Android Forum at DroidForums.net

Ladies and gentlemen we have an AWESOME giveaway that we are excited to announce! As you can see we are giving away a Limited Edition Code Black Drone!! Yes, one (1) lucky member will get the chance to win this very cool drone and as always it's going to be a snap to enter.

Lets take a quick look at some of the Code Black Drone's features:

• 6-axis flight control system and adjustable gyro sensitivity, the Code Black Drone can perform complicated maneuvers will speed and accuracy. A beginner and expert flight mode allow you progress to more complex flights.
• Take amazing aerial video in stealth mode. Shoot perfect HD and SD video with this stealth matte black drone. This badass drone shoots badass video.
• Easy to use remote. This responsive, 4-channel remote is included with every Code Black Drone. Easy to learn controls will have you flying like a pro in no time

So what do you have to do to enter? Rules for entry are as follows:

• Only ONE (1) entry per member. Duplicate entries will result in immediate disqualification.
• Let us know what carrier you are on AND what carrier, if any, you are planning to move over to. If you're happy and staying where you are, please let us know!

That's all you need to do and you are entered folks, so jump right in!!

On January 29, 2015 at 12:00pm Central the contest will close and we will randomly draw one (1)...

The FTC recently ruled in a case against prepaid mobile carrier TracFone. This case will likely have wide-sweeping ramifications throughout the entire mobile landscape in the US. It will impact consumers positively, while likely frustrating big carrier's like AT&T and others.

TracFone was ordered to pay $40 million in damages for throttling customers’ data connections. The reason for this ruling was because the customers signed up for “unlimited” data plans, yet TracFone chose to "throttle" customers who were heavy users. The FTC's director of Consumer Protection, Jessica Rich, had this to say,
Rich elaborated that the FTC doesn't have a problem with carriers using throttling if customers exceed certain limits or when the company needs to manage traffic during peak hours. The issue at hand was in how TracFone presented and marketed their plans. Basically, the FTC wants to enforce greater truth in advertising in this instance. If a customer believed they were signing up for "unlimited" service, then there shouldn't be any "limitations."

The reason why this could affect companies like AT&T is the way in which the FTC is phrasing their ruling in the case. Recently, AT&T thumbed their noses at the FTC, arguing they have no authority or jurisdiction over AT&T's network management practices. AT&T contends that the FCC handles that jurisdiction....

If there is one area about Samsung we can all agree is their Achilles heel is the bloat added to Touchwiz. In between all the S Features as well as carrier's bloat apps the phone is already 10-15% loaded once you turn it on out of the box. Well looks as if Samsung, feeling the heat of Apple on their necks, want to do whatever they can to get those extra customers and what better way then to eliminate the bloat. Samsung may do like Google have done with the Nexus 6 5.0 and allow users to uninstall preloaded apps that used to be system apps. We are still going to have to wait to see if this will include S features and carrier apps. But if Samsung make the move to cleaning up Touchwiz as well as offering more developer options (that allows for easily unlocking the bootloader) I can see them gathering even more android users. My reason for choosing the Nexus 6 over the Note 4 was because of the bloat associated with Touchwiz that slows down the system after using it a year.

Sources:
Exclusive Samsung removing bloat from TouchWiz making most of it downloadable SamMobile
Samsung reportedly rushing to dismantle TouchWiz as it feels heat from Apple in Q4 9to5Google

Here's a fun off topic story for you guys to marvel at on this fine Thursday.

If the video above is any indication, the future of video games looks amazing. What you see above is a real-time demo which was created by level designer and 3D artist Benoît Dereau. He is famous for his work on the game Dishonored. The title of the tech demo above is called “Unreal Paris,” and Dereau used the new Unreal Engine 4 to create the demo.

To be clear, the tech demo above runs in 720P resolution at 24fps, which is not what gamers typically are interested in; however, in the thread below we included a second version he did which runs at 1080P at 60fps. Either version shows off the incredible possibilities of what games will look like in the near-future. The realism is off the charts compared to anything else out there. We can't wait to see the games come out which will take full advantage of Unreal Engine 4.

We have a new rendering which is supposedly the actual design of the Samsung Galaxy S6. We are dubious that this is the real deal, but felt it was worth reporting just in case. We have three images from the folks at PhoneArena. One is shown above and all three are available for your gaze in the thread below.

While we are skeptical of the veracity of this "leaked image" we suspect it won't be too far from the final design, as Samsung has said repeatedly they plan to use metallic materials for the Galaxy S6, and this render reflects that. The other thing worth noting about this design is how much it looks like a cross between the current iPhone 6 and the previous generation iPhone 5S, with a hint of the Galaxy S5 thrown in for good measure.

If this is the final design of the Galaxy S6 it certainly won't win any awards for originality...

In the last big LG news story of the morning, during LG's earnings conference call the company admitted they had some problems with the first batch of Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processors. They didn't specifically detail them as heat issues, but were simply throttling issues (which could have been attributed to heat).

Despite this, LG indicated that they worked closely with Qualcomm and were able to solve the problems, which is why they moved forward with the G Flex 2 and will be moving forward with the G4. LG specifically indicated that these issues did not and will not effect their planned ship dates for either phone.

Hmmm... this seems like a bit of "backtracking" on the part of LG, which recently defended Qualcomm claiming they had no problems with the Snapdragon 810. Does this help clear up some of the mystery, or obfuscate it further?

Source: GforGames

Here's our second news piece of the morning for LG. A new report indicates the LG's flagship, the G4 is on track for a Q2 launch. Supposedly, the G4 will have an all new design concept to distinguish it from its predecessors and its competition. According to this report, it will also have an improved camera and "strong visual experience" (whatever that means).

No actual specifics were given, nor were there any other details shared. Most of the industry speculation points to a 5.5-inch QHD display and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 as its primary features. We've heard earlier rumors that LG is working on a 20 MP "advanced OIS" camera. Perhaps that's what will show up in this device. Share your thoughts.

The image above is a random artist's concept render.

Here's our LG G4 section for further discussion: LG G4 Android Forum at DroidForums.net

Source: ZDNet Korea

We have a slew of LG stories to crank out for you guys this morning. The first of which is regarding their recent financial earnings call. Apparently, 2014 was a very good year for LG. They sold a whopping 59.1 Million smartphones last year, which was a 24% increase from the previous year. This increased sales allowed the South Korean company to post double the net profit from 2013.

In fact, the third quarter for LG was their best in five years with 16.8 million smartphones sold. Despite the rosy outlook for last year, LG is playing it safe with a conservative outlook for this year, stating that 2015 should be a, "challenging year ahead with greater competition globally from various manufacturers." LG plans to work on "improving its brand power, operating more efficiently, and focusing on selective key markets."

Interesting... it seems that it wasn't just Apple chipping away at Samsung's big lead in the smartphone world. We had several Chinese manufacturers like Lenovo, Huawei and others, but Samsung was also beset by LG at every turn. It's tough to be the king of the hill.

Source: LG

The hot news of this morning comes straight from Qualcomm's Q1 fiscal 2015 report. They made a statement to their investors which looks suspiciously like a confirmation of the rumors that Samsung won't be using the Snapdragon 810 in their Galaxy S6. This, of course, forced Qualcomm to lower their positive financial outlook for this year.

Here's the quote which sparked the speculation:



Although Qualcomm didn't come out and name a specific OEM, it seems pretty obvious who they are probably referring to, considering all of the rumors we have been hearing lately. During the conference call, Qualcomm didn't even address the rumors that the Snapdragon 810 chipset had an overheating problem which needed to be addressed. This suggests it could be a phantom problem made up by Samsung (or whomever leaked that intel previously).

What do you guys think of this?

Source: PRNewsWire

For a cheap device that may not wow you on the spec sheet this is a good looking phone. The ZTE Blade S6 is a LTE device running 5.0 lollipop, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615, 64 bit device, with a 720 display, 13 mp camera, 2400mAh battery, and looks like an iPod touch.
Again, it may not win the specs war but looks to be a nice device for those wanting an affordable phone off contract.
I see the market for this ranging from a person on a budget to a phone to buy for a teen. What do you think?

Source: ZTE Blade S6 brings LTE and Lollipop on a budget - GSMArena.com news