Chrome Beta for Android has been updated to version 28 (28.0.1500.21), which includes several new features like built-in translation.

Here is the full changelog for the application, as posted by Google on its blog:

• Google Translate: When you come across a page written in a language that isn’t in the same language as your phone or tablet, look for the translation bar
• Fullscreen on tablets: Simply scroll the page to dismiss the toolbar
• Support for fullscreen API
• New graph showing your estimated bandwidth savings when you use the experimental data compression feature
• Mobile friendly error pages

The most useful feature seems to be the Google Translate integration, which will certainly come in handy when visiting websites written in an unknown language, but full screen support on tablets as well as that bandwidth saving graphic are also interesting.

Image Credit: Android Police

The stable version of Chrome for Android has also been just updated to version 27 (27.0.1453.90), which also includes some interesting features:

• Panel windows for chat and more
• New Launcher positioning mode
• Per App list of open tabs & windows
• Horizontal three finger scrub moves between tabs
• New folder hierarchy on file manager
• Autocomplete in Drive search
• Memory management optimization
• Enhanced support for common wireless touchpads/mice
• Updated Chrome Office Viewer extension
• Pepper Flash updated to 11.7.700.202-r2
• GTalk plugin updated to 3.15.2.0

Chrome for Android or Chrome Beta for Android are available as free downloads from the Google Play Store, just follow the Source links below.

The Hisense Sero 7 LT and Sero 7 PRO (which is Tegra 3-powered) are now available at Walmart for $99, and $149, respectively.

If you’re on a tight budget and you want an Android tablet with decent specs, Hisense’s two new offerings, set to be available at Walmart starting today, might be just your cup of tea.

Hisense, a company known best for its Pulse Google TV device, as well as for building Smart TVs, makes a move into the tablet market with the new Sero 7 LT and Sero 7 Pro devices.

The most interesting of the pair is certainly the Hisense Sero 7 PRO, which offers you Tegra 3 performance at a price of $149. The 7-inch tablet’s specs also include 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory. The memory may not be much, but you can use the microSD slot to pop in a card.

The Hisense Sero 7 PRO’s 7-inch IPS display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels; a 5 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front one complete the spec sheet. The tablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, promises 10 hours of battery life and, at that price, it sounds like a real bargain.

But if the Sero 7 Pro is still too expensive for you, you can always get its lower-speced brother, the Sero 7 LT, marketed by Hisense as an “introduction of technology to a young child”, at $99 (at least you won’t feel too bad if it ends up in pieces).

The Sero 7 LT has a 7-inch display, too, but the resolution is just 1024 x 600 pixels, while the CPU was downgraded to a dual-core clocked at 1.6 GHz. The RAM is still 1GB, but the internal storage was halved at 4 GB (you can use a microSD card to supplement that). The tablet also includes a 0.3 megapixel front-facing shooter and it must be mentioned that both are Google Play-certified (unlike Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD models, for example).

Are you tempted to buy one of these tablets? Let us know in a comment.

Samsung has packed loads of features into the new Galaxy S4. With it’s beautiful display, who wouldn’t want to occasionally save a screenshot from their device?  As simple as it may sound, there are actually two screen capture methods in the Galaxy S4. One method is a bit more conventional to most Android users, while the other will be more familiar with users of previous Galaxy devices. Take a moment to watch our video tutorial to get a quick demo of both!

Method 1

- When you want to capture a screenshot, press and hold the power and home buttons simultaneously. You will get visual confirmation around the border of the screen. The screenshot can then be accessed from the notification bar.

Method 2 

Enable “Palm motion” under the “my device” settings tab. You can then swipe your palm across the screen to capture a screenshot. Like method 1, you will get a visual confirmation that the screen was captured.

If you have palm motion enabled, you can still use both methods at any time.

Enable “Capture screen” to use Method 2

Swipe palm from left to right across the screen

That’s all it takes folks! You can then access the photos and make edits to them before sharing them and storing them in the gallery.

Back when the Huawei Ascend P6 first surfaced online, we saw it in black trim. Now we have photos of what is said to be a prototype unit decked out in white, showing the device itself and its standard home screen. The custom skin that Huawei decided to put on top of Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean — the version of Android that is said to be its default operating system — looks different from the usual, to say the least. You may or may not like it. For now, all we can say is that the overall theme appears to be very conservative. There aren’t that many design elements that jump at you when you first look at it.

With that said, the Ascend P6 does have one very noticeable thing going for it in terms of design, and that is its lack of a homescreen button underneath its display. You can see this not just through the live photo above but also on the leaked Ascend P6 photos posted by Twitter user @evleaks.

It is through these new leaked photos that we learn of the Huawei Ascend P6′s pink-colored version, and it is expected that Huawei will launch all three different color versions on the day of the handset’s official announcement. We’re still not sure exactly when that would be, but it could happen next month, what with there being COMPUTEX plus a special Huawei-only press event happening in the third week of June.

What do you think of the Huawei Ascend P6 so far? Do you think will serve Huawei well in its quest to conquer the Android market? We’ll be sure to bring you more info as they become available.

Those among the tech crowd love the stock Android experience and tend to shout belligerent remarks against anything that isn’t stock Android, such as Samsung’s TouchWiz interface and HTC’s Sense UI. While stock Android offers an immaculate, unadulterated, and bloat-free Android experience, TouchWiz, Sense UI, and other OEM skins also have a very important part to play in the world of Android.

A smartphone for everyone

While there are many reasons why Android is a great operating system, there’s one in particular that sticks out to me: open source. The benefit to Android being open source is that a number of manufacturers can create their smartphones based off of Android while offering a different experience through the use of a custom skin, such as TouchWiz or Sense UI.

Consumers who aren’t fond of stock Android still have other experiences they can try out while staying within the Android ecosystem. Let’s face it, not everyone is going to like a pure Android experience, and not everyone is going to like TouchWiz, Sense UI, Motoblur, or some other OEM skin.

One of the reasons why many people use Android over iOS is the fact that Android has so many faces thanks to the variety of Android ROMs (stock and non-stock) that can be further customized by each user. Not including jailbreaks, there isn’t another iOS device in the world that offers a different UI experience while letting you stay in the iOS ecosystem. That’s where Android has the upper hand.

While many see OEM skins as a plague to Android, they’re actually a benefit. In the end, there are more Android users than there would be if stock Android was the only experience available. After all, how many Android-powered Galaxy S4′s did Samsung sell this month?

Stock Android, TouchWiz, Sense UI, Motoblur, and other OEM skins all are very beneficial to Android. This stock Android versus [insert OEM skin here] feud is pointless. In the end, Android, as an operating system, wins.

The “bloat” problem

As I mentioned earlier, folks, stock Android offers an immaculate, unadulterated, and bloat-free Android experience. On the other side of the spectrum, TouchWiz, Sense UI, Motoblur, and other OEM skins are loaded with unneeded bloatware.

It’s the one downside to OEM skins, and there’s really no way to get rid of the bloatware, as it’s installed on a device’s /system partition. You could root your device to dispose of it, but that’s hardly a solution for the everyday consumer.

Here’s the kicker though, the only people that really hate bloatware are among the tech crowd. I’m going out on a limb here, but I’d say bloatware is useful for the average Joe. Features like S Health, S Voice, ChatON, and dare I say Group Play, can be found useful among the everyday user. Sure, the tech crowd and some consumers know that there are better alternatives in the Play Store, but this isn’t the case for the large majority.

With that said, bloatware isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Believe it or not, it can be beneficial to Android. When HTC announced the One, its flagship for 2013, people were very interested in features like HTC Zoe, BoomSound, and BlinkFeed. The hardware? Not so much. The large majority is more interested in features and software than hardware.

Another example is Xiaomi’s Mi2S smartphone running MIUI atop of Android that are selling in droves. While they’re unfortunately not available on international markets, the smartphone is still extremely popular among Chinese buyers. Considering it’s wild success, you’d expect that the buyers really enjoy MIUI, which can also be flashed on supported devices.

That said, the more appeal devices like the Galaxy S4, HTC One, or Mi2S have, the more people are going to buy them, thus benefiting Android even further.

The Kindle Fire’s rise to popularity

Let’s briefly look at the Kindle Fire. It’s running a forked version of Android, but despite that, the family of tablets is very popular and is selling extremely well. In fact, for Q1 2013, Amazon ranked fourth among some of the top dogs in the tablet market after Apple, Samsung and ASUS.

Stock Android isn’t present on any devices in Amazon’s Kindle Fire family. So why is it so popular? Amazon offers some good quality tablets running a forked version of Android for cheap. As you can see here, Amazon’s most expensive tablet, an LTE-equipped 64GB Kindle Fire HD 8.9, costs $499. Alternatively, an LTE-equipped 64GB iPad costs $829 with similar specs to the Kindle Fire HD. The difference in pricing is stunning.

All in all, the diversity of manufactuers and OEM skins are benefiting Android in a lot of ways. While a stock Android experience is one of the nicest UI’s out there, it’s not the key to Android’s wild success that continues to spread like wildfire. It’s a team effort.

Conclusion

While my preference happens to be stock Android, it’s hard to overlook the part that OEM skins play in the Android world. Even though some of the Android skins look like they have a cartoon-like theme or seem childish (the list of complaints could go on forever), that’s what’s awesome about Android: the diversity, smartphones not for a small group of people, but for everyone. Different smartphones that will fit all kinds of personalities.

What do you think of TouchWiz and OEM skins in general? Do you think they benefit Android at all?

No beating around the bush, locked bootloaders are pure evil. We pay good money to our carriers in order to enjoy the latest smartphones, so shouldn’t we be able to do with them as we please (within reason)? That’s why it was so frustrating when we found out that AT&T and Verizon were both locking down the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The good news is that Samsung’s official online shop has now revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S4 Developer Edition will soon be coming to AT&T and Verizon, featuring an unlocked bootloader right out of the box, as well as 16GB storage. Keep in mind that this is NOT the same thing as the Samsung Galaxy S4 “Nexus” version. You won’t be getting faster updates or stock Android with this one.

You might be thinking, “But why bother with this one considering the dev community has already found a way around the AT&T/Verizon bootloader?” For many of you, it probably won’t be worth getting. Still, there are some that would rather go the official route, so it’s nice to have the option.

So how much will the GS4 Developer Edition set you back? No official pricing is currently mentioned, though we’d take a guess at around $650, and more than likely it won’t have a subsidized pricing option.

For those on AT&T’s network, it probably makes more sense to go with the GS4 with stock Android over this, unless you really love TouchWiz. For those on Verizon, it’s good to see that Big Red wasn’t left out of this one like they were the Nexus edition of the GS4. What do you think, anyone interested in getting the Developer Edition of the GS4?

From the video, we get to see a little bit of the tablet’s performance (although it might be better to check out related bechmark results instead if you want the whole story on that). It looks lightweight, sleek, and very responsive. In other words, Samsung probably won’t have a hard time selling this as something that belongs to the latest generation of its Galaxy Tab range — it certainly looks the part.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0′s main features include a 7-inch 1024×600 display, 1GB of RAM, choices of either 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, a 3-megapixel rear camera, and a 4,000mAh battery. Its 1.2GHz mobile processor is tipped to be an Intel chip, but so far we still don’t have confirmation of such. In the meantime, you’ve got all the information that we just told you above plus the hands on review video below. Be warned, though: the person in the video speaks Dutch.

When it comes to watching them HD videos of kittens, we need a fast connection that can keep up with our important agenda. That’s where a solid Wi-Fi connection comes in handy. Wi-Fi has certainly changed a lot in recent years, with new standards like 802.11ac (aka 5G Wi-Fi) pushing the limits on both range and speed.

Unfortunately, there are few devices that actually use the latest and greatest 5G Wi-Fi, especially in the mobile world. In fact, the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 are the only two handsets using Broadcom’s tech, at least that we’re aware of. The good news is that this will soon be changing, as Broadcom has now announced its first 5G Wi-Fi combo chips designed for entry-level consumer devices.

Current mobile devices and PCs utilize the more expensive BCM4335. The next-gen BCM4339 and BCM43162 are designed to cut down costs by integrating a complete front-end, power amplifier and Low Noise amplifier. So what sets the BCM4339 and BCM43162 apart from one another? The former of these is geared towards smartphones and tablets. The later is the solution aimed at PCs and notebooks.

Broadcom says that they already have companies sampling the chips and expects volume production in the second half of the year. In other words, it shouldn’t be too long before these chips show up in actual devices.

For those that have the HTC One and Samsung GS4, are you fully utilizing the power of 802.11ac? What do you think of its performance?

If wrapping your device in a case is your thing, Ottebox has you covered. Literally. Their lineup of cases is an industry standard for overall protection, shielding those precious devices from the rugged and clumsy alike.

At CTIA, our Joshua Vergara got a chance to catch up with Otterbox to talk about what they have on offer. Whether you need something to protect from the occasional drop, or a case that looks like it could take a fall from a high-rise building, Otterbox has it. Check out the interview below!

PC to Android video streaming is a very niche market, which may make it difficult to find such an app and get it to work properly. That said, we went to the Play Store in search of some of the best PC to Android video streaming apps there are, and we’ve returned with some great results! As usual, if you’d rather watch the video than read, just head to the bottom of the article.

 2player

First up on our list is 2player, which recognizes DLNA servers to play content. The app was able to recognize a Plex server and play video from them. That’s a big requirement for this list, so good news for 2player. It’s a very simple app that doesn’t have a whole lot of features. It sort of works, but has some annoying graphics issues.

The graphics issues isn’t existent on every device, but it doesn’t affect video playback either, which is good news. Again, it’s a simple app that will get the job done.

 BubbleUPnP

BubbleUPnP is a fairly popular video streaming app, and there’s a good reason for that too. It works well, and goes the extra mile to offer a Google TV app on top of your standard tablet and smartphone support. The only real complaint we have about this app is that the free version feels a bit crippled.

During our testing, it was fairly easy to get videos to play from the Plex server. However, BubbleUPnP does require a secondary player, which might be a bit tedious for some. Thankfully apps like Moboplayer and MX player are completely free and solve the problem easily.

Emit

Emit is one of the nicer apps on our list, though, there is a few downsides.  While it works pretty well, it isn’t compatible with DLNA. Instead, it relies on its own PC app to stream media to your Android device. While that isn’t particularly a bad thing, it’s just a bit more tedious.

You’re able to add servers via an IP address or a PIN, but if you don’t know a whole lot about servers, this might not be something for your average Joe. Regardless, Emit works well, and that’s all that really matters. To get the best experience out of it, all you’ll need is the PC app too.

Plex

Plex is one of the better apps on our list. In fact, you can think of it as the Pandora radio of PC to Android streaming. It’s one of the most popular streaming apps for any operating system, whether it be Windows 8, Linux, or Android. It’s very popular because there’s a lot to like about Plex.

First off, Plex has a well designed, solid, and easy to use interface. Not only that, but it’s loaded with awesome features. Plex servers are also DLNA compliant and can be seen by other PC to Android streaming apps too. You may have noticed that with BubbleUPnP.

Similar to Emit, you’re going to need to download Plex’s proprietary app to get Plex to work properly. This isn’t a big issue though, as Plex servers are fairly easy to get up and running. Once everything is set up and ready to go, video streaming works wonderfully, and you should only run into the occasional issue. Like BubbleUPnP, Plex is available on Google TV in addition to tablets and phones.

Tonido

As you would expect in a PC to Android video streaming list, Tonido is perfectly capable of such tasks. You might be surprised to know that, that actually isn’t the sole purpose of this particular app though. Tonido also pairs as a file sharing app between your PC and Android device. So not only can you stream video, but you can also share documents, music files, video, and pictures.

Tonido’s video streaming capabilities are actually quite good, though, much like Emit and Plex, you have to download its proprietary app on the PC to get it working on your Android device. However, if you employ a generic DLNA server, you may want to look elsewhere, as you can’t even get into the app until you sign into your Tonido account.

Conclusion

If you take a gander at our leaderboard (image above) you can see how these apps compete against one another. These are based on Google Play Store ratings and downloads, so there isn’t any bias on our part.

Much like our Best Widgets for Android list, PC to Android video streaming is very niche. However, there’s still a few out there that deserve an honorary mention. These include AVia, TVersity, and MediaHouse UPnP. When it comes to PC to Android video streaming, the quality of an app isn’t something that needs to be worried about a whole lot. What matters the most is finding a decent app that provides good video quality.

As I said, PC to Android video streaming is a very niche market. So there could have been a really great app we missed. If you have a favorite PC to Android video streaming app, be sure to tell everyone about it in the comments section below!

The Samsung Galaxy Mega is reportedly headed for Three UK, with a July launch window. While nothing official has emerged, our previous report notes pre-orders being taken for a July delivery. That report, coupled with Three being the only regional carrier in the UK to confirm plans for the device, lead us to believe they will have it sometime mid-summer.

Unfortunately, the 5.8-inch version won’t make the jump across the pond, so our UK readers will have to let us know how those 6.3-inch devices work out for them. With a 720p screen and 1.5GB RAM running at 1.7Ghz, we’re curious to see what everyone thinks.

Check out the video below, in which Three compares the entire Galaxy line. Interested in getting one? Let us know what you think of Samsung’s next next big thing in the comments section below!

There are quite a few different opinions out there when it comes to wearable tech. Some say it is a fad. Others that it is the future, and that devices like Google Glass will lead to a revolution. Then there is talk of privacy concerns, social concerns and even the belief that development of wearable technology is the first step towards a dystopian future where “the man” is always watching.

Short of inventing a time machine, we can’t say for sure how wearable tech will affect our lives in the years to come. But we can take a look at a few potential scenarios or situations where wearable tech could make life better, or in some cases worse.

A world with no privacy

Organizations like “Stop the Cyborgs” feel that Google Glass and other wearable tech could soon lead to major privacy concerns throughout the globe. Even the United States senate has some potential worries. There are clearly folks that don’t like the idea of tech that is always on, always watching and could even be recording your every move.

If Google Glass leads the way for other smart wearable devices that allow free and easy recording no matter where you are, you could be left with something that looks a great deal like a sci-fi movie’s vision of a dystopian future.

Leaving your house would mean that you would surrender all privacy (which arguably is the case even today), as everyone could be watching you and reporting any action you do, with video footage to prove it.

It also means that you as a wearable-tech user could be subject to tracking from companies, the government and any would-be super-hacker (which is also arguably the same case today). That means not just what you look up with wearable tech, but also possibly what you see, what you’re doing and where you are currently located at.

But is this scenario really likely? Yes and no. I’d love to say “Absolutely not!” – but it’s more complicated than that. It would really depend on the country and the people in it.

I have no doubt that many governments would take advantage of this kind of technology to “protect” everyday citizens. It really wouldn’t be the tech at fault here, though.

Wearable technology could certainly be an enabler of privacy invasion, but it isn’t the real cause of privacy concerns. Governments, pervs, businesses and stalkers already use technology and general information to exploit us for their own ends.

If we want to solve privacy concerns for future wearable tech, it’s about making changes and setting real boundaries in the present.

Making the world a safer place

So the invasion of privacy is a possible concern, but there are also many great future uses for wearable technology that could truly make our lives better, or even safer.

Last month we reported on how the New York City police department was utilizing Android phones for quickly accessing information about the area around them, in ways that are much more efficient than on-board car computers. Not everyone likes the idea of the police having easy access to information about warrants, building crime stats and other data, but honestly I feel that there is a lot of potential for crime reduction that outweighs the downsides.

Building on that concept, imagine that police officers could take the same information and have it within their Google Glass or other wearable device. No need to fumble with a phone to find what they need.

A perp starts running? The police could use GPS information to help them figure out the best ways to chase after them, avoiding dead ends and other obstacles along the way.

Then again, maybe giving police officers this kind of tech is almost as scary as helpful.

What about for emergency response? Recently a video from Playground Labs showed a few ideas for Google Glass, one of them included how in the future, wearable devices could be used for placing 911 calls and receiving “in-your-eye” help on what to do in an emergency situation, like performing CPR, etc.

Beyond that, I could also see paramedics using the tech. Imagine the emergency responder streaming live video to the ER, allowing them to see what is going on and giving them time to prepare for what might need to be done when the patient arrives. For surgeries, there are also teaching applications, like a surgeon streaming live footage of a surgery (with permission of course) to students. The list goes on, but you get the idea.

How wearable tech could affect the consumer directly

So Google Glass opens the door to possible privacy invasion, but it also opens the door to more effective crime prevention and emergency response.

What about us as consumers, how else can we benefit on a day-to-day basis? Immediate first-gen wearable tech like Google Glass and smartwatches seem focused on giving us access to basically the same information as we have right now, just quicker.

Our own Nate Swanner recently had the opportunity to use the device for an evening. His takeaway?

“I got exactly what I expected with Glass, really. It’s fun, and exciting, but doesn’t fit into my lifestyle. What Glass offers and what I’d like to see from it are just too disparate right now.”

Right now, Glass is about It’s about checking the net, keeping up with your social network, getting quick directions and the like. In current form, it’s not for everybody.

Long-term? Google Glass developers are just now playing around and learning what they can do with the 1st-generation Google Glass. Ten years from now, their ideas will be more developed, and the original Google Glass hardware will look like a Fisher-Price toy compared to what will then be possible.

The future for wearable tech is in creating augmented reality that enhances payment options, conversations and everyday life – without getting in the way.

Imagine visiting a landmark and your wearable watch/glasses/contacts automatically recognize the location and provide you with virtual tour guide information. For businesses, there could also be paid content, where you can learn more about buildings and locations simply by paying a small fee.

The holy grail of wearable computing is about moving beyond just providing quick access to the web: its about overlaying connected data over everything we do.

Social concerns with wearable glass

Right now, we already have seen a major change in the way young people use technology, even when compared to just 5 or 10 years prior. Many of us are constantly locked to our phones or tablets. From checking messages every few minutes, to looking up stuff on the net just about everywhere, bathroom included.

When the computer is with you 24/7, what kind of impact will it have? It will certainly be different. Worse? That’s probably a matter of opinion. It will mean that people might be even further enslaved by technology than ever before, but ultimately even that is not the tech’s fault.

I love my phone, my tablet and my PC. I’m a nerd all the way, and proud. I am clearly on-the-grid and loving it. That said, there are times when I break free.

Camping, fishing, hell just an evening with the family without worrying about what’s going on over at Google+ or Twitter. I make the choice to power off my devices and take a few moments to enjoy life unleashed from the world of modern communication. I use tech to enhance my life, not to take it over.

I’m biased towards wearable tech, I’ll admit it. But I do understand that there are real concerns around wearable and augmented technology. The point is that these technologies don’t have to control us or throw us into a Big Brother dystopian world.

Prevention is simple. We need to create clear etiquette for the use of these devices, and hold others accountable for their actions while using wearable technology.

By understanding how the tech should be used, we prevent the abuse of it, as seen in this amazing short-film:

What do you think of wearable technology like Google Glass, any great possible uses for the tech that I didn’t mention? Will it change the world for the better, or for the worst?

A launch of a HTC One stock Android edition in the U.S. is “imminent”, according to sources quoted by the same writer that mentioned the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition before its release.

Normally, this could be treated like yet another HTC One stock Android rumor, but this time the information comes from Geek.com’s Russell Holly, a man known for not being a fan of baseless rumors, and, most importantly, the man that broke the news about the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition being launched at Google I/O.

Quoting “multiple sources,” Holly says that the “senseless” edition of the HTC One will be a reality very soon – it should be announced sometime during the next two weeks. The possible release date of the device, which would be running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, is said to be at some point during the summer.

The HTC One stock edition would be available in the U.S. at the beginning, which makes Holly think that it’s possible for Google to sell it itself, through the Google Play Store.

The reason for HTC’s decision to make the device available would be that, while the HTC One is clearly a very good handset, with encouraging sales (despite delays that even caused the company to apologize to users by sending them Play Store gift cards), HTC was impressed by the way the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition has been welcomed with.

While this is all as unofficial as can be, since the announcement is said to arrive “within the next two weeks,” we won’t have to wait too long in order to get a confirmation (or not). On the other hand, this report seems to shed a totally new light on HTC employee Leigh Momii’s tweet, posted after the Samsung Galaxy S4 running vanilla Android was announced.

So you can pay $649 for a piece of plastic running stock or… You can wait :) #IO13 

— Leigh (@jetleigh) May 15, 2013

While HTC has denied preparing an HTC One running stock Android, it might have changed its mind since. Or it could have just decided to wait a while longer before making the announcement.

Would you want to buy an HTC One running stock Android or would you prefer the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition?

At CTIA 2013, TechRadar had a chance to sit down with HTC’s Senior Global Online Communications Manager Jeff Gordon to discuss some of the hot topics surrounding the company’s flagship One.

The lack of a microSD card slot in the U.S. and UK was a contentious issue for many when deciding whether to purchase the HTC One, especially considering that both the China and Japan versions shipped with the option for extra storage. It was always likely that this topic would be brought up during the interview, and now we finally have an answer as to why microSD support was left out. It seems that the issue boils down to space:

Because the Chinese version of the One is designed specifically for the smaller Chinese radio bands, we do have additional space inside the device we were able to use for the microSD slot. That space isn't available to us in the global version.

So there we have it, there simply isn’t enough room inside the U.S. and UK versions of the HTC One to fit a microSD slot.

Also, many of us are still curious why the HTC One is missing from Verizon’s network, but when questioned about it Gordon didn’t really have very much to say.

It's always a great thing to have our phones on as many operators as possible, but we've got nothing to announce in terms of Verizon.

That’s a frustratingly vague response no doubt. It’s possible that Verizon wanted its own version of the HTC One, or made some other demands which simply made the deal an unattractive prospect for HTC. Verizon has sold various HTC products in the past, so there must have been something significant to prevent a deal for HTC’s new flagship device.

Unfortunately, Gordon wasn’t forthcoming with any resolutions for these issues, but at least now we have an explanation for some of HTC’s recent decisions.

At Google I/O, there was an underlying theme to the keynote. Googlers on stage proposed that moving technology out of the way would lead to a richer life, allowing us to worry less about what was going on digitally, and focus on what was tangible.

Google Now is a large part of that shift, and was recently validated by winning the 2013 UX Awards grand prize of Best Everyday Utility. The awards, described on their landing page as “A celebration of great digital UX created by outstanding professionals”, is high praise for the Google Now team. Now adds a user experience to Search that has revitalized it, making it highly usable on mobile platforms and forging ahead with contextual data search results.

If you haven’t bought a Galaxy S4 yet, it will be available in Aurora Red exclusively through AT&T on June 14.

That’s still a few weeks away, but if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on an Aurora Red Galaxy S4, pre-orders open tomorrow. Much like the other color variations, the Aurora Red model will cost $199.99 on a new two-year contract with the carrier.

It’s not much of a surprise that the Galaxy S4 will come in Aurora Red, as the Galaxy S3 came in a similar color exclusively through AT&T — Garnet Red.

Do you like the new color option? Are you planning on picking one up? Let us know in the comments!

Apple has filed a litany of patent infringement charges this month against Samsung, and the Galaxy S4. Those claims, which reference unified search, have to do with the Galaxy S4 and its inclusion of Google Now. Apple is litigating against Samsung for using the technology, not Google for designing it, which Apple coyly asserts infringes on their Siri platform.

Apple has included such claims before, and these same arguments are being made in ongoing litigation with Samsung. They’re making the claim that those current arguments against Galaxy devices also apply to the Galaxy S4, and further imply it should be cobbled into the litigation.

Apple continues to confound us. In one instance, they’ve included Google apps and services on their devices, even Google Now (though it’s buried in the Google Search App). Then we have Apple suing Samsung for utilizing the very same technology. The issue seems to be the utility of Google Now, not the use. These issues relate to unified search and the quick search functions, not so much the actual technology.

This same type of claim was made against the Galaxy Nexus (you may remember the temporary sales ban), and overturned. Apple hasn’t yet figured out a gameplan to overcome that hurdle, so it’s reasonable to think the same applies here. We’re not quite sure what Apple’s goal is, either. Samsung has deep pockets, and no intent to submit.

Some rather significant financial news came out of South Korea yesterday: Samsung Electronics has decided to buy a 10 percent stake in smartphone rival Pantech, which cost the tech giant 53 billion South Korean Won (KRW).

Pantech is currently South Korea’s third largest handset manufacturer, but the company has been facing financial troubles recently and has been struggling with debt issues for many years, which is probably the reason for this extra capitalization from Samsung.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with owning shares in your competitors, but why has Samsung suddenly decided to assist a struggling company when surely it would benefit from the demise of one of its domestic rivals?

Preventing accusations of monopoly

Well that might actually be one of the biggest arguments for saving Pantech, so as to avoid the appearance of market monopolisation. Samsung Electronics currently makes up about 60% of the domestic market in South Korea, whilst by comparison Pantech holds just over a 10% share of the market. If Pantech was to disappear, or be completely bought out by Samsung, then it could give rise to a wave of concerns about Samsung’s market dominance, which could turn into a legal matter that Samsung would obviously like to avoid.

On the other hand, Samsung wouldn’t like to lose a controllable rival to another large company or a foreign investor, so it makes sense for Samsung to prop-up the company rather than risk having an outside buyer come in and stir up the market. In particular, Samsung could be fearful that a low-cost Chinese company could come in and start undercutting its prices, especially if the company was to begin offering mid-range smartphones in the Korean market, which is typically dominated by more premium products.

Protecting business interests

Perhaps even more importantly than that, Samsung would no doubt like to avoid a foreign company from owning shares in Pantech as Samsung currently sells a lot of technology and hardware parts to its rival. If another company was to buy a stake in Pantech then it would be privy to the technology bought from Samsung, which could be a threat to the smartphone giant’s dominance.

Speaking of deals between the two companies, it’s also likely that Samsung would like to continue selling parts to its rival company as well. If Pantech was to go out of business, Samsung SID and Electro-Mechanics divisions would lose out on over 200 billion KRW worth of parts that they sell to Pantech on an annual basis. In other words, a 53 billion KRW investment is a price worth paying to maintain a 200 billion KRW business.

It’s always possible that Samsung might simply want to own a stake in a company that it thinks will produce a decent return on its investment. But in business, things tend to be a little more complicated than face value would suggest.

The Kindle Fire HD 7 and 8.9 are now available in over 170 countries, while the Amazon Appstore is now open in nearly 200, the company has announced in two press releases today.

If the Kindle Fire HD wasn’t available until now in your country, you’ll be happy to hear that Amazon has announced that both the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD and the 8.9-inch model are now available to pre-order in over 170 countries, and there’s a serious chance that yours is among them.

A list of the countries is not provided, but the press release does mention the date when you’ll be able to get your hands on the tablet, should you pre-order today: June 13. The models are the same ones that sell in the U.S., some European countries and the UK.

The press release also mentions that if you live in Ireland or Gibraltar, you’ll be able to get a Kindle Fire HD from the UK Amazon site, from the German one if you’re from Austria or Luxembourg, and from Amazon France if you live in Monaco.

And since the devices don’t have access to the Google Play Store, like the Nook tablets do, you’ll be getting your apps from the Amazon App Store. The store, which uses Amazon Coins (announced earlier this year), has expanded its availability to nearly 200 countries all over the world. Amazon has notified its developers about this about a month ago, and now the expansion is here.

This move turns the Amazon Appstore into a competitor for the Google Play Store (which has, as you would expect, beaten it in terms of downloads in a recent Distimo study), as it will have a much larger possible user base. Well, competition can only be a good thing for us users.

If you’ve used both stores, which one do you prefer? Why is that?

With a dramatic price cut from $99 to just one cent on contract, and a rumored discontinuation in the US already, it’s becoming quite clear that HTC’s Facebook Home powered First is proving to be a bit of a disappointment. Continuing the handsets woes, UK pre-orders for the First are set to be cancelled and the handset won’t be put on sale anytime in the foreseeable future.

The decision appears to have come directly from Facebook rather than HTC or the handset’s European carrier partners EE and Orange.

After originally supposed to be offered as an exclusive to HTC, it seems like Facebook is really turning the screws on its partners by releasing Facebook Home early and now pulling the plug on further handset releases.

EE, one the UK’s leading carriers, has confirmed that the First won’t be heading to the UK, at least not in the near term, citing poor customer feedback as the prime reason behind the decision.

Following customer feedback, Facebook has decided to focus on adding new customization features to Facebook Home over the coming months. While they are working to make a better Facebook Home experience, they have recommended holding off launching the HTC First in the UK

I can’t say that this comes as a total surprise — reviews for Facebook Home can be considered mixed at best, and with an ex-HTC employee recently calling the First a “disaster”, it might be wise for HTC to cut its losses on this one and move on to something else.

On the plus side, it looks like we’ll see a revamped, or at least a more customizable, Facebook Home heading our way in the future. But I suspect that it will take a pretty significant overhaul to convince consumers to adopt Facebook Home on mass, let along purchase a smartphone based around the software.

What do you think about the decision to pull the HTC First? Would you have bought one?

The Galaxy S4 Google Edition has been apparently spotted receiving Bluetooth 4.0 certification at the Bluetooth SIG under model number GT-I9505G.

The Nexus experience Galaxy S4 was announced at Google I/O last week, although Google did not reveal too many details about it (not even the commercial name of the product is known yet), leaving much room for educated guesses.

It’s actually the SIG that tells us the model number for the device, GT-I9505G, which is clearly very similar to the GT-I9505 model number for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 version of the handset. Naturally, we will note that the SIG doesn’t actually specify that the GT-I9505G is the Nexus experience Galaxy S4, but that “G” most likely stands for Google Edition.

That said, it seems that the Galaxy S4 Google Edition is a variation of the GT-I9505 – in fact it’s logical to assume that the only differences between the two models are in the software section. An earlier report did suggest that the Nexus experience Galaxy S4 is a T-Mobile Galaxy S4 version running modified software.

On stage, Google only revealed that the Google Edition version would offer 16GB of storage and LTE support for AT&T and T-Mobile. The company also said the handset would ship with an unlocked bootloader – and considering that you can only purchase it for full price it would also be carrier-unlocked.

Furthermore, the SIG also tells us that the GT-I9505G will have Bluetooth 4.0 support, which isn’t an extraordinary feature considering that “regular” Galaxy S4 versions have received similar certification.

But it’s worth remembering that Google quietly confirmed at Google I/O that its next Android OS version will support Bluetooth Smart (also known as Bluetooth low energy or BLE, and part of the Bluetooth 4.0 specification) which is good news for all Android users that have a Bluetooth 4.0-ready device. Therefore, we’d expect the Galaxy S4 Google Edition to have BLE support at some point in the future.

The Galaxy S4 Google Edition will be available solely from the Google Play Store and will cost $649 starting with June 26 when it launches. Sadly, the handset will be available only in the U.S., at least at first, according to what Google told a publication during the conference.

A render based on a recent patent application shows us what a future Samsung tablet with a flexible screen might look like.

Samsung has been teasing us with its Youm line of flexible displays for a while now, most recently on the stage of CES, where we were shown a phone with a flexible screen that wraps on its side, acting like a smart bezel. But that display was encased under a rigid layer of glass, which took away much of the excitement.

How about a real bendable device, that you can fold, roll, or bend? While we’re, sadly, no closer to something palpable in this direction, we do have something to whet your appetite for bendy gadgets.

Click to enlarge

This render based on a recent patent application from Samsung was sent to Mobileleaks, along with a set of specs that we are almost sure are made up. Still, the render is interesting, and given the correspondence with the diagram we saw in the patent, it might be realistic as well.

For the record, Samsung has been experimenting with foldable displays for a while. Check out this demo from 2009, courtesy of The Register.

The main problem with this tech was the fact that the area where the screen folds tended to lose brightness after repeated bending. For Samsung to make bendable gadgets a reality, it has to solve that issue.

In related news, LG is apparently trying to steal Samsung’s thunder in the flexible display department. The second largest Korean phone maker just unveiled a new flexible display at SID, and claimed that a smartphone incorporating it would hit the market later this year.

X Phone concept

A new Motorola device has been spotted at the FCC with model number XT1056, suggesting we could be looking at yet another Google X Phone variation.

While Google has not confirmed the X Phone yet, speculation based on available evidence seemed to indicate that the XT1058 (a model also seen at the FCC recently) is AT&T’s X Phone version.

Soon after that, we saw an XT1060 mentioned in a leaked Motorola file, believed at the time to be Verizon’s X Phone version.

The XT1056 has a model number that suggest it may be part of the same family of handsets, and according to the available FCC documentation, the device packs support for Sprint’s LTE bands.

Interestingly, an XT1055 has also been spotted in alleged benchmark, and was believed to be an X Phone version.

The FCC filing for the XT1056 doesn’t reveal other details about the handset, but we’ll note that the provided drawing (above) isn’t similar to the one saw in FCC documentation for the XT1058 (below). In fact, the image for the later seemed to indicate that the AT&T-bound handset could be similar to that Motorola handset spotted in Vietnam in mid-March.

To recap, so far we have two confirmed model numbers for upcoming Motorola devices, the XT1058 and the XT1056, while other two versions have appeared in various reports including the XT1055 and the XT1060 (in case they’re real, they should hit the FCC in the future as well). But we’ll have to wait some more to see whether these devices will actually be X Phones for their respective carriers, or not, so keep holding to that grain of salt for now.

HTC Desire 600, a dual-SIM device featuring a quad-core CPU, has been made official by the company.

The device was spotted in benchmarks not too long ago, and now it’s finally a fact. If you were looking for a dual-SIM device with a good set of specifications, the HTC Desire 600 might be right up your alley.

The smartphone features a Snapdragon 200 1.2 GHz CPU, 1 GB of RAM memory, as well as a 4.5-inch Super LCD2 display at qHD resolution (960 x 540 pixels). The internal memory is 8 GB, while the battery is a 1860mAh unit.

As far as the camera goes, the device has an 8 megapixel shooter on its back, and there’s also a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front, which should be quite useful for video calls.

The best part of the device is that it borrows some of the HTC One‘s features, making it even more tempting. You get the BoomSound speakers and Beats Audio integration, for great music and videos, as well as BlinkFeed, the Flipboard-like app that brings you news from over 1400 sources straight to your homescreen.

The HTC Desire 600, which seems very similar to the 606w that recently went through the approval process in China, runs Android Jelly Bean, according to the press release (version 4.1.2, tells us the benchmark result from the other day). The device is set to be available at the start of next month in Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, through operators and retailers. No word on price or availability in the rest of the world yet.

Would you be tempted to buy the HTC Desire 600? Let us know in the comments.

A report from a supplier of tablet components adds further credibility to rumors about a new Nexus 7 coming this summer.

By now, the fact that a new version of the Nexus 7 is coming is almost confirmed. Many expected to see it at Google I/O, and were disappointed when Google called it a day without showing off any new hardware. But that doesn’t mean that a refresh of the popular Nexus 7 isn’t on its way.

Most rumors suggest that the refreshed Nexus 7 would come in July, and today we have another report supporting this timeline.

Elan Microelectronics, a Taiwanese supplier of integrated circuitry for touchscreen devices, is reported to have already begun shipping touchscreen controllers for the next generation of the Nexus 7. The caveat is that the source of this information are the notoriously hit-and-miss “industry sources” of Digitimes.

Thanks to the order for Nexus 7 controllers, Elan is said to boast increased revenues in May and June. This tells us that the device itself is being manufactured in June, which goes nicely with the earlier reports about the release of the Nexus 7 in July.

The device is said to be launching along a new version of Android, 4.3. In addition, a research note from an analyst revealed some of the supposed specifications of the tablet, which include a Snapdragon 600 processor and a 1920 by 1200 display, while the price will remain the same as the first generation.

Bottom line, if you plan to buy a Nexus 7 this summer, you might want to wait until July.