Preview: Android L for Samsung Galaxy S5

Android L's release is nearly here soon, perhaps even this month (as well as November). We have known for months what Google wants its next mobile OS version to appear like, considering that the company's already presented its new Material Design. But what in regards to the different phone makers? They've thus far gotten applied to modifying the looks of stock Android quite a whole lot, so it is interesting to discover how they will approach this version.

And in fact now we could get a look into what Samsung's interpretation of Android L will appear like, as someone got their hands on the pre-release build from the new OS for that Galaxy S5. This build is said to become very slow and buggy, so there is clearly lots of work that Samsung still should do (and it really is the rationale why it hasn't been made available for download).

Should you be hoping that Samsung would throw in the towel on its TouchWiz UI overlay entirely, well, you had been wrong. Samsung's Android L does not appear like Google's Android L - not entirely. There are plenty similarities, though, then it's nice to discover Samsung finally change some design bits that were left pretty much unaltered for a long time. Take for instance the Settings menu. This really is now white, and never blue. Then again, the quick settings inside the notification shade look very much like those in Samsung's KitKat release for that Galaxy S5.

The good thing is always that Samsung's built-in apps (for example Dialer, Memo, Clock, etc) have already been redesigned in keeping with Material Design guidelines (though they are not finished yet, as they simply haven't animations at this stage). The new lock screen from Google's Android L makes an appearance in Samsung's vision, but sadly the quantity of notifications it may show is simply two (when compared with four inside the stock OS). To obtain a better idea about what you are able expect from Samsung's Android L update for Galaxy S5, watch the video below.

Facebook's purchase of WhatsApp gets European Commission approval

For possibly the most part, all of us have been acting that Facebook already owns WhatsApp. We have even been caught with that slip up. But, the purchase hasn't actually been finalized yet, so Facebook doesn't yet own WhatsApp. (A similar goes for Lenovo buying Motorola from Google, which a number of you inside the comment section seem to become confused about.) But, Facebook has crossed another hurdle today.

The European Commission regulators gave its stamp of approval to Facebook's purchase plans. The deal wasn't expected to operate into any issues, and this did not. The EC was convinced the mobile messaging space is in no danger of running into monopoly situations. The approval cited the existence of Line, Viber, iMessage, Telegram, WeChat, and Google Hangouts as competitors, which users are inclined to use a lot more than one app to contact others. The approval even notes that " launching a brand new app is fairly easy and doesn't need significant a serious amounts of investment. "

There remain one or two more regulatory bodies that really need to approve the deal before It's finalized. Although, there are not expected to become any major hold-ups when in a process, but a $19 billion deal is bound to bring a little time for them to pass with the various approval processes.

5.5-inch Asus ZenFone expected to become unveiled in January

Asus ZenFone 5.5 inch series of Android-based smartphones currently includes devices of three sizes : 4 inches, 5 inches, and 6 inches. There’s something for everybody, you'll say. However, there will be certainly users who’d discover a 5-inch handset somewhat too small, along with a 6-inch one much too large. To the confident people, Asus is reportedly working over a fourth ZenFone model.

Once we said not long ago, Asus intends to announce its next-generation ZenFones at CES 2015 in January. Per DigiTimes, a 5. 5-inch variant will certainly be added towards the new product line. Interestingly, the website reports that Asus plans to aggressively promote the new ZenFones inside the US. While only many of the upcoming handsets will feature LTE connectivity, all should offer enhancements relevant to design, user interface, memory, camera, and battery life.

Considering that the first-generation ZenFones can be cheap (the ZenFone 4 costs as low as $100, as you move the ZenFone 6 might be bought for around $300), we expect the new ones to become affordable, too.

Earlier right now, Asus predicted that it might sell 5 million ZenFones towards the end of 2014. Now, DigiTimes says that some analysts believe the corporate could ship 7. 5 - 8 million units through the entire year. As for next year, it is really said which the new and improved ZenFone line might help Asus sell a total of 16 million smartphones worldwide.

Apple to carry iPad event on October 16th

Apple will certainly be holding its iPad event on October 16th. This'll take place on Apple's campus at Town Hall and can use a lot less glitter compared to the event that Apple held on September 9th that introduced the new iPhones, and Apple Watch. In the upcoming event, Apple is predicted to unveil the Apple iPad Air 2 and also the sequel towards the iPad mini with Retina display.

The new tablets will feature Touch ID for the very first time, a gold color option, and stay powered through the Apple A8 chip. Both slates could have a bump to 2GB of RAM. The rumored 12. 9 inch Apple iPad Pro could possibly be unveiled in the event, although that might be a longshot since large-screened slate is not due being released until 2015.

The new iPad models may also support Apple Pay. But for the reason that tablets generally are not expected to incorporate NFC connectivity, iPad users will certainly be limited to making use of the feature for online transactions and app purchases. Quite simply, you'll not manage to swipe an iPad using a POS machine to produce a payment on a brick and mortar store.

Google to bring another shot with a chat app

Bing is taking care of and can be wishing to launch its own chat app some amount of in time 2015. Yes, we know about the obvious question is – " Does not Google Hangouts cover this already? ". Well, it will and this does not – sure, users can employ Hangouts to link and chat, however it hasn't been highly regarded. Perhaps one of the main reasons is it started off as yet another section of the Google+ network, which seeks to link everything with the Gmail profile.

And as Google+ is not exactly popular, lots of users got put off from the concept of having to undergo the procedure of organising a profile, to acheive to Hangouts (even if it is simple – it is the perceived hassle that is sufficient to discourage most users). This coupling has now been removed and all one needs for any Hangouts profile is the Gmail account (which anyone using an Android phone has), but alas - it seems it truly is too far gone for many users to become interested enough to do it, while others are having privacy concerns over having email addresses synced to some chat app.

Now, competitor apps, including WhatsApp, are much more easier to line up, accessible, and obviously pack enough features, simply because they have already been a competitor to Facebook's Messenger for some time now. According to some survey, taken just before Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp, the latter's messaging service was more widely used than the most famous social network's own offering.

So, based on the report, Google will certainly be looking to know coming from the competition and can not require Gmail account sync which consists of new chat app. Instead – It'll employ phone number verification – same as WhatsApp, Viber, and the like. The app will certainly be tested in India first – the united states where Bing is wishing to gain momentum which consists of Android One program, and reach “the next 5 billion users”. Why a brand new app, rather than reworking Hangouts? Maybe Bing is wishing to launch a service exclusive to India. Or maybe it wants a chat app, clean of Hangouts' past - let us be fair, it did not have the very best of receptions.

There can be no denying that Google is probably the biggest players in relation to mail, search, ads, and naturally – mobile OS, except for some reason – the corporate just can't often put its finger on social. Did you think a Google chat app that does not demand a Gmail sync has a higher chance of success? Or will the problem lie deeper?

HTC One (M8) Eye gets certified in China

One other day, we passed along a rumor about a brand new variation from the HTC One (M8) known as HTC One (M8) Eye. This unit would swap out the controversial 4MP UltraPixel rear-facing Duo camera on the rear of HTC's flagship model, having a 13MP Duo camera. Users would still have the ability to employ each of the depth altering features available with all the Duo camera, and remain in a position to replace the focal point of an image in a similar manner like a Lytro camera.

The wider UltraPixels were supposed to supply higher quality photos by allowing more light being absorbed through the camera when taking an image. This became supposed to permit for better shots taken under low-light conditions. Instead, it would appear that many consumers wound up playing the numbers game and couldn't get past the 4MP listed upon the spec sheet.

The HTC One (M8) Eye has just been certified by TENAA, and that is China's version from the FCC. Despite rumors a few 5. 2 inch screen, it's such as this new variant will keep your 5 inch 1080 x 1920 resolution screen found upon the HTC One (M8). In addition keeps the 5MP front-facing camera for top quality selfies. Actually, a lot of the other specs match up with all the One (M8).

The HTC One (M8) Eye is predicted being available in China (gold, gray and silver) and India (silver, gold and black). The Chinese model has support for GSM, TD-SCDMA, and TD-LTE. The model for India features GSM, TD-LTE, and WCDMA connectivity. There's another slight variation in both models. The HTC M8Et for China features a 128GB capacity microSD slot. The HTC M8Ew for India includes a 64GB microSD slot.

Yesterday, we showed you a leaked press render from the HTC One (M8) Eye which not surprisingly, looks identical to the HTC One (M8). Below, Now we have the most common low resolution pictures provided by TENAA, this here we are at the HTC One (M8) Eye. To view them, click the slideshow below.