Headlines

7 hours ago

Spring cleaning: Win an LG Nexus 4

4061

Nexus 4

No matter how hard I try, I can't find a way to use three Nexus 4 phones. Maybe a radioactive spider will bite me one day and it will be possible, but for now I have one Nexus 4 too many. That means this little fellow has to find a new home.

Ideally, we're looking for someone who will love him forever and feed him every day (he likes Apples). If this sounds like you, apply by leaving a comment below. At midnight Pacific, I'll kill the comments and pick a winner. Good luck, and #HOLOYOLO.

Continue Reading

 
8 hours ago

Killing apps: The Talk Mobile Hangout!

2

One day. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But one day, your favorite app may be no more. That's the topic of today's installation of Talk Mobile, and that's what we're talking about in our follow-up hangout.

Come join us!

Continue Reading

 
8 hours ago

How to use the Google Play Wishlist feature

12

My Wishlist

The Wishlist feature is a part of Google Play that doesn't get much exposure. Added in the fall of 2012 during the first Play Store refresh, it's a handy tool to help you keep track of all the stuff you want from Google Play. Apps, books, movies, TV shows, magazines and music can all be added to your Wishlist, and while there is no way to share your list with friends and family just yet, it does put everything into one easy to manage spot on your phone or tablet.

Adding and removing items is easy, you'll find the Wishlist icon at the top of every item in Google Play. It's like a toggle switch, so if an item isn't on your list tapping will put it there, and if it is on your list a tap will remove it. To manage your list, the Google Play app menu has an entry for its page, and a tap takes you there. From your Wishlist page you can buy, rent, install or delete any item.

The Wishlist hasn't made its way to the web interface yet, so this is something you'll need to do from your phone or tablet. We have a feeling that's going to change when Google releases the new Play Store website, but for now know that you need an Android device to take advantage.

We've got a short tutorial after the break that will help it all make sense if you're not following. Have a watch, then grab your phone and start making that list!

Visit our Google Play mini-site for everything there is to know about Google Play

Continue Reading

 
9 hours ago

Racing to the app grave: the dead, the zombies, and the parasites - Talk Mobile

115

Your finger hovers over the download button in your smartphone's app store. Maybe it’s free, maybe it’s not. Even if it costs only 99 cents, you spend four times that much at Starbucks every day. Yet you hesitate, haunted by the memories of that app you downloaded a few years ago, fell in love with, and then watched as the servers shut down and the app was abandoned and left to wither and die on your launcher.

And that sometimes makes us hesitant to hand over money, even a dollar, for apps that a developer spent weeks, if not months or years, building. It makes us consider if paying up front for apps and services is the way to go, or to minimize risks by going with free-as-in-ad-supported apps instead, or to try and give developers more money through in-app purchases or subscriptions in hopes that maybe that will help keep them around.

It makes us wonder -- can we depend on our apps? Can we count on them to be there for us when we need them? And which ones?

Let's get the conversation started!

Continue Reading

 
9 hours ago

Huawei Ascend P6 hands-on

17

P6

Huawei fields another ridiculously thin Android phon​e

We're live from London, where Chinese manufacturer Huawei is showing off its latest Android smartphone, the Ascend P6. An insanely svelte little handset, the P6 measures in at just 6.18mm thick, making it the thinnest Android phone we're aware of. (In fact, Huawei claims that the P6 is the world's thinnest smartphone.)

It's also a good-looking piece of kit, with an iPhone-like metal trim around its top and sides, and a featureless back panel save for the Huawei logo and rear-facing camera. It comes in white, black and pink color options -- the white and pink versions have a soft touch pack panel, while the white has a more granular texture. The main camera is an 8-megapixel unit, and In today's presentation Huawei was keen to talk up its wide range of software capabilities designed to boost dynamic range and improve color vibrancy. But it's actually the front-facer that's most unique here, as it packs a 5-megapixel sensor, far beyond what's offered by most competitors.

On the front there's a 4.7-inch 720p display -- no longer cutting edge, but equally nothing to sniff at. Once again, Huawei's sporting on-screen buttons as part of its Emotion UI, which brings a unique, highly themable user interface to the P6. As with previous Huawei handsets, there's a central focus on the big "Me" widget containing weather details and other pertinent info. There are plenty of customization options too -- the manufacturer boasts 100 custom skins out of the box, and more than 1000 more online, including seasonal variants. The software experience is speedy, with no sign of lag whatsoever, on account one-two-punch of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and Huawei's custom-built 1.5GHz quad-core CPU.

One thing you won't be enjoying on the P6 is 4G LTE connectiity -- the current model is HSPA+-only, though Huawei boss Richard Yu did mention that an LTE-capable version would be launching around October or November.

Check out our hands-on video and gallery after the break.

More: Huawei London liveblog

Continue Reading

 
11 hours ago

No 'Google Edition' Ascend P6 in the works, Huawei says

11

Huawei Ascend P6

Huawei is pretty proud of the new flagship Ascend P6 and its Emotion UI, which it unveiled today in London. And while we're seeing the likes of Samsung and HTC -- and probably Sony -- get on board with "Google Edition" versions of their top-shelf phones, Huawei has no plans to do so with the Ascend P6, Richard Yu, Chief Executive Officer for the Huawei Consumer Business Group, said at Tuesday's event.

That sentiment was echoed in the press release.

“The HUAWEI Ascend P6 is a star among smartphones with its industry-leading design, high-quality camera, and intuitive user interface. Building on the success of our Ascend P series of fashion smartphones, the HUAWEI Ascend P6 provides unsurpassed technology and a design that is simply stunning.”

"Stock" versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One will go on sale June 26 at Google Play.

Continue Reading

 
11 hours ago

Former HTC executives create, Kazam, their own smartphone startup

19

KAZAMFormer head of sales at HTC Michael Coombes, and former U.K. marketing director James Atkins may have left HTC during this tumultuous spring, but that doesn't mean they plan to stop making smart phones. The two high level HTC execs have joined together to create the startup Kazam, and they plan to keep building phone hardware with a "stunning design, robust hardware, and intuitive technology, underpinned with improved customer service" for the European market.

While there is no news about any actual hardware just yet, CEO Coombes says they will be focused on support after the purchase. This should allow them to differentiate themselves in a very competitive market, but it will be easier said than done.

We're assuming Android will figure big into their plans, and we're going to keep a close eye on the duo and their new company.

Continue Reading

 
12 hours ago

T-Mobile gets the Sony Xperia Z this summer

22

Sony Xperia Z

T-Mobile U.S. has announced that (as was rumored) it'll carry the Sony Xperia Z "in the coming weeks." No pricing was announced. It'll be available in black and, for a limited time, in purple.

The phone looks to be the same that we reviewed some weeks ago -- 5-inch display at 1080p (and with Sony's Bravia 2 engine), 13-megapixel camera and, more important -- it'll work just fine on T-Mobile's fledgling LTE network.

More: Xperia Z at T-Mobile

Continue Reading

 
13 hours ago

Huawei announces the Ascend P6

29

Huawei Ascend P6

Huawei this morning from London announced the Ascend P6 smartphone, a ridiculously thin 4.7-inch Android device.

The thinness is Huawei's lead bullet point here, with the phone measuring in at a mere 6.18 mm. It's sporting a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and runs Android 4.2.2. The LCD display proclaims to have "MagicTouch" -- basically meaning you can rock gloves with this guy.

Camera-wise, the Ascend P6 has an 8-megapixel shooter out back with an f/2.0 aperture. It's also sporting a full 5-megapixel camera out front, so your duckface pics will have a higher resolution than ever before.

We're live from the launch event in London. Be sure to check our liveblog!

Continue Reading

 
14 hours ago

Samsung to live-stream its Galaxy & ATIV event from London

5

Samsung event

A quick heads up for those of us who can't make it to London on Thursday for Samsung's Galaxy & ATIV event -- it'll be streamed live on YouTube. Specifically, you can find it at youtube.com/SamsungMobile.

Start time is 7 p.m. BST, or 2 p.m. on the east cost of the U.S., or 11 a.m. out west.

Continue Reading

 
Show More Headlines