTE in top summer destinations like Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sprint offers 4G LTE service in 110 markets nationwide and expects to provide 200 million people with LTE by the end of 2013.

For the most up-to-date details on Sprint’s 4G LTE portfolio and rollout, visit www.sprint.com/network.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 55 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2013 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint as the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all 47 industries, during the last five years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

Specifications and features subject to change.
HTC, the HTC logo and HTC BoomSound are trademarks of HTC Corporation. Beats Audio is a trademark of Beats Electronics, LLC. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Samsung and ATIV S are both registered trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 4G LTE when used in connection with Samsung devices refers to the fact that the devices are capable of operating on Sprint’s 4G LTE network.

1The American Express Prepaid Reward Card (“Card”) provided in connection with this Rebate offer is a prepaid Card that is usable at U.S. merchants that accept American Express Card. Some limitations apply. The Card is not redeemable for cash (except where required by law) and does not provide ATM access. Use of Card constitutes acknowledgement that it is given as a reward and no consideration, value, or money has been paid by the holder to American Express in exchange for this Card. USE OF CARD IS SUBJECT TO THE CARDHOLDER AGREEMENT. SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW, A $3.00 MONTHLY FEE WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST CARD BALANCE, STARTING SIX MONTHS AFTER CARD ISSUANCE, UNLESS FUNDS ARE EARLIER DEPLETED. For BALANCE, customer service and Cardholder Agreement, visit americanexpress.com/sprint or call 866-608-3756. Card issued by American Express Prepaid Card Management Corporation.

Google Play Edition HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 Available on Google Play Store

The Google Play editions of the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S 4 are available for purchase though the Google Play Store today. The Google Play editions of these flagship smartphones take the manufacturer software out of the devices, stripping away Samsung’s TouchWiz and HTC’s Sense UIs to deliver a pure Google experience. Both devices run on Android Jelly Bean, and will be among the first to receive important updates and Google goodies.

The handsets will come unlocked, allowing owners to choose a month-to-month contract or a pre-paid service option as they please.The device is not being sold outside of the U.S. however, so international customers will have to wait.

Both devices can be purchased through the Google Play Store, and will be shipped to customers starting on July 9th. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 comes with a price tag of $649 for the 16GB version, and the HTC One comes with 32GB of storage and is a little cheaper than the S 4, coming in at $599. So head on over to the Google Play Store if you’ve got your eyes on one of these powerful, pure Google experience touting  devices.

Watchup’s Video News App Becomes More Automated And Context-Rich In Its Latest Update

Watchup, the startup aiming to create the tablet version of the daily news broadcast, has released version 2.0 of its iPad app, adding features for both casual and power users.

The Watchup app pulls news videos from a range of sources, such as the Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, and the Wall Street Journal, and it stitches them together into a continuous playlist. Initially, users had to manually choose from Watchup’s videos, but in a recent update the company added the ability to automatically assemble a playlist based on your preferences, and to schedule a daily newscast.

With version 2.0, Watchup says it has made the process completely frictionless. Instead of opening up the app and being confronted with different menus and options, if you start it now, the videos just automatically play.

At the same time, you can take control of the experience if you want. If you drag the upper panel of the app down, you’ll be able to browse all of Watchup’s channels and videos. You can also read more about the topic in a given video by dragging the right panel, which should bring up related news articles. (To show those articles, co-founder Adriano Farano said the app is pulling “the most relevant metadata” from the video, then conducting a Bing search for those terms.)

With Echoes Of Summly And Siri, Wibbitz Relaunches Its Text-To-Video Service As A Consumer App

Chalk up another point for the growth of apps coming out of Israel that are focused on consumers, but draw on the country’s better-known heritage for producing big data and enterprise startups. Wibbitz, a platform that draws on natural language technology, artificial intelligence and some clever algorithms to automatically translate texts into videos, is today launching a consumer-focused app.

The startup, whose lead backer is Horizons Ventures — the same VC that backed Google-acquired Waze, as well as two other services built around using natural language processing to make mobile life easier, Yahoo-acquired Summly and Siri — says that this is the latest step for taking its technology mainstream. Last year, the company picked up a Series A round of $2.3 million from Horizons, Initial Capital and lool Ventures and launched as a web-based service aimed mainly at enterprises, with some 50,000 sites taking up the service and generating close to 20 million video views each month.

If you go back to that news from a year ago, you will see how the app used to look, and it provides a useful marker show just how far it’s come along, in its first major update since that funding was announced.

Today, as you can see in the video below, there are significantly more dynamic video clips, info graphics and an overall smoother look to the product. Zohar Dayan, the CEO and co-founder of the company, says that Wibbitz has been working on the product you see today for over two years. “A lot of core technology and machine learning created by some very talented people went into this,” he says.

And the mobile app is just the beginning: “Right now we’re focusing on mobile, where reading text is difficult on a small screen. We see the most potential and highest need there,” he says. But he says that Wibbitz “also sees pain in smart TVs as well.” As more web content makes its way to bigger screens, he says, it can be just as difficult to read that as it is on small screens: “Reading text articles on TVs is impossible,” he says.

Launching a consumer app does not mean that Wibbitz is abandoning its B2B prospects, either. In a “stage two” in a few months time, Dayan says that it will be releasing the technology as an embedded service on third-party apps. One of the first that will use this is the Telegraph newspaper in the UK.

It is also in the process of raising another round of financing to keep moving ahead with its bigger plans to move away from text in places where it may be too challenging to read.

Samsung launches Galaxy NX, Ativ Q, and much more at Premiere 2013 event

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Samsung promised new Android and Windows devices at its June 20th event in London and it delivered. The Galaxy NX wedded Android with an interchangeable lens camera, the Ativ Q combined Android and Windows into a crazy convertible tablet form factor, and two new Ativ Book laptops brought Samsung's ultrabook line into the Haswell age.

Catch up on all of Samsung's announcements right here.

Microsoft licenses 'Age of Empires' for iOS and Android, but downplays further releases

Microsoft is bringing its games to iOS and Android, beginning with Age of Empires sometime in 2013, reports Japan’s Nikkei business daily. The ports are coming courtesy of mobile developer KLab, which is licensing the games from Microsoft for global distribution. Nikkei calls it a possible indication of a turning point in the gaming market, speculating that the move could even affect the mobile strategies of competitors Sony and Nintendo.

However, Age of Empires won't be the first time Microsoft has brought one of its games to the iPhone. That honor belongs to Kinecti mals, which came out back in 2011. Microsoft hasn’t abandoned the platform either, releasing Twisted Pixel’s Ms. ’Splosion Man just three months ago. And while fans might be clamoring for iOS and Android ports of Halo,KLab isn’t exactly a top-tier mobile developer. It lists a dozen native titles for iOS and Android on its website, none of which inspire much confidence in its ability to tackle a big project.

What’s more likely to be happening is that Microsoft is making a little money on the side by licensing one of its under-utilized franchises to a third-party developer. And while Nikkei reports that more collaborations between KLab and Microsoft will be forthcoming, Redmond doesn't sound quite so enthusiastic. A Microsoft representative tells us that "some reports included incorrect information about additional Xbox Live-based games on iOS and Android but there are no further announcements beyond Age of Empires at this time.
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