The second-generation Moto 360 from Motorola wasn’t the best-kept secret to date, but it also wasn’t the worst, either. We’d seen it out in the wild already, and Motorola even managed to leak a render of the wearable even before they officially announced it. But, an announcement is right around the corner.

Lenovo, which is now the parent company of Motorola, has posted a teaser image that very clearly indicates the newest Moto 360 on its front, and with a date below that: September 8, 2015. The image was published to the official page for Lenovo on Sina Weibo, and includes the tagline: “It’s time.”

There’s only one new Moto 360 displayed in the teaser image, but there are rumors that Motorola has plans to introduce at least two Moto 360 variants, each of which with different screen sizes. On top of that, a recent leak showcased the Moto 360 Sport, a wearable with a rubberized band that could launch later this year.

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Amazon knows how to sell a product, especially when it comes to their own, and a Prime subscription is certainly no different. Prime subscribers already have tons of extra goodies they can look forward to versus the regular shopper that peruses Amazon’s digital store shelves, like free two-day shipping and a plethora of movies and TV shows to choose from with Instant Video.

Now Amazon is adding yet another feature to sweeten the Prime subscriber deal. Amazon officially announced on September 1st that Android users (and iOS users) that are Prime subscribers can now save Instant Video content to their device for offline viewing. Right now, this ability is only available in a few locations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria. Thankfully, for those that have access to this feature, it offers offline playback for both movies and TV shows.

Android users will have to do a bit of work to get the Amazon Instant Video app, as Amazon still blocks it away within its own Appstore app. To download the Appstore you’ll need to sideload it, because it’s not available in the Play Store. Once that’s done, then you’ll be able to download the Instant Video app from there. (If you have an Amazon Fire Phone or Amazon tablet, you already have both apps readily available.) You can find full instructions on how to download the Amazon Instant Video app for Android right here.

Now that the Instant Video app has downloads for offline playback, does this make the app the perfect video player for you?

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Samsung has two new smartwatches to share with the world today, both running on the Samsung-backed Tizen OS, not Android Wear. The Samsung Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic are Samsung’s latest attempt at a more rounded smartwatch.

Both the Gear S2 and S2 Classic come with a 1.2-inch circular Super AMOLED display at 360×360, or 302ppi, 1GHz processor, 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM, IP68 water and dust resistance, a bevy of sensors, 250mAh battery, NFC for mobile payments, a rotating bezel for navigation and run on Tizen OS. There’s also a 3G enabled version of the S2 with a 300mAh battery and “the first-ever e-SIM with voice capability, to perform quick functions without being closely tethered to their phone.”

Though identical internally, externally the Gear S2 features a sleek, minimal and modern design, while the Classic sports a more traditional design with a leather band. Both devices have not been priced and their release dates are still unknown. They will, however, both be on display at IFA this week.

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Every week we cover new Android apps with Fresh Meat on Wednesday, followed by Android Gaming on Thursday and Top 10 App Updates on Friday. When Monday rolls around, we look back to see which apps were the most appealing to our audience. Read on for the five most popular Android apps from last week. These apps are ones that are most likely new and haven’t appeared in the top five list more than three times.

1. YouTube Gaming

App info: YouTube Gaming keeps you connected to the games, players, and culture that matter to you. Featuring videos and live streams with chat — including let’s plays, reviews, speedruns, trailers, and more from your favorite gamers and publishers — you can explore the games you care about more deeply than ever before.

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2. Win 10 Launcher

App info: Win 10 Launcher is here for you (Inspired by Windows 10®). Customize your phone with unique look and feel with the fast, clean and energy efficient Launcher. Surprise your friends with new look of your Android and also share it with your loved ones.

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3. Lara Croft GO

App info:  Lara Croft GO is a turn based puzzle-adventure set in a long-forgotten world. Explore the ruins of an ancient civilization, discover well-kept secrets and face deadly challenges as you uncover the myth of the Queen of Venom.

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4. Merchants of Space

App info: Build and develop your space station, mine resources, trade with astronauts and aliens, challenge your friends in the weekly competitions and be the biggest space merchant ever!

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5. Framed

App info: FRAMED is a multi-award winning noir-puzzle game where you re-arrange panels of animated comic book to change the outcome of the story.

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Note:  To ensure that all apps receive a fair chance to make the list, we will retire any app that has made the list for three consecutive weeks.

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While the more affordable, mid-range Android handset market is jam-packed now and getting fuller by the day, there’s still one name that makes every Android fan’s ears perk up: Nexus. According to some new, reliable information from Android Police, an updated LG Nexus 5 is coming soon, and it’s exactly what fans of the first Nexus 5 were looking for.

It might not have the best specs, but neither did the original Nexus 5. Instead, you can expect the new Nexus 5 (if it is called the Nexus 5) to come in at under flagship pricing with respectable specs:

• Snapdragon 808
• Adreno 418 GPU
• 3GB of RAM
• 16/32 GB storage
• 5.2-inch 1080p display
• 2700mAh battery
• USB-Type C
• 12.3-megapixel camera
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera

Though the Snapdragon 808 isn’t quite as powerful as the 810, paired with 3GB of RAM and a lower density display (which will still be ridiculously sharp, mind you), there’s no reason to suspect the new Nexus will feel like anything less than a top of the line device. And with a 2700mAh battery, battery life could be impressive as well.

As for when the new Nexus 5 will be released, Android Police is hearing late September. That means only a month to go.

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We’ve long been enjoying Android Wear on our wrists, including Google Now alerts and voice commands, for a while now. And starting today, our iPhone-toting friends can do the same.

Google today officially announced Android Wear support for iPhone. iOS users will get many of the same features that Android Wear on Android offers, including alerts for phone calls and messages, always-on displays, and notifications from various apps. They’ll also have access to fitness tracking with Google Fit, “Ok Google” voice commands, the ability to set reminders, and Google Now functionality like traffic and flight info.

Unfortunately for iPhone users, they won’t get the same watch face selection that we enjoy. While Google Play offers thousands of different faces, iOS users will have to make do with a handful of faces selected by Google and included with the Android Wear app.

Android Wear for iOS supports the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, and 6 Plus, and it requires iOS 8.2 or higher. Right now you can only use the LG Watch Urbane with iOS, meaning that you can’t pick up a cheap LG G Watch or Moto 360 to try it out. However, Google says that all future Android Wear watches will support iOS.

Kudos to Good Guy Google for extending support for Android Wear to iOS. And while Android Wear for iOS isn’t quite as fully-featured as it is on Android, is supports most of the basic features that you’d expect from a smartwatch, and iOS users will soon have a much wider selection of smartwatches to choose from.

You think Apple will ever add Android support to the Apple Watch?

Via: The Verge
Sources: Official Android Blog, App Store

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Motorola’s 2nd gen Moto 360 is expected to arrive soon, and while the leaks have given us a good idea of what to expect from it, we’re now starting to hear about a variant. @upleaks is reporting that the 2nd gen Moto 360 will launch in September, while a variant called the Moto 360 Sport will arrive a couple of months later in November.

What’s the difference? Well, a leaked image from @upleaks shows us that the Moto 360 Sport will ditch the metal body and metal or leather strap and instead replace it with a polyurethane body and strap. It will also come in at least three color options of black, white and orange. Additionally, the image shows off a fitness tracking app that we haven’t seen on the existing Moto 360, and it can track heart rate, distance, pace and time, making the Moto 360 Sport a great fit for those looking to increase and track activity. Given the change in design materials, it also wouldn’t surprise us if the Moto 360 Sport came in at a lower price than the standard Moto 360, much like Apple has done with the Apple Watch.

You can check out the Moto 360 Sport in the tweet below. We’ll keep you posted on more leaks regarding Motorola’s upcoming smartwatches.

moto 360(2nd gen) and moto 360 Sport. http://pic.twitter.com/xKtUOiOqvP

— upleaks (@upleaks) August 31, 2015

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moto 360 2nd gen will be coming in September, Sport version will be coming in November.

— upleaks (@upleaks) August 31, 2015

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Qualcomm is known for being a huge name in mobile processors, but it’s also put a lot of effort into working on mobile security. Its latest effort is Qualcomm Smart Protect, which uses cognitive computing for real-time malware detection, classification and analysis. That allows it to protect against zero-day malware threats and complement ordinary signature-based anti-malware programs, with Qualcomm Smart Protect detecting and protecting against new threats even before a signature is updated.

Since Smart Protect will be built right into upcoming Snapdragon processors, such as the Snapdragon 820, it can constantly monitor apps and services to detect if any malicious activity is taking place without your knowledge. Qualcomm is also working with existing anti-malware companies, such as Lookout and AVG, to make their services and Smart Protect work in the best way possible together.

Qualcomm will launch Smart Protect in 2016 with the launch of the Snapdragon 820 processor.

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T-Mobile has garnered a reputation for standing out from the crowd in what it’s willing to do, and today it’s taking another interesting step. The company is now going after what it calls “network abusers,” which are T-Mobile users who are taking advantage of the company’s network and its unlimited 4G LTE data plan.

The unlimited data plan comes with 7GB of data for tethering and unlimited reduced-speed tethering after that, with the option to pay for more high-speed tethering data as needed. However, some T-Mobile customers are using all sorts of workaround to hide their tethering data, allowing them to use high-speed tethering data unchecked. T-Mobile has developed technology that has allowed them to see which customers are using these workarounds and has decided to take a stance against them, as some of the customers are using — or in T-Mobile’s words, “stealing” — as much as 2TB (that’s 2000GB!) of data every month.

The total number of users who are using these workarounds comes to about 3,000, which is a small amount, but even those few can have a significant impact on the data speeds for their area. To combat them, T-Mobile is sending out warnings to all of the customers beginning this morning, August 31. If the customers don’t stop abusing the data plan, T-Mobile will move them to the cheapest plan with a set amount of 4G LTE data, thus neutralizing the workarounds, which rely on labeling tethering usage as smartphone data usage.

The move could be controversial, but most will likely support the fact that T-Mobile is taking care of its network by eliminating those that are knowingly and intentionally taking advantage of T-Mobile’s unlimited data offer. In any case, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. We’ll keep you posted if anything notable happens.

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LG has been a big supporter of the Android Wear platform, having released several different smartwatches to date. Now LG has introduced a new, luxury version of the LG Watch Urbane that’s the most expensive Android Wear device yet.

The LG Watch Urbane Luxe is a luxury version of the Watch Urbane that’s got case made of 23-karat gold and an alligator leather band. The device, which LG touts as being “designed with a specific wearer in mind,” will cost $1200 when it launches at the end of October. It’ll be available for pre-order at http://www.reeds.com and Reeds Jewelry stores.

LG says that there will be 500 units of the Watch Urbane Luxe made. Each will be engraved with its serial number to ensure authenticity.

While the Watch Urbane Luxe appears to be similar to the Watch Urbane in terms of specs, its gold case and alligator leather band could make it more appealing to folks that want a more jewelry-like smartwatch. The limited edition aspect ought to help make this luxury smartwatch even more appealing to the “specific wearer” that LG is targeting.

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