Clueful, an app that BitDefender has recently launched for Android, allows you to find out which apps on your device constitute a threat to your privacy.

BitDefender is offering the app as a free download in the Google Play Store (link below) – similarly, you can get BitDefender Free Edition, also made available at no cost not long ago. Even with a security suite installed and the measures Google is taking to keep the Play Store safe, it’s still not a bad idea to see what risks you’re taking by using one app or the other.

Clueful is extremely easy to use: right after installing it, the app will scan your device and give you a privacy score, based on the permissions of the apps you have installed. The lower that score is, the more dangerous the apps you have installed on your Android device. The results come from comparing your list of apps to BitDefender’s cloud database.

You’re also getting buttons, at the bottom of the Clueful interface, to see which apps are high risk, moderate risk or low risk. Clicking each one of those will send you to a list where you can check out the permissions each app has. A button that allows you to uninstall the app right away is provided, without the need to go to your device’s Settings menu for that.

The app is extremely easy to use, yet it can provide you with some essential information about the dangers which could lurk behind apparently harmless apps. Also, you don’t need to refresh your score every time you install something new, as Clueful will offer you a notification regarding every new app right after installation.

Will you be using Clueful on your Android device?

At CTIA 2013, Android Authority’s Joshua Vergara had some hands-on time with the CAT B15, the latest in Caterpillar’s range of rugged devices.

The CAT B15 is one of the strongest Android devices out there, and it’s perfectly capable of getting through anything you might think to throw its way. Available now in the U.S. for $350, after it launched in Europe and the U.K. last month, the device is certainly not for those looking for a discreet smartphone. Although Caterpillar’s reps say that it’s relatively slim and light, the CAT B15 is not a phone you’d expect to see in a woman’s purse.

The CAT B15 is aimed at people like executives in the construction industry or at outdoor enthusiasts, and, if you’re one of them, you’ll certainly appreciate what it has to offer.Thanks to its aluminum sides and rubber casing, you can safely drop the B15 from six feet or submerge it in three feet of water for up to half an hour. It’s also dust and scratch resistant.

The device, which runs Android 4.1.2, manages to offer a decent set of specs to go with its robust build, including a 4.1-inch screen, a dual-core MediaTek MT6577 CPU, with a 5 megapixel back camera and a VGA front one.

Check out our hands-on video below to see the CAT B15 in action.

While the CAT B15 is only available through the manufacturer’s website at the moment, the company is working on getting it to retailers and carriers.

Are you a fan of rugged devices? Will you get a CAT B15?

Ingress, the augmented-reality game developed by Google in cooperation with Niantic Labs has just received another update, this time a pretty major one, a few days after that huge Ingress event held during Google’s I/O conference.

Certain game features received a much needed makeover and Ingress now includes several new elements, in addition to the expected bug fixes.

As seen from the changelog of version 1.26, developers have integrated detailed information about the health of the portal and the percentage of faction control right inside the Portal Keys panel from the Inventory menu. Moreover, support for Jarvis Virus and ADA Refactor objects has been added.

Ingress is now capable of sending notifications in case someone attacks a portal or neutralizes it. The same applies when another member of the game mentions you using your @codename. Another important addition is the new Recharge visual animation, which will be displayed each time a portal is healed.

Even though the update is counted as a major one, Ingress is still in the closed beta stage. Those wishing to join the conquest can request an invite from the official website or from a high-ranked member (level six or above).

We’re live from the CTIA 2013 convention in Las Vegas, where we got some hands-on time with the Stealth Black version of the popular HTC One.

There’s no question about it – the HTC One is one of the best looking (many say the best looking) smartphones on the market right now. It’s a beautifully worked piece of aluminum with smooth curves and seamless transitions between its design elements.

HTC has touted the attention it put into designing the make-or-break One more than once, as well as the work that goes into machining each and every unit. Our Kristopher Wook was impressed with the device when he reviewed the HTC One, and our drop test against the iPhone 5 shows that the One is as sturdy as it is pretty.

Up until now, we only got to play with the Glacial Silver HTC One, with the Stealth Black model eluding us for some reason. Well, not anymore, because Joshua Vergara paid a visit to the CTIA 2013 convention and got to spend some quality time with the black HTC One. Here are his impressions.

And here’s a gallery of the HTC One Stealth Black, showing us its best positions.

Which version of the HTC One do you prefer? A red edition was also rumored. Which one would you buy?

A new Verizon HTC One rumor says that the handset has been spotted in a Sprint store, running Android 4.2.2.

An xda-developers forum user who apparently works for Sprint has posted the news a few hours ago, but it looks like the original thread has been deleted from the forums. A cached version of that post still exists so here’s what it says:

HTC rep is at my location showing off the one. Asked about the 4.2.2 update and he pulled out a verizon one running it with notification controls in tow……

Looks like Verizon’s will launch with 4.2.2 with us getting the update near there as well.

Pictures or any other visual proof has not been included in the post.

Meanwhile the phone is available from three U.S. carriers including AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile but also from a variety of retailers and HTC’s local online store.

This isn’t the first time we hear that Verizon will get the HTC One at some point in the future. So far HTC has denied these reports a few times, recently saying that it will make a big fuss about a potential HTC One launch with the carrier when and if that happens.

Even so, there are various hints indirectly suggesting that a new HTC handset is heading to Verizon, no matter if it’ll be the HTC One or not.

The carrier has a special media event scheduled for today at CTIA 2013, during which it may unveil new products. Naturally, the HTC One is one of the suspects, although we’ll be able to tell you more details later today.

As for that HTC One Android 4.2.2 update, we heard only days ago that it’s supposed to arrive soon.

The HTC Desire 200, which has an internal model number of 102e, turned up in a filing in Taiwan. Little else is known about the device other than it will support 3G and uses the same 1500mAh battery as found in the HTC Desire C. The Desire C was a 3.5 inch device with a 320 x 480 pixel display released during May 2012. The Desire 200 could be its replacement but maybe with a better display and processor.

According to benchmarks found on GFCBench, HTC are also working on the HTC Desire 600. The benchmark results show a phone made by HTC Europe (meaning it is probably destined for the European market) that supports dual-SIM and runs Android 4.1.2. The CPU is clocked at a maximum of 1209MHz and it uses the Ardeno 203 GPU. The only processor which fits these specifications is the dual-core variant of the Qualcomm Snapdragon Play. Although there is also a quad-core variant of the Snapdragon Play, which is also clocked at 1.2GHz and uses the Ardeno 203, this is unlikely as the display on the Desire 600 is reported to only be 960 x 540, making it a lower-end phone. Another intriguing possibility is that the phone will use the Snapdragon 200, however if it does it will be under clocked as the Snapdragon 200 can run at 1.4 GHz.

Not everyone has the budget for HTC’s flagship HTC One, do either of these two phones sound tempting to you?

Pantech recently joined the full HD bandwagon when it announced the Vega No.6 a 5.9 inch Android smartphone with a 1,920 x 1,080 IPS Pro LCD panel. Other features include a 13MP rear-facing camera and 4G support. The Snapdragon S4 Pro based device has been seen outside of South Korea but the company hasn’t been too vocal about a full international release.

The 10 percent stake doesn’t make Samsung the largest shareholder. As part of its debt restructuring Qualcomm previously converted Pantech’s royalty debts worth some $75 million into equity, making it the company’s second-largest shareholder behind the state-run Korea Development Bank, which each owns 11.96 percent.

What is strange about this deal is that now Samsung has invested in a rival handset maker which is also partly owned by a rival semi-conductor company. But this isn’t the first time that Samsung has made such an investment. In March the world’s largest smartphone maker invested in Sharp in March and agreed to spend around $112 million for a 3.08 percent stake in return for “greater access to its technology.”

Have you heard of Pantech? Now that Samsung is a stake holder would you be more interested in its phones?

Ever wondered how Samsung manages to produce millions and millions of mobile devices while still keeping costs down? Well, Samsung is likely able to bring these costs even lower, as it plans to increase automation in its manufacturing process. According to Korean publication ETNews, Samsung has launched its “Gumi Project” earlier this year, which is aimed at reducing — and eventually eliminating — human involvement in manufacturing devices.

The project was actually launched in early 2012, although the Korean company is reportedly still finding ways to further reduce the need for human hands (and intellect) in producing its devices. For instance, while surface-mounting technology — which is a core smartphone manufacturing process — is now fully automated, there are still “feeder” processes that require human intervention, in particular changing the parts needed for SMT.

Additionally, inspecting the finished product or milestones leading to a finished product will still require visual inspection. This might be a bit more difficult to accomplish, as Samsung will need to replace human intelligence with algorithms that can spot defects or inconsistencies in the finished product.

According to reports, Samsung is planning to complete development of its Gumi Project by first half of 2014, and will implement it in a pilot program by second half of that year. To make it easier to implement the changes on Samsung’s manufacturing facilities, the said changes will be launched as a platform, and the company’s new factory in Vietnam (in Thai Nguyen) will initially implement the platform by 2015, with a target output of 120 million smartphones per year.

It seems Samsung is on its way to perfecting its manufacturing process, so far as removing, or at least minimizing, human intervention, which can be costly (and which can sometimes incur errors in judgment). As this will reduce the cost of device manufacturing, will it also mean cheaper smartphones and tablets for end consumers? What lessons will other brands and manufacturers pick up from today’s top-selling smartphone brand?

During Google I/O last week, Play Music was updated to rival music streaming services like Pandora and Spotify. Google’s Play Music has proved to be a great service so far, but it isn’t going to appeal to everyone. That said, we’ve taken the liberty of putting together a list of some of the best alternative music streaming apps available on Android. As always, simply jump to the bottom of the article to see the video.

doubleTwist with Magic Radio

We reviewed Magic Radio in the past and we were very impressed with it. It’s a very well built personalized streaming app. It has number of cool features, including infinite playlists, podcast subscriptions, and the ability to stream music to a variety of devices, such as an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3.

If you’re looking for ad-free high quality music streaming, Magic Radio worth taking for a spin. For a mere $3.99 per month you can enjoy Magic Radio’s massive library of 13 million songs.

Pandora

Pandora shouldn’t sound unfamiliar to you, as the service has been around for a very long time. It’s one of the most successful, well-known, and trusted music streaming apps in the world. It’s not just available on Android either — you can use Pandora on the web and on iOS too.

Pandora has an aesthetically pleasing, easy-to-use interface. While it’s a bit overdue for a new design, don’t let that stop you from enjoying Pandora’s very diverse library. The free version of the app will require you to listen to ads after every few songs, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s less than you’d hear on your average radio, and the company has to pay the bills somehow. However, if you’d like to get rid of ads and net yourself a handful of other features, Pandora offers a subscription service for $3.99 a month or $36 per year.

Songza

Songz is a well-known, but unique music streaming service. Unlike the other services on this list, Songza will provide you with a list of precompiled stations to choose from. So, if you’re in the mood for upbeat music while you’re going on a run, you’ll be able to pick a precompiled station that has, well, upbeat music.

Unlike Magic Radio, Songza is free of charge. Since you won’t be paying for anything with this music streaming service, you’ll have to deal with the ads, which seem to be pretty out of the way, aside from when you’re choosing a station.

Spotify

Similar to Pandora, Spotify is another big name in the music streaming industry with a giant library of 20 million tracks. The big downside to Spotify is that it’s only integrated with Facebook. You can create an account without Facebook, but if you like a little social networking with your music streaming, your options are limited. So that’s bad news for those who left Facebook in search of something better. Of course, we’d love it if we saw some Google+ integration with Spotify.

Other than that, there’s a pretty nice desktop application to ensure that you can enjoy Spotify anywhere. Spotify has a number of subscription options, including a free one that has ads. There’s a $4.99 option that gets rid of the ads too. Of course, the free one and the $4.99 option only let you listen to music on your laptop or desktop. So if you want to listen to Spotify on all of your devices, you’ll have to opt for the $9.99 premium.

uSound Player

uSound Player is very different from the list on this list. uSound will let you search and play songs individually, which means you won’t be relying on any precompiled playlists. These songs can be streamed or even downloaded. If you want quick access to them, simply add them to your favorites list.

uSound Player is free, so it doesn’t have any kind of radio streaming that you might find in Pandora and Magic Radio. If you’re looking for that type of functionality, it might be best to pass on this one. Of course, since it’s free, there’s really nothing to lose. On the other hand, if there’s a song stuck in your head that you don’t look up on YouTube first, uSound player is a great music streaming service to have around.

Conclusion

If you take a gander at our leaderboard (image above) you can see how these apps compete against each other. Their rankings on the leaderboard are based on Google Play Store ratings, so there isn’t any bias on our part.

Browsing through this list, you probably wondered where some other well known and awesome music streaming apps were, such as Play Music, Rdio, and Rhapsody. Don’t get us wrong — these are some great streaming services. In fact, we loved the new additions to Play Music. These apps’ ratings just weren’t high enough to be included on our main list.

As always, the Play Store has billions of apps available at the click of a button. So there’s no doubt we missed a good streaming service. If there’s one you really like and think that it should have been included in our list, be sure to tell everyone about it in the comments below!

Over the past week, many readers have commented to answer this exact same question. For some, the move to release the Galaxy S4 Google Edition is a step in the right direction, seen as something that might open the door for more existing flagship handsets from other big name OEMs to get the Nexus treatment. Others see it as entirely unnecessary, and that it somehow takes away from the Nexus name.

It’s worth remembering that plain and bloat-free Nexus phones have existed before the Galaxy S4 Google Edition, and they are likely to keep on existing long after it. With that in mind, what is it that really sets this one apart and makes it worth buying?

It’s not a Nexus

If there is only one thing that you can take away from all of the Galaxy S4 Google Edition noise, it is that it isn’t a Nexus. Although it might as well be the Google Nexus 5, it technically isn’t even a Nexus device. The design is a pretty big indication of this — they kept the standard Galaxy S4 design, which means that the physical Home button right below the display is still in its place.

There’s also the matter of the phone’s pricing. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition comes with a $650 USD price tag, which exemplifies pretty much the opposite of what the LG Nexus 4 stood to represent: smart and feature-rich yet very inexpensive.

But then again, it’s not a Nexus

The Galaxy S4 Google Edition offers support for external storage through a microSD card slot, has a removable battery, and works with 4G LTE. None of these things can be said of a real Nexus — that is, the Nexus 4. The Galaxy S4 is the superior handset hardware-wise in most every way.

It is more expensive, as pointed out above, and it isn’t hard to see why because of the hardware features. But in terms of software, it should be on the same level as the Nexus 4. Do all those hardware improvements really make it worth the extra $300?

Reasons to buy the Galaxy S4 Google Edition

It’s actually more than just a matter of whether or not the extra hardware stuff makes it worth the additional $300. If you buy a Galaxy S4 Google Edition, you will get a fully unlocked GSM phone with an unlocked bootloader, which means that you will be free to use it wherever and however you like. Here’s a list of some of the things that make it worth buying:

• Stock and bloatware-free Android experience
• Software updates coming directly from Google itself
• More user-available internal storage space
• Full support from Samsung as part of the Galaxy brand

It offers all of the above things and at the same time, it also retains the standard Galaxy S4′s best qualities. It has a bigger screen at 5-inches (higher resolution, too), a better camera, a more powerful processor, and longer battery life. If you’re still holding on to the notion that it shouldn’t be priced as highly as it is, consider that it’s priced the same way as other unlocked phones.

Reasons not to buy the Galaxy S4 Google Edition

And how about disadvantages to buying the Galaxy S4 Google Edition, are there any (besides the higher price tag)? As a matter of fact, there are quite a few.

• No TouchWiz features
• Internal storage is still maxed at 16GB
• Will only be released through T-Mobile and AT&T
• Only available in the U.S. (for now)

It’s also worth pointing out at this point that new handsets with much better hardware than even the powerful Galaxy S4 are expected to come out later this year, such as the Galaxy Note 3, the Optimus G2, Google’s X Phone, and the actual Nexus 5. And there are reasons to wait for those.

So what’s the verdict?

To conclude, we’d like to say that deciding to buy — or not to buy — the Galaxy S4 Google Edition is a fairly simple matter. If you want to get your hands on the best combination of smartphone hardware and Android software right now, then it would be an excellent choice. But if the software side of things somehow weighs more to you, or if you want to see what kind of stuff will be on offer in the next quarter before pulling the trigger, then it would be wiser to just wait things out for a while.

Besides, some clever developers will probably be able to take the stock Android OS from the Nexus-ified Galaxy S4 and make it compatible with the standard one. And when that happens, all bets are off. Users will then be able to flash normal units and turn them into their Nexus-like counterparts. As always, we’ll be there to let you know.

Do you think the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition is worth buying? Or is it better to go for another phone — such as the Nexus 4 — and save some money in the process? Take it to the comments section below.

Back in April, Caterpillar’s Cat B15 arrived in the United Kingdom and several other European countries such as France, Spain, Portugal and Norway. Now it looks like the phone will soon be making its way over to the United States as well.

The North American version of the Cat B15 will be shown off at CTIA tomorrow, though it is largely the same as the international version. The biggest difference is that the phone will now support both GSM 850/1900 and the AWS bands 1700/2100. Otherwise the B15 packs the same extremely rugged, grippable anodized aluminum and rubber body.

Other specs include a 4-inch display, dual-core 1GHz MediaTek MT6577 processor, a 5MP back cam, VGA front cam and the ability to withstand a six foot drop. It’s water resistant as well, for those keeping track. As for the OS, the phone comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The specs aren’t exactly exciting, but they should be more than capable of handling the job as long as your needs aren’t too demanding.

The big question is when the phone is coming, and how much it will set you back. Right now Caterpillar is still working to find retail partners and carriers for the launch, so no specific date seems set. We can tell you that the company plans to sell the phone for around $350, unlocked.

If they do end up with a carrier as a partner, that basically leaves just AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S., considering this is a GSM phone.

For those that need an extremely durable handset, would you consider purchasing the Cat B15?

Galaxy Note 3 concept

Allegedly showing the next-gen Galaxy Note smartphone, a new AnTuTu benchmark has surfaced providing certain details about the upcoming device.

According to the image below, the Galaxy Note 3 scores no less than 27914 in AnTuTu, of course assuming that we’re actually looking at the real deal.

More interestingly, we find out from the image that the device runs Android 4.3, which is said to be the next Android OS update that Google is readying for a June or July launch. Furthermore, the test says the Galaxy Note 3 is packing a 1600MHz processor, and we’re certainly interested to see what that kind of CPU it is. Such performance seems to indicate we could be looking at an Exynos 5 Octa version.

That GT-N7200 model number sounds plausible as well, considering that the model numbers of the Galaxy Note (GT-N7000) and Galaxy Note 2 (GT-N7100), but also the fact that a GT-N7200 device has also been recently spotted in EXIF data for a photo and reportedly identified as the next Galaxy Note 3.

Mind you, nothing is official just yet, and we’re making educated guesses based on previous Galaxy Note generations and existing Galaxy Note 3 rumors. Naturally, the AnTuTu benchmark could always be faked, and we’re certainly intrigued by the other N7200 devices in that screenshot, all Android devices running various OS versions and scoring much lower than the alleged Galaxy Note 3 device.

For comparison purposes, below you can see benchmark results for existing top Android devices, including the Galaxy S4 who tops such tests, particularly the Exynos 5 Octa version – we’ll note that Tegra 4 scores aren’t included in this one. The chart also shows scores for the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note 2.

That said, this purported Galaxy Note 3, if real, is still a prototype model, which means the final version running the final Android 4.3 build would score better in the same tests.

GSM Insider says that the Galaxy Note 3 would be the “first device with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean ahead of other rivals” – not counting Nexus devices in any case – which would be a remarkable accomplishment for Samsung. Has the company managed to somehow convince Google to grant it earlier access to Android OS versions, as some reports said when analyzing the “tense” relationship between the two companies? Or is Samsung simply getting better than everyone else at using that Android PDK?

We’ll certainly be looking forward to answer such questions, but for the time being we’ll remind you that the information presented in such benchmark tests still has to be questioned, as Samsung is yet to release any official details regarding the handset.

According to a recent report, the company did reveal that the Galaxy Note 3 would be unveiled at IFA 2013 – just as its predecessors, we’ll add. The handset is rumored not to pack a flexible display and to feature a design similar to the Galaxy S4.

A little while back, we played devil’s advocate and took a look a 5 reasons why you might not want to upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S4. Now, in the interest of fairness, and because it is a pretty cool phone, we’re going to do the opposite and look at 5 reasons why you might want to pick it up after all.

You’ve seen our review, you’ve seen all the versus pieces we did comparing the Galaxy S4 to other phones, you’ve seen some tips and tricks to get the most out of it. Now, here are five of what we think are the best reasons that you might want to take home a shiny new S4.

In a hurry? Check out the video or just get the gist at the end of the article.

1.) It’s Pretty Fast

There’s no way around it: at least for now, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is quite simply one of the fastest phones on the market. How fast? Well let’s take a look at benchmarks. In our benchmark chart, the Snapdragon 600 version of the Galaxy S4 scored 25,900 while the Exynos 5 version scored even higher at 27,417.

When it comes to easily available mass-market devices, that’s as fast as they come. Now, this doesn’t mean it’s going to feel that much faster than other high end devices, but that’s because we’re beginning to reach a point where specs matter less and less. Still, if you want the fastest option on your carrier, the Galaxy S4 is a pretty safe bet.

2.) The Size Is Nearly Perfect

As part of my duties here at Android Authority, I end up handling a fairly large amount of devices. The strange thing is that, while they come in all shapes and sizes, it can be more difficult than you’d think to find one that just feels right. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of those devices.

The balance between screen size and overall device size can be a tricky one. Take the much-beloved Galaxy Note 2 for example: it’s huge screen is nice, but you definitely trade ease of use to get that massive screen. The Samsung Galaxy S4 on the other hand still has a screen that is large enough to comfortably watch videos while remaining small enough that one handed operation is not only possible, but easy.

3.) The Camera Is Awesome

A little over a week ago, we decided to pit the camera in the Samsung Galaxy S4 against the HTC One’s Ultrapixel camera. Both cameras put in a strong showing, but in the end, we gave the edge to the S4. Now this isn’t going to matter to everyone, but if you take a lot of photos with your phone, this is another reason you might want to take a close look at the S4.

Ignoring the more gimmicky features like Drama Shot or Sound and Shot–you probably won’t use them even half as much as you might think–and just focusing on image quality alone, the S4 has some impressive optics. A quick web search for “best smartphone camera 2013″ will reveal quite a few people calling the Galaxy S4′s camera the best currently available. Note: we didn’t search for the best Android camera, these results were for the best phone camera. Not bad, Samsung. Not bad at all.

4.) There Will Always Be Something on the Horizon

In the last article, regarding the point that you might want to hold off on buying the S4 because of the upcoming Galaxy Note 3, many of you commented with the same response: there is always going to be a newer, better phone just around the corner. And you know what? You were right.

While plenty of us are still very excited about the Note 3 (and other phones), there is always going to have to be a point where you stop, pick a phone and live with your choice. With that in mind, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a great choice. With all its specs and features, there isn’t much of a chance that you’ll be telling yourself that you made a huge mistake a year from now.

5.) TouchWiz or Stock? The Choice Is Yours

Last week at Google I/O, we saw an announcement that we weren’t expecting: a “Google Edition” of the Samsung Galaxy S4 that runs stock Android. If you’re reading this site, we probably don’t need to tell you that this isn’t something you see everyday. Take that super fast hardware and combine it with stock Android, and that is (for many of us, at least) a match made in heaven.

Now, we understand. There are plenty of you who would rather have Samsung’s TouchWiz UI than stock Android. That’s why this is a perfect situation: no matter which happens to be your preference, there is a version of the S4 for you. While we’d like to see this option for every phone released, right now, the S4 has a lock on it, and that alone might make it worth a buy.

Video

TL;DR

If you just want the bare bones 5 reasons to buy the S4, here they are:

1. It’s fast.
2. The size is just about perfect for most people.
3. It’s got one of the best smartphone cameras around.
4. There are always better phones coming out. Don’t let that paralyze you with indecision.
5. It’s available with either the TouchWiz UI or stock Android. Pick your poison.

So what do you think? Is the Samsung Galaxy S4 a great buy or are you waiting for something else until you upgrade? Let us know in the comments down below!

Today’s smartphones are rapidly evolving when it comes to screen size, processor speeds, RAM and even aesthetics. Unfortunately, there is one area that might not be advancing as quickly as we would like: security.

Sure, there have been some improvements in phone security. Largely though, most folks still stick to just using PINs, patterns or (even worse) no security method at all. What if we could instead use the power of our fingerprint for accessing sensitive data on our phones? Samsung might be working on such a solution, at least if a new rumor is to be believed.

The rumor is sparked by a series of images that were received by SamMobile in an email earlier today. The images where allegedly ripped from a leaked firmware build for the Samsung Galaxy S3. As you can see below, these pictures show off fingerprints and related imagery.

The obvious theory is that these graphics might indicate that Sammy has been working on testing some kind of fingerprint tech. Keep in mind that these images are the only ‘evidence’ we have of such a move, so take this all with a grain of salt.

We certainly hope that Samsung would consider some kind of fingerprint reader built in place of the traditional home button, though. It would not only improve security, it would also be yet another bragging right for Samsung handset owners.

If any Samsung device is getting the tech in the near future, my vote would be for the Galaxy Note 3. Considering the Note series tends to be popular among BYOD users and businesses, it would make sense to have this kind of tech present.

It’s worth mentioning that rumors also suggest that Apple might also be working on some kind of fingerprint tech for the iPhone 5S. Before we start pointing fingers at who is copying who, remember this kind of tech has been around for a while now. Really, it just makes sense that it would eventually make its way over to smartphones.

What do you think, would you love to see Samsung phones start rolling out with a fingerprint scanner or do you feel it would really be more of a gimmick than a truly game-changing feature?

Coming off the heels of the Galaxy S4 launch, Sprint announced today at CTIA 2013 that it will be bringing the LTE-armed Galaxy S3 to its prepaid Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile brands in June, at an undisclosed price.

The hardware under the hood hasn’t changed much — it has the same 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, a 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.9MP front-facing camera, and a 2100 mAh battery. On the software side of things, it’s running Samsung’s custom TouchWiz UI atop Android 4.1.2.

Excluding the Galaxy S2, the two prepaid carriers have a subpar range of devices. The Galaxy S3 is still a very nice device, and will be a welcome addition to the current Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile offerings. Not only that, but it’s a great way for Sprint to still earn a bit from the smartphone, despite not being available on the “Now Network” itself.

On the other hand, a Galaxy S2 on Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile costs $329.99 (or lower with current discounts), which means we can probably expect the Galaxy S3 to be a bit more pricey than that. Regardless, if Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile customers are willing to shell out for the device, the two prepaid subsidiaries finally have a really nice phone in their inventories.

Chances are, you’re pretty familiar with the Galaxy S3. On the off chance that you’re not, be sure to check out our full review of the device (video below)!

Are you a Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile customer? Do you plan on picking up a Galaxy S3 when its available next month? Sound off in the comments!

If you’re reading this on a Nexus 7, do us a favor. Hold it up to your ear. If that seems reasonable to you, and you’re an AT&T customer, keep reading. You’re going to be really happy.

The crew over at Pocketnow has come across an interesting string of happenings. As it turns out, the Samsung Galaxy Mega may be headed to AT&T. That’s right, the smartphone with the 6.3” screen may soon be available in the US. Citing the often reliable EV Leaks, Pocketnow notes a device model SGH-1527 being prepped for AT&T service.

That model designation has been tied to the Samsung Melius, which was rumored to be a Tizen device. EV Leaks notes that this particular device for AT&T is absolutely not Tizen, but is keeping the Melius name. Mega is a more fitting name, even though Melius is a word derived from the latin word melior, meaning “big” or “a lot of”.

We agree that 6.3” of screen is melior, so we’ll wait for an official announcement. Whatever comes of it, we’re sure a large-scale Samsung phone is on the horizon.

We’re curious, what would you name a device of that size? Let us know in the comments below!

Tegra 3 devices were a revelation when they came to market. That technology was, and is, very speedy and capable. With the advent of Tegra 4, which is a quad core chipset, NVIDIA was also able to produce a Tegra 4i. The latter of the two has ended up being the darling of the mobile tech world, at least in terms of potential.

Tegra 4i is LTE capable, and they’re taking it for a spin at CTIA this week in Las Vegas. Running CAT 4, the Tegra 4i chips are jogging through at 150Mbps, showing no signs of lag or stuttering. If you’re not quite sure what all this talk of “cats” is about, don’t worry. It’s really finite, technical stuff.

Essentially, LTE as we know it runs on CAT 3 technology, with CAT standing for categories. CAT 3 is capable of 100Mbps download speeds, with 50Mbps upload. CAT 4 bumps those up to 150 and 50, respectively. Those speeds are not typically realized, unfortunately.

The really special thing about NVIDIA walking that Tegra 4i dog is that the upgrade to CAT 4 is done via software, not new hardware. The Tegra 4i chipset was shown off at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year, on CAT 3. Since then, NVIDIA has done some software tweaks and been able to get the exact same hardware running a much faster category of LTE.

The Tegra 4i chipset is also 40% smaller than current LTE chipsets, and is said to be more efficient. These tests are simulated, as CAT 4 isn’t in the wild yet, but NVIDIA updating an LTE radio via software updates is impressive. We’ll be excited to see this technology in mobile devices, as it should be ready late this year or early 2014.

Wearable tech isn’t exactly new, but it has certainly seen a major resurgence as of late. A large part of this is because technology is finally starting to advance enough to make watches, glasses and other wearables truly useful. While the most ambitious wearable is Google’s Glass, devices like the Pebble smartwatch have also received quite a bit of attention. Now it looks like Pebble is about to get itself a new competitor, the “Agent”.

The Agent is the brainchild of Secret Labs and is designed by NYC watchmaker, House of Horology. Like Pebble, this watch is taking to Kickstarter in hopes of bringing the smartwatch scene to the next level. You might wonder what makes this watch different from the Pebble. At first glance, not much.

Both watches have Sharp displays that are similarly sized and even the watchfaces look alike. Feature-wise, the Agent also supports much of the same as the Pebble: pushing notifications, showing you the weather, acting as a pedometer and controlling music. It also works with any Android 2.3+ mobile device.

If it’s basically just a Pebble ‘clone’, why bother? Secret Labs hopes that you’ll see past that obvious similarities, and look a bit deeper. The differences here are two: processor design and wireless charging.

For the later of these, the Agent utilizes Qi wireless technology. The watch will come with its own charger pad, but should also work with existing pads.

As for the processor, the Agent uses a 120MHz ARM Cortex-M4, designed with speed and performance in mind. To prevent the processor from draining away the battery, it is actually kept in sleep-mode most of the time, with the secondary processor handling basic actions like displaying the time.

The end result is that the Agent can last 30 days in “watchface-only” mode, or up to 7 days with smart functions activated. This is at least a little bit better than most of the other smartwatches on the market.

Ease of programming

Secret Labs claims that their watch design will be more efficient that competitors, due to the use of Microsoft’s .NET runtime environment. They also boast that making apps will be easy, allowing programmers to use C# and Microsoft Visual Studio.

For those that might be interested in developing for the watch, Secret Labs says that an SDK will be rolling out immediately after the Kickstarter campaign ends.

Is the Agent too late to the game?

The Agent seems to be an interesting idea, but ultimately, it isn’t much different from the Pebble. The watch does have wireless charging and slightly improved battery life, but it also is planning a price of around $249, versus the $150 for the Pebble. It is worth mentioning that early bird Kickstarter pledges can pre-order it for $129.

Besides not truly offering much to set itself apart from the Pebble, there is also the possibility that by the time the Agent arrives to its backers, either Apple or Samsung might already have announced a smartwatch of their own.

If this had released six to twelve months earlier, the Agent could have been big. Now we aren’t so sure. What do you think of the Secret Labs Agent, would you consider it over devices like the Pebble?

Wearable technology is an acquired taste. I recently got a healthy sampling of it at I/O, and can see where both sides are in relation to the possibilities. While cautious optimism is the order of my day, some analysts don’t share that tempered objectivity.

A report by Credit Suisse has deemed the wearable technology market could be worth up to $50 billion in the next few years. They note the current market for wearable technology is $3-5 billion, making for a tenfold market increase in a very short time. If that sounds unrealistic, your doubt holds water.

Analysts base reports on speculative propositioning. While their foresight may have roots in firm ground, they’re still based on hopes and probabilities. Items like the Pebble Smartwatch and Google Glass may be exciting, but we’re wise to remember where we’ve already been with wearable technology. Smartwatches are a recurring passing fad, like so many pedometers we couldn’t live without for a time. Even if Google Glass is a hit, and spawns a plethora of copycat devices, the sector will contract quickly.

The report by Credit Suisse notes such things as expectations in improved battery life, and even ponders who could leverage such technology. Noted names in athletics, like Nike or Adidas, are mentioned as being in a good position to do so.

Even as Google and Apple are in the best position for market domination of wearable tech, and both working on or rumored to be working on wearable technology, we’ll simply have to wait to see where it takes us. Speculation is fun, but devices and operating systems dictate the market. If done properly, we’ve got no doubt the wearable technology market has a huge potential.

Then again, the Pebble Smartwatch was done nicely, and the fervor over it has died down considerably.

The Kyocera Hydro Edge, set to make its way into Sprint’s smartphone lineup, has been unveiled at the CTIA show in Las Vegas, together with the Kyocera Hydro XTRM that will be available from U.S. Cellular.

The new Kyocera Hydro Edge and Kyocera Hydro XTRM are both follow-ups to last year’s Hydro model, and it seems like either model could be very useful to you if you’re planning on going on vacation.

Kyocera Hydro Edge

If you’re always dropping your phone in the water when at the beach, the Kyocera Hydro Edge is the solution to your problems, as it can stand a drop in 3.28 feet of water for 30 minutes (or being sprayed with water).

The Kyocera Hydro Edge comes with a dual-core 1GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen (resolution is 800 x 480 pixels) that promises impact resistance (if you can drop it in water, you might as well be able to drop it on the floor, too), a 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of memory and microSD support.

The device runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and its most interesting feature is probably the Smart Sonic Receiver, which makes it easier to use in noisy surroundings. The technology uses vibrations to send sounds straight to your eardrum, so the phone should be useful when clubbing in the evening too. The press release says that the feature makes the speaker cavity unnecessary, thus improving waterproofing.

The device will be available from both Sprint (which is also rumored to be getting the LG Optimus F3 soon enough) and its Boost Mobile subsidiary, but the release date or price have not been announced. According to a Kyocera spokesperson, quoted by Twice, its price could be around $130 on Boost Mobile, and less than $50 with a Sprint plan.

Kyocera Hydro XTRM

Also shown was the Kyocera Hydro XTRM, a very similar device, which will be available online starting today at $29, and in U.S. Cellular stores from May 24. The handset is dust- and waterproof and features Smart Sonic technology, but it also has military standard 810G shock resistance, meaning that it can withstand drops from a height of four feet.

In terms of specs, the 4G LTE Hydro XTRM packs a 4-inch WVGA display (also impact-resistant), a Qualcomm 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, 2000mAh battery and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The main camera is a 5-megapixel one and the smartphone also features a front 1.3-megapixel shooter.

Are you a fan of rugged smartphones? What’s your favorite such device?

Japan Display Inc. (JDI) has unveiled its latest display technology, a 5-inch 1080p TFT LCD display with integrated touch functionality. Called “Pixel Eyes,” the display offers certain advantages including slimmer modules and lower optical reflections.

JDI is a joint venture between Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba, and its panels have already been used in Xperia Z handsets, however a problem noted by many reviewers was the poor viewing angles. JDI has noted that displays need to improve in some aspects and offer “higher resolutions, wider viewing angles, higher picture quality, lower power consumption, and thinner module thickness.”

The improvements this new technology will bring to the table include a 10 to 30% slimmer module, clearer picture quality and increased module brightness. At this point in time, it appears as if Pixel Eyes is not using the recently announced triluminos display tech.

When it comes to specs, the Pixel Eyes will feature a “transmissive IPS” display mode and offer a resolution of up to 1080p, 445 pixel per inch (ppi) density, 450cd/m2 brightness, contrast ratio of 1000:1 and a viewing angle of 160 degrees.

JDI says that displays in resolutions of 720p (720 x 1280 pixels) and qHD (540 x 960 pixels) will be mass produced starting with June 2013, with the 5-inch Full-HD displays being produced soon after. JDI will exhibit the display at the Society for Information Display (SID) Display Week 2013, in Japan this week.

Are you interested in this new display tech? Hope to see the screens in Sony’s next flagship devices?

Yesterday, Google announced they would shutter the Checkouts program for online merchants. Instead, those online retailers who utilize Checkouts are urged to migrate to Google Wallet, which has made some recent improvements ahead of this announcement.

Those improvements, geared toward making life easier for merchants, include a few new APIs. The Instant Buy API is meant to allow for faster checkout, especially on mobile devices. The Wallet Objects API allows for a loyalty rewards program, like earned points.

For merchants who may not have a payment processing portal, Google has wisely approached a few of the bigger names to offer a discounted rate for those who need to sign up. Retailers can get up to a 20% discount at Braintree, Shopify, or Freshbooks just for being a new Google Wallet customer. Freshbooks is even offering a 60 day free trial for those who migrate.

There is no rush for retailers, though. They’ll have until November 20, 2013 to find new solutions for their business. Google has made the migration process as seamless as possible, which will trickle down to consumers. We only hope retailers take advantage of all that Google has on offer. A faster checkout with a rewards program sounds like e-commerce heaven.

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 now has a price tag attached to it, at least for the UK market, courtesy of retailer Clove.

Clove, which has the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 available for pre-order at the moment, offers it in both white and black versions. Still, you can only get the 16GB model, as the 8GB version isn’t listed.

The price, no matter what color option you choose, is £460 (VAT included) – not including VAT, the phone costs £383.33. As far as the release date goes for the large-sized device (you can see how large it is in these hands-on pictures), it is the same as the one Carphone Warehouse has listed a few days ago, namely the month of July.

The Galaxy Mega 5.8 won’t be coming to the UK at all, so you’ll have to settle for the large version.

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 is aimed at those buyers looking for a device with a truly large screen. It has a 6.3-inch touchscreen at 720p resolution, and features a dual-core CPU and 1.5GB of RAM memory. Internal memory is 8 or 16GB (expandable using the microSD slot), with an 8-megapixel rear camera allowing you to take pictures wherever you go. The front camera is a 1.9-megapixel one and it’s also important to know that the smartphone runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung’s own TouchWiz interface on top of it.

If that all sounds interesting, pre-orders at Clove are underway, so you can make sure you get yours come July.

Are you thinking about pre-ordering a Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3?

While far from the biggest player in the browser wars, Opera has been around in one form or another since the mid-90s. Hoping to expand its presence, the company announced in February their plans to ditch the Presto framework. Shortly after, the Opera Beta app was released, leaping over to the WebKit rendering engine. Today marks another big milestone for Opera, they are losing the “Beta” tag on their Android app.

So what’s new now that the app is out of the awkward Beta phase? Mostly it is about speed improvements and bug fixes, but there are also some changes such as the option to toggle the navigation bar from the top or bottom of the screen and the ability to wrap text when zooming.

For those who have yet to play around with the Beta, you’ll also find quite a few other exciting features. The two biggest of these are Discover and Off-Road. The former of these features is designed to recommend content for users and is also populated with content from user-chosen categories.

As for Off-Road, it connects you to the web through a proxy. Using the Opera proxy, the data is compressed before it is sent to your mobile device, which means it should play nicely with slower, unreliable networks.

This is likely just the beginning for Opera, who already confirms that they will be making the move to Google’s WebKit fork Blink in the near-future. The big question is whether these changes will be enough for Opera’s browser to truly take on rivals such as Chrome and Firefox.

For those that have yet to try it out, you can grab it now through Google Play. Readers that have already tried it out, what do you think?

Simply update Unity, and you’ll be able to publish your games and apps on Android and iOS in the build menu. Developers will be able to put their games on BlackBerry and Windows Phone 8 at no charge when they become available too.

The tools are free for independent developers and small studios. However, “companies and other “incorporated entities” (you know who you are) with a turnover in excess of $100,000 in their previous fiscal year are required to use our paid version,” Unity Technologies CEO David Helgason said.

A few years ago, Unity made their indie license free from $200. By doing that, their community grew from 13,000 developers to just shy of 2.2 million today. As a result, some breathtaking creations were released on the PC, such as Windward. Let’s hope something similar happens on mobile platforms now.

Now that Unity is free for Android, do you plan on creating a game on the successful mobile platform? Better yet, do you think this new step will boost mobile gaming in general?