Galaxy S4 And HTC One Google Play Edition Receive Android 4.4.2 Update:

Google rolled out the Android 4.4.2 update recently shortly after it had rolled out Android 4.4.1 for Nexus devices. Updates such as these are first rolled out for Nexus devices before they gradually make their way to devices manufactured by other OEMs. The benefit of owning a Google Play Edition device is that you’re much higher up the list, meaning that updates are rolled out for these variants soon after the Nexus devices have received their fix. The first two GPE smartphones released earlier this year, the Galaxy S4 and HTC One, have both received the latest release of KitKat, Android 4.4.2. These incremental updates don’t bring any major features, however they do fix various bugs, including device specific bugs. Furthermore, a SMS related security exploit that was discovered recently has also been patched in Android 4.4.2. The updates have started rolling out over-the-air for both Google Play Edition smartphones, alternatively, users can download the firmware files from Google and flash their devices manually. Just recently a couple of new GPE devices were released, including the first ever GPE LG G Pad 8.3 tablet and a similar edition of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Both of these devices, the smartphone and the tablet, come with Android 4.4 KitKat preinstalled.

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Sprint Wants To Buy T-Mobile [Rumor]

Right now there are four major mobile carriers in the U.S., Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. When AT&T’s bid to acquire T-Mobile ultimately fell through, nobody thought that another major carrier would immediately move to pick up the fourth largest U.S. carrier. Given that considerable time has passed since that failed attempt, a new report by The Wall Street Journal claims that Sprint is gearing up to bid for T-Mobile U.S. If it goes through, rather if regulators let it go through, the U.S. market will effectively be left with three major carriers. It is reported that Sprint is likely to make an offer in the first half of 2014, the offer is likely to be to the tune of $20 billion. Sprint’s bid is almost half of what AT&T offered back in 2011, around $39 billion. There’s an obvious advantage here for Sprint to consider this bid. Bringing T-Mobile’s subscriber base and infrastructure on board will enable Sprint to launch much more effective competition against behemoths like Verizon and AT&T. Both Sprint and T-Mobile’s subscriber bases account for less than what AT&T holds, roughly 109 million. The question remains though, is Sprint going to face regulatory hurdles that might make it impossible to pursue this any further? That remains to be seen. There has been no official comment from either Sprint or T-Mobile confirming if talks are under way. So before a bid is officially made, we must hold on to those grains of salt


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iPhone Air And iPhone 6C Concept Videos Spotted

Let’s see – there is a MacBook Air, the iPad Air, so why not have the iPhone follow in the very same footsteps some time down the road? Who knows, Apple might just do that, but right now, we do have a couple of videos to share with you – one above as well as another right after, that will depict the possibility of what the iPhone Air as well as iPhone 6C would look like if they happened to be in existence. The iPhone Air video hails from Set Solution, where it boasts of some rather pretty renderings that might just leave some folks pinching themselves so that they know what they are seeing is not real, and it might never even come out in the first place. After all, who can argue with a smartphone that measures all of 1.5mm thin at the top, with a 3mm thickness located at the bottom, tipping the scales at 70 grams, while boasting an edge-to-edge glass display? As for the conceptual iPhone 6C, it will share the theme of having many different colors just like the iPhone 5c, except that there is a pronounced curve located on the display that is not too different from that of the LG G Flex, although the back would remain flat.

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Google Could Venture Into Designing Own Server Chips

What happens when you have a whole lot of money and influence? Well, it is a whole lot easier to make things happen, of course, and that seems to be the case with Google. Bloomberg has reported that Google could be looking into designing their very own server chips as part of an effort in order to build a better way for its hardware and software to interact with one another. Does this mean that Intel should watch out for this potential development? I would suppose so, especially when you consider how Google is not any two bit company, and the latter is touted to rely on technology from ARM Holdings Plc. Right now, Google is said to be the fifth largest customer of Intel, and should Google actually make its move into the world of server chips, it would definitely affect Intel’s bottomline at the end of the day – by up to 4.3%, if you were to take the percentage of Intel’s revenue contributed by the folks over at Google. Having said that, designing their own server chips also makes sense for Google in the long run, when you consider how they have already begun to design their own data centers with servers worldwide. With ARM’s chips being the top dog in the world of smartphones and tablets, it ain’t such a bad idea after all to team up with them. This is still a rumor, though, as Google has yet to step forward to confirm or deny such claims

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LG Optimus G Android 4.4 KitKat Begins Rolling Out For Some Users

Just a few months ago, LG France accidentally confirmed its LG Optimus G would be receiving Android 4.4 KitKat some time in October, although if you’re an owner of the 1-year-old Android smartphone, you’re probably well aware KitKat has yet to come your way. In fact, November came and went and still no Android 4.4 KitKat, but December looks like it’s the sweet month as the latest version of Android has started to roll out for the LG Optimus G. As usual, there’s a catch. You see – Android 4.4 KitKat has been rolling out to the Optimus G in the lovely country of Estonia. In fact, the news comes from LG Estonia’s Facebook page, which at the time of this writing, has yet to retract their message, which when translated, reads: “Good news for LG Optimus G smartphone users – the Android 4.4 KitKat update is now available.” We’re sure this leaves many of you LG Optimus G owners in other parts of the world wondering when you’ll be getting in on the Android 4.4 KitKat fun. Well – hopefully its rollout in Estonia is an indication that the software is ready to go primetime on the Optimus G, so let’s all hope it doesn’t take too long. [Update: We received an email from LG Estonia that confirm the Optimus G received an update this week that allows users to access 4G connections for local carrier Elisa. At this time, LG Estonia doesn't know when Android 4.4 KitKat will be released on the Optimus G.]


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