In what can only be described as “knowing who’s boss”, Google has made a small change to their Play Store policy: you may not update an app’s APK binary code without delivering it through the Play Store itself. This is something nearly all of the apps on the Play Store do, but a small red flag was raised when Facebook performed a side-update, which users would have no control over denying it; so Google has changed its policy. Seems right, actually.
Via: Google Play, Eng
There isn’t much to learn from LG in their upcoming LG press event in NYC. Besides the LG Optimus G Pro that is already available overseas, the local variant won’t be much different, sans a few tweaks here and there. In fact, LG kept the same 5.5-inch form factor, 3,140mAh battery, 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor paired with 2GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage (expandable via microSDXC to 64GB), 2.1-megapixel front-facing / 13-megapixel rear cameras, NFC and WiFi a/b/g/n. A specific change that the AT&T version has is a Full HD IPS display instead of a True HD-IPS+ screen.
Otherwise, 4G LTE, HSPA+, and regular GSM (all usual bands) are part of the Optimus G Pro’s repertoire on AT&T. The formal unveiling next week will be more revealing, we’re sure of it.
Via: @evleak s(Image credit)
The Creative Assembly, the fantastic studio behind Total War: Rome II, recently published a 10+ minute narrated walkthrough of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest event. With years of additional work put into the battle engine, we witness killing, stabbing, shooting, flanking, charging, lancing, burning and warhounding — all in just one battle between the Roman Legions and the Germanian forces that wiped out the Romans in that battle, so very long ago.
Keep in mind that it’s all pre-alpha footage (it still looks great, right), so everything is subject to change before Total War: Rome II launches this October for PC.
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And here comes the new Xbox console from Redmond. The event, which will be the usual press-style event that Microsoft uses to announce new products, will be held at the Xbox campus in Washington state. Planned for May 21st, it will be streamed on Xbox Live, the web, Xbox.com, and Spike TV and will ”mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV, and entertainment.”
As Microsoft’s own Major Nelson put it, “We are thrilled to pull back the curtain and reveal what we’ve been working on,” writes Xbox Live’s Larry Hryb (“Major Nelson”). May is going to be an awesome month, no?
Via: Major Nelson
It’s pretty simple. Tickets go on sale tomorrow for developers who wish to attend the WWDC (Worldwide Developer’s Conference), where per usual, Apple’s annual event will take place June 10 through June 14, in San Francisco. And as usual, the objective will be to bring us the latest news about iOS and OS X, as well as any hardware that Apple might have planned.
Via: Technolog
Verizon is always late when it comes to Samsung flagship smartphone launches, and the Galaxy S 4 is no exception. Due for a release “sometimes” in May, the Verizon GS4 will be just as good as its cousins from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint (all of which are debuting towards the end of the month), except for the obvious inclusion of Verizon’s own 4G LTE network and branding. A 16GB Galaxy S 4 will take you down by about $199.99 on a new 2-year agreement, with a $649 option for an unsubsidized model or for people who want to keep their unlimited data plans.
Via: VZW (Twitter)
It’s nice to make Apple’s earnings easy to read, so I’ll do no different every fiscal quarter that I report on. So, getting straight to the numbers: Apple made $43.6 billion in revenue during the quarter and net profit of $9.5 billion. To accomplish this, Apple sold 19.5 million iPads and 37.4 million iPhones during the three months ending on March 30th, 2013. Mac sales continue to slowly drop, at just under 4 million units, along with the declining iPod, with only 5.6 million units sold during the quarter.
A nice, tidy profit, no doubt, but it’s obvious that iOS is now Apple’s main income generator — not Macs or iPods.
Via: Apple
(Image: A view outside one of AT&T’s former press venues.)
There are no qualms to be had with AT&T’s first quarter earnings for this year: an addition of 296,000 customers, 1.2 million new smartphone subscribers, and many new improvements to their device catalog. 6 million smartphones were sold in all, the iPhone consisting 4.8 million of the total amount. 72 percent (approximately 48.3 million) of on-contract AT&T customers are now carrying smartphones, with wireless revenues clocking in at $16.7 billion — up 3.4 percent over the same period last year.
Total revenue for AT&T was $31.4 billion, a 1.4% dip from the the same quarter last year. This is can be attributed to fluctuations with U-verse, as the company’s broadband service added an additional 731,000 internet subscribers and 232,000 television subscribers during the quarter.
Via: Businesswire, AT&T
Disappointment, much?
It takes time to make great technology, but sometimes you’re just not willing to wait. Google’s Eric Schmidt in a comment to BBC Radio 4 is the source of the information, so there’s little chance of it being inaccurate, which makes this situation even worse. What Schmidt begins to say in an interview with the BBC is: ”It’s fair to say that thousands of these will be in use by developers over the next months, and then based on their feedback we will make some product changes, and it’s probably a year-ish away.”
The waiting is killing some people (not literally). For a quick refresher, here are the official specifications of the current Google Glass Explorer Edition device: a 640 x 360 pixel display, 16GB of internal storage (12GB usable + Google cloud storage), a microUSB port, 5-megapixel images and video at 720p HD resolution.
The headset has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, but uses the slower 802.11b/g standards to achieve it. The MyGlass companion app enables GPS and SMS messaging but works only with Android 4.0.3 or higher — for now, at least.
Via: BBC
For the majority of Galaxy S 4 early adopters, a crucial question is among your ranks: “When exactly is my device arriving?”. Well, it turns out that at AT&T, the magic date is April 25th; general availability will begin on April 27th. This is very much in the same timeframe that T-Mobile and Sprint have announced their release dates for the Galaxy S 4: April 24th and 27th, respectively. Thankfully, AT&T made it clear to me in an email that pre-orders of the GS4 should arrive by the 25th, with shipping services not being delayed.
And for once, an release date for a Samsung flagship device has been arranged. Hooray, for efficiency!
Via: AT&T (Twitter), AT&T
Have you ever experienced a 3D TV like you get at the cinema? Lightweight glasses, cool effects and a great picture experience? LG 3D televisions bring it right into your home.