We have a couple of rumors for you guys from LG today. First, we are likely to see LG's first flexible displays and a phone including the technology later in the fourth quarter of this year. Here's a quote with some of the details,

LG Display expects to produce 12,000 sheets of flexible OLED every month, the company told The Korea Times, with the first device from LG itself to use the flexible screens also due later this year.

“We have completed the development of our first flexible displays” LG Display said in a statement. “We will mass produce flexible displays from the fourth quarter of this year.”

LG itself had already confirmed its flexible phone plans, saying back in April that it would have a model using bendable OLED on the market before the year is out. The company declined to give specifics on hardware, however, and it’s unclear what sort of resolution the AMOLED screen will run at. ~ SlashGear

Our second rumor is that LG is working on a phone which will include always-on voice commands which will be available sometime in 2014. Here's another quote with more info,

Our sources say that this would be beneficial in certain settings or environments, in particular inside automobiles. With hands-free laws gaining momentum, using voice command would allow users to more safely operate their smartphones for key functions without requiring them to touch the screen un-necessarily.

In one example, users can speak a voice command to tell Google Maps to pan around and switch views. Users can also tell Google Maps to zoom in or out. This is different from existing voice solutions, which are based mainly for searching, launching apps, and dictating. The navigation of the Android OS by voice will be a new user experience for some people.

This matches with what we’ve been hearing about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which will have always-on voice capabilities. Originally, we had thought that the feature would be limited to select voice commands, like Google Now, but it seems that LG is tapping into the hardware feature to make its phones more adaptive. ~ GottabeMobile

Earlier in the year Facebook purchased Instagram for over $1Billion USD. It looks like the company is aggressively working on improving it too, if the newest rumors are true. According to insider sources, on June 20th, Facebook intends to reveal a new video feature on Instagram that is reminiscent of the video app Vine. Here's a quote with more of the details,

Feeling threatened by its rival’s success, TechCrunch is reporting that Facebook will update Instagram to support video later this week. Earlier reports suggested that the feature would be similar to Vine and allow users to create and share simple videos between 5 and 10 seconds in length. Video support is seen as the initial step for Facebook to finally monetize Instagram’s more than 100 million monthly active users. Facebook is expected to announce Instagram’s video support at a press event on June 20th.

It's possible that this rumor is both true and false. For the most part several different sources of industry intel have suggested that Facebook is working on precisely this, but there is no guarantee it will be launched as early as June 20th. We will keep you posted if more details leak.

Source: BGR

Acer has publicly renewed its commitment to the pure Android experience. They declared emphatically that they will stick to the stock experience because the Android experience is great as is. Here's a quote with the details,

We found from our previous experiences of creating Android UIs that they are very difficult to maintain, especially keeping track with Google's migrations," explained S T Liew, the President of Acer's global smartphone division.

"Android actually does a great job at serving up the right user experience and it allows people to migrate from one Android phone to another with relative ease.

"With each phone we assess its main features and we enhance those experiences with small UIs, such as the camera app or the note taking capabilities and multi-tasking tools on the Acer Liquid S1."

For Acer this approach makes business sense too, as the various enhancements generally don't require too much input for a decent return.

"We don't have to rewrite Android," said Allen Burnes, Acer's VP of Smartphones for EMEA, "the overhead we put into that is relatively low, but the consumer benefit is very high.

"People know Android, they like it, and we don't want to try and change their behaviour."

Now, if we could only get other manufacturers to follow Acer's example...

Source: TechRadar

For any of our members who live in Europe, you might be happy to learn that your mobile service will likely be much cheaper soon when you roam. The European Union is planning to end mobile roaming charges next year. Here's a quote with more of the details,

The group of 27 European Commissioners voted in Brussels on Tuesday to drive the package through in time for the European elections in May next year, to come into force as soon as 1 July 2014.

“They agreed that this time next year we will have got rid of these charges,” a Brussels source said Officials will draw up and publish detailed proposals in the next six weeks.

They expect the death of roaming charges to typically wipe 2pc off mobile operators’ revenues, after several years of tightening regulations designed to put an end to shockingly high bills for holiday makers and business travellers. They argue that operators will gain in the longer term by customers using their mobiles more abroad, particularly to access the internet.

The reforms are designed to encourage radical consolidation of European mobile network operators. A source familiar with the plans said the European Commission believes there are far too many companies offering services across the 27 member states and that the fragmentation is a barrier to badly-needed investment. Without upgrades, mobile networks will buckle under the pressure of the rapid growth in internet traffic, it is feared.

“There are around 100 operators in Europe and only four in the US,” the source said. “That’s not sustainable if we’re going to have a single market and investment. Europe has less 4G mobile broadband than Africa at the moment.”
“Consolidation is not the aim. The aim is a single market, but if it means we get fewer, stronger operators, that’s good.”

With no roaming fees, officials believe the single market will mean foreign operators will be able to compete for British customers, and vice-versa. They are likely to form airline-style alliances that will lead to mergers, it is hoped.

While this move is designed to help reduce costs for European consumers, it is also meant to reduce the disparate, fragmented multiple carriers across Europe and foster more cooperation between them. Of course, with the ensuing consolidation, the EU needs to be careful they don't end up with the same situation as we have in the U.S.. It can easily be argued that the U.S. doesn't have enough consumer choice between carriers. Somehow there must be some happy middle ground. Perhaps this new move by the EU will find that perfect balance.

Source: Telegraph

The next generation of the Google Nexus 7 will likely be hitting the streets pretty soon. It was just spotted at the FCC with Android 4.3 and a couple different radio versions in tow (GSM and WIFi). Specs for the device are even available through some indirect sleuthing by several websites. The way it was determined that the tablet at the FCC is actually the Nexus 7 required some deductive reasoning and several different puzzle pieces. It's interesting to see how they arrived at their conclusions, but for now we will simply take it at face value and share the details. Here are the specs below, and a link to the source if you want to see the reasoning behind their conclusions.

• 7-inch display (1920 x 1200 or 1080p) resolution
• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064)
• Adreno 320 GPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 32GB of storage
• 5-megapixel camera
• 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
• NFC
• Wi-Fi 80211n with dual-badn
• LTE
• (possibly) Qi wireless charging
• profile: 7.5 to 8mm

Based upon this FCC filing and the previous "rumint" we will more than likely see this new Nexus 7 launch in July. We will keep you posted.

Source: AndroidAuthority

A cool new award-winning action RPG game is now available globally on the Google Play Store. It's called "Rage of the Gladiator" and it originally was developed for the Nintendo Wii. It was ported to Android and has been available since March, but only in Europe. Now that it has launched globally, us "Yanks" across the pond can try it out too. Here's a brief description and link from the Play Store about the game and a video above.

"BEST ACTION GAME OF THE YEAR 2012" - TouchArcade
"CONSOLE-QUALITY ACTION" - 148apps
"GAME OF THE WEEK" - PocketGamer
"MUST-HAVE" - SlideToPlay

You play the role of Gracius, a gladiator battling for his life in the arena. Your opponents are no ordinary evil, but are epic boss fights whose tricky attacks will challenge even the most elite gamers. There are no ‘fodder’ enemies – its all bosses -- the most fun part of games! Beat them before they brutally beat you.
Armed with your magical warhammer and a trusty shield, you must exploit their weaknesses by jumping, dodging, shield blocking, or counter-attacking with proper timing, agility, and thinking. Then unleash your rage by brutally pounding your enemy with your warhammer, and perform over-the-top combo finishers such as summoning a vicious lightning storm or a deadly pillar of fire.

HIGHLIGHTS
* Stunning 3D graphics!
* Full voice acting. Each boss has its own personality, and taunts you mercilessly!
* Extremely realistic animations. When you attack bosses, the impacts and hits feel "real."
* 14 insane finishing moves. Summon a fiery meteor, a savage tornado, or transform into a hulking colossus 10x your size!
* Customize your character with new weapons and armor.
* Gain new powers and skills! How will you build your character? Choose Offense, Defense, or Magic.
* Epic music. Enjoy blood-pumping masterpieces by legendary composer Sean Beeson!
* Great replay value. Beat the game to unlock new difficulties, where bosses are much tougher with all-new abilities! Over a dozen hours of gameplay!
* A monumental undertaking, with content comparable to a console title, but for FREE!

Rage of the Gladiator was originally developed for the Nintendo Wii and is (c) 2009, 2013 by Ghostfire Games.

Source: Google Play Store - Rage of the Gladiator

If rumors from DigiTimes are correct, Google has no plans to chase the ultra-cheap pricing model to the bottom of the toilet with their next Nexus 7. According to their sources, Google is planning to stick with similar pricing for their next generation of the Nexus 7 tablet and may even increase it slightly to $229.99. Google wants to make sure they lock up the mid-range segment and avoid competing in the entry-level arean. Here's a quote with the details,

Google's second-generation Nexus 7 tablets are estimated to be available in the retail channel in July with a 16GB version priced at US$229 to avoid competing directly against entry-level tablets, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

As first-tier brand vendors have been trying to expand their sales through price cuts, Google is not looking to follow suit, but will instead focus on defending the US$199-249 segment of the 7-inch tablet market and target competitors such as Amazon and Apple, the sources said.

The sources said that in the second half, Apple's iPad mini will still focus mainly in the high-end segment, second-generation Nexus 7 the mid-range segment (US$200-250), Samsung's tablets both the mid-range and entry-level segments, and Acer and Asustek Computer's models the entry-level segment (below US$159).

What do you guys think? With the rumored higher end specs of the next generation Nexus 7, will it still be a bargain at $230?

An Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date has been pegged for October, with the next-gen mobile operating system tipped to land alongside the Google Nexus 5 smartphone.

Having widely been expected to make an appearance at Google I/O last month, an Android 5.0 release date has now been mooted for October. This potential launch window would see the latest Google OS touch down within weeks of Apple’s recently unveiled iOS 7.

With the Google Nexus 4 having launched Android 4.2 last year, it has been suggested that a currently unconfirmed Google Nexus 5 handset could be partnered with the Key Lime Pie arrival. What’s more, the October release period would see the eagerly awaited operating system iteration land around the same time as the repeatedly tipped Motorola X Phone.

Although it is not yet clear what introductions an Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie arrival would make, latest reports have suggested the OS improvement will be back compatible with all manner of current Android handsets.

Said to demand system requirements of just 512MB of RAM, Android 5.0 could soon find its way to all manner of mid-range handsets and not just the high-end likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Citing unnamed sources, VR-Zone has suggested the next Android OS could be as much about uniformity across all screen sizes and handset abilities as it is introducing new features.

Tipped to hit with a new Nexus smartphone, recent Google Nexus 5 rumours have suggested the repeatedly leaked handset will land running a 5.2-inch 1080p Full HD display alongside a speedy 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor.

With a reported 3GB of RAM and a 3300mAh Lithium-Polymer battery in tow, the Google Nexus 5 is seemingly set to become the new powerhouse of the smartphone scene.

Although it has been mooted that LG will manufacturer the Nexus 5, like it did the Nexus 4, the South Korean manufacturer has seemingly ruled itself out of the running for such a task.

“The Nexus 4 was a great success despite the production problems for us and Google,” Kim Wong, Vice President of LG Mobile in Europe said recently. He added: “However, we do not need such a marketing success again.”


Read more at Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date tipped for October - News - Trusted Reviews


So we at Androidtablets.net ask you, what is your dream feature set for Key Lime Pie?

Move over Samsung (4Gb LPDDR3), SK Hynix is about to run right by you with it's blazing fast 8Gb LPDDR3 memory chips. SK Hynix appears to be one-upping the smartphone giant, as the company has been working on its own 20nm eight gigabit (the equivalent of 1GB) memory chips, which can be stacked together to provide a whopping 4GB RAM in a single package.

SK Hynix’s new RAM will be built on high-density LPDDR3 which offers a higher data transfer rate, greater bandwidth, and improved power efficiency over older designs. In terms of raw performance this new RAM will have its data transmission speed sped up to 2,133Mbps, which is a fair bit faster than the 1,600Mbps offered by existing LPDDR3 handsets such as the new Samsung Galaxy S4, and doubles the speed of older LPDDR2 memory.

2014 should bring us some smartphones/tablets packing a monstrous 4GB of RAM, that will be able to handle anything that's thrown at it. For more details please read the full press release below:

SK Hynix Inc. (or ‘the Company', www.skhynix.com) announced that it has developed the world's first 8Gb(Gigabit) LPDDR3(Low Power DDR3) using its advanced 20nm class process technology. This product is a top-performance mobile memory solution which features high density, ultrahigh speed and low power consumption.
The new products can be stacked up and realize a high density of maximum 4GB(Gigabytes, 32Gb) solution in a single package. In addition, the height of this package becomes dramatically thinner than the existing 4Gb-based one. In terms of its high density and competitive package height, it is suitable for the newest trend of the mobile applications.


The product works at 2133Mbps which surpasses 1600Mbps of existing LPDDR3 in the aspect of its data transmission speed and is the world's fastest mobile DRAM. With a 32-bit I/O it processes up to 8.5GB of data per second in a single channel, and 17GB in a dual channel. It works at ultra low-voltage of 1.2V.


While this new LPDDR3 runs two times faster than LPDDR2, its standby power consumption decreases more than 10% compared to LPDDR2 products, therefore it satisfies both low power consumption and high performance which mobile applications highly demand.


It can be provided in various forms such as ‘PoP'(Package on Package) or being in a single package with ‘eMMC'(embedded Multi Media Card) which is installed in mobile gadgets as well as ‘On-board' type embedded in high-end ultrabooks and tablets.


“With the development of this high density LPDDR3 using 20nm class, SK Hynix is now able to supply a top-performance product suitable for mobile devices to the market”, Senior Vice President Richard Chin,

... [Read More]

When it comes to being safe against malware, most of us know to be careful with the "where, how, why and what" of downloading apps on our Android devices. Still, we would be remiss if we didn't share relevant news out there to help you guys stay informed about such things. Apparently malware on Android is at an all time high, and will likely hit the 1 million mark later this year. Also, there is a nasty new bug out there that is contributing to those numbers in a more insidious way. It's a trojan which attempts to spread itself through Bluetooth. Here are some quotes with some of the details,

A security researcher has found what he claims is the most sophisticated Android trojan yet, currently speading by SMS spam, which goes to great lengths to hide itself and tries to replicate on nearby Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Like other Android malware, the trojan is designed to earn its controllers money by forcing the infected device to send text messages to premium-rate numbers. But what's rare about Obad.a, according to Russian security vendor Kaspersky Lab, is that it exploits previously unknown vulnerabilities in Android to remain invisible.

The malware is not widespread and so far has relied on malware-laden SMS to spread, but it contains an impressive list of capabilities that puts it on par with the sophistication of Windows malware, according to Kaspersky Lab malware researcher Roman Unuchek.

"Backdoor.AndroidOS.Obad.a looks closer to Windows malware than to other Android Trojans, in terms of its complexity and the number of unpublished vulnerabilities it exploits," Unuchek notes in a blogpost. ~ ZDNet

The malware has even more unique and dastardly characteristics than just what is mentioned above so be sure to hit up the source link for more info. Here's a few important bullet-points to pay attention to regarding this rise of Android malware:

• Trend Micro detected 350,000 threats for Android, with a growth ratio of 14:3 for Android versus PC. In context, it took Android just three years to achieve the PC volume of malware threats within 14 years. By the end of this year, the volume of Android malware could reach as high as the 1 million mark.
• The number of Android malware detections spiked in the third quarter from 41,000 to 156,000 samples, according to the firm's research. 38 percent was adware, 25 percent stole data, while 22 percent included a malicious downloader. Leading the threat type, however, was a premium service abuser at more than 40 percent.
• Java-based threats helped lead Apple's OS X platform into the crosshairs of malware writers, hackers, and botnet controllers after the first widespread attack against the Mac.
• Social-media platforms became a greater target for cybercriminals as the

... [Read More]

Sony just dropped the price on their current version of Google TV. The reason they did that is because they also announced a new version of the device that will have one particularly cool advanced feature: voice search! The new Google TV NSZ-GS8 is basically just a revamped version of the previous model, but the new voice search functionality which works through the remote makes it stand out. Here's a quote with some additional detail,

The rest hasn't changed too much, as you can see if you compare the two devices side-by-side on Sony's website. As far as the price goes, the Sony NSZ-GS8 will cost $199, just like the NSZ-GS7, and, according to Sony's official blog post, will be available at the beginning of July.

If you can do without the new remote and voice search, you can now get the old Sony NSZ-GS7 for $169. You can also add the voice search functionality to the old version of Sony's Google TV by purchasing the new microphone-toting remote for $49.99, starting with June 17.

Source: GoogleTVForum.org via AndroidAuthority

If you are unafraid of refurbished products, and are looking for a solid Android tablet, then Woot! has a great deal for you. For one day only they are selling a refurbished version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 for just $299.99 + $5 shipping. This is the same tab with the Wacom digitizer and Stylus Pen included. Here's the link below to check out this deal.

Source: Woot! - Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 With Stylus

Lenovo has added a couple of new Android tablets to their lineup. Both are 7-inch tabs called the IdeaTab A1000 and A3000 respectively. Here's a breakdown of specs:

Lenovo IdeaTab A1000 - Can currently be purchased with a $40 web discount, totaling $149, by activating the code “HOMEPCDEAL” when checking out. (for a limited time only)

• 7-inch IdeaTab A1000 has a resolution of 1024 x 600
• MediaTek 8317 dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU at 1.20GHz
• 1GB of RAM memory
• 8 hours of web browsing over a WiFi connection
• Battery 3500mAh unit
• 16GB, expandable with up to 32GB via microSD
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 0.3 megapixel front camera for video chat and Dolby audio
• White or black

Lenovo IdeaTab A3000 - Cost of which $229 (and no promotion)

• Same 7-inch Display as the A1000
• MediaTek 6575 single core Cortex-A9 CPU running at 1.2GHz
• 1GB of RAM memory
• 16GB, microSD slot supports cards of up to 64GB
• 3500mAh battery
• Rear 5 megapixel camera is present on board, along with the 0.3 megapixel front shooter
• Only available in black

Here are a couple of source links below to check out these new tablets.

Source: Lenovo (1) & (2)