Owners of the new Nexus 5 got a headstart with the new Hangouts app that integrates SMS and MMS messaging into the conversation, but now the update is spreading to other Android devices.
Hangouts 2.0 rivals Apple's iMessages app so that Android users can finally import, send and receive text messages in Google's native chat app. It's available for devices running Android 4.0 and above.
Like it or not, it also adds animated GIFs to the mix, "cute kittens and all," joked Google in the app's official release notes.
Optional perks include the ability to share your location, what device you're on, whether or not you're on a call, or your current mood.
Android keyboard update
Whether Android users are typing out an SMS or sending a standard Hangouts message, they can use the updated keyboard.
The new Google keyboard, also reaching version 2.0 coincidentally, tries to out-cute Hangouts' cat GIF ability with quick access to emoji smiley faces.
So far this new button is only available to devices running Android KitKat 4.4 and above. Emoji frowny face, for sure.
Turn that smile upside down, as all Google-powered devices are included when it comes to the new keyboard's other perks: space-aware gesture typing and a simplified mini-keyboard.
Both updates should appear in the Google Play store for all Android users with compatible phones and tablets.
Who else has had this little switch break on them?
Apple will soon begin offering iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C repairs in its retail locations, according to reports today.
Currently Apple offers repairs only for the iPhone 5, but that's expected to change before the end of the year.
Apple has not issued an official edict, but 9to5Mac and AllThingsD both confirmed with sources in the last 24 hours that Apple will soon be able to replace iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S screens and issue other minor repairs in its stores.
The machinery necessary to calibrate new screens and perform other repairs has reportedly already begun arriving in Apple Stores.
It could be worse
Screen replacements for the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S will reportedly cost customers $149 (around £92, AU$157).
That may sound like a lot, but it's much less than the cost of buying a new iPhone entirely.
In addition to iPhone screen replacements, technicians in Apple Stores will reportedly also be able to replace things like the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S's volume buttons, vibrating motor, rear-camera, and speaker system.
Part replacements due to defects will be free for those with Apple Care warranties, and for those without the costs will vary depending on what needs fixing or replacing.
If the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are as easy to repair as the iPhone 5 is, then replacing screens and other fixes shouldn't take longer than an hour, and that's exactly what these sources said.
With the necessary equipment and training manuals allegedly already arriving in Apple Stores, Apple should begin offering iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S repairs soon.
It's unclear whether these options will be available in Apple Stores outside the US. We asked Apple to clarify and we'll update here if we hear back.
The Xperia Z1 will get KitKat, you know, at some point
It's that time again; when Android smartphone and tablet owners cross their fingers in hope that someday their device will be chosen to join the elite few on the newest version of the operating system.
Here's the long and short of it: In the next months, the Japanese giant will begin bestowing Jelly Bean on Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia SP, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1.
The Xperia T, V and TX will go straight from 4.1 to 4.3.
The zees have it
Sony stopped short of offering a timeframe for Android 4.4 KitKat updates, but the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1 are the first in line for the roll-out whenever that may be.
Given Sony is taking some services straight from Android 4.1 to 4.3, some users might be asking why the aforementioned devices can't go straight to Android 4.4?
Of course, Sony would counter probably answer by regaling us all with tales of the vigorous testing that must take place before each update can be rolled out.
Google, on the other hand, seems keen for as many devices as possible to end up on KitKat and has designed the new OS to play nice with lower memory devices.
Nokia Lumia 1520 fanciers get that sharpie at the ready and draw yourself a circle of hope around November 25, because that may well be the day the 6-inch handset will be landing on UK soil.
Third-party retailer Unlocked Mobiles is now taking SIM-free pre-orders for the Windows Phone 8 device, asking for £600 and is "expecting" to ship on the aforementioned date.
While nothing official has been announced by the Finnish manufacturer, Carphone Warehouse is also touting a November release, while Vodafone says it's coming soon.
The Lumia 1520 is the first Windows Phone to pack a quad-core processor and a full HD 1080p screen and will also arrive touting a 20.1-megapixel camera.
Closing the gap
The handset, which is likely to be Nokia's last before it ends up in the hands of in the hands of Microsoft, was revealed last month at Nokia World, alongside the Lumia 2520 tablet and a lower-end Lumia 1320 phablet.
It's Nokia's largest smartphone yet, with the company's sights set firmly on taking down devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and HTC One Max.
Microsoft, on the other hand will be hoping a top-spec handset in the tablet space will help its ever-growing share of the European smartphone market and draw it towards lessening the iOS and Android duopoly.
Slides from Samsung's ISOCELL presentation to analysts
Samsung has not yet unveiled the Galaxy S5 or Note 4, but it did speak officially this week about the new camera tech that those devices are likely to sport.
Throughout 2014 and 2015, Samsung's flagship handsets will feature a 16-megapixel ISOCELL camera sensor, the company told around 350 analysts at a conference in Seoul yesterday.
The ISOCELL sensor is Samsung's new innovation in mobile cameras. The company said it improves picture quality by physically isolating individual pixels.
With the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 expected to drop next year, it seems safe to assume that the ISOCELL sensor tech will indeed make it onto those devices.
Explaining ISOCELL
Samsung's new 16-megapixel ISOCELL camera was first mentioned in rumors last month.
The Korean company confirmed its existence to analysts this week, but we still haven't seen it in action.
According to Samsung, ISOCELL provides for better shooting in low-light conditions as well as higher color fidelity.
It's the evolution of the BSI (Back Side Illumination) sensor, which itself evolved from the FSI (Front Side Illumination) camera.
In the ISOCELL sensor, Samsung has reportedly erected a literal, physical barrier between every pixel.
That amounts to less overlap in what the pixels absorb, creating higher-quality, sharper images.
The original rumor claimed that a Samsung device with the model number S5K4H5YB will be the first to carry the ISOCELL camera, but it will only be 8 megapixels on that model.
Something missing
The Galaxy S4 and Note 3 are great, but their cameras are not very impressive next to recent efforts from companies like Nokia.
Samsung is likely feeling pressure to step up its phone camera game, and it sounds like ISOCELL might be just the thing when it arrives next year.
Of course, (OIS) Optical Image Stabilization would be nice as well, and Samsung reportedly made no mention of that at its analyst conference this week.
We're hoping to see the Galaxy S5 as early as February, and the Note 4 is even farther off, perhaps coming next fall.
Bluetooth, meet wireless hotspot (credit: U.S. Patent & Trademark Office)
Wi-Fi is great, but there are plenty of places where it's not available - which could be where a new Apple patent for short-range connectivity between two devices using a low-power Bluetooth connection comes in.
AppleInsider today reported that Apple's latest published patent filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) could be bound for future devices that lack a built-in radio transceiver, such as the fabled "iWatch" wearable Cupertino is widely believed to be working on.
The latest application entitled "Network access using short-range connectability" allows devices such as the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to not only connect to another gadget without a built-in radio, but also share a local network.
Exactly such a scenario is what Bluetooth technology is intended for, but Apple's patent places great emphasis on making such connections happen with as little user intervention as possible, all while conserving precious battery power.
Quacks like a duck?
Originally filed with the USPTO in March and credited to Daniel Borges, Michael Jason Giles, and Michael Larson, the short-range communications patent application makes no specific mention of a smart watch.
"Users can leverage their mobile radio communication devices, such as their cell phones, to provide network access to their other devices without having to manually enable such connections," the patent description reads.
"In turn, the other devices can benefit from the network access while remaining in low-power mode during a short-range connection that uses a low-power enabled connection."
The report theorizes that such technology could be used for brief hotspot pairings between iOS devices and the rumored iWatch - just long enough to receive push notifications, iMessages, news or even emails.
Who needs an iWatch when you can read our full review of OS X Mavericks?
Samsung's gone for the refreshing approach of telling the truth when it comes to its software prowess - or lack of - with the company's CEO admitting it needs work.
Speaking to analysts this week, Kwon Oh-hyun said that the company has been hiring more software experts and founding new overseas research and development centres to improve localised services.
In fact, half of Samsung's R&D crew is now focusing on software, and Kwon expects that ratio to shift even further in software's favour in the near future.
Relying on a baseball analogy paraphrased by the WSJ, he explained that no team is likely to be equally good at batting and fielding - the implication being that no company should expect to be "equally strong" in hardware and software.
"Even though we're doing the software business," he said, "we're not as good as we are in hardware."
Truth hurts
A rare bit of truth-telling? Perhaps, or perhaps this is a brave new Samsung - Kwon added, "We are quite open. We are quite different. We have changed."
Sure, Samsung. Sure. Later in the day, JK Shin, Samsung's head of mobile, added that it is working towards a "fully integrated" software experience across all Samsung devices which could mean big changes afoot for its smart TVs and laptops to bring them in line with the Galaxy Note, Tab and S ranges and perhaps a lessening of Samsung's reliance on Android.
The overall plan, Shin says, is to become the world's "most beloved" mobile company, with the game plan being to overtake iPad sales in the tablet world.
Does Project Glass represent the next big step in mobile communications?
With so much new information surroundingGoogle Glass, we have completely updated this 'what you need to know' feature. Enjoy!
Many of us spend a significant portion of our day glued to our smartphones, or to other connected devices. Reading social media or checking out the weather or otherwise dipping into the wealth of data at our disposal will typically consume all of our attention, making it hard to do anything else.
Google Glass might offer a solution to this problem, giving us a way of using the outboard brain of the internet while still being able to do other things. Glass was created, according to Google, to "be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don't."
The first Glass units have been with early adopters (who had to sign up to a lottery for the privilege) since April and Google is using this semi-public testing period to fine tune the device for general consumption, as well as get the world used to the idea of wearables.
Google Glass and its prism display
Google Glass features
Essentially, Google Glass is a wearable Android-powered computer built into spectacle frames so that you can perch a display in your field of vision, film, take pictures, search and translate on the go as well as run specially-designed apps.
Google Glass uses a miniature display to put data in front (or at least, to the upper right) of your vision courtesy of a prism screen. This is designed to be easily seen without obstructing your view.
Google Glass options
Glass responds to voice commands as well as taps and gestures on the touch-sensitive bar that runs along the side of the frame. You can start a search with "Ok Glass.." and take a photo or launch an app with a command phrase or a tap of your finger. Glass can also be paired with a phone using the My Glass app to allow quick fiddling with settings and customisation.
Google Glass runs a version of Android, so developers can easily create apps that take advantage of its unique display and input methods. Developers using Google's Mirror API, which makes it possible for apps to speak directly with a Glass headset, are forbidden from charging for their software or embedding ads in the Glass display. Google has indicated that this policy may change however.
The early Google Glass apps provide a neat glimpse into the potential of the headset.
Google Glass - certainly capturing plenty of attention
You'll be able to use Google Maps to get directions although as there is no built in GPS receiver you'll need to tether Glass to your smartphone. Several third party developers have announced apps for services including Evernote, Skitch and Path.
The New York Times has also demoed an app that will pop up news headlines on request and JetBlue has suggested that it could create an app to show how much time was left before you had to board your flight. One developer even created an app (since removed by Google) to allow surreptitious taking of photos simply by blinking when you have something good in your sights.
Google has snapped up voice specialists DNNresearch whose voice recognition tech could give Glass the ability to translate words being spoken to you into your own language on the display. Obviously you'll need a WiFi connection or a hefty data plan if you're in another country, but it's certainly a neat trick if it works.
Google Glass design
Glass is designed to be lightweight and as unobtrusive as possible. The frame will come with adjustable pads for comfort, and is expected to be both light and extremely robust. It will also have a touchpad along one arm for silent interaction.
If you already wear glasses, don't worry. Google is trialing several different designs that will enable Glass to be attached to existing frames. There is also the possibility of designer prescription glasses with Glass functionality built in. This patent might give us a glimpse of a future, more natural looking version of Glass.
Google Glass - another reason not to miss your flight
At the moment Google Glass comes in five colours: Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale, Cotton and Sky. Using Glass's translation ability to turn that list from marketing speak to plain English, that's black, orange, grey, white and blue. Consumer versions of the product could offer a different palette.
Google Glass specifications
Current versions of Glass offer a 640 x 360 display. According to Google the display is "the equivalent of a 25-inch high definition screen from eight feet away." There is a 5 megapixel camera built-in to the frame that can also capture video at 720p resolution.
The rechargeable battery last for roughly a day, although that's with the standard "typical use" caveat, which probably excludes a lot of video capture or playback.
There's 16GB of flash memory built into the device, although only 12GB is currently available for user storage. The device will sync to your Google Drive, giving you both a place to stash your photos and video clips as well as a stash of documents and files you can call up from the cloud.
Google Glass will come in five colours
Bluetooth and WiFi will be built in, but there is no GPS chip - so the Glass will probably work best alongside an Android phone for full Google Maps functionality. You can however pair with any Bluetooth enabled phone and we would expect some support for iOS at least.
Sound will be produced through bone conduction transfer - vibrating your skull to transmit to your eardrum. Google recently revealed a new version of the Glass headset that can take an optional mono earbud if you need to wear Glass in a noisy environment where bone conduction just can't give the volume you require.
Tech Radar was able to spend some time with the Google Glass Explorer edition and give our verdict on this early model.
Google Glass Controversy
Obviously with any new technology there is the potential for misuse - and Google Glass is perhaps a little problematic when it comes to privacy. Of course, Google would say that it is merely taking the functionality that we already have in our portable devices and making it more readily accessible.
A lot will come down to personal preference. For many, the prospect of being filmed by someone from their glasses will make them uneasy and having conversations logged and transcribed will be divisive.
Google has released some information regarding how you know when people are filming through the device, which should quash some people's fears that the device will be used as a perving mechanism. Google also acted to remove an app that allowed photos to be taken silently via blinking, which could potentially have been abused. Facial recognition apps will also be banned from the Glass equivalent of Google Play following privacy concerns.
Google Glass - is it evil?
It's important to note that there may be restrictions on when you use Glass, both legal and social. Indeed, one early adopter has already been arrested for driving while 'distracted' by her Google Glass headset. On the other side of the legal coin, another member of the Google Glass Explorer program became the first Glass user to film an arrest using his headset. Some jurisdictions may frown on this kind of public oversight.
A strip club and a bar have already earned cheap publicity by pre-emptively banning Glass, and TechRadar columnist Gary Marshall has had his say on Glass' privacy implications. Gary also looked at just who fears Google Glass and why.
Google Glass Competition
Google Glass - coming to a developer near you (if you live in the US)
Much as with the recent fad for Smart Watches, Google Glass is certain to spawn competitors. Apple and Microsoft are Google's most obvious rivals - and both are rumoured to be working on their own equivalents. Samsung could be getting in on the act too with what looks like a sportier take on the concept.
Sony has gone so far as to patent a Glass-alike offering with a 'double lens' projecting visuals to both eyes. Vuzix, Oakley, Baidu and Oculon are also said to be working on rival systems.
There is going to be plenty of competition going forward
Another project that is attracting attention for mixing screens and glasses is the Oculus Rift, which is currently very much about gaming, but could feasibly - using a camera - show you live video of reality and enable some awesome real time overlays because it's a complete screen. The sheer size and weight of the Oculus Rift headset as it currently exists means it is unlikely to happen soon, however.
Google Glass price
Google Glass is not yet commercially available but some of those who signed up to the Google Glass Explorer program have been able to purchase a developer edition for $1,500 - around £985 or AU$1,449. Such is the buzz behind Google Glass that there is now a black market in Explorer program invites, with a 'Buy It Now' invite going for as much as $2,999.
The consumer versions are expected to be a little cheaper, although any actual prices remain speculative. They are unlikely to be super-cheap - but Google's success with the Nexus 7 tablet may prompt the company to subsidise some of the cost.
Google Glass - robust enough?
Google recently unveiled an accessories store, selling Google Glass add-ons and extras at premium prices. A spare pouch for Glass will set you back $50 and a clear eye shield is on sale for $75.
Google Glass with glasses
Google Glass release date
There was speculation that Glass may launch early, before the end of 2013 but no announcement has been forthcoming from Google. Google has however announced that another round of invites will be sent out to those who wish to buy a Google Glass Explorer edition, with existing users able to invite up to three friends. Which could mean that the original 2014 launch is more likely. In short, it will soon be easier to get a developer edition, but those wanting a proper consumer model will have to wait until well into 2014.
While waiting for the full release, we had some thoughts about where Google Glass may be headed by the end of the decade. If Google's wearable future comes to pass, just what will the world of tech look like by 2020?
Samsung looking to mix things up with foldable screens.
With flexible displays now making their debut in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Round and theLG G Flex, Samsung is looking ahead to new kinds of foldable devices.
In fact, it's already got some prototypes doing the rounds, which it recent showed to investors.
Although the press wasn't invited to this demonstration, Phone Arena heard from Jae Lee, a Daiwa Securities analyst, that two prototypes were on show.
"The first one they showed us was the size of an S3 smartphone which can be folded in half from top to bottom. So like a compact powder used by women" Lee commented.
Shut up and take my money!
He went on to say that "there was also one in the size of a lengthy wallet which can be unfolded on both sides into the size of a tablet computer."
That's all we have to go on so far and it's likely to be a while yet before we see these displays out in the wild, as during its Analyst Day held yesterday, Samsung estimated that its foldable displays won't hit the market until late 2015 or early 2016.
Still, it's an exciting prospect. The idea of a phone sized device which can be folded out into a tablet sounds like more than just a gimmick. At the very least it could make tablets smaller and more portable than ever, but it could also remove the need to have both a phone and a tablet if it can effectively combine the two.
Like the sound of a phone/tablet hybrid? Well Asus already makes one.
HTC impressed us to the tune of a five star review with the HTC One, but that's starting to feel like old news and we're anxious to see what the Taiwanese company can cook up next.
The answer to that appears to be the HTC M8. We first heard about it around a week ago, but now we've got some pictures courtesy of Taiwanese site ePrice.
Based on these images it looks as though the HTC M8 will have a similar form factor to the HTC One, with a metal body and a rounded back; however, there are a few differences.
ePrice
First up there's the fact that there doesn't seem to be any break in the metal along the edges, so instead it's totally wrapped in metal.
Mystery marking
ePrice
The back of the device is also a bit different as there's what looks like a hole or lens above the main camera lens. It could be a fingerprint sensor, but it's in a rather awkward position for that. One alternative is that it might be another camera lens, though if so it's unclear why HTC would opt for two rear cameras.
The final thing to take away from the images is that while the body mostly looks quite dark it does seem to have a slight blueish hue to it, though whether this will be the final colour of the handset is unknown.
As well as posting these images ePrice is also reporting that the HTC M8 will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, the Sense 6.0 interface and an estimated screen size of 5-5.2 inches.
If those specs are true then, along with the even more metal-icious form factor, HTC's new flagship could actually be a worthy successor to the HTC One.
Apple has reportedly invested in some new supplier relationships as it struggles to meet demand for iPhones and iPads with its current lot.
The word comes from 'supply chain sources' over in Asia, who told the WSJ that Apple is scrambling to meet the public's insatiable demand for iPads and iPhones.
The iPhone 5S is apparently in short supply because Apple's main manufacturer keeps messing up and building defective models.
Yield
The iPad mini 2, which isn't even out yet, is also facing supply problems with many eager tablet fans worried that there won't be a Retina display-toting 7-inch iPad under their trees this Christmas.
And Apple's go-to plant Foxconn is still under a lot of scrutiny over its largely questionable working conditions.
Little wonder, then, that Apple would be looking to widen its supply net - although the company itself will not comment on the manufacturing situation.
Still, if all goes to plan, we should see fewer iPhone and iPad shortages in 2014 as Apple broadens its product ranges.
New product ranges, you say? iWatch? iTV? iSomething else entirely? Roll on 2014
