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For folks who need a rugged style smartphone, one of the things you frequently have to put up with is an unattractive device. It looks like that assumption is remaining true for now, as can be seen with the Kyocera Brigadier. An image of the device was shared by @evleaks, and it looks like it is heading to Verizon. Other than the fact that it will be water-dust and shock resistant, we also know it will have LTE and physical buttons. Other than that, there are no other details.

It would be amazing to see this device come with higher-end specs than we usually see in ruggedized smartphones, but we won't hold our breath. Sound off if you work in an industry where you need a phone like this, and share your experiences.

Source: @evleaks

One could argue that this is a case of Samsung indirectly admitting their flagship devices have boring plastic cases, but more than likely it's really a marketing decision designed to generate more revenue for them and their partners. Samsung and Luxury Designer Swarovski have teamed up to offer a luxury case for the Samsung Galaxy S5.

This case is definitely designed for folks who want to add maximum "bling" to their devices as it is a crystal encrusted concoction which even uses the marketing slogan “meet the special glitter.” This Galaxy S5 Crystal Collection will launch sometime in May and will probably retail starting at $200-300 dollars. (Samsung previously teamed up with Swarovski on a similar case for the Galaxy Note 3.)

Sound off if you think this is goodly or gaudy.

Tom Lantzsch, ARM's executive vice president of corporate strategy, recently had some intriguing predictions to share. He believes we will see 64-bit Android smartphones coming to market by Christmas of this year. Lantzsch points out that even if Google doesn't provide a 64-bit version of Android by that time, existing 32-bit code will still run more efficiently on the 64-bit architecture.

Lantzsch shared,

"The architecture itself allows for more efficiency in the code. So, that means better battery life, quicker responsiveness, better features. There will be early adopters. The applications with the most need will certainly go first. And then the rest will come over time."

In reference to the heightened pace of bringing 64-bit to the mobile market, he added,

"Certainly, we've had big uptick in demand for mobile 64-bit products. We've seen this with our [Cortex] A53, a high-performance 64-bit mobile processor...we've been surprised at the pace that [64-bit] is now becoming mobile centric. Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Marvell are examples of public 64-bit disclosures."

It seems that when Apple dropped the bomb-shell of a 64-bit processor coming in the iPhone 5S, it spurred the industry to leap forward. It's amazing how quickly mobile technology has evolved compared to PC technology. While mobile tech is still a few years behind current PC tech, the pace at which mobile tech has progressed easily exceeds how long it took for PCs to advance. This is especially true when you compare how quickly the two industries moved to 64-bit computing.

Of course, you can't have one without the other, so it's only because of PCs that mobile even exists, so you could easily argue that mobile devices are just the natural evolution of PCs. Share your perspective.

Source: CNET

It's about time! Google will now be teaming up with Samsung to fight the appeal the Korean company is bringing against the Apple patent victory. Google won't just be lending witnesses and testimony either; they are planning to go all out in this last fight against Apple. Google will also be providing a legal team, will share in the legal costs, and will even share in the damages should Apple win.

Google will even be taking over the defense of some of Apple's claims as they pertain to specific Android features. Here's a quote with the details,

Google agreed to “provide partial or full indemnity with regard to four patents” and defend against them, Google lawyer James Maccoun revealed in a deposition preceding the trial when he verified an email exchange between Samsung and Google on the matter.

“Maccoun’s testimony included references to a variety of emails between Google and Samsung between May and December of 2012 detailing Google’s willingness to take on Samsung’s legal defense,” Re/code writes. “Apple also read into the record a Samsung response from September 2012 in which it said that it was not seeking indemnification from any party.”

Two Apple patents were later dropped, with Google now having to defend and compensate Samsung in case of a loss for just two patents, the ‘414 and ‘959 patents that cover background synchronization and universal search, respectively. Even so, it’s not clear how much Google is paying for defense, and how much it would pay Samsung in case Apple wins any damages on those patents.

Google has to help with Samsung’s defense partly because of the “Mobile Application Distribution Agreement” Samsung signed in order to be able to preload Google apps on its Android devices. However, Google is likely to offer compensation for its proprietary apps only, including Google Search or Gmail, that are found on Samsung’s devices, rather than on the open source parts of the code.

It's interesting how Apple never attacked Google directly, but instead went after all of its partners. As you can see, it looks like Apple finally awoke the slumbering dragon. Of course, Apple is a dragon too, and with an even bigger treasure horde than Google. It will be interesting to see how this titanic fight finally finishes.

Source: BGR

That master boat-sinker and dam-buster @evleaks is at it again. This time he brought us leaked pics of a red version of the new HTC One M8. As you can see, the only thing different is the color of the phone. This probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise as Big Red typically offers another color for some of its flagship devices a few months after the initial launch.

Sadly, there's no word on when this will come to the carrier, nor is their any indication as to whether it is an exclusive. We will keep you updated as more info arrives.

Source: @evleaks - Twitter

A new project called MAGE (Mobile Application Generation Environment) just launched on Kickstarter with the goal of allowing anyone to create mobile apps without any programming knowledge. They offer templates, drag and drop, dynamic content, analytics, push notifications, and will submit your app for you as well; and for $99 starting out it looks like a steal. Check it out via the link below.

Via Kickstarter

There is solid intel that LG plans to launch their G Watch Android wearable immediately after the Google I/O Developer's conference on June 25-26th of this year. The smartwatch from LG is said to be powered by Google's new Android Wear OS, so this sounds very plausible, as Android Wear is expected to be officially detailed at that event.

If true, it would mean that LG will be the first OEM out of the gates with a smartwatch using the Android Wear OS. The Moto 360 and an offering from Samsung are expected to follow soon-after. We will keep you updated as things develop.

Source: PhoneArena