We’ve seen a lot of the LG G3 through leaked pictures but now LG is ready to give us our first official glimpse of the device. LG on Tuesday posted a teaser video that shows off the G3′s metallic frame, its revamped rear buttons, its new camera and what look to be some of the slimmest side bezels we’ve yet seen in a smartphone. LG is launching the G3 at a special event in London on May 27th and all the leaks we’ve seen of the device indicate that LG has really upped its game to compete with Samsung and HTC after disappointing us last year with the LG G2. Reported specs for the device include a 5.5-inch quad-HD display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 16-megapixel camera. LG’s full teaser video for the G3 follows below.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: mobile, G3, LG

Respawn Entertainment took to YouTube on Monday to reveal the first official gameplay footage of the upcoming Expedition DLC for the enormous popular first-person shooter Titanfall. The first DLC pack will include three new multiplayer maps: Swampland, Runoff and Wargames.

Swampland appears to offer more verticality than the standard maps, filled with talls trees to jump between while evading Titan fire. Runoff features a more traditional layout, separated by buildings, walkways and trenches. Wargames is the most interesting of the three, drawing inspiration from the initial training simulation that players are presented with at the start of the game.

Expedition is the first of three content packs Respawn Entertainment has planned for Titanfall. It will be available to purchase for $9.99 later this month for Xbox One and PC — Xbox 360 owners will have to wait until June to download the new maps.

If you’re a Titanfall fanatic, it might be worth picking up the Titanfall Season Pass for $24.99 (a $5.00 savings). With the Season Pass, you’ll have access to each content pack as it becomes available while saving a few dollars in the process. Respawn hasn’t revealed any information about the upcoming content packs.

Check out the full gameplay trailer for Titanfall: Expedition below.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: Gaming, microsoft, Titanfall, Xbox One

As far as Google is concerned, Android exists in its current form for one reason and one reason alone: to put Google services in front of as many eyes as possible. The mobile platform has been remarkably efficient at achieving this goal, and now we have yet another example of just how efficient it is.

Google’s Gmail application has just become the first app in the Google Play app store to reach the 1 billion download milestone.

The Play app store displays a range of downloads for each Android app and Gmail recently became the first ever to cross into the 1,000,000,000 to 5,000,000,000 range. According to Android Police, app tracker AppBrain shows that the milestone was achieved on or around May 6th.

The Gmail app comes pre-installed on all Android smartphones and tablets sold by big-name vendors, so it stands to reason that it would be among the first apps to reach this massive milestone. It also serves as yet another reminder of just how big Google’s role has become in the mobile industry.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: Software, Android, gmail, google

Google may be ready to roll out new Nexus hardware this year, but that doesn’t mean potential Android tablet buyers should forget last year’s models. In fact, Google and Asus are currently offering U.K. residents a very interesting Nexus 7 deal on the 16GB model: each purchase comes with a free £50 Google Play store credit, and is valid through June 1.

Buyers who will purchase their 16GB Nexus 7 (2013) unit from either Asda, Carphone Warehouse, Currys or Tesco will then be able to apply online to get their gift card. The 16GB Nexus 7 (2013) model sells for £169 from Carphone Warehouse, with the retailer already listing the special Google Play Credit offer on its website.

Furthermore, because the promo started on May 5th, all purchases made after that date are eligible to receive the free £50 in Google Play store credit.

Unfortunately, Android fans in other markets where Nexus devices are sold will not have access to similar local deals.

Google and Asus may simply be trying to clear out existing Nexus 7 (2013) inventory before the next Nexus device is launched in the region, but the offer should still pretty interesting, especially to those buyers looking to purchase an affordable Android tablet that doesn’t necessarily have to be the latest Nexus model.

Google is rumored to launch a high-end Nexus 8 tablet made by HTC at some point later this summer.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: Tablets, google, Nexus 7

It was all going so, so well for American ISPs. Not only did they have a former cable lobbyist as head of the Federal Communications Commission, but he was even planning to push through a new proposal that would have given them the power to create separate Internet fast lanes where they could charge more to Internet companies to ensure their traffic got delivered faster. And to top it all off, many of them were planning to engage in a huge wave of mergers that would give them even more power over the broadband and/or pay TV markets, from Comcast-Time Warner Cable to Sprint-T-Mobile to AT&T-DirecTV.

But alas for them, it seems that America’s ISPs have finally overreached. FCC chairman Wheeler’s proposal to allow for Internet fast lanes has created an enormous backlash not just from net neutrality advocates but also from major tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook, as well as major Silicon Valley venture capitalists and popular entertainers ranging from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters to Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder to actor Mark Ruffalo to director Oliver Stone.

Emboldened by this backlash, net neutrality advocates have started banging the drum to get the FCC to reclassify broadband providers as telecom companies, which would let the commission enforce strong net neutrality rules that would make ISPs keep the Internet a level playing field where both big tech companies and small startups would all get the same treatment when it comes to traffic prioritization.

This has unsurprisingly completely freaked out American ISPs, which is why many of their CEOs have just sent a letter to the FCC warning them of all the horrible, terrible, scary things that will happen if they get reclassified as telecom companies. In fact, the ISPs say that “even the potential threat of Title II [reclassification] had an investment-chilling effect by erasing approximately ten percent of some ISPs’ market cap in the days immediately surrounding” the FCC’s original attempt to reclassify ISPs as telecom companies, which the commission backed down on under heavy industry pressure. The ISPs also warn that “such an action would greatly distort the future development of, and investment in, tomorrow’s broadband networks and services.”

What makes this last “threat” particularly hilarious is that ISPs have already started slowing down their investments in network upgrades even without being reclassified as telecom carriers. As Vox’s Matt Yglesias notes, the National Cable Telecommunications Association’s own data shows that average annual broadband investment peaked in the period from 2005 through 2008 but has declined since then to levels that are just above the average annual investment we saw between 2001 and 2004 — and that’s without even adjusting for inflation.

“The industry is acting like a low-competition industry, scaling back investment and plowing its profits into dividends and share buybacks and merger efforts,” Yglesias concludes.

And this is where American ISPs’ business practices over the last decade or so are really going to come back to bite them. While Comcast, Time Warner Cable, AT&T and Verizon are able to influence lawmakers with millions in lobbying dollars, there is no way that they’re going to rally the general public to their side, especially when well-loved companies such as Netflix and Amazon are pushing back against them.

While I’d still rate it highly unlikely that ISPs will actually get reclassified as telecom carriers, I also think it’s even more unlikely at this point that the FCC will hand them the power to fracture the Internet into fast and slow lanes. The days when ISPs could get whatever they want just by greasing lawmakers’ and regulators’ palms appear to be over. If they want to wield more influence over the public in the future they might have to start doing something truly radical, such as making their customers hate them a little less.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: Internet, Net Neutrality

Although we don’t know exactly when Samsung’s Galaxy S5 Prime will release, we at least have a sweet new concept video that will whet our appetite for the rumored metal version of Samsung’s flagship phone. The new concept, designed by My Gadgetic, imagines a new device that delivers the best of both worlds: Samsung’s beautiful displays matched with the HTC One (M8)’s incredible build quality. In fact, stylistically the concept borrows so much from HTC’s latest flagship phone that we get the feeling HTC would rush to phone up its lawyers if Samsung ever released anything like it.

Not only does the concept use the two major grey and silver colors we see in the One (M8) but it also gives the imagined Galaxy S5 Prime a camera that doesn’t bulge out from the back of the device, a more curved rear shell and a front-facing speaker on the top of the device that seems wider than the one on the Galaxy S5. My Gadgetic even removed the home and back keys from the front of the display, just as HTC did with its latest device, and has added a stripe going across the top of the rear shell of the device, just as the HTC One (M8) has.

Nonetheless, the concept does look terrific and you should check it out by watching the video posted below.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: mobile, Galaxy S5 Prime, Samsung

Music fans are apparently in for a treat in the coming weeks, because some of Apple’s big updates set to debut in and alongside iOS 8 will reportedly focus on improving the music experience offered by Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch lineup.

Mac Otakara on Monday evening reported that Apple has plans to add high-definition audio playback features in iOS 8.

Apple’s current iOS software is not capable of playing 24-bit tracks with a sample rate greater than 48 kHz. According to this report, however, iOS 8 will add this capability and Apple will introduce high-fidelity iTunes music downloads that take advantage of these new capabilities.

The report also states that Apple will debut new and improved ear buds and a new Lightning connector during WWDC.

Apple’s annual WWDC conference takes place between June 2nd and June 6th this year.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: mobile, Apple, iOS 8

Microsoft may already be working on quite a few different Windows-related products and some of them are pretty surprising. Myce rdirects our attention to a leaked image posted by a well-known Chinese leaker on Neowin showing that Microsoft is already working on several Windows 9 builds including a mobile Windows Phone 9 version, and could soon launch a cloud-based operating system dubbed Windows 365, a name that’s similar to its Office 365 subscription-based productivity suite.

In addition to Windows 9 and Windows 365 mentions, the leak lists current products, including Office 2013 and Windows 8.1, but also upcoming updates, such as Windows 8.1 Update 2 and Office 2015.

Windows 365 it described as an “alpha based on Windows Core,” although it’s not clear what features the operating system would have to offer. A previous report has also suggested that a cloud-based Windows OS version could be released in the future.

Finally, Faikee said that Windows 9 could be offered as a free update to all existing Windows 8.1 owners, although he mentioned that the news has to be taken as a rumor for the time being. A previous rumor also said that Windows 9 may arrive free of charge to existing users. The leaker did not reveal any other details about Microsoft’s future software releases.

The leaked screenshot that shows these upcoming Microsoft products follows below.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: Software, microsoft, Windows 365, Windows 8

While iPhone fans trying to guess what Apple is working on for the next iPhone have posted many wild concepts online showing iPhone 6 designs that featured curved, flexible or wraparound displays (such as the one above), it looks like the iPhone maker is actively studying such a possibility for future models. AppleInsider has discovered an Apple patent that details a wraparound display for future iPhone models, which would help Apple replace the physical mute and volume buttons found on the left side of the iPhone with a touchscreen that would offer multi-purpose buttons, as well as tactile feedback to the user.

Filed in late September 2011 and titled “Electronic devices with sidewall displays” – revealing that Apple has been considering such technology for quite a while – the patent shows that the company is interested in offering even slicker devices in the future that won’t require as many physical buttons as their predecessors.

“Flexible display technologies are available that allow displays to be flexed. For example, flexible displays may be formed using flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology,” the patent reads. “It would be desirable to be able to use flexible display technology to provide improved electronic devices such as electronic devices with input-output components.”

Apple has already taken steps to reducing the footprint of the volume buttons on the iPhone 6 – if the many recent leaks that hit the web are to be believed – but they’re still physical. Recent leaks also suggest the company will ditch the square, rigid design lines of existing iPhones in its next models, which are expected to feature curved edges and a slim profile. The move could further pave the way to a smooth transition to an iPhone with a curved, wraparound display in the future.

The patent’s many images show that Apple envisions future iPhones with curved edges, which would allow the touchscreen display to flex around the edges, and offer users quick access to various controls, many more than the mute and volume options offered by current physical buttons on existing iPhone models.

The patent suggests that the virtual buttons could be used to set volume, control music playback, display track information, camera controls, notifications, and other quick information the user may want to glance over. Furthermore, virtual buttons on the edges of the phone could further help users slide-to-unlock their devices, launch other apps, control certain app features and even control games.

“Virtual buttons may include locking and unlocking buttons. Locking and unlocking buttons may be operated using a swipe, pinch, or other touch action by a user of device 10,” Apple writes. “Virtual buttons may include buttons specific to gaming software installed on device 10. For example, virtual buttons may include buttons on edges 24 that may be operated by a user when holding device 10 in a landscape orientation during operation of device 10 in a gaming mode. Virtual buttons may be operated using touch, tap, swipe, pinch or other touch inputs to virtual buttons. Virtual buttons may include buttons commonly provided on a full sized computer keyboard (e.g., caps lock, shift, control, delete, page up/down, number lock, function specific buttons, escape, enter, etc.). Virtual buttons may include buttons commonly found on a calculator (e.g., multiply, add, divide, subtract, memory storage, clear, all clear, percent, square root, or other calculator buttons). Virtual buttons may include buttons for selecting specific software application available on device 10 (e.g., text messaging, calendar, calculator, media player, web browser, email client, cellular telephone, or other software applications). Virtual buttons may include images or icons that indicate the current function of the virtual button. Virtual buttons may include buttons commonly found on cellular telephone such as a menu button, a ringer on/off switch, a ringer on/off/vibrate switch, a lock/unlock button, a call button, an end-call button, or any other button associate with a cellular telephone.”

While the iPhone isn’t clearly specified in the patent, the language and drawings clearly suggest that Apple would primarily use such an invention in a future iPhone model.

However, even though Apple was awarded this particular patent, it’s not clear yet when such an iPhone will actually be released.

So far, only Samsung and LG have released devices with flexible displays, but neither model actually had wraparound displays. Neither model became a hit product either, with reports suggesting that flexible display production isn’t yet at the levels that would allow a company to mass-produce enough supply to meet its demands for flagship devices that would incorporate such features.

More images from the new Apple patent follow below.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: mobile, Apple, iPhone, iPhone 6

Each year Android fans start wondering what Google’s next Nexus devices will be called, and whether Google will correlate naming schemes to display size or not. This year, Google was expected to launch an 8.9-inch high-end tablet that will either be called Nexus 8 or Nexus 9, and a Nexus 6 smartphone likely based on the LG G3. Apparently two of these three product names have been confirmed in Chromium Code Review.

SmartDroid.de reports that Florian Kiersch and Carsten Knobloch have found the Nexus 8 and Nexus 6 mentioned in Chromium Code Review, although other details are not available for these devices yet. These mentions can always be faked, but they could also indicate that Google has chosen the next Nexus product names for its 2014 Nexus tablet and smartphone.

Recent discoveries in the Chromium Issue Tracker suggested that Google is already working on an HTC-made Nexus tablet but also on a device that could be an Android TV. However, those code discoveries did not actually confirm new Nexus product names. Instead, those products were referred to as Flounder and Molly, respectively.

Other reports indicate that this will be the last year Google will make new Nexus devices, which will be replaced in 2015 with an Android Silver program that will help Google and OEM partners sell high-end devices that will run Google’s latest Android versions.

Google is expected to unveil the Nexus 8 tablet this summer, alongside Android 4.5, and launch a Nexus 6 smartphone in fall.

Screenshots from the Chromium Code Review that show the two Nexus sightings follow below.

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Category: mobile, google, Nexus 6, Nexus 8