If Samsung adopted Motorola's methodology, would Samsung devices sell better?

Everyone knows the name of Samsung's user interface that is heavily layered over Android... and it is TouchWiz. Before we get started, I just want to say that I am a longtime Samsung user, previously owning the Galaxy S3, S4, S5, Note 3, and most recently the Note 4. Everyone knows, that TouchWiz, while it looks somewhat visually appealing (in some cases), is not the best thing for performance. So the question is, if Samsung went the way of Motorola, minimized UI interference, put out updates as soon as possible, would Samsung become more appealing?

Motorola on their latest devices have all been near-stock Android. There isn't any major design changes to the notification panel, settings, or skin overlays, and the only added features to the device, are Motorola apps. It's relatively unnoticeable. 

Profits have been falling for quite some time now for Samsung and this year, Samsung took a big step to try and reverse that trend. Samsung has always been stubborn about changing their devices to meet consumer demands, however they started making phones with what everyone wanted: metal frames. While the devices received praise for their design, it hasn't changed their profit outlook so it's time to continue making changes. 

I have always had a love-hate relationship with the Galaxy line-up. On one hand, they always have the latest hardware such as processors, big batteries, and great cameras. On the other hand, fluidity of moving throughout the phone, switching between apps, going to the multitasking menu, or even pressing the home button to go to the homescreen has always been slightly sluggish. 

For example, I thought the Note 4 was blazing fast after I picked it up. I had not the slightest problem with the performance due to the fact that the latest hardware picked up the slack of the TouchWiz UI. This to me, is the best performing device that Samsung has put out to date by a large margin. However, that all changed once I picked up a Nexus 5.

The Galaxy Note 4 has a Snapdragon 805 processor and 3 GB of RAM, whereas the Nexus 5 has a Snapdragon 800 processor with 2 GB of RAM, not to mention the device is year old. I installed the Android 5.0 Lollipop developer preview on my Nexus 5, and was blown away by the performance. Granted, Lollipop is designed to maximize performance and be faster than KitKat, I was still surprised by how drastic the difference was between the Nexus 5 and the Note 4. 

This got me thinking. If Samsung were to minimize their UI's footprint, would they be more successful? Would it encourage people to give Samsung's products another chance? Let us know what you think and if Samsung should change their approach of software development when it comes to their phones.

I'm going to end with this: If they were to put out a Google Play Edition Galaxy Note 4, I would pick that up in a second!

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Motorola DROID Turbo leak: Retail packaging

One of the most-anticipated for Verizon Wireless, the Motorola-made DROID Turbo, has had steady leaks in the past few days. Including one from leak-king evleaks, and live shots showing off specs from Android Spin. The latest leaks regarding this device include retail packaging and live imagery courtesy of Moto Firmware.

 

This device is expected to have great specs, including a massive 3900 mAh battery, a 5.2 inch QHD display (1440 x 2560), 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of ROM, and a 21 megapixel camera. Motorola is definitely going all out with their latest model of the DROID and aren't skipping on anything. The device will also come with Snapdragon's latest 805 processor that is clocked at 2.7 GHz and run Android 4.4.4 KitKat out of the box. 

The pictures below, are the latest leaks of the DROID Turbo, which show the device in its retail packaging. The device is expected to be launched and debuted on October 28th. Verizon has a countdown set up on their webpage that can be viewed here.

Do you plan on picking up the DROID Turbo with its massive battery? Or are you going to go with the Nexus 6, Note 4, or LG G3? Let us know in the comments below! 

Source 1 | 2 | 3 

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After Acquiring Motorola, Lenovo climbs the ladder to Become the Third Largest Smartphone Vendor in India

New reports by IDC have revealed that Lenovo is set to become the third largest smartphone vendor in India. But only after the completion of its acquisition of Motorola Mobility is complete. The acquisition is considered one of the sharpest move in the industry for the Chinese company, which has previously made its name though PC sales.

“Presently, Motorola is at number four in India. And, we are expecting to close the acquisition by the end of the calendar year, which we believe make us the third largest smartphone player the in the Indian market,” Amar Babu, managing director at Lenovo India said.

Amar said that Lenovo’s smartphone business has grown by 200% year on year, much faster than the rest of the market. He added that Lenovo will build the Motorola brand the way it has built the ThinkPad notebook brand within the company.

The overall Indian smartphone market is expected to cross 80 million devices by shipments, up from 44 million a year back. Shipments grew by 84% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2014 to June, with vendors shipping a total of 18.42 million smartphones.

The company is also positive on setting up manufacturing units in the country, given the ‘Make in India’ initiative by the Indian government and the company is hoping for certain incentives by the government that would encourage the same.

The company is already the number one player in the PC market in India. In the Indian smartphone market, Lenovo lags behind Motorola, which is the fourth largest player. The company also plans to enhance its position in the tablet market in India. Lenovo recently launched its new range of ‘Yoga’ tablets in India, priced between Rs 20,990 to Rs 47,990. The range — comprising of four devices — will go on sale today exclusively on eCommerce site, Flipkart.

Source: iGyaan

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Android Lollipop is official, HTC Nexus 9 and Motorola Nexus 6 release dates!

It is official. Android L will be named 'Lollipop' as was expected and previously leaked, and Google has also announced their two new devices, the HTC Nexus 9 tablet and the Motorola Nexus 6 phablet.

Android L, which is Google's most highly-anticipated operating system update to date, has finally been announced as Lollipop. Lollipop features an all new 'material design' to be extremely functional and extremely compatible with a multitude of Android devices. With the all new Lollipop update, Google is seamlessly integrating all Google products into one, familiar layout. The developer preview has been out since mid-June of this year, but was not officially announced until today.



Google also has announced their additions to the always popular Nexus line. There will be an all new 8.9 inch tablet called the Nexus 9, which is made by HTC, and a 6 inch smartphone called the Nexus 6, which is made by Motorola. Both of these devices will sport a QHD display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560.

The Nexus 6 will also come with dual front-facing speakers, 13 megapixel camera, 3 GB of RAM, 32 or 64 GB of ROM, a 3220 mAh battery, and features the all-new turbo-charging feature that gives the user up to six hours of battery life in 15 minutes of charging. The Nexus 6 design is taken from the Motorola Moto X (2014), except in a bigger form factor.

The Nexus 9 will feature the popular NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 or 32 GB of ROM, a 6700 mAh battery, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, and will be compatible with a magnetic keyboard folio.

Both devices will be offered in black and white, but official pricing remains to be unseen. The Nexus 9 will be available for pre-order starting October 17th and be released in stores November 3rd. The Nexus 6 will be available for pre-order on October 29th and in stores mid-to-late November. The unlocked version will be available through the Google Play Store as well as through carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon.

The Nexus 6 will be available at $630 off-contract whereas the Nexus 9 starts at $400.

For those with a Google Play Edition device, Nexus 4, 5, 7, or 10, Android 5.0 Lollipop will be available in the coming weeks.

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Nexus phone and tablet no longer budget devices

Today is the day many Android fans have been waiting for. It is expected to be the long awaited debut of the Google and Motorola collaboration, the Nexus 6, and the Google and HTC collaboration, the Nexus 9. Up until today, we have gotten a few looks as to what to expect and details surrounding the specs,  but no pricing details.

According to these leaked images from Caschys Blog, we can see the expected prices of the two devices. Android enthusiasts that were hoping that the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 would follow in the footsteps of the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7, have been let down.





These prices are in Euros, however Google tends to sell their devices at the same price no matter the currency. One hope, is that these may be carrier prices. If that were the case, it would be almost guaranteed that Google would sell them for as much as $50 less, if not more on the Google Play Store.

Pricing will most likely be announced later today, so we'll keep you updated.

Both devices come with massive specs, such as QHD displays on both of them, a Snapdragon 805 processor on the Nexus 6 with 3 GB of RAM, and a 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 with 2 GB of RAM on the Nexus 9.

Will you get either of these devices or is the pricing too high? Let us know!

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