A lot of people are excited about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4. As the owner of the Galaxy Note 3, I can’t wait to see the successor in all of its glory. We haven’t heard much about the device, though we have seen some potentially real leaked photos of it. Now thanks to a leaked spec sheet, we may know what will be inside the next Samsung flagship.

Indonesian smartphone retailer Erafone has posted the product page for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 with a full spec sheet for us to drool over. The device may keep the 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display of its predecessor, but will bump the resolution up to 2560×1440. There will also be a Snapdragon 805 or Exynos 5433 processor, depending on your location, 4GB of RAM and a microSD slot to complement the 16, 32 or 64GB of memory.

None of this seems at all unbelievable, so we’re tempted to believe it. However, everyone thought the same about the Galaxy S5 before the launch, so don’t get your hopes up too high. I just know that I’m excited for the next Galaxy Note and hope that the specs are at least similar to what’s being shown here.

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Android Wear has been out for a few months now and is on its way to becoming a big player in the wearables market. We still don’t see people walking around with a Samsung Gear Live or an LG G Watch, but that could change soon as more interesting watches will be released. We’re looking at you, Moto 360.

Another smartwatch may enter the game very soon. ASUS, who was listed as a partner for Android Wear when the operating system was announced, may be unveiling its own Android Wear watch at IFA Berlin. Though we have no details on the device, we’re inclined to believe that it’ll be awesome and fairly cheap (like many ASUS products).

IFA Berlin starts on September 5, so we have less than a month to wait before finding out if this rumor is true. Hopefully ASUS reveals something interesting to get people talking about Android Wear, as it doesn’t quite seem that regular people are all that interested in smartwatches at this point. What would you like to see from the ASUS watch?

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HTC has released several of its unique Sense apps into the Play Store, but to date they’ve only been available to HTC hardware. That’s changing today, though, with the launch of Zoe (Beta).

The new Zoe (Beta) app was created by HTC Creative Labs, HTC’s internal team that’s responsible for other apps like BlinkFeed and the Sense 6 user experience. The Zoe (Beta) app allows users to gather photos and videos that they’ve captured, add a theme and custom soundtrack and spit out a brief highlight video. Those clips can then be shared to the Zoe community, where users can comment and remix them. Zoes can also be shared to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and more.

Zoe (Beta) is currently compatible with all HTC Sense 6 devices as well as the Nexus 5, LG G2, G2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S5 and Note 3. Expect that compatibility to be expanded to more Android 4.4 devices once the beta period comes to an end this fall.

It’s great to see HTC making its apps available to non-HTC devices because it gives even more people to try out special apps that they otherwise may never get to use. The move is also an interesting one because it gives HTC’s own hardware one less exclusive feature to tout. Of course, that may not be a huge deal depending on how many HTC apps become available to all. We’ll just have to wait and see which other apps HTC Creative Labs launches.

If you download the Zoe (Beta) app, be sure to share your thoughts with us!

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When we last heard about the Motorola Shamu, the device was talked about as what could possibly be the next Nexus device. But the rumor of the huge 5.9-inch display had worried a few people. If the next Nexus device was going to be so huge, it would be unappealing to a big portion of the population. Luckily, this might not be the case.

According to some new specs found on GFXBench, the Motorola Shamu will actually have a 5.2-inch display, which is a much more manageable size. This should make Nexus fans happy, as a 5.9-inch display is a pretty extreme size.

Benchmark specs are pretty easy to fake so don’t go believing this too readily. But if it’s true, it’ll be a big relief for many people. I for one wanted a huge Nexus device, so we’ll have to wait and see how this turns out. What size would you like the Nexus 6 to be?

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HTC has teamed up with Singapore’s Phunk Studio design-house to create the masterpiece that you see above, the HTC One (M8) Phunk Studio Edition. Drawing from the already great design of the HTC One (M8), the Phunk Studio Edition provides an etched design on the aluminum back of the HTC One (M8). The design is intended to reflect wonderment, though whether that shown through in the final product is debatable. Whatever the inspiration, the design only enhances the beauty of the One (M8).

HTC and Phunk Studio are only producing 64 of these models, and it functions as a taster for Phunk Studio’s upcoming exhibition. The studio is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and the HTC One (M8) Phunk Studio Edition provides a perfect example of its gorgeous work. HTC hasn’t mentioned availability details, but we’re pretty sure that this phone is inside the realm of “if you have to ask.”

Show Press Release

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Motorola has sent out invites for a launch event on September 4, and the invitations give us a pretty clear idea of what to expect. The invite is styled as an animated cootie catcher that hints at four items that are set to be launched. When the cootie catcher closes, we can see four sketches: a phone with an X on it, a phone with a G on it, a watch and what looks like a Bluetooth headset.

Motorola’s not really into subtlety with this, so let’s look at exactly what to expect. A Moto X successor, possibly dubbed the Moto X+1, is likely the star of the show. A follow-up to the successful Moto G also appears to be coming, though fewer details are known on this device. The Moto 360 is almost certainly the smartwatch that will be shown off, and it might finally be available for purchase. The Bluetooth headset is a mystery, but chances are that it’s likely that, a Bluetooth headset.

Keep it locked on Android and Me for all of the September coverage, because it’s going to be a wild month.

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Samsung has officially announced a new Exynos octa-core processor that uses a new 20nm manufacturing process. The Exynos 5430 chip, which can be found in the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, is the first Exynos processor to switch to a 20nm manufacturing process. The new 20nm manufacturing process results in a smaller die than a traditional 28nm process, resulting in up to a 25 percent decrease in power consumption.

In other areas, the Exynos 5430 is similar to existing octa-core chips. It features four 1.3GHz Cortex A7 cores and four 1.8GHz Cortex A15 cores on a big.LITTLE HMP set-up. This means that while the processor will usually choose one set of cores to run on at a time, it can run both at the same time if necessary. Such a processor is quite capable of powering devices with high resolutions like QHD and WQXGA. Additionally, the Galaxy Note 4 has been rumored to use an Exynos 5433 processor, which could also use this 20nm process and be a more powerful version of the Exynos 5430.

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I’ve read in more than one place that Android wear is just an extension of your phone or just Google Now on your wrist. It’s just a way to not have to pull your phone out of your pocket as much. Android Wear does do these things, but I think it’s much more. Maybe we are obsessed with our phones and maybe we are pulling them out of our pockets an outrageous number of times per day, but I’ve never counted nor cared how many times I’ve pulled out my phone. However, smartwatches do offer more than saving you a little arm overuse. Do they offer enough extra functionality that I think everyone should go buy one now? No. But I know your phone does not “already do everything” you can do with a smartwatch. So let’s all stop saying that.

I’ve now had the LG G Watch for a month and it’s definitely left some impressions. Some good. Some bad. Additionally, I wore a Pebble smartwatch every day for over a year before the G Watch. I like what a smartwatch does for me. For those of you that have no idea how you’d use a smartwatch, I thought I’d tell you how I use mine. I’m not saying this is exactly how you would use it, but here are some ways I enjoy wearing a smartwatch, and more specifically, Android Wear.

In the Car

I’ve felt for a long time that Android needed better hands free functionality. It’s definitely getting better with some recent Google Now updates, but unless you own a Moto X, your phone isn’t “always listening”. In reality, Android Wear also isn’t “always listening”. However, what Android Wear can be is “always on your wrist and ready to listen”. With your phone, when you’re driving you will likely have to take your concentration off the road for a moment or two to find, pick up, unlock, and use Google Now or do whatever. With Android Wear, you know exactly where your watch is; it’s on your wrist. All it takes is a simple twist of the wrist to wake up Android Wear and it’s ready for action waiting for voice input. I use Android Wear in the car all the time to start navigation, open apps on the phone (podcast, Spotify, etc.), send text messages, and initiate phone calls. All this without having to fumble to find my phone and take my eyes off of the road.

In a meeting

Now, it’s arguable that it’s just as poor of meeting etiquette to be fiddling with your watch during a presentation as it is to be fiddling with your phone. But Android Wear does offer quick responses to SMS and rejected phone calls. No, you don’t need to voice activate and speak to use these quick responses. Android wear has a list of responses that are quick and easy to use to let your friend or loved one know that you’re there and that you care. You’re not ignoring them. You’re just in a place where it’s inappropriate to pull out your phone and answer or text back.

In the home

What? Who’s too lazy to pull out the phone at home? Not me. But I do use Android Wear all the time at home. I, like many Android users out there, have a phone (Nexus 5) with less than ideal battery life. So, one of the first things I typically do when I get home is throw my phone on a charger. Now, with Android Wear it doesn’t matter where I am in the house or where my phone is, I’ll know if I’ve received a text (and can respond) or if I’m receiving a phone call. I can set timers when I’m cooking and my hands are messy. I can check the weather or the commute times while I’m getting ready in the morning. All with my phone out of reach or on the charger. It’s about always being connected.

Home automation

I admit I’m a huge nerd, and I’ll probably get burned for calling this hackery, but I really enjoy being able to control things from other things. Maybe it’s laziness, or maybe it stems from elsewhere, but I like being able to control things around the house with my watch. Using AutoVoice Pro in conjunction with Tasker, you can get your watch to control all sorts of things just by talking to it. Examples could be toggling your phone’s Wi-Fi, controlling your Nest thermostat, or turning on and off lights. I enjoy getting it all rigged up and I really geek out on controlling everything from my watch.

These are some of the biggest things that I use my LG G Watch and Android Wear for. Do I think Android Wear is for everyone? Is it something you can’t live without? No, it’s not. But I do think it’s something that can be very convenient (and may improve safety) in special situations. Also, it’s dang fun to use. What do you think about yours? What are the most important ways you’re using your Android Wear watch? How would you use it if you had one? Or how do you wish it could be used? Drop a comment down below!

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