Samsung Officially Announces Galaxy S5

Samsung just announced their flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone during its press conference today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new Samsung Galaxy S5 features a built in heart rate sensor that enables new features in the S Health 3.0 app as well as a finger print scanner similar to Apple’s TouchID feature on the iPhone 5S. Samsung confirmed that it will be offering mobile payments with the fingerprint scanner and using it as a security feature to make content in certain apps only accessible when activated by the user’s fingerprint.

Samsung has released some feature details on the new Samsung Galaxy S5 listed below:

• 5.1 inch 1920 x 1080 FHD Super AMOLED display
• 2.5GHz Quad core processor
• Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat)
• heart rate sensor
• 16 megapixel camera, 2.1 megapixel
• fifth generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 2X2 MIMO
• Download Booster WiFi-LTE bonding
• Finger Scanner
• IP67 dust and water resistant
• 2800mAh battery
• 2GB RAM
• 16/32GB memory (up to 64GB w/ microSD)
• dimensions: 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g
• charcoal Black, shimmery White, electric Blue, and copper Gold

Samsung Unveils Gear Fit

Samsung is off an running when it comes to health and fitness, with the new Gear Fit fitness watch. Features a 1.8 inch AMOLED curved display, a water-resistant design, and three to four days of battery life on a single charge. The fitness oriented device has fitness coaching, can count your steps, and measure your heart rate. 

The device has sleep-tracking functionality and rudimentary features such as viewing notifications and calls from a connected smartphone. The operating system is proprietary to the device not Android or Tizen. No pricing details are available Samsung has given an April release.

Verizon Moto X Owners Now Receiving Android 4.4.2 Soak Test Update

Those who are using a Moto X on Verizon and participating in the soak test, software updates went out today (I've just received mine, see the screen shot below). This would be the first update since the jump to Android 4.4.

Motorola has been pretty good about quickly releasing the soak test and official updates, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular users recently received there soak test invites quickly followed by an official Android 4.4.2 update. If you aren't part of the Motorola Feedback Network to get in on the soak tests, don't worry, your update should be heading out soon provided the soak test goes according to plan.

Samsung Unveils Tizen Powered Gear 2 And Gear 2 Neo Smartwatch

Samsung announce its latest Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are not Android powered, the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are powered by Samsung’s own operating system Tizen.

The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are Samsung’s latest addition to their smartwatch lineup. The watches include practically the same specs, a 1.63 inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 320×320, 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, 300mAh battery that’s rated for 2-3 days of usage and different sensors, heart rate monitor, pedometer and Bluetooth 4.0 support. 

Both watches run on Tizen and include music players as well as built-in IR blasters to control your TV through the watch. The only real difference in hardware is the Gear 2 Neo doesn’t feature a 2-megapixel camera while the Gear 2 does.

The other difference comes in color choices. The Gear 2 is available in Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange and the Gear 2 Neo is available in Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange. Both watches are IP57 certified for dust and water resistance.

Both smartwatches are able to act independently of phones and the Tizen software does have customization features. However, many Galaxy branded smartphones will work with these smartwatches and will add additional features such as being able to accept calls, text messages and other notifications straight from your watch. Pricing details were not available but both smartwatches will be going on sale internationally in April. If you’re interested in pictures and the official press release of the devices, check out the source below. 

A heads-up, the devices look similar, but the Gear 2 has a black bar above the screen while the Gear 2 Neo simply has a small circle.

Source: Samsung Mobile Press

Google Reportedly Announcing Android 4.5 And Nexus 8 In July

An unnamed Google Dublin employee has reportedly leaked that Android 4.5 won’t be unveiled until July, alongside the new Nexus 8 tablet. Google I/O 2014 will instead focus on services Google is planning to bring to the market. The source also stated the 7 inch Asus made Google Nexus tablets will be discontinued to make room for a 8 inch model.

Although the employee did not say which devices would include Android 4.5, the fact that the Nexus 8 tablet will apparently be a part of the announcement could signal that the tablet will ship with the new software as it has Google has in the past.

Facebook Purchases WhatsApp For $19B

Facebook is purchasing messaging giant WhatsApp for $16 billion in cash and stock, according to a regulatory filing. The deal is being cut for $12 billion in Facebook shares, $4 billion in cash and an additional $3 billion in RSUs for employee retention.

A termination fee is attached to the deal that would cost Facebook $1 billion in cash and $1 billion in shares if the deal fails to pass regulatory muster.

Facebook has posted on its blog, detailing the reasoning behind the acquisition, as well. The post notes that WhatsApp will continue to operate independently and retain its brand. In addition, WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook’s board.

Facebook notes that WhatsApp has over 450 million MAUs, with 70 percent of those active each day. In a staggering comparison, Facebook also notes that the messaging volume of WhatsApp approaches the SMS volume of the entire global telecom industry and that it’s adding 1 million users a day.

Verizon Moto X Owners Receiving Soak Test Invitations

Those who are using a Moto X on Verizon soak test software update invites went out today (I received mine just a few days ago, however no software push as of now). This would be the first update since the jump to Android 4.4.

Motorola has been pretty good about quickly releasing the soak test, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellukar users recently received there soak test invites quickly followed by an official Android 4.4.2 update. If you aren't part of the Motorola Feedback Network to get in on the soak tests, don't worry, your update should be heading out soon provided the soak test goes according to plan.

SlickLogin Team Is Joining Google

SlickLogin announced today on its official website that it has been acquired by Google for an undisclosed amount. The three person SlickLogin team teases that Google is “working on some great ideas that will make the internet safer for everyone” and that it “couldn't be more excited” to join up with the Mountain View firm.

SlickLogin aimed to replace the traditional password with a new type of login process that used sounds to verify a user’s identity. In order to log in to a site or service, a user’s computer would play a near-silent sound that could be picked up using a special smartphone app that stored the user’s credentials. The phone would then send a signal back to the computer to verify the user’s identity and complete the login process.

Source: SlickLogin

HTC Sheds Light On Plans For One Max, One Mini, And EVO 4G LTE Updates

HTC says Android 4.4 updates for the One max and One mini are currently being built and tested internally within HTC. The One Max’s update is expected to hit first, with an estimated arrival in March, while the One Mini’s KitKat update can be expected sometime in April.

HTC also revealed its plans for the EVO 4G LTE on Sprint. Owners of the HTC EVO 4G LTE will be happy to hear HTC is prepping an Android 4.3 update for the device, however due to memory partition size limit, the software won’t be made available over the air. Instead, HTC is creating a manual update process for “technical users” that want 4.3 on their devices. HTC is currently testing this update process and is looking for EVO 4G LTE owners to help out. You can get in touch with HTC by shooting an email to HTCTrial@htc.com.

HTC has caught some hell in the past for some of its actions regarding Android updates, such as the decision to stop providing major updates to the One S less than a year and a half after its launch. The Taiwanese firm seems to be placing more of a focus on providing updates for its flagship hardware lately, though sharing information about the rollout of updates and pushing them out in a timely manner. That’s a smart move from a company that had a pretty bumpy 2013 as it will help restore consumer confidence in HTC and perhaps push it have a better 2014.

Source: Reddit

Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside Joins Dropbox As COO

Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside has confirmed less than two years after taking over the position from Sanjay Jha before the Google acquisition, he will be leaving Motorola Mobility to take a position with Dropbox as COO. The move comes just weeks after the announcement that Lenovo would be taking over Motorola from internet giant Google. 

Jonathan Rosenberg who has been Senior Vice President of Product will be stepping in as COO of Motorola to work with the rest of the leadership team.

Source: Motorola