Android TV launcher now available on Google Play

The Android TV Launcher is now available for download on Google Play. Google has decided to make it a standalone app from Android TV, similarly to the Google Experience Launcher.

The launcher gives you access to your media like movies, songs and Android TV apps like Netflix, TED and YouTube. To install it, you’ll need an Android TV device, like the Nexus Player and ADT-1.

This is great news, since Google will be able to push updates faster to the launcher without having to update the whole Android TV platform. You can check out the source link below to see its progress.

Android 5.1 Lollipop update allegedly coming in February 2015

Google freshly launched Android 5.0.1 update to fix minor bugs in its Nexus devices and now there are rumors floating around of the upcoming 5.1 release. According to information that's yet to be backed by solid evidence, the company is preparing the next version of Lollipop to roll out in February 2015.

Android 5.1 update will come not only with major fixes for various bugs and little malfunctions in the core of the OS, but will also enhance the Material Design color palette and improve RAM management.

Here's the complete list of the alleged changes, which are confirmed by a source, who talked toAndroidPit.

• Silent mode added after missing on Android 5.0
• General improvements in system stability
• Improved RAM management
• Fixes for sudden app closures
• Improved battery management
• Excessive consumption of network devices when used Wi-Fi fixed
• Issues with wireless connections fixed
• Problems with Okay Google function solved
• Notifications problems solved
• Some sound problems experience by certain devices fixed
• Other improvements and changes
• Changes in the Material Design color palette (after users complaints, possibly for a higher version though)

Take this information with a pinch o salt, but it seems that Google is still hard at work at polishing Lollipop even more. We'll keep an eye out for any additional clues on Android 5.1 Lollipop feature list.

Samsung Galaxy S6 imported into India for testing

With CES 2015 right around the corner, hype is naturally building around this year's flagship announcements. Samsung is unsurprisingly in the spotlight again as the Korean tech giant is said to unveil the next addition to the extremely successful Galaxy line - the Galaxy S6. Today the handset, also known as "Project Zero" was spotted on Zumba - an India import tracking website.

Apparently if the entry is to be believed a SM-G920F unit, which is the model number for the upcoming device, has found its way to India for research, development and evaluation purposes. This of course is very encouraging and can serve as a sort of indication that the smartphone will probably be unveiled at the annual electronics show.

The listing itself is pretty much what you would expect from a parcel tracking system. It does not really hold any useful information except the fact that the S6 is already on its way to India and that it is a single test unit. Zumba does also list a price, which is only natural for international packages, but it is not in any way related to the retail price of the new smartphone. The entry cites INR 18,938 or in other words around $300 and any educated guess puts the market price of the handset at twice that if not more.

As far as specs go the Samsung Galaxy S6 is expected to have a 5.5 inch 1440 x 2560 pixel display, 3GB of RAM and 32GB on-board storage. Samsung is most certainly going to stick with its current tactic of offering both a Qualcomm, variant, presumably the Snapdragon 810 as well as their own Exynos, probably the Exynos 7420. There are rumors floating around of a possible curved display variant of the device as well, but that is still pretty much unconfirmed.

One thing is certain - the field is set for a pretty interesting experience at CES 2015 so be sure to tune in between January 6 and January 9 to partake in the fun.

LG G3 in India is now getting Android 5.0 Lollipop update

The LG G3 is the company's flagship and naturally it is the first to get the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop treatment. The new firmware update kicked off in Korea earlier this month, followed by a plethora ofcountries throughout Europe - Austria, the Baltics, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain and the UK.

Naturally the updates were made available to the unlocked devices first, but those purchased through a carrier should be getting the Lollipop soon as well.

Today, another market joins the Android 5.0 Lollipop bandwagon - it's India. The unlocked LG G3 in India has just received the official Lollipop treatment. The new firmware is available for download only through the LG Mobile Support Tool and weighs about 1100MB, but the over-the-air option should pop up within a week.

The Android 5.0 Lollipop will bring a host of improvements to the LG G3. They include new UI design language, new security features, as well as a brand new Android ART runtime.

13-inch Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra allegedly in the works

Sony is expected to launch the Z4 generation of its flagship devices soon and we've already seen initial rumors for the lot – the Xperia Z4, a compact version, a phablet version and a Z4 Tablet. A new rumor alleges that there will be one more device, a 13" tablet.

Dubbed the Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra (not to be confused with the Z4 Ultra phablet), the rumored specs sound more like a wishlist than those of an actual 2015 device. We start off with the unusual screen, Triluminos IPS with X-Reality, of course, which will supposedly have 3,840 x 2,400 resolution – that's 16:10 4K UHD.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 with a max CPU clockspeed of 2.86GHz will provide the oomph, coupled with an unlikely 6GB of RAM (2x 3GB LPDDR4). There will be 64GB of storage and PS4 Remote Play support, which sound more believable.

The camera is also trumped up – an 1/2.3" Exmor RS sensor with an f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lens and just 8MP resolution. That’s probably the Superior Auto resolution as the rest sounds like an improvement over the Xperia Z3 camera with a better lens (Zeiss f/1.8 instead of Sony G Lens f/2.0).

The Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra will be a slinky 8.6mm thick and pack a massive 12,100mAh if the rumored specs are to be believed. The image by itself is quite suspicious, holding a massive 13" tablet with such thin bezels will not be comfortable. Also, why is it portrait-oriented (going by the logo and front-facing camera).

All in all it sounds too good to be true. We'll gladly admit if we are wrong and Sony does pull this out monster at CES or MWC 2015, but for now we're skeptical to say the least.

ZTE unveils fully voice-powered Star 2 smartphone

ZTE has announced a new smartphone today. It's called the Star 2, and interestingly this is not the device we've seen getting certified for sale in China by TENAA only a few days ago. Design-wise, it's very close to its predecessor, the Star 1, which was unveiled back in April.

But the Star 2's main claim to fame is its extensive voice control support. This isn't just an app - you can do a lot of stuff just by voice. Opening, exiting, and switching between apps, snapping pictures, playing music, and much more. For example, if you lift the phone to your ear, it will ask you who you want to call. The voice control system is active even when the phone isn't connected to the Internet, and ZTE boasts that it has a response time of 1.2 seconds and a 90% success rate even in noisy environments.

 
ZTE Star 2

When it comes to hardware, we're looking at a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera with dual-LED flash, as well as a 5 MP wide-angle front camera. Running the show is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with a 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of built-in storage that's expandable via microSD cards.

The ZTE Star 2 supports 4G LTE networks, and it has a 2,300 mAh battery. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat with the Chinese company's own MiFavor 3.0 UI on top. It's just 6.9mm thin, and it has a glass back and an aluminum frame. The handset is priced at CNY 2,499, which is about $402 or €327.

Sony unveils Single-Lens Display Module, its own smart glasses

While the Google Glass project seems to have run its course Sony is picking up the slack with its Single-Lens Display Module. Unlike Glass, Sony’s device can be attached to conventional corrective glasses, sunglasses and even goggles.

Not much is known about the device itself though the company will make it available next year and will release the SDK to select partners.

The main element is a color OLED microdisplay that projects a 640 x 400 image into your field of vision – the equivalent of a 16″ monitor 2 meters away. It promises 100% sRGB coverage and 800nits of maximum brightness. The module also contains a Cortex-A7 processor along with Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 plus a selection of sensor (compass, accelerometer, touch sensor) and a 400mAh battery. The device weighs 40g in total and is based on the SmartEyeglass announced earlier this year.

Samsung Galaxy E7 has specs confirmed by a benchmark

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy E7 (SM-E700) has been leaking a lot lately. Just last week we saw a full list of specs for it getting leaked, and now they have pretty much been confirmed by a benchmark listing.

That's because someone in the possession of a prototype Galaxy E7 has decided to put it through the paces of GFXBench. As always, this has resulted in an info page about the device, listing some of its most important hardware innards.

Thus, the Galaxy E7 will come with a 5.5-inch 720p touchscreen, a 12 MP rear camera, a 5 MP front snapper, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC with a 1.2 GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU and Adreno 306 GPU, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of built-in storage space (of which around 12GB will be user-accessible).

The phone runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat at the moment, though we have heard that it would launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop on board. It's going to have just one SIM slot apparently, as well as support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC.

The rear snapper could turn out to be a 13 MP unit like a past rumor claimed, based on the fact that for some reason GFXBench likes to underrepresent camera resolutions in its listings.

OnePlus One freely available to celebrate company's birthday

Today is a big day for the Chinese manufacturer OnePlus as it is marking its one year anniversary. In that short period of time the OnePlus team has brought us an amazing flagship smartphone - theOnePlus One and has been hard at work improving it ever since. To celebrate the occasion the company is offering a few interesting promotions that are definitely worth checking out.

The market stirring One handset is now available to purchase without and invitation in both Sandstone Black and Silk White. Granted the device has been available on various online stores, including eBay's daily deals listing for quite some time now, but now you can purchase it straight from the folks over at OnePlus. The promotion will most probably last until the end of the day, so you better hurry if you wish to grab one.

Today also comes with the announcement of OnePlus's own power bank. The unit will have a capacity of 10,000 mAh and should be available early 2015. The OnePlus Power Bank will come in the same two color options as the smartphone and with a price tag of $14.99.

The company is also hosting a promotional event on both Vine and YouTube. A commemorative video covering the company's progress during the last 365 days can be found on YouTube and you can also win a OnePlus One is you wish the guys over at Hong Kong a happy birthday on their Vine page.

Another contest is also under way. The OnePlus team has been working hard on their own custom ROM. We should be hearing more about it next year. But for now it is in need of a proper name. So if you go on to their forum and contribute an awesome name you have the chance to win a once in a life time experience, organized by the manufacturer - a trip to Hong Kong as well as a complimentary smartphone and a power bank. What and offer!

Asus ZenWatch lands in the UK on December 23

Asus’ first Android Wear-based smartwatch is going to finally make it to the UK later this month, after itbecame available in the US in November. The ZenWatch will be yours to grab starting on December 23, so it could make for a very last minute present for someone (or yourself).

If you want to buy one, you’ll initially only be able to do so from Currys and PC World, since apparently these two retailers have nabbed an exclusive on the watch. The price you’ll need to pay for it will be £200.

That’s pretty expensive and quite the markup compared to the $199.99 US price, and if the trend continues then expect to spend more than €200 on the ZenWatch in continental Europe when it lands there.

The Asus ZenWatch features a 1.63-inch square AMOLED touchscreen with 320×320 resolution, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC with a 1.2 GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, a 9-axis sensor, and a bio-sensor.

Honor T1 by Huawei is an 8” budget-friendly 3G tablet

Huawei launched the latest member of the Honor family of devices, the 3G-capable T1 tablet. The budget-friendly Android 4.3 slate will hit the shelves in Europe later this month for €130.

Despite its affordable price tag, Honor T1 surely doesn’t look cheap. Its aluminum unibody looks and feels decidedly premium, especially considering the segment it inhabits.

Hardware specs of the tablet include Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC with 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, 8” 720p display, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of expandable memory. The device features a 5MP main camera and 0.3MP front-facing unit for video calls.

Physical measures of Honor T1 are 210.6 x 127.7 x 7.9mm, while its weight tips the scale at 130 grams. A beefy 4,800mAh battery powers the device.

Gartner: Xiaomi, Apple on the rise, Samsung falters

Gartner has crunched the numbers for Q3 and found that feature phones continue to decline sharply (down 25%), while smartphones are on the rise (up 20%). The mix is currently 66% smartphone, 34% feature phone and this decline is mostly hurting Samsung and Nokia.

In developing regions like Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa smartphones grew by as much as 50%. The US grew the fastest among developed markets, while Western Europe saw a small decline.

Smartphones from China are the big threat – cheap and with plenty of specs and availability has been expanding outside China. Apple's new iPhone duo also proved to be hot sellers and Gartner expects they'll be breaking records in the holiday season.

Company	3Q14 Units	3Q14 Market Share (%)	3Q13 Units	3Q13 Market Share (%)
Samsung	73,212.4	24.4	80,356.8	32.1
Apple	38,186.6	12.7	30,330.0	12.1
Huawei	15,934.9	5.3	11,665.7	4.7
Xiaomi	15,772.5	5.2	3,617.5	1.5
Lenovo	15,011.9	5.0	12,882.0	5.2
Others	142,891.6	47.5	111,445.0	44.5
Total	301,009.9	100.0	250,297.0	100.0

Samsung took a hit in both the smartphone and feature phone division and declined nearly 8 points over the last year. In China, Samsung's biggest market, sales went down 28.6%, but demand in Western Europe and Asia declined as well.

Apple meanwhile marks a small uptick, sales were up 26%, though due to market growth the market share went up only marginally.

Then, by a hair, is Huawei. The established Chinese company climbed up to third place, but Xiaomi and Lenovo are breathing down its neck. Xiaomi is a newcomer to the Top 5 list, this time last year it barely had 1.5% of the market and now it's up to 5%. It's already the market leader in China.

As for OSes, Android moved up a notch and maintains its 80+ percent market domination. Chief rival iOS also managed a small improvement. More worrying is that Windows Phone experienced a drop – according to analysts Microsoft gained some momentum with the launch of the new generation mid-rangers, but it doesn’t show yet.

BlackBerry has slipped under the 1% mark, which doesn’t bode well for its continued participation in the smartphone race.

Operating System	3Q14 Units	3Q14 Market Share (%)	3Q13 Units	3Q13 Market Share (%)
Android	250,060.2	83.1	205,243	82.0
iOS	38,186.6	12.7	30,330	12.1
Windows	9,033.4	3.0	8,916	3.6
Blackberry	2,419.5	0.8	4,401	1.8
Other OS	1,310.2	0.4	1,407	0.6
Total	301,009.9	100.0	250,296.8	100.0

Finally, here's a table that shows total phone sales – Samsung and Nokia took big hits, while companies that gave up on feature phones look much more stable.

Company	3Q14 Units	3Q14 Market Share (%)	3Q13 Units	3Q13 Market Share (%)
Samsung	94,017.8	20.6	117,060.8	25.7
Nokia	43,134.2	9.5	63,058.8	13.8
Apple	38,186.6	8.4	30,330.0	6.7
LG Electronics	18,976.8	4.2	18,046.3	4.0
Huawei	16,324.3	3.6	13,574.8	3.0
TCL Communication	15,955.5	3.5	13,311.0	2.9
Xiaomi	15,772.5	3.5	3,617.5	0.8
Lenovo	15,131.5	3.3	12,999.8	2.9
ZTE	13,857.6	3.0	13,697.3	3.0
Micromax	10,172.4	2.2	6,786.5	1.5
Others	174,255.4	38.2	163,223.8	35.8
Total	455,784.7	100.0	455,706.5	100.0