Qualcomm has a history of revealing its tech early in order to build interest around it. In typical fashion, the company has just announced the GPU that will be used in the upcoming Snapdragon 820 processor. That GPU happens to be the Adreno 530 and Qualcomm is boasting about some of its benefits. Most notably, the Adreno 530 GPU delivers a 40 percent increase in graphics performance as well as up to 40 percent reduced power consumption.

In addition, Qualcomm has revealed the Image Signal Processor that will be used within the Snapdragon 820. The Spectra dual-ISP features support for the newest 14-bit sensors for a better color range. It also features a new framework for autofocus and improved algorithms that should lead to overall improved camera quality.

Qualcomm has stated that the Snapdragon 820 will begin appearing in devices within the first half of 2016.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1P6otex
via IFTTT

Several key details regarding Samsung’s upcoming, but still unofficial, Galaxy Note 5 were revealed earlier in the month, and now another key component of the device has been revealed.

Thanks to a tweet from Evan Blass (@evleaks), it’s been revealed that the Galaxy Note 5 will feature a battery that measures in at 3000mAh. Of course, one has to compare that size to the Galaxy Note 4′s battery, which was 3220mAh, so if this change in battery size is indeed the case for the upcoming phablet, that decision will certainly spark some conversations amongst fans.

The same tweet also revealed that the Galaxy S6 edge+ will feature the same 3000mAh battery, which is actually a boost from the 2600mAh battery that was installed in the original Galaxy S6 edge.

Samsung’s decision to go with a smaller battery in the Galaxy Note 5 compared to the Galaxy Note 4 is even more interesting when connected with other rumors that the device won’t feature a replaceable battery. We’re looking forward to seeing how well this goes over when the phone is officially introduced.

What do you think of a 3000mAh battery powering the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+?

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1MmVju2
via IFTTT

The new model of the Moto Hint has finally gone up for sale on Motorola’s website, and we finally get to see how it differentiates itself from the previous model. The Hint is a tiny Bluetooth earbud with a few twists, making it a great buy for someone who needs a Bluetooth earpiece.

The new Moto Hint features four redesigned ear gels for a better fit, while also being louder than the previous generation. It features both CrystalTalk technology and audio pass through when you’re not talking on it, so you’re not deaf in one ear. It also disables itself when you take it out of your ear, so calls are routed to the phone instead of the earbud.

The new Moto Hint is better on battery life as well, with an improved charging case that can fully charge the earbud up to four times, for 17 hours of talk time. It’s also a nice touch that it comes with a charging case matched to one of the six patterns you chose for your Hint.

If you’re interested, Motorola has it up on its site for $129.99, which isn’t a bad price. Hit the source link for more info or to buy the accessory and let us know what you think of it in the comments!

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1P4WvA3
via IFTTT

Google Creative Labs isn’t often in the news, but the latest product from the labs is a trio of apps that’s not easy to describe. But they sure are interesting, so you should check them out!

The first is Landmarker, which is a very simple app that uses your accelerometer to show you landmarks and the distances to those landmarks, all on a plain black and white text screen with a simple compass at the bottom. It’s not exactly super useful, but you can always click the landmark and have it open in Google Maps.

The second is called Tunnel Vision, and it just offers visual filters over recorded video. But these filters aren’t static, they also take advantage of the accelerometer like Landmarker does.

The last one is Lip Swap, and it’s a very weird one. It allows you to insert your lips (or any facial feature) into a photo of someone else. It’s simple, but I guess it can be fun.

All three apps are free, so check them out!

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1IEef3w
via IFTTT

LastPass is a program that securely saves all of your passwords to the cloud and lets you access them from anywhere. You won’t have to remember passwords for all your accounts; just install the LastPass app and it will provide them for you on your computer or mobile device.

Starting today, LastPass can be started for free on smartphones and tablets, though the account will be locked to whatever type of device you started on. If you sign up on a smartphone, you’ll have access to LastPass on an unlimited number of smartphones, but no other device. Same goes for tablets.

If you want access to all devices, you’ll have to sign up for LastPass Premium, which is only $12 a year. But it’s definitely great that LastPass is offering mobile users free access when many don’t need that access on their computers. Will you be giving the service a try due to these changes? Leave a comment!

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1WgjOwh
via IFTTT

The inclusion of USB Type-C in smartphones, and other devices, is starting to become the norm for some companies, including OnePlus with their OnePlus 2. And now another device has just been unveiled with the port. This time it’s from ZUK, a company based in China and backed by Lenovo, and their brand new Z1.

The Z1 is an affordable Android-based smartphone, and it will launch in China on August 18. It will retail for RMB 1799, or about $284. The company says an international release is happening “soon,” though. The Z1 actually has some interesting specs, including an all-powerful Home button right there on the front of the handset, below the 5.5-inch display.

ZUK calls it the U-Touch button, and it offers a fingerprint reader built in that boasts a 0.31s identification speed. The feature can be used with mobile purchases as well, but what else it does might actually be more interesting. The U-Touch actually encompasses several different buttons, including the Home, Back, Menu, app switching and even multitasking. To go back, a user will simply touch the Home button. To go home, press it down. Double tapping the button will bring up the most recent apps, and swiping horizontally on it will bring up multitasking.

As mentioned above, the Z1 also features USB Type-C, but this is a bit different from other devices. As ZUK points out, the Z1 is the first smartphone to boast USB 3.0 Type-C, which boasts 500MB per second transfer speeds. That’s ten times faster than USB 2.0.

As far as specifications go, the Z1 offers the aforementioned 5.5-inch display, which packs a resolution of 1920×1080. The camera on the back is a 13MP shooter with optical image stabilization, while the front-facing shooter is an 8-megapixel camera. There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor under the hood, clocked at 2.5GHz. There’s 3GB of RAM and it’s equipped with 64GB of built-in storage. The battery is measured at 4100mAh. ZUK has a proprietary user interface on the Z1, and that’s over Android Lollipop.

Are you interested in the Z1?

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1TlVsSM
via IFTTT

Pharmacy giant Rite Aid has announced that it will begin accepting mobile payments beginning August 15. The company has announced that NFC-based payment systems will be supported including Google Wallet, Apple Pay and the upcoming service, Android Pay, which will arrive with Android M. Other tap-and-pay services, such as NFC credit and debit cards, will also be welcomed.

The support will be available through all of the company’s stores across the country, which total a whopping nearly 4,600. The move is another step forward in advancing mobile payments, which have great potential, but have yet to become fully mainstream. It also places Rite Aid toe-to-toe with Walgreens, which has been one of the strongest supporters of mobile payments. With more chains hopping onboard, we’ll cross our fingers that mobile payments continue to grow in popularity.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1WfD10S
via IFTTT

After an influx of strong competition from T-Mobile, Sprint has been working hard to stay competitive. The company’s latest results show that it’s gaining back customers and today brings in another move that should help the company. Sprint Open World is a new program from Sprint that offers customers free calling and texting to Canada and Mexico as well as free unlimited calling and texting within Canada, Mexico and over a dozen Latin American countries when traveling.

That’s not all, though. Sprint is also giving customers 1GB of 3G data for free when traveling in Canada, Mexico or Latin America. And for customers traveling in Europe, Asia or the Middle East, Sprint Open World offers free texting and $0.20/min calls. All in all, it’s an extra perk that gives customers even more bang for their buck.

For more details, follow the source link below.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1Tq0GaW
via IFTTT

Tired of buying a smartphone from Samsung, LG, Sony, Motorola or HTC? On September 1st you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a new Android smartphone from Nextbit. Unfortunately, we still have no clue what the phone will offer in terms of specs, but Nextbit is focused more on the experience the phone will offer rather than its internal components. Nextbit’s goal is to “take Android a step further, and extend beyond the hard specs of the phone to offer features that consumers have been clamoring for over the past few years.”

While the phone may not feature a bleeding-edge processors or QHD display, we do expect it to look and feel as good as the Samsung Galaxy S6 or the HTC One M9. The Nextbit’s design team is led by Scott Croyle (former SVP of Design and User Experience at HTC) who led the design team responsible for the One M7 and One M8.

Would you be willing to buy your next smartphone from a new entrant in the Android space?

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1L2B3Lc
via IFTTT

If you’ve been waiting for the Play Store to get an affiliate program, you’re in luck. It seems that Google is working on one with Performance Horizon Group, who’s supported Apple’s affiliate program since 2013.

When 9to5Google reached out to the company, it responded with a Google email address for the new Google Play affiliate program, as well as referring to it by name, though Google would not confirm its existence. It’s likely in its infancy, so no real information can be given as it may change anytime.

This should be very good for developers and other users, though the source says the program will initially only cover music and movies. Eventually it will reach all other content, though, and I think apps will be the most cared for out of all the products sold on Google Play. Devices may also be supported someday! But again, things are still up in the air for now.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1Nm6Wi0
via IFTTT