On top of all the other exciting news from Yahoo! today, the company just launched an update to their official Flickr Android app through Google Play, bringing a very polished look with it. The app’s UI is centered solely on photos and Yahoo doesn’t seem scared to recommend some great photographers that you should start following. Within seconds I was greeted by gorgeous landscapes and classy nudes. Thanks, Yahoo! 

As a cherry on top, Flickr is offering 1TB (yes, a whole terabyte) of storage when folks sign up for the service. That’s enough to get anyone signed up just the sake of having it.

Play Link

Via: Flickr

Cheers Nick S!

Flickr App Updated, Brings High-Res Photo-centric Look is a post from: Droid Life

A couple of weeks ago, Dan Rosenberg announced that he had unlocked the bootloader of the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4, but that he wouldn’t release his method until Verizon’s variant was also out in case they tried to patch it. With Big Red’s version arriving on doorsteps of pre-orderees, Dan had a chance to test his method thanks to a “helpful tester” and came out successful. According to a Tweet sent by Dan this morning, he successfully booted a custom recovery onto the Verizon version of the device and that he is looking forward to a release. 

Should your Galaxy S4 arrive in the coming days, or you decide to pop into a Big Red store to pick one up, be on the lookout for this method. We’ll be sure to pass it along the minute it becomes public, as there is no telling how long it’ll take for Verizon to issue a patch.

Take us away Diddy, “Can’t nobody take my pride, can’t nobody hold me down, ohhhh no, I got to keep on rootin’!”

Via:  @djrbliss

Cheers Mark!

Dan Rosenberg Appears to Have Conquered Verizon’s Galaxy S4 Bootloader, Boots Custom Recovery is a post from: Droid Life

How many times has a new Android app update been issued for a major app, yet you find yourself without the ability to update on your phone or tablet? All of your friends are showing off the new features, and there you are stuck in times of old, refreshing and tapping frustratingly, hoping that you’ll receive the satisfaction that accompanies the “Update” button. What if there was a way around the wait, at least in most cases? There is, actually. 

I’m surprised we haven’t shared this trick in the past, but never the less, it’s time that we do. Should you know of an app update in the wild, you can almost always install it directly from the web version of Google Play even if your device isn’t showing that you have an update available. As soon as you see the Play store listing of the app change over to today’s date, meaning it was recently updated, you can tap “Install” followed by a selection of the device you wish to install the update on, before sitting back as it updates over-the-air.

Take today’s Google+ update as an example. None of my devices are showing it as being available at this time on device (pictured above), however, I installed it just fine through the web Google Play on both my HTC One and Nexus 7. Also, if you got really desperate and weren’t anywhere near a computer, I’d bet that you can do the same trick through the Chrome browser on your phone.

Tip: If an Android App Update is Not Showing as Available on Your Device, Install From the Web is a post from: Droid Life

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you have been looking for a Chat Heads-like notification center, but don’t find yourself comfortable with the custom ROM flashing, then you will be happy to hear that a standalone application is currently being developed called, Floating Notifications. 

The application does not need root or any other special magic tricks. Once installed, simply select which apps you want to sport floating notifications and that’s it. From there, you can adjust a number of settings like the size and transparency of the floating app, how multiple notifications are shown, how much info or actionable items accompany them, and even if you’d like your phone to wake with some notifications.

Interactions between notifications vary depending on how many times you tap them. Single taps open, while double taps can close one or all of your notifications.

It is still in extreme alpha stage, so understand that it will only get better over time, especially as the developers work to get a bit more substantial build out to the public. This is a great start, though, and we will definitely keep you updated on when substantial progress is made on the app.

Via: XDA

Floating Notifications Brings ChatHeads Functionality Without the Need of a ROM is a post from: Droid Life

The U.S. unlocked variants (including the Developer Edition) of the HTC One are receiving a new update today to build 1.29.1540.16. The update is a smallish 17MB in size, so there likely aren’t any major additions included. In fact, we haven’t noticed any changes after updating other than the build number, especially not a jump to 4.2.2 or anything along those lines. Probably just a bug fixer, move along.

Oh, I’m also still using the One unlocked U.S. version as my daily driver. I spent some extra time at I/O with a Galaxy S4, but have since gone back to the One. It is still my favorite device of the moment. Updates like this, by the way, are another reason to consider picking one up. Keep in mind that HTC can push these out as soon as they are done since there are no carrier barriers to break through.

HTC One U.S. Unlocked and Developer Editions Receive Update to Build 1.29.1540.16 is a post from: Droid Life

Before last week’s Google I/O, rumors were almost certain that we would see a new version of Android announced. In case you haven’t heard, we didn’t get one. Nothing.

Although, during the conference, Google wasn’t prude about dropping some clues/hints about the next Android release during certain developer sessions. The image above was taken from a video during one of the developer presentations and looks to show our little Android eating some Key Lime Pie. 

Of course, that was not the only reference that was found either. Below, you can see that one of powers listed is Key Lime Pie, along with Jelly Bean and Chrome. These two little easter eggs are not a confirmation that the next version of Android will be named Key Lime Pie whenever we see it, but Google has been known to do little jokes like this before.

According to reports last week, we will more than likely see Android 4.3, still known as Jelly Bean on June 10. That’s right around the corner.

Via: Reddit

Did Google Tease Us With Key Lime Pie During I/O Developer Sessions? is a post from: Droid Life

Back on February 1, Verizon introduced a new set of prepaid plans that were laughable, to say the least. These new plans started at $60, which would get you unlimited talk and text along with 500MB of data. The second tier landed you the same unlimited benefits, but only 2GB of data for $70. Keep in mind that neither is capable of connecting to Verizon’s nationwide 4G LTE network and are instead stuck on their insanely slow 3G CDMA network. Also, prepaid offerings from companies like SmartTalk offer unlimited talk, text, and data for as little as $45 per month on HSPA+ networks. 

Outside of MVNOs, we have seen T-Mobile become the UNcarrier and AT&T launch their new AIO prepaid plans over the last couple of months, both offering services which crush the measly little data caps that Verizon set in initial prepaid plans. So, as any respectable business would do, Verizon has made some changes to those initial offerings.

Their prepaid plans now offer more data along with the same unlimited talk and text bundles. For $60, prepaid customers will start at 2GB of data instead of 500MB. At $70, customers will be bumped up to 4GB of monthly data.

Keep in mind that AT&T’s new AIO plans start at $55 for unlimited talk and text with 2GB of data, but then jump to unlimited (high-speed HSPA+ for the first 7GB) data for $70.

Via:  Verizon

Verizon Ups Data Limits on New Prepaid Plans, Likely in Response to Competitors is a post from: Droid Life

Another day, another Android tablet sale somewhere on the internet. This one is different however, because today Woot! not only has deals on the Motorola XYBOARD tablets, they are new devices. Usually you will see discounted prices on tablets that have been refurbished by one company or another, but these 8.2″ and 10.1″ tablets are new and cheap.

The 16GB 8.2″ WiFi tablet is the cheapest of the bunch at $199, but if you are looking to upgrade to the LTE version it’s only 20 dollars more. If a 10.1″ tablet is more your size, $209 is what it will cost you. These are absolutely the lowest prices you will see on a new Android tablet. Granted the XYBOARD isn’t the best tablet out there (you can read our review), but for this low of price what do you think?

Buy

Woot! Selling New Motorola XYBOARDs Starting at $199 [Deal] is a post from: Droid Life

As if the brand new Galaxy S4 and last year’s best selling phone the Galaxy S3 didn’t already look enough alike, Samsung is looking to make the software as similar as possible as well. SamMobile has a leaked version of the Android 4.2.2 build that Samsung is working on bringing to the S3. Not only does it upgrade your device to the latest version of Android, but many of the new features from the S4 will be included as well. 

The list of features that come from the new version of Android and the new TouchWiz is pretty long, but the big features include the new S4 lockscreen, which includes multiple widgets, clock resizing and other nifty features. New S-Voice, settings menu and smart switch widgets have all been added as well. If you are looking for the full list of changes or to install the leak for yourself, hit the source link below for instructions on how to do so.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Via: SamMobile

Android 4.2.2 Firmware Leaked for Galaxy S3, Brings Lots of S4 Features is a post from: Droid Life

Take a look at what could very well be the first shots of the Galaxy S4 Active from Samsung. This device has been an interesting one to follow, ever since the first reports of a water and dust-resistant Galaxy S4 hit the web back in April. It’s been reported that the device could launch as early as July, and with no word from Samsung yet, it’s interesting that they are allowing buyers to still gobble up the Galaxy S4 without presenting them with options first.

According to the benchmarks in the shot, the device should come shipped with what we see listed. There is a 1.9GHz quad-core processor (most likely the Snapdragon 600), 2GB of RAM, a 5″ 1080p display at a pixel density of 480 and a Adreno 320 GPU.

The phone’s exterior is quite different however from the regular Galaxy S4. It appears that all front-facing buttons are physical and slightly protrude from the bottom, a move that might have helped Samsung make it more resilient to the elements. As for that red backing, the four screws in the top and bottom corners add a nice rugged touch, but it does appear that the back is still removable if you look closely in the top left hand corner.

All in all, I think it’s a pretty handsome albeit tough looking device. Excellent for all of you weekend warriors out there.

What do you think?

Via:  GSMArena

Cheers Open1Your1Eyes0!

First Photos of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Emerge? is a post from: Droid Life

Click here to view the embedded video.

The newest commercial for Samsung’s Galaxy S4 dropped over the weekend, a clip that highlights Smart Pause for video watching and the phone’s ability to answer calls while waving a hand. It’s clever, that’s for sure. You have features being tossed around, a setting that is familiar to all sorts of segments of the population, awkwardness, and comedy. Samsung has done a pretty brilliant job when it comes to promoting their products over the last couple of years, with 2013 and the GS4 campaign being no different.

Samsung will reportedly eclipse the 10 million sales mark for the Galaxy S4 in less than a month’s time, a number that is pretty remarkable even with what must be an almost unlimited marketing budget.

New Galaxy S4 Ad Touts Smart Pause, Air Gestures, and Conversations With Complete Strangers is a post from: Droid Life

Last week at the I/O developers conference, Google introduced Hangouts, a cross-platform unified messaging service. Although, the service didn’t quite incorporate all of Google’s messaging services at time of launch, it has been confirmed through Nikhyl Singhal’s Google+ page that Hangouts is in fact, “the future of Google Voice.” 

Hangouts is designed to be the future of Google Voice, and making/receiving phone calls is just the beginning. Future versions of Hangouts will integrate Google Voice more seamlessly.

In addition, if you already changed your Google Talk service to Hangouts inside of Gmail, you might have noticed that it does not support outbound voice calls. According to Nikhyl, Google’s real time communication product manager, this is also getting fixed soon. “We’re working hard on supporting both, and outbound/inbound calls will soon be available,” he said in a G+ post.

This should come as excellent news for all of us that have been either a.) been dying for a Google Voice update or b.) ready for Hangouts to become their one and only messaging application.

Via: +Nikhyl Singhal

Google Hangouts Confirmed to be Future of Google Voice is a post from: Droid Life

Last week, the vice president of investor relations for NVIDIA, Rob Csongor, spoke of the company’s mobile strategies moving forward through 2013 and beyond. Currently, Samsung and Apple make up exactly 50% of this year’s first quarter mobile sales, so according to Csongor, NVIDIA will look to partner with the “other half” of the market such as HTC, ZTE, Huawei and other lower-placed companies to push its line of mobile processor. 

In doing so, NVIDIA’s upcoming Tegra 4i processor would be seen in direct competition with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 chip, a chip that NVIDIA says can be outperformed three to one by the 4i.

The Tegra 4 and 4i were announced earlier this year, but we are still awaiting a flagship device to carry either chip inside. Anyone else hoping to see a device running either one of these before NVIDIA arrives too late for the party?

Via: Fool

Cheers Ben!

NVIDIA to Target Mid-Range “Other Half” of Smartphones Moving Forward is a post from: Droid Life

At Google I/O last week, the Google+ team unveiled the new web UI for their social sharing service along with a number of new features. We wondered at the time when all of this new goodness would arrive on Android – that time is now. The update for Android is being described as a “a brand new Android app.” So this is somewhat of a new beast altogether, with new ways to explore content, “great” photo experiences, and location sharing with Circles. There is a lot in here, so let’s talk about it. 

With the new photo features, users are getting auto backups, auto highlight (top shots from your sets of photos), auto enhancing (subtle improvements to photos), and “Auto Awesome” (way to create “fun” new versions of pictures). When you upload photos to your G+ account, you can head into the Photos section to view these new Highlights, review Google’s enhancements, and check out the “awesome’d” pictures you have yet to see. The update also includes some of Snapseed’s photography tools.

On a location front, there is now a dedicated tab for “Locations.” This new section allows you to see where you friends are on a map, so that you can places to meet up should a Hangout not be in the cards. You can turn off location sharing if you’d like.

Last, we get the new card UI and exploring features we are seeing from the web version of G+. Tags are shown at the top right of posts, so that you can easily browse by topic. Notifications have been updated as well and are “nicer to look at and use,” plus profile fields can be edited on the go.

It’s a big update, so head to the Play store and look for it.

Update:  The update is now live! If you aren’t seeing the update on your device, try this trick.

*Note – The update doesn’t appear to be live yet.

Via:  Google+ Project | Play Link

Brand New Google+ App Introduced for Android With Location Sharing, “Great” Photos, and Better Stream Exploring is a post from: Droid Life

The Motorola XT1058, or better known as the “XFON,” is fully expected to launch on AT&T some time in the very near future. We’ve seen benchmarks with AT&T in the name, an FCC filing with model number that points towards AT&T bands, and pictures of the device in the wild with AT&T logos in the notification bar. But what about the other carriers? If the XT1058 is only headed to AT&T, does that mean the XFON is another AT&T exclusive or is there another model coming to carriers like Verizon? 

According to an .ini file pulled from leaked Motorola USB drivers, the XT1058 will be accompanied by a device XT1060, which appears to be the CDMA variant of the XFON. The .ini file lists out chipsets and models numbers for devices to be picked up when using Motorola’s RSD lite application. For the XT1060 we’re seeing a chipset labeled “MSM8960CDMA,” a Snapdragon 4 Pro dual-core variant, similar to what we saw in the benchmark for the XT1058. We’re assuming it’s the Pro here clocked at 1.7GHz with the Adreno 320 GPU, and not the lower-regular version with the Adreno 225 GPU.

Here is a clip from the .ini file:

////////////////////////////
This is for RSD app to create correct phone model class
[MODEL]
WIFI = f100,mz604,xoom,mz615,mz615-16,mz615-32,mz615-64,mz607,mz607-16,mz607-32,mz602
STEUMTS = mb865,me865
MSM6X55UMTS = mb632,xt605,xt626,xt621
MSM6X55CDMA = xt603
MSM8960CDMA = xt926,xt897,xt907,xt901,xt1060
MSM8960UMTS = mb886,xt923,xt925,xt905,201m,xt1058
IMC6260UMTS = xt890
////////////////////////////

So this news shouldn’t surprise anyone, since manufacturers almost always try to keep phones as similar as possible these days when launching them on multiple carriers. This just means that Verizon (or even Sprint) isn’t going to see a wild change in processor when compared to the AT&T XFON.

Cheers ___!

Verizon’s “XFON” Likely the XT1060, Also Runs a Snapdragon S4 Dual-core MSM8960 is a post from: Droid Life