AT&T giving $100 bill credit for adding new AT&T Next lines

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AT&T giving $100 bill credit for adding new AT&T Next lines

Quick heads-up on a deal for anyone looking to add lines to their AT&T accounts soon. Ma Bell is willing to shoot you $100 to go toward your bill if you add a line using AT&T Next. In case you’re not in the know, AT&T next allows you to buy phones for $0 down and you can pay it off in 20 (upgrade every 12 months) or 24 (upgrade every 18 months) monthly installments.

The offer is good for new customers opening an account or existing customers adding lines. It’s good until September 30th, and you’ll have to keep your account in good standing for up to 3 months before you receive the bill credit. You can pop into your local AT&T shop or head online right here if you’re eager to take advantage.

[via AT&T]

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From Android Forums: HDMI on the LG G3, SmartSwitch, car chargers, and more!

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From Android Forums: HDMI on the LG G3, SmartSwitch, car chargers, and more!

The Android world has been busy, busy, busy as we slide into a long holiday weekend, and the forums have been abuzz with chatter in anticipation of some sure-to-be huge happenings next week. Time to check in on discussion surrounding the latest gadgets and gizmos in the Android World, where else but Android Forums.

HDMI on the LG G3?

Disappointed with Miracast on the LG G3? You’re not alone. Or maybe you’re coming from a Samsung device with AllShare and want an alternative. That’s been a big topic on our LG G3 Forums. The LG G3 doesn’t have HDMI out, but If you don’t mind running a cord between your phone and TV, you can buy an HDMI adapter for the LG G3 that gives you that functionality!

And for those in the UK, here is your solution.

Want more cool stuff for your G3? Head on over to the official  LG G3 Accessories Thread.

Galaxy Note 3 to Galaxy Note 4 with SmartSwitch

There are a hoard of Galaxy Note 3 users eager to upgrade, many of which have congregated in our Galaxy Note 4 Forums. They’ve suggested users bookmark the newly redesigned Samsung SmartSwitch page, an app and service that helps you transfer all of your contacts and content from your old phone to your new Samsung device.

This doesn’t only pertain to people switching from Galaxy Note 3 to Note 4, though. Samsung’s website outlines how you can easily make the switch from an iPhone, iPad, another Android device, or even Blackberry or Symbian. Looks like Windows Phone users are out of luck.

If you’re eager for the Note 4 you’ll want to check out the Note 4 Rumors Thread which has accumulated hundreds of posts since its inception in April and continues to garner buzz.

Android Phone/Tablet charging in car but still draining?

If you take your Android Phone or Tablet on a road trip, you’ll want to be prepared to keep it charged. You’d think plugging it into a cigarette lighter or other vehicle outlets would be a no-brainer, but that’s not always the case: often times it shows as charging but the device consumes more power than the charger emits.

This is exactly what happened to RubyRide.co, a transportation network startup who faced this exact problem. Because they’re running the display (at full brightness), Bluetooth, GPS and Data all day long it was eating battery quickly, but they need reliability to best perform their service. So they asked Android Forums members for help.

It all comes down to the charger itself, and in this case, it seems this PortaPow charger did the trick. Another problem solved at Android Forums!

 

Holy Smartwatch, Droidman!

The amount of buzz around the latest Android Wear devices has reached a boiling point and we’ve got newly created forums for each:

• Moto 360 Forum


• LG G Watch R Forums


• Samsung Gear S Forums


• ASUS ZenWatch Forums

Jump on in and get the discussion going or check out our full list of Android Wear Forums.

Get in on the Action!

There are literally THOUSANDS of people on Android Forums at any one time… to be one of them, all you have to do is sign up. Whether you want to browse around for interesting stuff, dive into your device forum, scour around to uncover apps and games, help answer questions, or ask some questions yourself: we invite you in. It’s 100% free!

Join Android Forums today.

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Report: Sprint to offer their very first Sony phone soon; Xperia Z3?

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Report: Sprint to offer their very first Sony phone soon; Xperia Z3?

Take a quick stroll through Sprint’s history of phones and you’ll find that the company has never offered a single Sony Android smartphone. Ever. Shocking, isn’t it? That could change soon, though, as Reuters reports Sprint and Softbank will look to offer their first smartphone from Sony later this year. The exact wording was that this would be a “flagship smartphone,” and nothing sounds more flagship-y than Sony’s Xperia Z3 set to be unveiled at IFA next week.

The report didn’t specify whether the launch would be exclusive for Sprint which leaves hope that it could eventually make its way to other carriers. We wouldn’t bet on that, though, considering Sony doesn’t have a history of being able to get their smartphones onto multiple US carriers at a time like HTC, LG, Samsung and Motorola have been able to.

We’re certainly hoping that this is the first step to penetrating the US market with a more aggressive strategy, though, and that Sony could eventually reach the heights of their aforementioned competitors. The consumer electronics industry hasn’t exactly been friendly to Sony over the years with their struggling television and PC business havign drained them of a ton of money. They’ve gone as far as having to sell or spin-off some of those divisions and scale their business down.

Their smartphone business wasn’t in as immediate danger as those dollar-sucking entities (we imagine it’s much less expensive to develop, research and manufacture smartphones than TVs and computers), however it isn’t exactly strong enough alone to keep Sony in the black. Let’s hope this is a good first step toward changing that.

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OnePlus looking to get off the invite system by October, but is that too late?

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OnePlus looking to get off the invite system by October, but is that too late?

When OnePlus originally launched the OnePlus One, they mentioned they’d need to sell phones via an invite-only system over a traditional pre-sale / first come, first serve setup. Many people forgave them for this considering they were still a very new company and likely had no other choice than to resort to unorthodox tactics.

Many contests (controversial and otherwise) have already given tens of thousands of folks the opportunity to buy one, but there are still a ton of would-be buyers left in the dark. So when is it all going to end? Thankfully, we have a new answer — OnePlus hopes to wash their hands of this invite stuff at some point in October. That much was confirmed in an Ask Me Anything session over at the Android subreddit.

Unfortunately that doesn’t mean stock is going to be readily available at that point. Shortages will still be prominent. The only difference is you’ll be able to pre-purchase the device without an invite. You’re still subject to the first come, first serve rodeo, which means you could be pre-ordering a phone that you might not see for a couple of weeks to a month. In fact, some might argue that this is even less savory than the invite system — at least when you have an invite you know there’s a phone waiting for you.

It’s unfortunate that OnePlus is taking so long to wean off the invites. Some might wonder if October is much too late. IFA Berlin kicks off next week, and we’ll be seeing exciting new smartphones from Motorola, Samsung, Sony and other major players announced (many of which are due for worldwide launch the very next month). Granted, none of them are likely to be as powerful as the OnePlus One for a $300 price point, but at least folks would be able to buy those phones as soon as they’re available.

Only time can tell if OnePlus ended up missing their first boat, but for now all anyone can do if they truly have their hearts set to buy this phone is to more actively pursue invites or just wait for the circus to be over with. Let us know if you’ll still be looking to buy one of these things by the time October makes its way to the forefront of the calendar.

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Motorola extends Moto 360 contest until tomorrow, 20 new smartwatches up for grabs

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Motorola extends Moto 360 contest until tomorrow, 20 new smartwatches up for grabs

After the unfortunate wording in Motorola’s Moto 360 contest confused participants, Motorola is looking to do fans a solid by extending their contest until tomorrow. Up for grabs is another 20 Motorola Moto 360 smartwatches, all you have to do is add “Motorola” on Yo, then send them a message to enter.

Just like last time, the first 20 people to successfully complete the registration form after receiving a Yo reply from Motorola will take home a lovely Moto 360 smartwatch.

And just so we’re all crystal clear on how the contest works:

1. Download/install Yo from the Google Play Store


2. Set up an account


3. Add “Motorola”


4. Send Motorola a Yo


5. Receive Yo from Motorola and click supplied link


6. Be 1 of the first 20 people to successfully complete registration form and win a Moto 360.

For everyone that sent Motorola a Yo yesterday/today, Motorola says you’re already entered. The contest ends tomorrow at 11AM CT so hop to it. For additional rules, regulations, terms, and conditions, check out Motorola’s official rules page here. Good luck!

[Twitter]

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Google takes battle with Amazon to the sky, introduces a drone-based delivery system of their own [VIDEO]

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Google takes battle with Amazon to the sky, introduces a drone-based delivery system of their own [VIDEO]

Those boys at the Google X Labs are at it again, announcing their latest project that looks to take the battle with Amazon to the sky: Project Wing. A drone-based delivery system, Google is looking to change the world by removing some of the friction involved with simply moving things around in the world. It’s definitely ambitious, and not too unlike a similar project, Amazon Prime Air, which we saw unveiled late last year.

Google uploaded a video a few minutes ago showing off exactly what they’ve been working on these past 2 years. In the video, we watch as the Project Wing team travels to Queensland, Australia where test flights were successfully able to deliver basic items like a first aid kit, dog treats, and water to a few lucky farmers.

Google sees a drone delivery system as being more safe, quick, and efficient than traditional methods and despite acquiring a solar drone company earlier this year, are currently looking for partners to help bring this new technology to the world (wherever, you know, it’s actually legal).

Those interested can find a sign up form here with more info.

[The Atlantic]

 

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Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo and other tech giants looking to court Cyanogen Inc [RUMOR]

After gaining $22 million in series B funding last year, Cyanogen Inc’s first foray into the mobile arena was a little bumpy to say the least. Not so much because the new software company failed to live up to any expectations on their end, mind you (CyanogenMod 11S is some pretty amazing custom Android software). It had more to do with oddball devices like the Oppo N1 and constant barrage of bad press OnePlus received time and time again with the OnePlus One.

But even with that small hiccup, it seems Cyanogen Inc’s image hasn’t been tarnished as a new report suggests some pretty big names in tech are eyeballing the software startup. If you’re wondering what’s next for everyone’s favorite Android success story, The Information is now reporting that Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, and Yahoo are just a few of the companies looking to partner up with Cyanogen Inc. Well, that, or acquire them altogether. While nothing is set in stone just yet, it’s being said Cyanogen Inc has already had a sit down chat with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella while Steve Kondik and crew prepare for their series C round of funding later this year.

We should warn, we’ve seen reports out of The Information quickly shot down in the past, so take this all with a grain of salt for now. It’s still unclear exactly what kind of work Cyanogen Inc — who built their house working exclusively with Android software — would do for some of these other companies, but it appears CyanogenMod could be a way for Google’s rivals to circumvent Android software that relies so heavily on their apps and services. With countless AOSP apps moving over to exclusive Google properties, there’s not much left to harvest and we’re already shuddering at the thought of a Yahoo Phone.

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Motorola’s Yo contest to win a Moto 360 ends in confusion, here’s what happened

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Motorola’s Yo contest to win a Moto 360 ends in confusion, here’s what happened

Look familiar to any of you?

So here we are, 24 hours and not a single Motorola Moto 360 to show for it. Those of you who tuned in yesterday may remember our post notifying readers of a special Motorola and Yo contest where 20 Moto 360s were up for grabs. On the surface, the contest rules were simple:

1. Install Yo


2. Add “Motorola”


3. Pray you receive a Yo from Motorola informing you you’ve won

Easy, right? Not so fast. After digging through the contest rules yesterday, we noticed things were a little unclear. First off, because Motorola mentioned only the first 20 people who signed up after receiving a “Yo” would win a Moto 360 — did that mean Motorola would be notifying more than 20 people?

That’s the way it certainly sounded on Twitter where easily more than 20 people were notified that they had “won a Moto 360,” only to find out that after clicking the supplied link and entering in their email, all the units had already been claimed. Ouch.

Needless to say, this has lead to a lot of confusion from participants, most of which aren’t too happy with Motorola right now. Again, the contest rules state that only the first 20 people to complete the registration form will actually win a Moto 360, despite the misleading wording in Motorola’s initial “Yo” which should have read: “Yo! You have a chance at winning a Moto 360!”

Hope this clears some things up.

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Verizon makes the Motorola Luge official, get the rebranded RAZR M for $200 off-contract

After we saw some leaked images of the Motorola Luge packaging back on Monday, it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to find Verizon finally making the device official (however quietly). Now available from Verizon for $300 straight up, or $200 with prepaid service, the “Luge by Motorola” is essentially 2012′s Motorola DROID RAZR M to the tee.

Because selling people a dusty old product probably wouldn’t sit too well with consumers, Verizon has simply rebranded the RAZR M with a new name to lure in all new buyers. As for a quick refresher, you can find the Motorola Luge packing the following cutting edge features:

Motorola Luge

• 4.3-inch qHD display (with Gorilla Glass)


• Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 1.5GHz dual-core


• 1GB RAM


• 8GB internal / micro SD expansion


• 8MP camera


• 2,000mAh battery


• NFC


• Android 4.4 KitKat

Interestingly enough, the Motorola DROID RAZR M is still offered on Verizon prepay. Same phone, different color, no discount. You know, should you be looking for the white model. Link for the Luge by Motorola provided below.

[Verizon]

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