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We knew it would be coming soon. The FCC had their final meeting regarding the Net Neutrality debate. As the FCC Director Tom Wheeler shared in his proposal, the FCC will now classify the Internet under the Title II classification. This basically categorizes the Internet like a utility and allows the FCC to keep ISPs from blocking or slowing down traffic on wired and wireless networks. It also bans ISPs from charging content providers differently for any type of paid priority "fast lanes," even in the case of network congestion.

This classification will be applied to both wired and wireless broadband networks to prevent ISPs from favoring bits of data over each other. Here's a quote with a few more details regarding the resulting furor over the official announcement,

HTC shared plans to live stream their HTC One M9 press event before Mobile World Congress on their own at 7AM PT on March 1st. HTC will stream the event from their own website as they unveil the HTC One M9 and some other "surprises."

In fact, HTC's Jeff Gordon claimed the “best parts of HTC’s March 1st launch event are the parts you have NO IDEA are coming.” Of course, this was a smart PR move considering that practically everything about the HTC One M9 has been already leaked.

Be sure to check out our dedicated HTC One M9 section here: HTC One M9 Android Forum at DroidForums.net

It's hard to fathom what Google's next plan is with the Nexus smartphone line. The next Nexus smartphone can't be called the Nexus 7 because they used that before for their first Android tablet. Of course, they seem to have carved out a fairly strait-forward naming convention, by simply matching up the size of the display with the number of the device (mostly).

With this numeric scheme, that basically relegates any Nexus numbered devices at 6 or below to smartphones, while anything larger would obviously be a tablet. Of course, it's also possible Google might ditch the numeric naming altogether and head in a different direction. Since we are speculating about Nexus devices, we might as well share the latest rumor regarding Google's Nexus series. Supposedly, the next Nexus smartphone from Google will be made from a Chinese manufacturer instead of the usual bunch: (LG, HTC, Samsung, etc.)

If true, this would push the next Nexus toward either Xiaomi, Huawei, or Lenovo. Of course, if it is Lenovo, then it might just be another Motorola device since they own them now. What do you guys think of this if true, and who would you like to see run with the Nexus ball next?

Source: PhoneArena

Late yesterday Android 5.0.2 Lollipop started rolling out to the AT&T version of the Moto X 2nd Gen. Here's the changelog:

"ENHANCEMENTS

Android™ 5.0.2 Lollipop is one of the most significant in recent Android history. It improves your experience in many areas including visual style and how you interact with your device.

After installing the software update you may notice changes that include:

Material Design You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device - from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets.
Notifications UI & Priorities
In order to alert you to the most timely and relevant information, the format and behavior of notifications have evolved:

• notifications will appear on the lock screen and are intelligently ranked by type and who sent them.
• you double-tap to open one, swipe left or right to clear one, or clear all notifications from the bottom of the list.
• you can set the priority and privacy of notifications for each application.
• very high priority notifications will pop up briefly over other applications so that you can take action.
• when you dismiss a notification on one device it will be dismissed on your other Android devices, if they are connected to the Internet.
• you can further tailor how notifications behave with the new Downtime and Ambient Display settings (see below).

New Interruptions & Downtime Settings You can tailor how...

The clearest shots yet of the final design for the Samsung Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge have been leaked. What makes these even better than previous leaks and renderings is that these look like final devices in the wild, and they are compared side-by-side.


They aren't exactly ultra-sharp, but they aren't Mr Blurrycam shots either. From the back, both phones look virtually identical. From the front, you can clearly make out the curved edges of the S6 Edge version. For the most part, both devices seem like a mashup of old Samsung Galaxy devices and the previous generation iPhones.

The home button is even more prominent now than before, and from staring at these phones, it appears that Samsung "going back to the drawing board" was far more literal than we would have thought. It looks like they simply recycled some older designs. What do you guys think?

Here's our dedicated Galaxy S6 section for more discussions: Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge General Discussions Android Forum at DroidForums.net

Source: Phandroid

Here is some shocking news this morning. It turns out the rumors about the LG Watch Urbane LTE version were true. The device will not be using Android Wear, but will instead be using a variant of WebOS. To be clear, the non-LTE version of the LG Watch Urbane still uses Android Wear. The WebOS will only be used on the LTE version for now. Also, LG is calling it their "LG Wearable Platform," even though it is basically built from WebOS.

Of course, the handy thing about WebOS on an LTE watch is that it shouldn't even need to be paired with an Android phone. It will even be able to make and receive calls and texts on its own, and includes push-to-talk support.

This LG phone/watch will also have beefy specs compared to its competition. Here's a breakdown:

• 1.3 plastic-organic-light-emitting diode circular display, which has an always-on "ambient mode."
• 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
• 4 GB of Storage
• 700 mAh battery (very nice for a smartwatch)
• LTE Radio
• NFC-enabled for mobile wallet use

On top of these internal specs, the LG Watch Urbane LTE will have three physical buttons on the right side of the smartphone. The top most button will access your settings. The center button is designed to switch between the watch and mobile apps. The lower button is basically a back function, and you can hold the back button down "to send out a safety beacon to a preset emergency contact."

There is one caveat to this awesome...

The above video is LG's newest teaser for the G Flex 2. The device just received its global launch today. It is now available across the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Germany and the U.K.

To get one in the US you will need to go to Sprint, and Carphone Warehouse for the UK. Here's a link to our dedicated LG G Flex 2 section: LG G Flex 2 Android Forum at DroidForums.net

Ever since the fall of Blackberry there has been this push by other companies to fulfill that role of the business device. Right now Apple has the edge as companies are investing in iPhones and iPads for business whether it be in the flight deck of airplanes, menus for restaurants, or work space for employees to work at home.

Google over the years has been doing what they can to get a piece of that action from cleaning up the Play Store, securing their operating system, and adding more work friendly apps. Today Google has announced "Android for Work", which will focus on Work Profiles, Android for Work apps, Google Play for Work, and Built in Productivity Tools.

This move is a smart move by Google to strengthen their software portfolio as well as put their partners in a better position to be part of the business landscape. Samsung devices such as the Note line will make for a more attractive option especially when coupled with stronger business solutions that will help with productivity. What other moves will Android partners need to make to replace Apple in the business world?

Source: Official Google for Work Blog Android is ready for work

It's that time of year again that either some of us dread or look forward to. There are numerous ways to file your taxes including tax preparation offices like H&R Block, which in this day and age if you go to them and pay the $120+ to file then you are just giving away money at that point. You can file through H&R Block's website for $30 bucks and still go into a H&R Block office for a free second look. You can also use your android device to file your taxes whether you go to the tax prep online sites or you can just go to the Play Store and find a tax preparation app.
How do you file your taxes?
Do you use any android apps to file?
Those getting money back what are your plans for that money?

MyBlock - Android Apps on Google Play
TurboTax Tax Preparation - Android Apps on Google Play

Samsung's marketing team is apparently not above teasing around with the media. They posted a series of fake Samsung devices on a "is this the next?" landing page of their website. Five different images are posted of these fake smartphones designed to have a bit of "trollish" fun with the media's penchant for latching on to rumors.

Above you can see four of the fake devices in all their oddly creative glory. As you can see, we have a smartphone that reminds us of a Rubik's Cube, a strange folding egg-shaped phone and a couple more anomalies. Some of these are definitely a humorous take on the 3-sided display rumors...

Several of these smartphones might not be too bad as real devices! What do you guys think?

Source: Samsung

Don't forget to hit up our dedicated Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge section here: Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge General Discussions Android Forum at DroidForums.net