This device is, more or less, the equivalent of a hacked Samsung GALAXY S 4 for AT&T/T-Mobile. Inside you’ll find an unlocked system displaying Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean without any additions from any carrier or Samsung itself, coming only with the basics issued by Google.

In this device we’re seeing a unique new chapter in Google history. Where previous to this week, any release of a device with as stripped-down and pure as this one pushed by Google was labeled with a Nexus brand name. Here with the Samsung GALAXY S 4, the company has made clear their acceptance of the dominance of Samsung in the Android device-sphere, keeping the GALAXY branding (as they did with the Galaxy Nexus), this time kicking out the Nexus name altogether.

Barra had presented this device on-stage earlier in the day with the following words:

“We continue to be blown away by the hardware that’s coming out of our partners — the HTC One, and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Like this Galaxy S4. There’s something unique about this S4, that’s not available elsewhere. Take a look at my homescreen.

This version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available directly through Google Play, unlocked for both ATT and T-Mobile with LTE support, 16GB internal storage, bootloader unlocked, and it’ll receive prompt system updates with every new release.” – Hugo Barra

What we’ve seen up close is a pure Google experience that’s as swift or swifter than the original GALAXY S 4 with Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface. Barra’s device is likely an early build, but we’re expecting the final product to be essentially the same: home button, 1080p display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor and all.

And for those of you wondering: no, he doesn’t use any magical super-secret Google-only apps that only the bosses get. Unless, of course, he was using super-secret Android powers to hide them.

You never know!

The device will be available on June 26th for $649 USD without a contract, compatible with T-Mobile USA and AT&T micro SIM cards, 4G LTE and all. Sound like a value proposition to you? This is one of those situations where we’re guessing developers will find the build to be best – it’s going to be difficult for this device, no matter how neat – to compete with the Nexus 4 already up for $299, also without a contract. That’s hard to argue with.

This device will be sold straight through Google Play, this implying an unlocked bit of greatness – and indeed that is what it is. The Google Edition of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 will cost users a cool $649 USD and will be coming up on the web starting on June 26th. It should be made clear that this device is not branded with the word Nexus, but is essentially that: unlocked, basic Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and updated by Google.

This device works with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor that the normal edition does, and it’ll be coming with essentially the same set of hardware from top to bottom that the normal edition has. This release marks the point at which Google begins selling 3rd-party hardware for Android on their website. Of course you’re able to purchase Chromebooks made by Samsung and Acer direct from Google Play, but this is the first Android to come without Nexus in its name.

Stay tuned as we see how well a relatively expensive device such as this does on the Google Play online store. While the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 7 – and the Nexus 10 to a lesser degree – have been successful in Google Play due to their relatively high value and low price, this GALAXY S 4 might see not quite so easy a time at a price that’s double the Nexus 4. We shall see!

If you’ve been following email updates about Project SHIELD straight from NVIDIA before today, you’re in luck. Those signed up with the company as a gamer interested in the product as an early adopter will be given the first shot at the device.

A shot at ordering SHIELD as a pre-order, that is. The device itself will be the same, but these earliest pre-orders will be filled first – of that you can be sure.

Hardware

At the head of this device is the NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core A15 CPU with custom 72 code GeForce GPU. That’s a mouthful, and we’re certainly not going to try to explain the full ins and outs of it here. Instead you’ll want to head over to the SlashGear 101: NVIDIA Tegra 4 in detail post we’ve prepared for an occasion just like this. In short: it’s got so much graphics power it’ll be good to go for years to come.

SHIELD works with a 5-inch 720p multi-touch display which flips-up from its hardware controller body. In this shell-opening form-factor, this device allows the user a gaming experience only otherwise given in part by 3rd-party accessories attached to smartphones. With NVIDIA’s solution, the display is made specifically for this setup, while the controls, sound system, and form factor are all made with one final single product in mind.

With SHIELD, users will be working with integrated speakers – both a left and a right – along with two tuned ports for high-end bass response. Each time we’ve handled this machine thus far, the sound has been full and deep, with the ability to get loud enough that it’s necessary to pull the volume back. Don’t want to wake up the upstairs neighbors, after all.

NVIDIA has let it be known that the device has seen a few – not many, but some – changes between its reveal and its final form, that being the one we’re having another look at here today. The device has had a tiny bit of weight added since CES 2013 several months ago – welcome, in this case, as this adjustment allows the device to feel the correct amount of substantial in a user’s hands. The device remains largely plastic, but certainly looks and feels like a high-end product, as it should.

SHIELD will be available for a retail price of $349 USD right out of the gate. This price remains the same no matter how or through whom you’ll be ordering it. Orders will be done through NVIDIA’s own website and through NewEgg and Micro Center here in the USA. Canadian gamers will be able to pick the device up at Canada Computers as well.

Android / TegraZone Games

The device will be delivered with a couple games installed, NVIDIA’s own game portal TegraZone – and that’s it. This delivery essentially counts as a vanilla build of Android Jelly Bean, allowing users to work with as simple and recognizable – and customizable – an experience as possible.

Five new games have been promised for SHIELD and its high-powered processor backing up Android, each of them coming to Android here for the first time. Double Fine will be bringing the games Broken Age and Costume Quest. Broken Age is an epic fantasy tale set in the clouds with flying ships, computers, and oddities galore. Costume Quest is a game that’s appeared on Windows PCs, PlayStation 3, OS X, Linux, and the Xbox in the past, coming to Android for the first time here to show the power of NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 processor.

Above: SHIELD at CES 2013 hands-on with Android gaming (Hawken, specifically).

Flyhunter: Origins is a new Android game coming to SHIELD from the developers at Steel Wool Games. This game will deliver not only a strange miniature storyline, but high-class art as well – NVIDIA has specifically pointed out the lovely artistic abilities of the development group behind this game – bright and pretty!

Dedalord Games will be bringing Skiing Fred with a full free-movement system that will be entirely unique to SHIELD. Don’t get caught in the drift! Developers at Niffler will be bringing Chuck’s Challenge to life on SHIELD as a 3D puzzle game that allows users to create their own levels and share with friends.

Two high-powered Android games will be installed on the device out of the box: Sonic 4 Episode II and Expendable: Rearmed. We’ve had our own hands-on look at Sonic 4 Episode II back a few months ago in all its full super-speed glory while Expandable: Rearmed makes with the massive amounts of firepower.

PC Connectivity with GeForce game streaming / Steam

Valve has joined the party as well for this device’s PC connection. As SHIELD is made to bridge the gap between PC and mobile gaming on Android, Valve’s own Steam gaming experience will be in play. Though GeForce game streaming will be launching as a beta feature, we’ve seen it in action more than once, and it looks pretty rad.

Users will need their own compatible PC and a WiFi network they can connect with to make any and all desktop gaming a reality on SHIELD, Steam included. Once this connection is made, Steam’s Big Picture Mode is the user interface that SHIELD will use. With a healthy handful of PC games (20 games at first, we’re told) optimized and prepared for this cross-device compatibility at launch, user’s should have no problem finding a good title for which to game from their couch.

Controls for these games will be automatically fitted to SHIELD’s own, allowing gamers to, for example, break into Borderlands 2 the first time they open it with the device. This set of games is not a limit for the device, of course, as SHIELD’s controls are able to be fit to any game that’d otherwise be able to work with a controller connecting to your PC with, for example, a USB or Bluetooth connection.

Development

NVIDIA’s SHIELD device will have more details revealed over the next few weeks, and of course the GeForce game streaming bit of this amalgamation will see mighty changes in the near future, but the main bulk of the device and its features are here. This device is a market-ready machine, and in it we’ll be seeing the NVIDIA Tegra 4 in action out in the wild for the first time.

Have a peek at the brief timeline of SHIELD items we’ve collected in the recent past and hit SlashGear’s Tegra hub for more information on NVIDIA’s mobile universe. SlashGear’s Project SHIELD tag portal will also serve to give you an exploratory look at the demonstrations and details that have emerged prior to today, as well.

It was just one year ago that Google I/O 2012 revealed the Google Nexus 7 originally, giving it there to every developer attendee so that they might develop games and apps for the device with ease. That original Google Nexus 7 remains on sale today with the specifications it came with in the first place.

The original Google Nexus 7 worked with a 7-inch IPS LCD display at 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, that ending up bringing on a 216 PPI screen density. This device was 198.5 x 120 x 10.45 mm large and was released in both wifi-only and 3G-capable iterations, having Bluetooth, NFC, and GPS inside. The original Nexus 7 worked with 8GB of internal storage – this was quickly upgraded to 16GB of internal storage in the smallest, standard model, while another 32GB internal storage iteration was released as well.

Perhaps most important of all, this original Nexus 7 was – before it was scooped up by Google – an ASUS/NVIDIA collaboration. As a low-cost quad-core processor-toting tablet, NVIDIA had it announced at CES 2012 with ASUS without a formal release date. This device was quickly spotted by Google and brought on as an exclusive release under the company’s Nexus brand. Fun fact: we also predicted this collaboration – albeit with the wrong price attached.

This ASUS Eee Pad MeMO was announced with NVIDIA’s own Tegra 3 quad-core processor inside and continued to carry that processor through to its re-naming as the Google Nexus 7. In an analyst report with 9to5Google by Mingchi Kuo from KGI securities today, the new Google 7 tablet will be bringing with it a quad-core Qualcomm processor.

The processor this new Nexus 7 is tipped to bring with it is the same APQ8064 Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor carried by the Google Nexus 4, the current hero smartphone for Google (manufactured by LG). This would be a relatively major blow to NVIDIA as the Nexus 7 allowed their chipset to reach a relatively large cross-section of users over the past year.

This new Nexus 7 would be manufactured by ASUS as the first iteration was and will have 7-inch LTPS display with 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution. That puts the density of this display at 323 PPI, far greater than the original device. This new Nexus 7 is also suggested to be coming with a thinner bezel than before, Qi standard wireless charging, and a back-facing camera sitting at 5-megapixels strong.

We’ll know one way or the other next week – if Google is aiming to re-introduce the Nexus 7 with new specifications for this year, Google I/O 2013 is the ideal place to do it. Stick with SlashGear in our Google I/O portal for more information on the event and head to our Facebook event page to sign up to remind yourself to join us!

Hardware

This smartphone is a rather interesting amalgamation of plastic and glass. It feels thin and smooth to the touch – the back is a single sheet of hard plastic without pattern while the front has a single pane of reinforced glass. The front has three capacitive buttons, not quite jumping in on the trend Google has been pushing with on-screen buttons quite yet.

The display up front of this device is a 5-inch 1080p panel all but hidden by the black bezel that surrounds it. While the display is on you can certainly tell where it begins and ends, but whatever OPPO has done to equalize the quality of black in the bezel surrounding the display while off and the screen itself is working. While on, this display kicks in 441 PPI, equaling that of the Sony XPERIA Z and the Samsung GALAXY S 4 and narrowly missing the current density winner: the HTC One (468 PPI).

The back of this smartphone is solidly attached to its front – there’s no removable or replaceable battery here. This device is certainly not built to be winning any repairability contests due to its one-piece presentation, but you will feel as though OPPO created a solid package when you’re working with it.

The touchscreen on this device works just as well as any other top-tier device and the viewing angles are generally OK. With IPS LCD technology backing up the OPPO Find 5, you’ll certainly be able to see what you’re doing outside, but don’t jump in to direct sunlight too often or expect a family of four to gather around from all angles to see the same image – it’s good, but it’s not perfect.

This device works with NFC both for reading and writing – as most embedded NFC sensors do. What’s impressive about the OPPO Find 5 for NFC is its built-in NFC writing software. Pre-sets and a set of two NFC tags in the box make for an entertaining out-of-box experience to be sure.

The audio experience on this device is great for a back-facing speaker setup. The HTC One takes the rest of the smartphone world to lunch with its Boomsound speakers on their own, but with both of them facing the user, straight out from around the display of the smartphone, they make the rest of the smartphone world sound like a mistake was made. Unfortunately OPPO’s main onboard speaker is, indeed, back-facing.

Software

OPPO creates an ever-so-slightly interesting software experience here on top of Android, bringing in a sort of candy-coated collection of app icons that remind one of the first plays Samsung had at Android back with the first Galaxy and TouchWiz 1.0. It’s not the same iOS-esque game here, on the other hand, with the rest of the changes keeping well in the Android world with screen transitions and lockscreen elements only otherwise seen in user-customized 3rd party homescreen replacement apps.

Below you’ll see our hands-on demonstration of the OPPO Find 5′s software build – take note of the speed at which apps load and/or don’t load – this isn’t an experience that’s as optimized for Android as the Nexus 4 is, but general everyday use is perfectly decent.

According to chats we’ve had with users already owning this device – and users like you bringing on the comments – we’re to understand that carriers working with this device have had an easy time upgrading software, working with the device for software fixes, and offering good service in general. Generally that’s not an issue with a big-brand smartphone (not always, but generally), but with a still-relatively-small group like OPPO, it’s encouraging to hear and read.

Below you’ll also find some benchmark results from the OPPO Find 5 with its most up-to-date software. Again, this device isn’t going to win any beastly smartphone battles, but it gets the job done. This device isn’t going to be the best on the market if you’re looking for a top-tier gaming experience, but for media consumption and capture and everyday non-game app activities, you’ll be par for the course.

Camera

The camera on the OPPO Find 5 can create some excellent photos and video but actually capturing them seemed to be above-average difficult. This machine works with an Exmor RS sensor with 13 megapixels of power on its back, this allowing for some rather excellent shots if you’re willing to take the time to capture them. The examples below should show you a wide variety of examples from our time with the device – good and bad.

Have a peek at some other reviews done by me, Chris Burns, to check on your humble reviewer’s ability to take quality shots if you’re suspicious of the images appearing here. If you’re the kind of person who rests their camera on still surfaces when you’re taking photos, you’ll get good photos. It’s as simple as that.

Also have a peek at some video here to see what we’ve captured in a regular test-quality situation. We’ve made similar runs at this arena in the past with devices of all kinds – compare at will!

Battery

You’ll want to download some battery optimization software if you’re planning on getting a full day’s use out of this machine. Unlike some of the big-name devices we’ve worked with towing the same processor here from Qualcomm, this device can really knock a battery out easily. Though the same is true for any device that’s got a display as bright and as sharp as this in keeping the brightness on auto, apps of all kinds seem to drain the OPPO Find 5 a bit quicker than they should.

Owning the OPPO Find 5

Reviewing this device was bittersweet, if only because I knew we’d not be seeing a lot of readers here that’d actually be able to use this device in the end. It’s a smartphone being sold in China with no plans for overseas release. That said, it’s refreshing to see such a company doing such a top-notch job when the only other devices with such a solid package on the market today have been made by one of five companies.

Right this minute you’ll be able to find the OPPO Find 5 for between $499.99 and $600 USD unlocked and carrier free. Make sure you know your SIM card will work before you pick one up and let us know how you like it!

Wrap-up

The OPPO Find 5 is not a Samsung Galaxy device, nor is it an iPhone. It’s not a Motorola hardcore delivery, nor is it an LG powerhouse, or a Google Nexus device for that matter. It’s not the HTC One and it’s certainly not a Sony device. Instead you’ve got a unique approach from OPPO in a package that’s certainly going to stay strong in owners’ pockets for extended periods.

And the end result of OPPO’s efforts are a bright spot for the company – this device, packaging to final smartphone build, make the case for this brands’ future. Keep an eye out for future OPPO releases and count them in as a brand to be reckoned with in the next few years across the pond – hopefully beyond China, too.

Hardware

Up front of the LG Optimus G Pro is a 1080 x 1920 pixel display across 5.5-inches of IPS LCD. This equals 400 PPI resolution and the same amount of pixels the HTC One and the Samsung GALAXY S 4 have spread over a slightly larger area. The display reaches out to the sides of the device with a bezel that’s extremely narrow, this giving the phone the illusion of having a near-edge-to-edge screen.

The front of the device is covered by a single piece of reinforced glass from top to bottom with a bent-in flat edge that, with flat sides and rounded back, give the whole package a unique feel. While the design comments in our LG Optimus G Review suggested LG’s hardware to be a bit more slippery than the average phone, the Pro’s shape and size allow for a bit better grip.

The front panel is interrupted only by a single plastic bit up top to make way for the earpiece for phone calls and a physical button on the lower front surrounded by multi-colored LED light. This pulsing spectrum of color is easily one of the most well-implemented bits of finesse ever implemented on a smartphone. This feature alone pushes the hardware design over the edge: from Pretty Good to Unique and Cool.

Along the sides of the device you’ll find two mic holes (one on top, one on bottom), a standard-sized headphone jack with Dolby Digital audio technology for all your headphone music blasting adventures, and a microUSB port below. Also on top you’ll find a tiny black piece of plastic – this is your IR-blaster, aka your key to using this device as a remote control for a variety of electronics around your home, including but not limited to your television (most televisions, not just Smart TVs), stereo system, projector, Blu-ray player, and air conditioner.

On the right you’ve got your power button and on your left you’ve got your volume rocker below a third button. This last button is what LG calls a Quick Button. With this Quick Button you’ll be able to “get quick access” to whatever app you like. If you’re a photo-taking sort of person, set it to your camera. If you’d rather it connect to Google Search / Google Now, that’s an option as well. If you do decide to set it to Camera, the Quick Button also acts as a shutter button inside the camera app – just as it should.

This device feels nice to hold and, unlike some of its competitors, isn’t larger than the average adult’s hand grip. Where the LG Intuition fell a bit flat due to it’s massiveness, the aspect ratio of the LG Optimus G Pro allows it to be even larger yet fit in your hand far more naturally. Here we’ve got a phablet with a size that’s not too wild.

Software

Inside you’ve got LG’s newest approach to Android, complete with their complete utilization of the full processor power under the hood with oddities galore. One example of a simple – yet impressive – use of the power this device’s processor presents is the massive bubble that pops up when you unlock your screen. It and flipping through screens with a door-like drag happen so seamlessly that you’ll scarcely realize how slick it is. Until you use a phone later on with a lesser processor, of course.

LG’s software here keeps with the nice parts of Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, including Google Now, and push forward with features like QSlide apps. While I’m not entirely sure when the ability to have an app appear above the fold and accessible as a window in a desktop operating system app would be, here you’ve got the future right in front of you. This sort of floating app functionality is also seen in the Samsung Galaxy and Note line of smartphones and tablets in a just-as-mystifying implementation.

The notifications pull-down menu is utilized by LG in a variety of creative ways the likes of which no other hardware company has pushed to a smartphone. You’ve got brightness control, notifications, access to full settings, quick settings (toggles), QSlide apps, Music control (when music is playing), and Quick Remote. Each of these is customizable too, of course.

QuickRemote is LG’s current app interface for remote controlling your home hardware. This app allows you to work with the infra-red blaster that sits at the top of the device and allows you to control your TV, Cable box, Audio system, DVD player, Blu-ray player, Air conditioner, and projector. You’ll have to go through a short trial-and-error process to connect this control to each device around your home, but in general, anything that’s controlled by a normal universal remote can be controlled here.

Though you don’t have the Rubberdium Pen you did with the LG Intuition here with the Optimus G Pro, you still have access to apps like Note Pad and Notebook, both of which allow you to draw and take notes on your display with your finger. You also get a simple task manager to keep yourself on-point with notifications of to-do items, Video Wiz to edit your own self-filmed videos, and LG Tag+ to create your own unique NFC tags (not included in the box this time around).

In display settings you’ll find Smart screen, similar to a feature Samsung has been pushing with the last several smartphones it’s released, here detecting your eyes and keeping the device’s display awake so long as you’re looking at it. You can customize your home button LED light colors and alerts from this screen as well.

In Share & Connect in the device’s Networks tab in Settings you’ll find an NFC switch (off and on) aside Direct/Android Beam. With Wi-Fi direct you’ll be able to share files between mobile devices (that also have such connectivity abilities) and with NFC this connection is made extra-easy. You’ll also find File Networking to connect to your local network (if you’re sharing files via your PC, for example), and with SmartShare Beam you’ll be sharing files back and forth between LG devices specifically.

Then there’s Miracast – this being the first time we’ve seen the system named specifically since Google implemented this connectivity in Android Jelly Bean earlier this year. With Miracast you’ll have a new industry standard for wireless connectivity of devices, in this case allowing you to mirror your Optimus G Pro’s display to your high-definition television at high speed.

Have a peek at a demonstration of LG’s “World’s First Wireless Ultra HD Transmission Technology” filmed earlier this year at Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona. You’re seeing this hands-on with the LG Optimus G, this letting us know that the ability isn’t just there in the less-powerful of the LG hero devices, it’s ready to go for 4K televisions as well! Now we just need a 4K television to test it on with LG’s final implementation of the connection between on device and the other.

You’ll find the LG Optimus G Pro out-performing most devices on the market today regardless of the slightly larger display size it works with. Above you’ll find a gallery of benchmark results run on the device, many of which we’ve run for similar devices in the past. As you’ll see, this device’s biggest competitors are the HTC One and Samsung GALAXY S 4, the whole bunch running the same Qualcomm processor under the hood – the battle continues!

Camera

While we’ve done a slightly more extensive exploration of the abilities of this device’s camera earlier this year in our LG Optimus G Pro Photo Tour: Barcelona, you’ll also find a new set of examples below. This device uses a 13 megapixel camera on its back, a 2.1 megapixel camera on its front, and a set of odd abilities you’ll have a good ol’ time working with. NOTE: we’ll be including further examples of the Dual Recording feature in the near future. For now: courage!

Battery

With a 3,140 mAh battery it’s not easy to knock the power out of this device in one go. That said, if any display was going to do it, it’d be this beast’s. As you can see in the example here, you can either keep the device running actions for hours on end and kill it in less than 8 hours, or you can let it sit idle for many days. This appears to be the case with most devices running Qualcomm processors in this newest generation – we’re expecting this trend to continue.

Wrap-up

The LG Optimus G Pro is a rather fine piece of machinery. It’s offers you an alternative to the HTC One and/or Samsung GALAXY S 4 here up on the top tier with its similar display (larger, though again, with the same amount of pixels), identical processor, and surprisingly similar set of features. It also offers you a unique hardware build and a camera that’ll go very nearly toe-to-toe with the leaders.

You’ll find the LG Optimus G Pro costing the same or less than the competing top-tier smartphones out with AT&T right this minute and/or in the near future, and its feature set makes it a solid package in the battle against the other titans of this mobile industry. Here in this massive smartphone, LG has created an amalgamation of elements that’ll satisfy legacy LG lovers and newcomers to the size, all the same.

You can check out an example of a Photo Sphere embed here, and Google details the process of adding a Photo Sphere to your website on their developer support page. The embed will allow you to click and drag around the photo to see a 360-degree view of the subject, as well as having the option of viewing the flat version as well.

In the past, Photo Sphere images were only viewable on the device that it was taken on, or on Google+ and Google Maps (if you added it to Google Maps, that is). The website that you want the embed on will have to have JavaScript first, but once that’s done, all you have to do is paste in a few lines of code and you’re good to go.

Photo Sphere is one of the more popular features in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and it lets you take panorama photos that you can then view in a sphere-like manner, rather than just looking at it at a flat perspective like most panorama apps feature. Microsoft’s Photosynth app is the closest that comes to Photo Sphere, but even that has its limitations.

The update should be available now, although AT&T didn’t mention how fast the roll out would be happening. Although, all users can download the update on their PC and install on their Galaxy Note device through Samsung Kies. AT&T didn’t mention anything about being able to receive the update over-the-air, so you’re best bet seems to be to go the manual route.

On a different but still slightly-related note, the Verizon Galaxy Note II also received an update today, receiving a bump up to Android 4.1.2, as well as a handful of updates to apps that now support Samsung’s Multi Window mode, which allows you to split-screen certain apps. The update also includes support for Isis Mobile Wallet, as well as fixes alarm clock issues.

The AT&T Galaxy Note sports a 5.3-inch with a 1280 x 800 resolution, while its successor rocks a larger 5.5-inch display with a 720p resolution display. The Galaxy Note rocks a dual-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz, while the Galaxy Note II packs in a faster quad-core chip clocked at a quick 1.6GHz.

Like its brethren, this smartphone will be available in Europe at the end of May with SIM-free sales keeping the device packed for international excellence. This device will be running in with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and will be packing a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Play (8225Q) processor clocked at 1.2GHz. You’ll find 1GB of RAM under the hood along with 4GB of internal storage.

You can up your internal storage by 64GB with this device’s microSD card slot as well, the entire device coming in at a cool 153.6 x 78 x 9.25mm physically. This device weighs in at 189.9 g, just over the weight of the Archos 50 Platinum. This smartphone does not work with 4G LTE or 4G in any way, instead relying on 2G and 3G bands for international connectivity.

You’ll find this device to be working with a 5.3-inch IPS LCD display at 960 x 540 pixel (qHD) 220 DPI resolution with what Archos notes are “wide viewing angles.” On the back you’ve got an 8 megapixel camera, on the front you’re working with a 2 megapixel camera, and this device connects over wifi, Bluetooth, and FM radio as well. Check the Archos tag portal we’ve got set up for ye for more information on the rest of this smartphone lineup as well!

[via Archos]

With the Archos 50 Platinum you’re getting the Snapdragon S4 Play quad-core processor (8225Q) clocked at 1.2GHz along with 1GB RAM and 4GB of internal storage space. That internal storage space can be boosted with the device’s microSD card slot which you can pack with a microSD card up to 64GB in size. You’ll also be kicking it with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean right out of the box.

This device works with a rather interesting body coming in at 143.4 x 72.4 x 8.9mm and weighing just 160.2 g. The battery you’re getting under the hood is a cool 2000mAh and you’ll be connecting with 2G and 3G speeds. Though it should be expected that we’d not get every awesome specification ticked off of our “must have” list when we’ve got such a low cost on this phone, the lack of 4G might be the hardest to swallow.

The display on this device is a 5.0-inch IPS LCD with 960 x 540 pixel (qHD) 220 DPI resolution. You’ll find this device to be carrying an 8 megapixel camera on its back, a 2 megapixel camera on its front, and connectivity with Bluetooth, Wifi, and FM stereo. This device’s Android build is also completely Vanilla save the couple of Archos apps that come pre-installed.

Like each of the other Archos smartphones being announced today, this machine works with dual-sim functionality. You’ll be able to manage two provider networks simultaneously and make your device prepared for work and play at once! Have a peek at the Archos tag portal today for additional releases from the company and stay tuned as they continue to jump in on the Android smartphone universe!

[via Archos]

This smartphone runs with many of the same specifications that the XPERIA Z did, bringing on the 5-inch 1080 x 1920p full HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 for the brightest and sharpest experience you’ve ever had on an XPERIA smartphone. You’ll be working with Infra-red for controlling your television, NFC for connecting to all the NFC tags you could ever want, and that same cool 13 megapixel camera on the back. You’ve also got a rather nice “Superior Auto” mode on the camera that instantly adds or subtracts camera features depending on what the camera detects in front of you.

You’ve got a newly rubbery textured plastic back panel instead of the glass flat panel the Z worked with – while some might not be all that pumped up about such a change, we’re certainly all for it. Now the device doesn’t feel nearly as fragile, and it retains its high-end feel just as well. You also get a significant size advantage with this build, the device working with the same massive display but with a bezel that’s shaved enough off the top and bottom of the build that you’ll be holding what basically feels like a “borderless” screen – a rather nice feeling.

Interestingly enough, it’s not as if the Xperia ZL was made entirely on the suggestions made for the Z. We saw the Xperia ZL at the same time as the Z back at CES 2013 with our Xperia Z hands-on. Both devices were ready to roll in their near-ready forms one next to the other, the one ready to dunk in the water, the other being the smaller-bodied beast.

Inside you’ve got the same processor you’ll get with the LG Optimus G and the Google Nexus 4 (by LG) – have a peek below at some benchmark tests to prove this device’s might. You’ll also find some hands-on images above and below, and we’ll be presenting additional tests soon. Please feel free to let us know any questions you’ve got about this device and we’ll do our best to make sure you’re fully informed before you purchase the Xperia ZL later this month!

The Skyrocket was released was released back in November 2011 as an AT&T exclusive, and it ran Android 2.3 Gingerbread right out of the box. It was eventually updated to Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, and now owners are able to take advantage of Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean by downloading the update either over-the-air or via Samsung Kies.

The Galaxy S II Skyrocket wasn’t a huge change over the original Galaxy S II, but it does offers a larger display at 4.5 inches over the Galaxy S II’s 4.3-incher. The Skyrocket also comes with 4G LTE that the Galaxy S II unfortunately lacks. The Skyrocket also sports a slightly faster processor at 1.5GHz and double the internal storage space.

Jelly Bean will allow Skyrocket users to take advantage of some of the great new features of the new Android OS, including Google Now, improved notifications, and smoother performance thanks to Project Butter. This may be the last update that the Galaxy S II Skyrocket receives, so savor the moment while you can.

The MeMoPad 7 was announced in January, and so consumers didn’t have to wait too long for the slate to hit stores. If you didn’t see it, you can check out the teaser video attached below, which gives a decent glimpse of the device. Or, now that it is on shelves, you can head over to your nearest electronics retail store and see it for yourself in person.

For $149, users will get a slate running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with 16GB of internal storage space and a microSD card slot for further expansion. The 7-inch display has a decent-to-low resolution of only 1026 x 600. The front of the device has a single-megapixel camera for video chatting. All of the basic features you’d expect in a tablet are there, so users won’t find much to complain about, lower-end specs aside.

Inside, users will find a 1GHz VIA single-core WM8950 processor and 1GB of RAM, a rather significant drop from the $50 more-expensive Nexus 7′s Tegra 3 quad-core. If you’re in the market for a small slate to accompany you on your day-to-day dealings, saving up a little bit more and springing for a Nexus would be a wiser decision, financially-speaking. But if you’re looking to spend under $200, the Asus MeMoPad 7 is certainly a nice option.

[via Android Community]

With the reveal of Facebook Home, we’re seeing an experience existing within Android, on top of it – not taking it over entirely. Even when you put your hands on the HTC first, the very first Facebook Home device right out of the box, you’ll be able to turn Facebook Home off if you like. But what of advertisements? And what of the idea that Facebook Home commands the entire user interface you’re working with on your phone?

See our full Facebook Home and HTC first hands-on experience now!

Such things seem to not have struck investors as concerns as the stock hasn’t dropped since before the event began. Now we’ll see if this first smartphone to run the device does well – at $99 USD from AT&T with a 2-year contract, it just might. And we’ll see if Facebook Home is a software experience that people will want to try – or maybe even use regularly.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see the many angles at which Facebook Home has been covered by SlashGear today, and don’t forget to stick to the Android Hub for more on the insides. Also let us know if you’re all about the Facebook Home smartphone experience, if you’ll wait for the tablet edition, or if you’ll be skipping it altogether!

Jelly Bean comes with some impressive improvements compared to Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean users can take advantage of improved notifications, Google Now, and some UI tweaks that make performance a lot smoother thanks to Project Butter. However, the AT&T update specifically comes with support for Isis Mobile Wallet, which is available to use in Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah.

AT&T also mentions that the LG Optimus G is the “official mobile device of NCAA March Madness,” which is still going on now, with the final four teams ready to face off this Saturday. As for what this means for Optimus G users, you’ll be able to watch the games using the March Madness Live app, and the only requirement is that you have to login using your cable subscription credentials.

In any case, if you don’t see the update automatically hitting your Optimus G, you can head to Menu -> Settings -> General -> About phone -> Software Update and see if the update has made its way to you. If it has, simply connect to a WiFi network and off you’ll go. Be sure to tell us how you like it in the comments below.

[via Android Community]

When we switch from phone to phone here on SlashGear (and over on Android Community where the video you’re about to see comes from), it’s rare that we’ll find an app that absolutely must pop up on all review units. HD Widgets is certainly one of them. With the Colourform theme pack, things have suddenly gotten a whole lot more appealing to the modernists in us.

Back when HTC first revealed their monstrously lovely candy-coated weather widgets with Sense a few years ago, we came to realize what was possible aesthetically in the Android universe. Here with HD Widgets, we’ve got a 3rd-party developer (cloud.tv) that’s essentially perfected the art. You’ll not only be working with these widgets on your home screens in your standard Android experience, you’ll be able to place them on your lock screens with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, too!

As far as Colourform goes – you’ve got a brand new set of over 50 new Ice Cream Sandwich / Jelly Bean-style widgets that’ll look just as nice on your smartphone as they will on your tablet. You can choose custom colors for backgrounds, text, separators, and each little bit of the clock, too! You’ve got flat panels, textures, 3D effects, and flatness galore!

Above: HD Widgets 3.0 (currently on version 3.9.3, with even more greatness!)

Just so you’re aware, you WILL NEED HD WIDGETS for this new expansion pack to function. You can download HD Widgets from the Google Play app store today and make it roll with or without Colourform – your choice! Your Colourform (HDW theme pack) download will be just the ticket you need to go fully Bauhaus on your smartphone or tablet of tomorrow – make it work!

You’ll find this machine humming along nicely with 1GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot for storage expansion. If you’re all about the wireless charging, you’ll have to make sure you pick up the separate removable battery cover – that’ll cost you $40 USD. This will pair nicely with your wireless charging dock, both this and that being bits and pieces we’ll be reviewing for you later this week!

Above you’ll see a bit more of the LG Optimus F5 as we saw it earlier this year at Mobile World Congress 2013. There in Barcelona we saw LG bringing the fight to multiple display sizes with iterations of devices in this Optimus wave all ready to be LG’s 2013 front. You’ll see not only LG’s custom user interface, but another showing of LG’s own Starter Mode – made perfect for those using a smartphone for the first time.

You’ll be able to purchase this device online on the 4th of April while this device’s retail appearance will be at least one or two more weeks away. Let us know what you’d like to know about this device right now!

Along with the 7-inch display, the Ematic Genesis Prime has a 1.1GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 4GB on-board storage, 5GB cloud storage, 512MB of RAM, front-facing VGA camera, and only 4.5 hours worth of battery life on a single charge. One of the only commendable features it has is a USB 2.0 port. The specs are very low-end and you’ll most likely have a less than pleasant experience with this device.

However, despite having low-end specs, the $79.99 price-tag will definitely be appealing to some consumers. This tablet is also a great sign for Ematic, which shows that even though its known for releasing low-end tablets, it’s still able to keep up to speed with Google’s latest operating system, which is commendable because most low-end tablet developers aren’t able to do so. Heck, even some major manufacturers have a hard time upgrading their high-end devices to Google’s latest OS.

I wouldn’t recommend you purchase the Ematic Genesis Prime for yourself, but if you have a child that you want to purchase a tablet for, the Genesis Prime will be good enough to handle YouTube videos, 2D gaming, and other minimal tasks for them. You probably won’t feel too bad if they inevitably bang it up as well. Tablets like the Genesis Prime are just more proof that low-budget Android tablets will be driving the tablet market.

The HTC Desire P, which you can see in the promo image above, has a 4.3-inch display with a low WVGA resolution. Inside, users will find a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. Around back, there’s an 8-megapixel camera in addition to a front camera, and there’s also a microSD card slot for expanded storage, although the internal storage capacity wasn’t revealed.

The HTC Desire Q (pictured below), meanwhile, is a smaller version of the P, measuring in with a 4-inch display and reportedly the same specifications as the P. The Desire Q’s specs weren’t specified, but we do know that it’ll be available in white, black, and red. Word has it the handset will be priced at $235, which is lower than the Q’s approx. $365 USD.

Both handsets run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and feature Beats Audio. The Desire Q will be available in China via China Mobile, while it is believed the Desire P will be available in Taiwan first. Don’t expect the phones to make their way to the United States – at least not in the near furture. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated when more information on the handsets surfaces.

[via Android Community]

As you can see from the Chinese advertisement above, the Lenovo S920 looks nearly identical to the HTC One X from the back, so much so that the logo is the biggest distinguishing factor. The uniqueness comes into play when you look at the front of the handset, however, which doesn’t look like the One X. This ultra-sized phablet smartphone runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

As far as specs go, inside the Lenovo S920 users will find a quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek processor and 1GB of RAM, as well as 16GB of internal storage space. There’s a microSD card for storage expansion, as well as a 2-megapixel front camera and an 8-megapixel rear camera. The screen is its most alluring feature, however, at an atypical 5.3-inches with a 720p HD resolution.

Powering a screen of the size will take a decent amount of juice, which is supplied by the S920′s 2250mAh battery, a disappointing capacity that will likely leave users recharging more often than they like. As for the body of the smartphone, it has smooth rounded edges and measures in at just under 8mm thick. The handset is now up for pre-order in China with an April 8th release date. Price: $350 USD.

[via Android Community]

Meanwhile we’re still not sure on the release of the Verizon version of the HTC One, especially since we’ve heard several conflicting reports of its existence. Across the rest of Europe as well as across North America and the Asia-Pacific area we have indeed heard from HTC that the HTC One will be available before the end of April. In the UK, Germany, and Taiwan, the HTC One will be arriving next week – that’s quick!

“HTC has seen unprecedented demand for and interest in the new HTC One, and the care taken to design and build it is evidenced in early reviews. The new HTC One will roll out in the UK, Germany and Taiwan next week and across Europe, North America and most of Asia-Pacific before the end of April. We appreciate our customers’ patience, and believe that once they have the phone in their hands they will agree that it has been worth the wait.” – HTC Representative

If you’d like to know all about the HTC One, we’ve got so much information it’ll make your head spin. This device with it’s 4.7-inch display and Full HD resolution is currently the world record holding densest-display-toting machine available on the market – with a higher Pixels Per Inch than the HTC DROID DNA, the XPERIA Z, and the Samsung GALAXY S 4! Of course when you get to this point in density you’re not seeing a whole lot of difference when it comes down to it, but it’s fun to point it out!

“Stunning. The HTC One makes a compelling argument for being the best-made Android phone we can recall, a design that both looks and feels premium (though photos don’t tend to do it justice, making it look flat and overly simplistic). Last year’s One X was a solid device, with its polycarbonate plastic casing, but the One is leagues ahead. HTC went back to basics – CNC-intensive manufacturing processes; clever rethinking of how to finesse the most out of minimal antennas – with its industrial design, and the end result is a phone that’s creak-free and somehow timeless in the same way that Apple’s MacBook Pro design has gracefully evolved.” – Vincent Nguyen, SlashGear’s HTC One Review

Have a peek at our massive amount of hands-on experiences with the HTC One in the timeline below and our full review of the HTC One as well! Once this device arrives on carriers throughout the USA we’ll be giving you up-to-date looks at each edition as well! Gotta catch em all!

As it’s been discovered by Engadget, the LG Optimus G Pro phantom is running on the bands that AT&T does indeed use. That’s 4G LTE and all, ready to rock with all the Optimus G Pro excellence we’ve seen come out of this device just this past month internationally. When we had a look at it, we made sure to test out what LG let us know it was very proud of in its photography skills.

The LG Optimus G Pro works with a massive 5.5-inch display that’s sharp as a tack – 1080p and working with the Qualcomm Snadragon 600 quad-core processor. That’s the same beast we’re seeing work some real magic in the HTC One, this time also packing heat with 2GB of RAM and Android 4.1+ Jelly Bean up front. We’ve seen this device in white and in black – and they’re both rather fabulous.

Have a peek at our LG Optimus G Pro tour of Barcelona and let us know if you’d be all about this smartphone if it’d be released by AT&T super, super soon. Or better yet, if you’re thinking about getting a massive smartphone such as this but want to wait to see if IFA 2013 is home to the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note III! Or maybe just a Tab or two.

Have a peek at the LG Optimus G Pro timeline below as well for more up-to-date massively LG action than you can handle!

The update includes a slew of new features, including Photosphere, which is a camera feature that allows you to take 360-degree panoramic pictures. You can also take advantage of new tools in the camera app in order to add filters, borders, and other photo-customization options. There’s also a new gesture keyboard that comes with the update, allowing for Swype-like typing.

We were first hinted at an Android 4.2.2 update for the Galaxy Nexus last month, when GSM versions the device were receiving the update over the air, but no official announcement was made yet. Then later on, we were able to snag an unofficial version of the update for Verizon’s model of the device. However, it looks like the carrier is finally pushing out the update to all.

The Galaxy Nexus is one of Google’s many Nexus devices that released in late 2011 as the successor of the Nexus S, but it was eventually succeeded by the Nexus 4, the company’s latest Nexus handset. The Galaxy Nexus was manufactured by Samsung, and while most Nexus devices are branded as Google products, the Galaxy Nexus was one of the few Nexus devices to be branded as a Samsung product.

With the iPhone you’ve got the ability to tap a notification of a Gmail email and get into that email in full form, but a quick reply or archive are not presently up for grabs. The Android update coming your way today also adds some advanced search functions for “faster search and better search suggestions” for greater ease in finding messages both online and when you’re nowhere near a web connection.

This update also allows you to work with existing notification features so you can tell your Android device which messages should be popping up for you as a notification and which shouldn’t. According to Google:

So if you filter and label all the messages from your mom, you could set a ringtone to let you know you received a new mail from her and then quickly reply (because we know what can happen when you ignore your mother!).

Listen to your mother! And reply to her quickly with a notifications pull-down tap with this newest update today. You can head to the Google Play app store for the Gmail update right this minute or simply wait until you’re notified of an impending update automatically – whichever you choose.

[via Google Gmail Blog]

In the release of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 you’ll have noticed the look and feel of the device to be largely similar to what we’ve experienced before with the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Note series after the Note II. This is done to keep you in the Samsung natural-feeling aesthetic, one that’s proven itself to be monumentally successful over the past year in many products.

This device works with a 5-inch display and has had its bezel minimized – it’s smaller than it’s been on any Samsung device before. This minimized battery creates a feeling that you’re using one massive display rather than a display embedded in a smartphone. Covering the display you’ll find the most advanced reinforced protection with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3.

This viewing experience is enhanced to the max with Full HD Super AMOLED display technology. You’ll be working with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution, that’s 441 PPI across the 5-inch display and by far the sharpest smart device display offered by Samsung thus far. This is also one of the sharpest displays on a smartphone in the industry today, right up next to the HTC One (468 PPI) and the DROID DNA (440 PPI).

As for photography and videography equipment, you’ll be starting with a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera. These cameras work with a set of new software outlined in the timeline below, specifically in the “Enjoyment” section – a must-see!

Inside you’ll find that the battery is more powerful than before (2600 mAh, mind you) while the overall device is thinner than the Galaxy S III. The GALAXY S4 weighs in at 130g and is slim as ever with just 7.9mm to its name.

The GALAXY S4 is lighter than its predecessor and it’s more powerful “in all ways” as Samsung notes. This device works with a Qualcomm quad-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz as well as a Samsung Exynos 1.6Ghz “Octa” processor depending on where you get the device – you’ll know final location and hardware when release information is final in your area of the planet.

You’ll also be backed up by 2GB RAM per the standard fare in essentially every top-tier smartphone on the market today. The GALAXY S4 will be released in three different internal storage capacities, 16, 32, and 64GB, each of these coming with a microSD card slot for 64GB memory expansion. Depending on the carrier you’re working with, one, two, or all three versions will be available to you starting in early April, 2013.

As the GALAXY S4 supports HSPA+42 Mbps as well as 4G LTE, you’ll find this device released on many – if not all – of your favorite carriers around the world. Inside the USA we’ll see the device released on each of the top four mobile carriers as well as Cricket, the cutest of the USA carriers.

Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean will be coming with the device right out of the box with the company’s newest version of TouchWiz integrated for a fully Samsung-friendly experience. For more information on the software side of this device, you’ll want to check out the four pillars of excellence mentioned in the first paragraph of this post. Each of these four pillars can be found in the timeline below – check it out!

As far as specifications go for the hardware on the GALAXY S 4 as it compares the the iPhone 5, there really couldn’t be two more different devices. With the GALAXY S 4 you’ve got Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean (the newest Android on the block) and the company’s own TouchWiz user interface working alongside and within. The iPhone, on the other hand, has iOS – the only version of the software that exists for the newest wave of Apple mobile devices.

Samsung GALAXY S 4
Display: 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED 1920 x 1080 pixel display at 441 PPI
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor / Samsung Exynos 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Processor – depending on market
Cameras: 2 megapixel front-facing, 13 megapixel back-facing
Dimensions: 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g
Storage: 16 / 32 / 64 GB internal storage, 64GB expansion microSD slot
Battery: 2600 mAh

iPhone 5
Display: 4-inch Retina 640 x 1136 pixel display at 306 PPI
Processor: A6
Cameras: 1.2 megapixel front-facing, 8 megapixel back-facing
Dimensions: 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm, 112g
Storage: 16 / 32 / 64 GB internal storage
Battery: 1440 mAh

When you have a peek at our iPhone 5 full review, you’ll find that it’s an entirely different user experience than the Samsung GALAXY S 4 is shaping up to be. With the GALAXY S 4 you’ll be working with Samsung’s newest-in-new user experience as outlined in their four user experience pillars of greatness – you’ll see these in the timeline below as well. Android runs here as well with all the connections that operating system implies while Apple’s OS is in an entirely different arena.

Both devices are, on the other hand, connected to the major apps across the board – Facebook, Twitter, all your social networking goodness, and more apps to send messages back and forth between any device than you’ll be able to ever experience. What this decision will come down to, for you, is whether you’re going to pick up a device with a massive display and Samsung’s brand on its back, or if you’re going to go with the other most popular smartphone in the world, Apple’s iPhone.

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the brand new Samsung GALAXY S 4 and remember to check the full iPhone 5 review out for just about as close-up a look as you’re going to get without purchasing the device for yourself – and let us know what you choose!

Both devices work with Android Jelly Bean, though the HTC One’s update to 4.2 is coming soon (perhaps by launch time) while the GALAXY S 4 has its 4.2 version of the software ready on the device right here this week as it’s revealed. The HTC device has a user interface that’s extremely different from what they’ve offered before with a whole new app drawer for Android and a feature called BlinkFeed – learn more about HTC’s approach in our full HTC One review.

The Samsung GALAXY S 4, on the other hand, adds a collection of apps and features to its user interface with TouchWiz, leaving the UI in a more grand way pretty much the same as it’s been on the newest updates to both the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II. Have a peek at some specification comparisons here to see how the hardware differs, too:

Samsung GALAXY S 4
Display: 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED 1920 x 1080 pixel display at 441 PPI
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor / Samsung Exynos 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Processor – depending on market
Cameras: 2 megapixel front-facing, 13 megapixel back-facing
Dimensions: 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g
Storage: 16 / 32 / 64 GB internal storage, 64GB expansion microSD slot
Battery: 2600 mAh

HTC One
Display: 4.7-inch Full HD Super LCD3 1920 x 1080 pixel display at 469 PPI
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor
Cameras: 2.1 megapixel front-facing, 4 megapixel back-facing (Ultrapixels in both cases)
Dimensions: 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm, 143g
Storage: 32 / 64 GB internal storage
Battery: 2300 mAh

The Samsung GALAXY S 4 has been pushed with a set of four pillars of user experience excellence while the HTC One was given a similar push with more feature upgrades than you can shake a stick at. In the timeline below you’ll be given a tour of our hands-on experiences with the HTC One and its features as well as a tour of the GALAXY S 4′s four pillars. You’ll find both approaches to be rather interesting if not utterly confusing until you actually have the hardware in your hands.

And here’s one of the biggest key differentiators between the two of these devices: the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has a removable, replaceable battery as well as a microSD expansion slot. The HTC One has neither.

If one thing is true about both of these devices, its that their makers aren’t holding back when it comes to putting features in full-force. Now we’ve got to see if the public will accept a whirlwind of software and hardware upgrades at once, or if they’ll opt to stick with the simpler approaches on the market that are already available.

S-Health also shows you information on your environment – humidity and temperature – tracking these elements over time. You can also track your dietary habits – though in that case you’ll have to tell the device what you’re actually eating and drinking. That information can be tracked over time and, “based on a database,” you’ll have caloric consumption information.

You’ll have Adapt Sound and Adapt Display prepared for understand the type of content you’re consuming and will adapt speakers and display based on that content. Reading text will have the device “maximize the viewing experience”, making the display most comfortable for your eyes.

A set of accessories is also being introduced by the company with the S-Band, for starters, and a body scale and heart monitor to round out the collection. We’ll have a full hands-on look at these lovely bits and pieces for you sooner than later. Stick to the GALAXY S 4 tag portal for more!

Meanwhile you’ll want to head to the timeline below to see the full set of hands-on and news blast articles posted during the big Samsung GALAXY S 4 reveal event without a doubt. There you’ll see the device itself, full specifications included, as well as the rest of the full four pillars Samsung has presented for the device as an ideal new-world user experience for you!

ChatON was also re-imagined to add some new ways for you to communicate through quick messaging. You’ll be able to work with three-way video calls, dual camera video calls, the ability to share your screen, and the ability to share what you’re annotating on your screen.

GroupPlay returns with the Samsung GALAXY S 4 to bring on a set of new features for the already awesome collaborative personal network sharing app ecosystem. At launch you’ll find the ability to play songs between GALAXY S 4 device at the same time with Share Music. This new Group Play app also is able to connect your Samsung GALAXY S 4 devices manually or via NFC.

That’s right – here in the newest version of Group Play you’ll find the need for connecting on the same wifi network to be taken away entirely – games like Asphalt 7 and Gun Bros 2 will work between GALAXY S 4 devices even over your mobile network connection. The Samsung-specific connectivity universe is expanding more and more each day!

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the Samsung GALAXY S 4 for specifications, hands-on experiences, and the rest of the four pillars of GS4 excellence!

With Dual Shot you’ll be able to work with both the front and back-facing cameras at once. With Samsung’s experience here, you’ll have an array of templates for placement of these photos together in compositions for sharing with friends and family. You’ll also be able to take videos in this manner with Dual Recording – front and back-facing cameras shooting at once with a final product that’s got both videos in one file.

Sound in Shot allows you to capture up to 9 seconds of audio while a still photo is shown. Drama Shot allows you to combine a series of photos together into one final product. Cinema Photo takes a video of a moment you’d like to capture and allows you to highlight the areas on the screen you want to feature while the rest remains static – the result being one moving .gif file.

Story Album allows you to store all your photos into collections with pre-set templates. With Trip Advisor you’ll be able to pull out GPS location data and apply to these albums with ease. With Samsung’s connection with the company known as Blurb, you’ll also be able to easily print these albums for real-world viewing.

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the Samsung GALAXY S 4 with news posts and hands-on experiences galore, including the rest of the four key pillars of this smartphone’s user experience!

Rubin wrote a heartfelt letter to all of Android’s partners. He jumps back through the successes of Google’s Android since its inception. He comments on how the Open Handset Alliance, which started with only 34 members, now has over 85 members. The team had worked day and night to develop Android and help it reach its milestones at an incredible pace. He emphasized how even with a small team, they were ambitious and able to release Jelly Bean last year, an update that brought significant improvements to Android’s user experience.

Dear friends,

In November of 2007 we announced the Open Handset Alliance with 34 founding members. Today, I’m grateful to the over 85 OHA members who have helped us build Android and drive innovation at such an incredible pace. The Android ecosystem has seen tremendous growth since the launch of the very first Android device in October 2008. The volume and variety of Android devices exceeds even my most optimistic expectations — over 750 million compatible devices and counting!

At its core, Android has always been about openness — the idea that a thousand brains are better than one. Just as the ecosystem has grown, so has our team at Google. I am incredibly proud of the phenomenal group of people that spend their days (and nights) building the Android platform and services. Just look at last year…a lean yet incredibly ambitious team released Jellybean with Google Now, launched Google Play in many languages and countries and collaborated with several partners to build three new Nexus devices to help drive innovation in the ecosystem.

Today, the success of Android combined with the strength of our management team, gives me the confidence to step away from Android and hand over the reins. Going forward, Sundar Pichai will lead Android, in addition to his existing work with Chrome and Apps. Hiroshi Lockheimer — who many of you already know well — plus the rest of the Android leadership team will work closely with all of our partners to advance Android and prepare the platform for new products and services yet to be imagined.

As for me, I am an entrepreneur at heart and now is the right time for me to start a new chapter within Google. I am amazed by what we have accomplished from those early days (not so long ago!), and remain passionate about the power of a simple idea and a shared goal — an open source platform freely available to everyone — to transform computing for people everywhere.

Thank you for your support,

- andy

Rubin will be succeeded by Sundar Pichai, the Senior VP of Google’s Chrome and Apps division. Pichai went forward with Chrome despite all of the doubts he received for creating yet “another browser”, but now it’s one of the most popular web browsers available. Pichai has big shoes to fill, but if anyone in Google could do it, it’d most likely be him. Rubin is off to work on his next big project at Google, and has not stated what it’s going to be yet.

[via The Wall Street Journal]

This news is being pushed to us by a trusted source and has been independently confirmed to AllThingsD this afternoon. The release date for this device on the 4G LTE-toting big red carrier will be some time in the months after the release on each of the next three biggest carriers in the USA. That places the release at a time when the Galaxy S4 is already on the market – we’ll know more on that tomorrow night, mind you.

The HTC One has been receiving some rather significant thumbs up across the board thus far with reviews pouring in from the top sites saying they’ve never seen an HTC device quite so excellent before. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor under the hood, this device is one of – if not THE – most powerful smartphone on the market today, and, as you’ll see in our review when you wish – it’s not just the motor that makes this beast purr.

Have a peek at our timeline of HTC One features and hands-on experiences as you get pumped up for the Verizon version in a few months – or sooner, we might be inclined to hope. You can peek at [our full HTC One review] now and see how this device is set to take on all competitors in the near future. And how it’ll change the way you capture media today!

What you’re going to see at this year’s Google I/O is a rather interesting mix of items that – believe it or not – might be a surprise for the most part. Google has over the past year established its ownership of Motorola and may be bringing a Motorola-made Nexus smartphone to the arena. They’ve released two Nexus tablets over the past year, and may by the time of the conference be ready to release upgrades to those tablets – hardware-wise.

Of course by the time the conference pops up (May 15-17th, mind you), we’ll be seeing a new collection of features for Android, likely just a boost to what’s still code-named Jelly Bean. There is a chance, on the other hand, that the next letter in the Android dessert alphabet will be revealed: Key Lime Pie.

Then there’s Google’s Project Glass. Have a peek at our ever-growing Project Glass tag portal for more Glass information than you can handle, and stick around for more as the developer edition of the hardware (aka the Explorer Edition) appears weeks ahead of Google I/O 2013. As the conference has for several years played host to “free” devices for all attendees, we can’t help but cross our fingers for a Glass of our own (even if wishing is hoping against hope.)

Have a peek at our Google I/O tag portal as well and stick to SlashGear like glue until and through then – we’ll be there with bells on!

The Xperia TL was first announced back in October of last year, and it’s most known for its role as the official phone of the newest James Bond film Skyfall. As for the Xperia J, it’s a phone that we haven’t heard much about lately. The device was announced at IFA 2012, and its one of Sony’s mid-range devices packing a 4-inch display.

As for the availability of these updates, the Xperia TL should be available right this second to download, while the update for the Xperia J will land within the “coming weeks.” As soon as the update is available for you, you should receive a notification that will allow you to update over-the-air, but some users may have to update through their computers.

The Xperia TL packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz, and a 13MP rear-facing camera with a front-facing shooter capable of capturing 720p video. It also has NFC built in, and is covered with a 4.6-inch 720p display powered by the company’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine.

Hardware

As it was back when we showed our Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 wifi-only Review, this tablet is easily Samsung’s best. At this display size, anyway. If you’re looking for an experience that’s top-notch at essentially any other display size, Samsung has you covered there too – from the Galaxy Tab 7.7 to the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 to the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and back again, Verizon also has you covered with 4G LTE. With the Galaxy Note 10.1 4G LTE, you’ve got the 10.1-inch display coupled with the quad-core Exynos processor and the S-Pen – not to mention the front-facing speakers.

With the release of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the company began pushing their speakers to the front of their tablets. This was a good move and generally regarded as such by everyone that likes to listen to the audio from their devices come out towards their face, rather than from the back side of the device straight into their leg. As it was when we reviewed the wifi version of this device: the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the best entertainment station you can buy with a 10.1-inch screen.

There’s a lovely set of accessories you can buy from Samsung that’ll make this experience even better than it is out of the box: the clip-on case/cover is easily the most “must-have” of the bunch. With it you’ll be standing your Note 10.1 upright with ease, making it into an easel whenever you like. After that you’re set – the charger and the S-Pen come with the box, and the S-Pen slides in the back of the device when you’re not using it.

Have a peek at how this device compares in size to the Galaxy Note II as well – you may just want to make a decision between the two. They’re both carried by Verizon, and both have lovely Verizon branding splattered about as well.

Software

The change in software since the first time we had a look at the Galaxy Note 10.1 is ever-so-slight in it’s flip from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and the Premium Suite that comes with it. Because Samsung places its own TouchWiz UX user interface for tablets over the top, you’ll not have noticed the change unless you knew what you were looking for. That said, one of the biggest bumps is in the addition of Google Now.

Hands-on with the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

If you place your finger on the Home button and pull up, a Google logo will appear and you’ll be taken to Google Now. This is the interface that all Jelly Bean devices are allowed access to now on Android devices, complete with information for you based on your interests, GPS location, and the environment around you – for weather, that is. Have a peek at our original Google Now hands-on from back when it was launched for a general idea of what it’s all about!

You’ll also be able to work with multi-tasking features such as the pop-up collection of apps at the bottom of your display that appear when you tap the center of your menu bar. Each of these apps is able to open up as a pop-up window or as a section of your display. At the moment this software is generally fun to see work, but doesn’t work at a level where we’d call it mind-blowingly perfect. You’ll be using this multi-window feature for entertainment more than anything.

Benchmarks

Have a peek at a set of benchmarks run in the gallery here and let us know what you think. On the whole, they’re pretty much the same as they were when we had a look at the wifi version of this machine – this makes sense as, other than some of the software and the change over to the new set of radios, you’ve got essentially the same device, processor and everything. It’s basically the same machine when it comes down to it.

Also included there is a set of speed-tests so you can see how fast we’re rolling out here in Saint Paul, Minnesota. You’ll have to judge speeds for yourself wherever you’re situated in the USA for your own perfect score.

Camera

You’ve also got the same camera as we had a peek at before, so the quality there hasn’t changed a bit. This is an OK camera – not fantastic, but certainly better than the first generation of Android tablets and their terrible, terrible attempt at photo action. With this 5 megapixel camera on the back of the device you’ll be hot to trot – there’s a flash back there too if you need.

Wrap-up

With the Galaxy Note 10.1 you’ve got another excellent entry into the Samsung hero line of Note devices. This remains the largest Note-branded smart device on the market, and is now part of the 4G LTE family as well. Samsung continues to be the biggest opponent for the iPad on the market and – if they were both running the same software and we had to decide between the two – we’d have a relatively tough decision on our hands.

But because they aren’t, and because we’re truly lovers of a unique experience, it’s easy to recommend this tablet as one of the most versatile smart devices on the market today. With the S-Pen, fun and entertaining connectivity with the rest of the Samsung Galaxy devices for media and communication, and one of the newest versions of Google’s mobile OS onboard, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is certainly the hottest Android tablet carried by Verizon today. Have a peek and start penning away!

With Jelly Bean, your HTC One X will have access to Google Now. This means you’ll get that super neat collection of tabs that tell you information about your location, your friends, your status, and the weather that surrounds you. You’ll also get sports scores and pertinent information about your future – and it’s being upgraded all the time, regardless of your OS version. You’ll be able to access this feature by putting your finger to your home button and swiping upward.

Take a peek at our original Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Review for more info on this operating system update from Google!

You’ll also be able to see notifications in a whole new way with updates grouped by application and running with the ability to expand on command. This update includes your ability to view the full text of an SMS message as well as a full photo in MMS inside your notifications pull-down. You’ll also be working now with an event notifications display with descriptions of said event without needing to open an app.

And there’s a new countdown timer for your front-facing camera. That’s a pretty weird update.

To grab this update, you’ll have simply to connect to a Wi-fi network and head to:
1. Applications
2. Settings
3. About Phone
4. Check for Updates

There you’ll be tapping the button and digging your fingernails into your kneecaps with anticipation. Once you have the update downloaded, load it. And that’s it! Let us know how it went and make sure you’re making full use of Google Now – if you wish!

So you’re planning on deciding between the Samsung Galaxy S IV (or S4, whichever you prefer) and the Samsung Galaxy Note III, yes? They’re going to be exceedingly similar when it comes down to it, their display size and abilities with or without the Samsung S-Pen notwithstanding. So here’s what we’ve got – and remember, all of this is based on tips, leaks, and rumors galore. The details for each of the specifications listed are either listed in the timeline at the end of this post or are brought up with educated guesses on the part of your friends at SlashGear.

Display

Galaxy S4
5-inch display (aka 4.99-inch)
AMOLED
1080 x 1920 pixel resolution
440 PPI

Galaxy Note III
6-inch display (aka 5.9-inch)
AMOLED
1080 x 1920 pixel resolution
376 PPI

Processor Manufacturer

Both the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note III will quite likely be using the new Samsung Exynos 5 Octa quad-core processor. Note that there will actually be 8 CPU cores here, but that each of the four main cores will be “backed up”, so to speak, by another core for low power tasks. So just as the NVIDIA Tegra 3 and Tegra 4 have five CPU cores, one of them being a sort of “ninja” core for low power tasks, so too is this new Exynos beast for both the Galaxy S4 and Note III.

It’s also important to note that with the Galaxy Note II the same processor was used for all models while the Galaxy S III had Exynos internationally and Qualcomm Snapdragon inside the USA. Because Samsung has come a bit of a way since all the way back when the Galaxy S III was revealed, there’s a chance they’ll be releasing the Galaxy S4 with the same processor worldwide – we shall see!

Camera Power

A back-facing 13 megapixel camera with advanced photography software can be expected on both the Galaxy S IV and the Galaxy Note III. At the moment there’s no reason to believe that the Galaxy Note III will have anything less than the Galaxy S4, and as in the past, we’re not expecting the Note to out-do the S hero in this respect. The front-facing camera will also likely be the same on both devices at 2 megapixels – with 1080p video capabilities on both sides.

S-Pen Functionality

One of the two big differentiators between the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note III will be the built-in S-Pen that the Note is known for. We’re expecting abilities advanced beyond what we’ve seen on the Note II, but won’t expect the actual hardware to be much different from what we’ve seen on the Galaxy Note 8.0 just this past month at MWC 2013. Have a peek at our hands-on with the Note 8.0 to grab a bit more insight – one of the biggest changes will be the ability to tap the back and menu buttons off-display with the pen – neat!

Conclusion: we’re all winners!

The big decision you’re going to be making – when it comes down to it again – is how long you’re willing to wait for Samsung’s 2013 vision for the perfect smartphone. You’ve got the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II out on the market already – both of them perfectly capable machines in their own right, but you want to go forth and grab the next big thing. Based on what you see above, expect similar (or identical) features on these devices in the near future when they’re shown off for real – check back a week from now and see how we did!

We can be confident in expecting that this version of the Galaxy Note will be rolling out with many of the features revealed on the Galaxy Note 8.0 just this pas week at Mobile World Congress 2013 as well. With this release we saw the ability to tap the back and menu keys with the pen – an ability never before seen on a Note device. We also saw out-of-the-box integration of features like multiscreen and transparent box multi-tasking, too.

This next-generation Samsung Galaxy Note III was spoken about by The Korea Times courtesy of “an official” that spoke on condition of anonymity. While it’s not the first time this publication has published anonymous tips, it would be the first time we trusted their word without a grain of salt. That said, a Galaxy Note III with a 5.9-inch display would not be out of the question given the size increase between the first and second iteration of the device.

Have a peek at our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note II as well as our hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 to gain a better understanding of what we’ll be seeing in a third handset later this year. The release of this device is likely for the first half of 2013, but we’ve had no official work from Samsung to that tune. We’ll just have to wait and see!

The first mistake several commenters have made already this morning is to decide that the little half-circle tab in the lower left-hand corner of several of the following screenshots is a multi-screen feature in the Galaxy S IV. In fact it’s a tab existing inside the Quick System Info PRO app itself, appearing in any device you open it up with. It does look extremely similar to the tab that appears in the Galaxy Note 2 enabling multiscreen functionality.

The information these screenshots provide for us includes a set of specifications that we’ve come across before for this handset as tipped and “leaked” in the past more than once. They are as follows:

• 5-inch Display
• Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels, 480PPI
• Quad-core processor, ARMv7 1.7Ghz
• 13-megapixel camera (4128 x 3096 pixels, 4:3 aspect ratio)

You’ll also see a couple of “Smart screen” additions like Smart stay, Smart rotation, Smart pause, and Smart scroll. These are outlined again in our post about Smart additions to Samsung’s Jelly Bean.

If you have a peek at the actual image file of any of the screenshots provided by the source, GSM Israel, you’ll find that the height and width are not 1080 x 1920 – they are, however, a height and width ratio that’s able to be scaled up to that size, meaning whoever uploaded the photos likely simply scaled them down to fit the blog space.

So what we’ve got is a Samsung Galaxy S4 with a few new “smart” features and a top-tier set of specifications in its screen and its processor. It’s still quite likely that we’ll be seeing a Samsung Exynos processor in this device as it appears abroad and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor inside the USA as we did with the Galaxy S III. On the other hand, the Galaxy Note II did come with the same SoC no matter where it was launched – so we’ll see!

have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the Samsung Galaxy S4 and stick with SlashGear for the March 14th event – join us at 6PM EST (or a little earlier if you want to pick your seat) for the whole show!

SamMobile ended up getting a few leaked screenshots from the update, and the “Eye Scroll” and “Eye Pause” features seem to be renamed to “Smart Scroll” and Smart Pause,” respectively. The screenshots were initially believed to have been from the Galaxy S IV, but SamMobile now says that they were taken from a Galaxy S III running the Android 4.2.1 update, which means that Smart Scroll and Pause features could come to GSIII at some point.

If you’re not familiar with these two new features, Smart Scroll essentially tracks your eye movement, and will automatically scroll up or down on a web page depending on if the camera notices your eyes reaching the top or bottom of the screen. Smart Pause also tracks your eyes, but when watching a video, the phone will automatically pause it when it notices your eyes gazing off of the screen.

Obviously, we hope to learn more about these features on March 14, when Samsung will be holding an event to hopefully announce the Galaxy S IV, or so that’s what we’re believing to be the main focal point at the show. Hopefully we hear more about Galaxy S III compatibility with some of these new features, which should definitely give long-time GSIII a boost.

[via Android Community]