Yep. You read that right. ZTE and Sprint are joining forces to bring the world its first mini projector/mobile hotspot. Evleaks leaked this interesting device last week and now it’s official. Complete with an overly dramatic press release, ZTE is really coming out with the Swiss Army Knife of mobile hotspots. Here’s what the Sprint LivePro can do:

• Hotspot for up to 8 devices (3G/4G LTE carrier network with access to the new Sprint Spark or available Wi-Fi)
• Multiple data sources and internal storage (Wi-Fi, HDMI, USB, Bluetooth)
• Inputs to charge multiple devices (5000mAh battery)
• Android 4.2 platform and touch screen
• 10-inch to 10-foot projection display

The Sprint LivePro measures 4.7″ x 4.7″ and is 1.1″ thick, making it easily portable. It features an embedded speaker providing audio during video or presentations and can also hook up to separate speakers via Bluetooth or attached to the device with a 3.5mm jack. Additionally, users can share content using HDMI or USB cables, or wirelessly mirror a smartphone or tablet display using Wi-Fi Miracast. Through the Wi-Fi connection, users can also pull content from the cloud directly from the device and stream video and audio content easily with a Wi-Fi connection or data plan. Files can be shared and stored on LivePro using Bluetooth or either an an HDMI or USB cable.

The Sprint LivePro by ZTE will be available though several different methods with Sprint. With Sprint Easy Pay, well-qualified buyers can purchase Sprint LivePro with $0 down (plus tax) and 24 monthly payments of $18.75. Not an outrageous price for a device that does this much.

So what do you think of this Sprint LivePro? Could you see yourself using a device like this? Is ZTE on to something? If it wasn’t exclusive to Sprint would it be more enticing? Let us know your thoughts on the world-fist Sprint LivePro by ZTE.

Show Press Release

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HTC fans in India may soon be able to get their hands on the HTC One (E8). HTC India has invited the press to attend a launch event on Friday, July 11 in New Delhi. While the HTC One (E8) isn’t specifically mentioned, we have a hard time imagining that HTC would send out invitations to the press so that they can get some quality hands-on time with the new HTC Desire 616. 

The HTC One (E8) made its debut in China a little over a month ago as an alternative to the HTC One (M8) for those on a tighter budget. The HTC One (E8) loses the metal body of the One (M8) and the UltraPixel DuoCamera setup is replaced with a more  traditional 13 megapixel rear camera – bringing the price of the phone down by over 40%. If HTC is able to get the HTC One (E8) in the hands of consumers in India more markets across Asia, the company may be able to boost its bottom line and pull off a profit in two consecutive quarters.

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The number of Google Play edition devices in the Google Play Store has dropped to just three. The Sony Z Ultra GPe, HTC One (M7) GPe and LG G Pad 8.3 GPe have all vanished from the virtual shelves without warning. Remaining devices are limited to the HTC One (M8) GPe, Samsung Galaxy S 4 GPe and Motorola Moto G GPe. No word from Google has been given on the sudden change.

If we had to guess, it’s simply a clearing of past devices that haven’t sold particularly well. The three devices that were removed either have a newer version, as in the case of the One (M7), or simply haven’t been very popular. This could also be an indicator of bigger things to come. A Galaxy S5 GPe has been leaked multiple times and we wouldn’t be surprised to see another phone or two refresh the stock of GPe devices.

Leave your best guess for the disappearance down in the comments!

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Been eagerly awaiting the U.S. launch of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact? If so, it’s time to whip out that credit card, because the XZ1C has finally made its way Stateside.

Sony is selling the Xperia Z1 Compact in its online store in black, white and pink. In exchange for your hard-earned $549.99, you’ll receive a device with the following specs:

• 4.3-inch 1280×720 display
• 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor
• 20.7-megapixel camera with Exmor RS for mobile sensor
• 2-megapixel front camera
• 16GB storage
• microSD card slot
• 2GB of RAM
• HSPA+ 850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz, LTE bands 1/2/4/5/7/8/20
• 2300mAh battery
• IP55 and IP58 rated to be waterproof and dust resistant
• Android 4.4 KitKat

Sony is one of the few manufacturers that continue to offer its unlocked hardware to U.S. consumers, and so it’s great to see that trend continue with the Xperia Z1 Compact. Why it took the XZ1C six months to make its way Stateside is unknown, but hey, at least it’s finally here.

If you’d like a preview of how the Xperia Z1 Compact handles before plunking down nearly six Benjamins, you should check out our hands-on video below.

Are any of you thinking about picking up the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact now that it’s available in the U.S.?

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Samsung is working on its own implementation of the virtual reality headset that may not too different from the popular Oculus Rift. The goal is to make virtual reality accessible to everyone and to be used for mobile gaming. Today some very interesting information on Samsung’s Gear VR headset and how it will work has been revealed.

First off, the main difference between a device like the Oculus Rift and the Gear VR is that the Gear VR will use your Galaxy smartphone’s sensors, display and camera. You’ll put your Galaxy device into the Gear VR and it’ll use the various sensors for head tracking, the rear camera so you can see what’s in front of you when needed (something that’s missing from other implementations) and the display for the virtual reality.

Hopefully this will mean that the Gear VR will debut for a low price. It’s reminiscent of Google Cardboard, though obviously more refined and not made out of cardboard. However, a low price should be the main goal. Also revealed is that the software will be made by both Samsung and Oculus, though the hardware is pure Samsung. This means it will be less of a first generation product, as Oculus has quite a bit of experience with virtual reality.

The Samsung Gear VR will be unveiled at IFA 2014, alongside the Galaxy Note 4 later this year. It’ll definitely be interesting to see if it becomes successful, as I’m sure many of you have your doubts. We’ll have to wait and see. Until then, tell us if you’re excited for the Gear VR!

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Android Wear smartwatches, like most other smartwatches, connect to your smartphone to get any data. This tethering allows the wearable to use your data connection. However, when during a teardown of the Samsung Gear Live, something strange was found: a WiFi chip.

Left unused, this WiFi chip sits alongside the Snapdragon 400 processor and may hint to another product Samsung has yet to release. It’s been rumored that Samsung has a cellular-enabled watch planned that won’t need a smartphone for a data connection, but there is no official news yet. Maybe it’ll use the same hardware as the Gear Live whenever it’s released.

For now, the Gear Live’s WiFi chip remains dormant. Maybe some developers might think of a good use for it in a custom ROM; we’ll just have to wait and see. But it’s interesting that Samsung managed to fit a WiFi chip into a device where space is at a premium. What do you think it could be used for? Leave a comment!

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It looks like a few early models of the Samsung Gear Live might have a pretty serious defect. The Samsung Gear charging system has never been particularly great, forcing you to put the watch into a special cradle to charge it. But on the Gear Live, that cradle seems to chip away part of the watch hardware, making it impossible to charge without holding or taping it down.

To be fair, these watches aren’t even out for the consumer to buy, so these may be some early bugs in the production. This shouldn’t say anything about Samsung’s quality, as every other smartwatch it’s released hasn’t had this problem. However, just knowing that the LG G Watch has a better charging mechanism could be a pretty big deciding factor.

There haven’t been many cases of this, but those who have faced this problem have had trouble getting replacements. Samsung hasn’t released a statement just yet but it looks like Google is stepping up. If you already have the Gear Live from Google I/O, keep an eye out for this issue. And if you’re planning to buy one, don’t let it deter you as it’s pretty certain that Samsung wouldn’t let such a big issue get past mass production.

Via: SamMobile
Source: Google+ (2) (3)

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The age old question of “Can it play Doom?” appears to have been replaced by “Can it play Flappy Bird” (or a Flappy Bird clone) and due to the incredibly simplistic nature of that game the answer is almost always yes.

Well for those of you that just had your Android Wear devices delivered, or those of you picking the LG G Watch at a nice discount from AT&T, you can rest easy in the knowledge that Flopsy Droid is ready to be installed on your LG G Watch or Samsung Gear Live and you too can be randomly tapping and cursing at your wrist wherever you go.

Flopsy Droid is the creation of Sebastian Mauer and you can find it either in the Play Store or if you are skilled in the dark arts of programming you can take a peek at the source code on GitHub and create your own variant of the omnipresent mobile hit.

I haven’t managed to secure my own Android Wear watch quite yet, but Brooks has vowed to give Flopsy Droid a go and report back. If any of you intrepid readers get it installed on your Wear device first we’d love to hear how it goes.

The best part of playing a Flappy Bird clone on your smartwatch to me is that it’s attached firmly to your wrist so when you attempt to hurl it at the nearest solid object it should come away unharmed.

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The first two Android Wear devices, the Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch, have just received a customary teardown by iFixit. Shockingly, iFixit found that while both devices are indeed small, they’re fairly easy to repair. The G Watch, in particular, was a breeze to take apart, earning a 9/10 in terms of being easiest to repair. The only tricky part was the display, which is fused into the assembly of the device. It can be replaced, but requires a bit more effort and cost.

The Gear Live was also fairly easy to repair. It earned an 8/10, held back by the fact that it had some PCBs adhered to the assembly that are a bit of an annoyance. The display is also a fused assembly and is stiffly glued into the chassis, making it unlikely to be able to repair.

Still, we can consider ourselves surprised that both devices are so easy to repair. We’re guessing that the Moto 360 will be much trickier, however. For more info on either of the teardowns, hit the source or via links below.

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The latest Samsung loss sounds like something straight out of an action thriller. An estimated 20 armed bandits performed an epic heist from a Samsung factory in Campinas, Brazil. According to police, the men carjacked a factory shuttle carrying eight employees to work. Six of the employees were taken to a different area and released, while other assailants took two of the employees to the factory, where they disarmed security guards and rounded up all of the employees.

Using stolen employee ID cards, the bandits opened up the factory to allow 13 more robbers to enter with getaway trucks. Over the next three hours, they managed to load up over 40,000 Samsung devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops. Police valued the haul at $36 million, but Samsung says it was much lower and closer to six or seven million. Still, that’s a serious robbery.

As of now, none of the thieves have been caught. Though police have said that with a break-in of this scale, it’s probable that there was insider help. Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the incident and Samsung is working with authorities to both catch the thieves and prevent future incidents from occurring.

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