Watch the evolution of Samsung’s mobile gadgets throughout the years

There is no denying Samsung has played a huge part in pushing the evolution of mobile devices ahead, long before Apple came up with the first iPhone.

The Korean manufacturer had some of the most out-there back then, including a phone watch, a TV phone, and was among the first to embrace Android. Some of its regular mobile phones are responsible for the evolution of the displays, mobile cameras, among other upgrades.

In just two days Samsung is going to unveil its next big thing – the Galaxy S7 series. To honor the event Samsung has posted a video, which will take you back to the very beginning when the phones were bigger than bricks.

Enjoy!

Samsung’s latest UNPACKED event is going to happen on February 21 in Barcelona. Stay…

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Android Marshmallow now available for Moto E (2nd Gen) in India

The Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen) is finally receiving Android 6.0 Marshmallow update after a few months of uncertainty. Last October, Motorola announced its Marshmallow plans and the second Moto E was left out of the update list.

Then just before Christmas Motorola had some change of heart and added the Moto E (2nd Gen) to its update schedule.

The Moto G lineup has already been treated to Marshmallow, the Moto X series got it, too, even the Moto E 3rd Gen had its Marshmallow update. And now it’s time for the Moto E (2nd Gen) to get it.

Currently, the Marshmallow update is rolling out in India, but we expect even more markets to get it soon, if not already. If you own a Moto E (2nd Gen), you should keep an eye for the update notification.

The OTA update weighs about 450MB, so you’ll need at least double that space.

Thank you, Meghan, for the…

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Google Play Games is ditching Google+ integration and Play Music is getting podcast support

Google looks to be amidst another one of its fairly regular Android app update frenzies and this time around it brings changes to Google Play Games and Play music.

Good news for any of you avid Android gamers out there – Google Play Games will no longer require a direct link to a Google+ account. Instead, the search giant will be introducing a special Gamer ID, solely for the platform. It will resemble any other gaming account you might own, like one on Xbox Live or PSN and will thus allow a game alias and an avatar.

The Gamer ID itself will only be linked to a regular Gmail account. Users will be able to find one another by the email address and also choose what game activity will be public and what private (that Candy Crush guilty pleasure of yours is save with Google).

As for Google Play Music, AndroidPolice recently got its hands on a new v6.4 of the APK and discovered upcoming podcast support. At the moment, the functionality seems to be rather basic, compared to some competitor offers, which have things like smart playlists and variable speed playback. Still, it will be a nice addition to the mix and some digging around in the code does appear to show hints of more advanced features planned for the future, like playback sorting.

It is also worth noting that a banner was discovered within the same APK, promoting the BRIT Awards 2016. This suggests that Google might have struck an exclusive deal for some sort of streaming rights on the performances which will happen at the upcoming Grammy-style music event in the UK.

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Leaked photo showcases the LG G5 Magic Slot design – sliding battery and ambitious expansion concept

Quite a lot has been said about LG’s upcoming G5 and rumors are only intensifying now that the MWC is only hours away. But perhaps the most outlandish concept of them all, was a modular design, of sorts, that would be put in place in order to preserve the removable battery of the handset. While not unheard of, the idea did seem quite unrealistic back in January, when it was initially leaked in renders, but now, oddly enough, a new photo seems to definitively prove its existence.

The shot looks to depict a box, quite possibly for the LG G5 itself. The graphics on top clearly show a user-removable battery, held in place by a removable bottom segment of the phone. The G5 marking is also clearly visible and so is a slogan – “Life’s good when you play more”, which all leaves no doubt that the module belongs to the new flagship.

But, LG’s ambitions apparently didn’t stop at merely a swappable battery without a bulky back cover. You might remember that back in December 2015, we reported on a rumor for the G5, hinting at something called a Magic Slot, which would allow some expansion with hardware modules. It appears that the sliding mechanism is actually what LG is referring to and batteries aren’t the only things the OEM is planning to put inside. Various rumors hint that LG is working on a number of Magic Slot accessories, including a specialized photography grip and an advanced DAC.

The former will allegedly be called the LG Cam Plus. The bulky contraption will offer a nifty handle and balance point for improved hand-held photography, as well as convenient hardware buttons for shutter release, zoom and flash toggle. Also, an additional 1100 mAh battery is said to fill the space inside. As for the DAC, industry sources believe it is developed together with Bang and Olufsen and will be called the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play.

Of course, if the module system is as powerful as these rumors lead us to believe, more interesting concepts are sure to come as well. And best of all, you can just pop any of them out and store them when not in use, to end up with the stock LG G5, which even minus the accessories is already said to have a few interesting features of its own.

Just as a reminder, the G5 will be unveiled on February 21 and its expected feature highlights include a Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and a 5.3 or 5.6-inch QHD display. A 16MP plus 8MP dual rear camera setup should also be part of the mix and last, but not least – a secondary always-on display, laid out on top of the main one.

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Blizzard ve un gran futuro en los videojuegos para dispositivos móviles

Blizzard

Si tuviéramos que hablar de una compañía ejemplo de cómo se deben hacer las cosas en el sector de los videojuegos, Blizzard es una de ellas. Es así de simple, es una de las grandes y la que mejor ha sabido sacarle el jugo a cada uno de los títulos que ha sacado al mercado. Y eso que estamos hablando de que no tiene tropecientos, sino que cada uno de esos Diablo, World of Craft o Starcraft han sido seleccionados sabiamente para saciar con cientos de horas a cada jugador que haya pasado por sus virtudes. Videojuegos únicos, equilibrados, sin bugs, con un alto rendimiento ya sea el hardware del equipo y actualizaciones cada pocos meses han sido y son parte de sus grandes cualidades como una gran compañía del sector. Blizzard es uno de los nombres importantes y por esto mismo, lo que hemos conocido en estos días pasados, es para gritarlo casi a viva voz.

Blizzard cree que el mobile es el futuro. Con esta declaración casi nos podemos quedar aquietados pensando que ideas son las que tendrá preparadas para lanzarse a los dispositivos móviles después del gran Hearthstone. En una entrevista con Venture Beat, Michael Morhaime, presidente y cofundador, Frank Pearce, vicepresidente senior y cofundador, y Chris Metzen, vicepresidente de la compañía, hablaron del futuro de Blizzard, y éste va dirigido, en parte, hacia los dispositivos móviles. Por lo que quien sabe si veremos pronto lo que sería el próximo World of Warcraft para dispositivos móviles o un Diablo que se aprovechara del mejor hardware para crear partidas en multijugador de gran altura. Veamos que nos depara Blizzard para el futuro del gaming desde uno de nuestros smartphones Android.

Blizzard ya está aquí

Blizzard es famosa por cambiar el panorama del gaming con sus videojuegos. El que haya pasado por los MMOs, sabrá de qué estoy hablando, ya que WoW (World of Warcraft) cambió totalmente la escena de este tipo de juegos masivos online para que los siguientes de otras compañías fueran meras copias aunque con temáticas bien distintas.

Esta compañía sabe que con los smartphones estamos ante otro formato muy distinto y en el que con Hearthstone ha sabido plantar guerra a otras compañías que ya han puesto sus garras en este importante mercado en el que hay mucho futuro por delante.

World of Warcraft

Los videojuegos de Blizzard están diseñados para una gran pantalla y no son casuales como suele ocurrir con la gran mayoría de los disponibles en los dispositivos móviles. Por lo que la compañía se adaptará a esto mismo, casi como ocurre con Hearthstone, donde las partidas suelen ser rápidas y casuales. Blizzard comenta que continuarán evaluando las experiencias de juego en la estrategia en tiempo real, ya que saben que un jugador no puede sentarse en un smartphone ante partidas de 45 minutos. Así que tienen que reinventar parte de la mecánica o gameplay a este tipo de dispositivos.

Buscando la fórmula perfecta

Aunque tampoco esconden que también están viendo una gran oportunidad en el mobile aparte de esos juegos casuales. Aunque para esto todavía tienen que idear realmente como sería para enganchar al jugador. Quizás tengan a Clash of Clans como uno de los ejemplos en un desarrollo de partidas en las que un jugador puede jugar 5 minutos para dejar todo listo y volver al rato para volver a echar unos combates con el clan y reorganizar su base. Una toma de contacto a otro tipo de videojuegos en el que el jugador entra y hace las cosas rápidas para dejar que siga funcionando mientras no está en la partida.

Hearthstone

De lo que si que podemos olvidarnos es de la realidad virtual ya que Blizzard está poco interesado en esta plataforma, aunque la siguen de cerca para ver que especie de tentativas lanzan otras compañías.

Así que nos encontramos a una de las grandes pensando que puede ofrecer a los millones de jugadores que se encuentran todos los días descargando juegos nuevos. Tiene cerca a Nintendo que para el mes de marzo lanzará su primera apuesta para que la sigan dentro de pocos otras tantas con sus famosos personajes. No podemos olvidarnos de Bethesda que adquirió un nuevo estudio para centrarse en los juegos para esta plataforma y que lanzó el gran Fallout Shelter como un especial videojuego. Todo un gran futuro el que nos espera en el gaming en Android con grandes nombres acercándose al calor que ofrece este SO para dispositivos móviles y que seguramente nos sorprenderán con esas nuevas vías que abrirán.

El artículo Blizzard ve un gran futuro en los videojuegos para dispositivos móviles ha sido originalmente publicado en Androidsis.

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Vevo Is Officially Looking To Get Into The Subscription Business

As streaming becomes king in the music industry, it seems like everybody connected to music is looking for a way to get a piece of the ever-growing action. While speaking at a conference earlier this week, Vevo CEO Erik Huggers admitted that the company is going to join the streaming race properly, and that a subscription platform will arrive at some point.

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