Lollipop coming soon to Motorola 2013 and 2014 devices

Owners of Motorola devices made in 2013 and 2014 have reason to be excited, a software engineer for the company has confirmed that Android Lollipop will be rolling out to your hardware ‘soon.’

First of all: peace! :-) There is so much anger floating around this topic, I just want to reassure we're working really hard on it, and, as promised, our Moto products from 2014 and 2013 will be updated to Lollipop really soon.

– Luciano Carvalho Google+

We can’t be sure what version number of Android Lollipop will roll out to which devices. Motorola has a great track record with Android updates and they already have the latest Android 5.0.1 Lollipop out to their flagship devices, including the Moto X (2014) and back to the Moto G (2013) GPe.

While there is no exact time frame for the release, the same announcement recommends that all 1st generation device owners check for an update to the Motorola Update Services app, free from the Google Play Store. If the update does not show, or shows as not available for your unit, don’t worry, it’ll be there soon.

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit is a reference to a Motorola Android 5.0.2 Lollipop soak test, available to only certain devices in a short list of locations around the globe. So far, we’ve only really seen a 5.0.2 reference for the 2012 WiFi Nexus 7, which still has not received an OTA Lollipop itself.

Amazon is currently offering the Nexus 9 for $50 off

Many users tend to think that Google’s Nexus 9 is too expensive. If you’ve been waiting for the next promotion to arise so you can get your hands on one, now may be your chance. Amazon has the Nexus 9 in both storage options and both colors at a $50 discount. That means the 16GB model is only $349.99, and the 32GB model is $429.99. Both colors and both storage options are currently available, so you may want to act fast before they sell out. Additionally, the Nexus 9 is eligible for free shipping, sweetening the deal a bit more.

If you’re in the market for a new Android tablet, this may be the one for you. The Nexus 9 is fast, has a nice sharp screen, loud front-facing speakers and has a battery that can get you through multiple days on a single charge. If you’d like some more information on the tablet, head to our full Nexus 9 review.

We’re not quite sure how long this deal will last, but you better hurry before the deal is over!

Buy now on Amazon

New MDK for Project Ara released ahead of second developer conference

Google has just released the second version of their Module Developers Kit (MDK .2) for Project Ara, which expands on how developers should go about creating new modules. We weren’t planning to see anything regarding the new MDK from Google until their next developer conference, which will be held on January 14th in Mountain View, California. Google will definitely expand on the MDK during the conference, but for now, we get a sneak peek at what’s to come in a few days.

One addition to the Project Ara undertaking is a new contactless connection system between the modules and exoskeleton that save space, reduce overall cost and will increase the overall durability of the device. What’s more, the team also introduced a new software protocol called Greybus which will better handle the communication between modules and the exoskeleton. In a future update, Ara owners will be able to manage the functions of the modules using a dedicated Ara Manager app on their devices. The app will also give users more advanced module details, and will allow users to swap the modules whenever they’d like.

We’re also getting a bigger overview on the Ara Module Marketplace, the online shop where Ara users will go to buy new modules directly from developers. Like we’ve reported in the past, the Ara Module Marketplace will be controlled by Google when it comes to payment processing. Google will also ensure all modules are safe to use for the public.

Jide’s Ultra Remix Surfaces, wants to provide Window(s) to productivity

From this angle (or any, really) one might be hard pressed to see anything other than a Microsoft Surface.

Many believe that the motivation behind Microsoft’s Surface line of tablet PCs is to inspire OEMs to make similar, competitive products. This was especially a relevant point in the early days of Windows 8 when manufacturers were still focused on laptops with the slate form-factor primarily embraced by RT products. While inspiration may be the main ingredient, it’s questionable just how enamored Redmond will be at the sight of Jide’s Ultra Remix tablet. The bigger cause of concern? Hard to guess: the design itself or the fact it’s running Android.

This curious creation is the brainchild of a trio of former senior engineers at Google: Jeremy Zhou, David Ko, and Ben Luk. They, along with a team comprised of former staff at Sony, Baidu, Amazon, and even Microsoft itself (among others). The Remix appears to be little more than a geek’s fantasy of running Android on a Surface, but the hardware doesn’t disappoint either. In addition to the kickstand (which can be positioned at either 40 or 80 degrees), it also has an 11.6 inch, 1920X1080 screen and a 1.8 GHz Nvidia Tegra 4 on-board. Add to this 2GB of RAM, 16GB or 64GB of on-board storage, a pair of 5 megapixel front/rear cameras and dual-band Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n). It is only 860 grams and sports an nice 8100 mAh power cell. And let’s not forget the pre-requsite magnetic keyboard (replete with touch pad) and magnetic charging port.

Running on this familiar-looking piece of kit is a variant of Android 4.4.2 called Remix OS. The mobile software platform makes use of a taskbar to facilitate multi-tasking (just like Windows), which interestingly seems to have chosen Lollipop’s system navigation buttons. The OS also allows for apps to be ran in a phone-sized state thus avoiding the stretched out form factor that typically occurs when running them on an optimized screen resolution/size. And, just like Windows, you can have multiple… windows open. Given the similarities, it actually would be most-fitting should Jide work in a licensing agreement with Microsoft to have Office for Android pre-installed.

When the Jide Ultra Remix tablet hits China it should retail for around $349 (16 GB) and $449 (64GB) and be offered in a variety of color options. A US/UK release is expected in Q2 or Q3. Suffice to say, it does look nice and provided it has decent build quality, could actually present a challenge not only to Chromebooks, but to larger Android tablets that offer bigger screens yet the same basic Android interface present on all non-forked devices.

Samsung officially launches 6.3mm thin, 5.5 inch, octa-core Galaxy A7

The Samsung Galaxy A series of phones has been slowly growing. Samsung launched the Galaxy A3 and the Galaxy A5 at the end of October, and the A5 went on sale in China at the end of November. The A3 and A5 became available in the USA at the end of December. Now just a couple of weeks into 2015 and Samsung has added another model to the A series, the Samsung Galaxy A7. It is a 5.5 inch device, with a HD Super AMOLED display, that measures just 6.3mm thick. Samsung is calling it “one of the slimmest Galaxy smartphones equipped with premium hardware.”

If you have been following the news and rumors of the new A series, then the A7 won’t be much of a surprise to you. The phone had been expected to appear soon, and there have been various signs that it would be launching in Asia around now. Most of the leaked details where right about the A7. The only real surprise is the choice of processor package. All the models will use an octa-core processor, coupled with 2GB of RAM, however depending on your region you will either get a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC or a 32-bit Exynos 5430 SoC.  The Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC uses four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.0GHz. This technically makes the CPU a big.LITTLE processor as the cores are heterogeneous, in that they don’t all offer the same performance, however they are all in fact Cortex-A53 cores. The Samsung Exynos 5430 uses four 32-bit Cortex-A15 cores, clocked at 1.8GHz, coupled with four Cortex-A7 cores clocked at 1.3GHz.

The single SIM versions of the phone offer full 4G LTE support, whereas the dual-SIM version only offers 3G. The latter will use the Samsung Exynos 5430, while the processor found in the 4G models will depend on where you are in the world.

Besides the octa-core processor and 2GB of RAM, the Galaxy A7 has 16GB of memory and a 2600mAh battery. As for optics, the A7 offers some of the same features from the A3 and A7. There is a 13MP rear facing camera and a 5MP front-facing camera with advanced selfie features such as ‘Ultra Wide Shot’ and ‘Auto Selfie’ modes. The latter allows you to take a photograph using only a voice command or a wave of the hand.

The A7 runs Android 4.4 KitKat and includes all the normal bells and whistles like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. The LTE versions also include NFC. There is no current information about a possible upgrade of the Galaxy A7 to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

The Galaxy A7 will become available globally during the next two months, but there is no official word on pricing. The A3 costs around $330 in the US, while the A5 costs around $410. It is likely that the A7 will cost around $500 (+/- $25).

Samsung’s A series covers several different size and performance points. The A3 is a 4.5 inch quad core device with 1GB of RAM and a 1900MAh battery, the A5 is a 5 inch quad-core device with 2GB of RAM and a 2300mAh battery, and the A7 is a 5.5 inch octa-core handset with 2GB of RAM and a 2600mAH. All three models in the A series come with 16GB of internal storage and a micro SD slot

AT&T joins Verizon in claiming Title II status when it helps them financially

nbcbayarea

As we have discussed on a number of different occasions, broadband companies (wired and wireless) continue to publicly blast the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for trying to classify their companies under the umbrella of Title II. Meanwhile, all Title II does is simply give the FCC power to actually help consumers against blatant violations by those broadband companies.

Speaking of blatant violations, AT&T is in trouble with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over their promise to give customers “unlimited data” only to then throttle those customers whenever they reached an unknown and rather random amount of data every month. In some cases, customers saw their speeds drop by nearly 90 percent.

As the FTC noted in their original complaint against AT&T, customers on tiered data plans were using significantly larger amounts of data than unlimited data customers yet saw no drop in speeds.

“AT&T promised its customers ‘unlimited’ data, and in many instances, it has failed to deliver on that promise. The issue here is simple: ‘unlimited’ means unlimited.” - FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez

Another big complaint against AT&T by the FTC was that the throttling language was hidden in the contracts from those on unlimited data plans so when those customers would cancel their contracts because of the throttling, AT&T would then hit them with significant early termination fees.

But AT&T has an answer for the FTC. According to AT&T, the FTC doesn’t have the jurisdiction to regulate their company. Why? Because AT&T is a “common carrier” internet provider under Title II.

Wait….what?

AT&T is essentially admitting that they will use their Title II status to simply dodge charges of throttling customer data. As Engadget notes, AT&T is claiming that since it is a common carrier company that provides voice services, it is exempt from the FTC’s jurisdiction over data and that the FCC has the actual jurisdiction.

Doesn’t this sound familiar? Oh, that’s right. Verizon also invoked Title II classification when it allowed them to make billions in Washington DC, New Jersey and other states. By some reports, Verizon made as much as $4.4 billion in additional revenue from this classification.

The Verge

What makes this case even more odd is that, as Ars Technica reports, didn’t AT&T just settle with the FTC over mobile cramming charges? AT&T agreed to pay $80 million for violations that did involve data.

Either way, it looks as if AT&T will get hit with a fine by the FCC if they somehow get themselves out of trouble with the FTC.