Samsung plans to install the S5 with an “Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) camera that, according to them will produce quality photos that those captured by digitally enhanced clickers. The OIS technology is currently being used by Nokia on their PureView devices as well as HTC’s “Ultrapixel” technology.

The advantages of having an OIS camera technology should include the following:

• Reduced blurring when capturing in motion
• Compensates panning and tilting the camera
•  Stabilises the recorded image by varying the optical path to the sensor
• It is compatible with Digital Image Stabilisation
• Zooming out to its maximum magnification will make the camera extremely sensitive to motion

Another rumor is that Samsung is (finally!) ditching the polycarbonate material used on their devices. Not only does it provide little or no protection, it tends to get slippery and full of grease at the end of the day. News are now saying that Samsung sent some of their engineers to Vietnam “to investigate the possibility of using aluminum and magnesium” materials for their future devices. This, for me will be the dividing line and the trampoline to elevate Samsung’s name as the top Smartphone manufacturer known to man.

Samsung needs to do away with plastic; Apple is doing it, HTC and Sony are also dealing with metals. It’s not copying in general, but a motion to compete with others in terms of physicality and sturdiness.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is, according to the company set to be launched by March 2015, although they didn’t include a specific date.

Eyes and ears on us!

The Samsung Galaxy S5 may still be out of reach as of today, but rumors around it are just grinding and grinding.

Over the last few months, we have heard a lot of buzz concerning the “next big thing” in the Smartphone world. For one, the S5 is rumored to have two variants: one running the Android OS, the other on Tizen. Apparently, the South Korea-based tech titan isn’t going to let go of Android even if they are indeed developing another OS that will be incorporated to their future low-end and mid-ranged devices.

Samsung also said that the Tizen OS will be used after the S4, so it’s kind of concrete that somewhere between the S5 and other models, a Tizen-based Samsung Smartphone should be expected.

Co-CEO Boo-Keun Yoon said that the company foresee a possibility of using the Tizen OS to connect all of their devices, including tablets. And with this idea in mind, Samsung decided that the S5 will have an alternative variant aside from Android.

With Google releasing KitKat as is scheduled to officially release it come October and the fact that it remains to be an open-source OS, the Samsung S4 will also be included in the upgrade, as well as the Nexus family of devices.

The question now is this: will Tizen be bold enough to compete with the KitKat, considering the hype Google poured in it? Or will it go beyond our expectations and tread seamlessly into our hearts, just like what Android did before?

Quickoffice, Microsoft’s rendition of their already too familiar and easy to use word and document processing tool is now for free via Android’s Play Store and the iOS’ App Store. I’m sure most of us (if not all) would like to have a document editor and reader right at our disposal and this is just the case of Google: providing us with the fastest and the most convenient way to view, edit and store MS Office documents without the hassle of formatting and alternative viewing.

I’ve been using Quickoffice since I got my tablet and I’ve got to say that it has saved my behind from that annoying voice of your editor, screaming at you to pass your articles. And as far as I’m concerned, I am more than happy to have the new version, as it will let me save my work over at Google Drive.

But wait, there’s more! Google says that if you guys install the Quickoffice by the 26th of this month, you’ll be getting an additional 10GB of Drive storage for two years! That’s right, folks! 10GB of free space for two years! Sweet offer, eh?

Download Quick Office – PlayStore 

I myself is a huge Dead Trigger fan and literally all of those zombie games available and compatible with my device. But Madfinger caught me with a big smile on my face and lots of “overtime” to boot, just to get off one level.  But, hey, it’s all worth it. Part of the overhaul included in Dead Trigger 2 will be the ditching of premium currency and weapons and should be replaced by a crafting system. Players will also have their personal hideouts with NPC support as well.

Online compatibility was also hyped up and players from around the world will get to play with each other and share missions and rewards. Weekly missions and monthly content updates are expected from Madfinger to roll out. Adding to the already horrid situation that one must battle hordes of zombies on a daily basis, Dead Trigger 2 will also have a bit of a funny side. I mean, just look at the screenshot: it’s not everyday that you’ll see rocket chickens on you side.

After YouTube upgraded its Android make to the now version 5.0, it came to a point that I actually use the app, all because of its multitasking capabilities. The video streamer also is endowed with a new logo and personally, it did bring a lot of flavor, especially to us Android users.

Apparently, YouTube isn’t done with their updates. News has it that in a few months, users will be able watch their favorite videos offline. This, friends is a definite head-turner and will most likely to be one of the best upgrades of 2013.

Downside, though is that YouTube Partners and Creators Blog’s statement that users will be able ”to add videos to their device to watch for a short period when an Internet connection is unavailable.” On the good side, those videos you have saved on your cache will be made available to you even when there is no Internet connection. Unfortunately, the time of the video (or the length) has yet to be announced.

Let’s face it: offline videos are cool. I can’t really vouch for those with other things in mind, considering that the time of the video to be replayed without a connection is still in question. Nonetheless, this is now our queue to save as much vids.

No, your eyes (and ears) doesn’t deceive you.

After four months of negotiation, Blackberry’s highly popular Blackberry Messaging (BBM) app will finally be integrated into the Android and iOS platform.

Still can’t believe the news? Well, it’s time to think of it as a done deal as Blackberry’s official blog has it that the app will hit the Play Store in September 21st, that’s a Saturday at 7:00 AM ET. It has been revolving around the Android world that something like this would happen and surely, the time is now and we can once and for all rest the case.

The blog post also relayed that the BBM for Android will most likely integrate most features of the former app, and that include BBM Chat, complete with image and voice note transfers, group chat and status updates “and privacy controls that support PINs.”

But with good news comes the bad, as they say. In line with the announcement that the BBM will also go with the iOS on the 22nd at 12:01 AM (on all time zones), Blackberry is reported to layoff around 40 percent of its employees by the end of 2013.

What will happen next will also be our next big guess.

Image Credit: CNET

With Samsung divulging the technicalities of the new Galaxy Note 3, other will definitely have their hands full to just keep in par with the Korean powerhouse. HTC”s answer, the One Max may be the closest (as of this writing) to go toe to toe with the Note 3, alongside Sony’s Xperia Z Ultra.

Today, however is another story: leaks and some technicalities about the One Max was gathered by our spying eyes and so far, it’s all happy and sweet.

As we have now know, the One Max is a phablet, or for those new to the term is a phone/tablet due. It will come in a 5.9inch form and, according to @evleaks, the One Max will also be powered by a Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 (4 x 1.7GHz) OR a Snapdragon 800, clocked in at 2.5GHz. It will also incorporate a 2GB RAM and a choice of either 16GB or 32GB internal memory.

Other leaks include a 5 megapixel camera, a whopping 3,300 mAh battery and will set aside around $800 off your paycheck.

UPDATE: The Asian version of the HTC One Max will only be available at 16GB and should also have a microSD slot for expandable storage

An anonymous tip has it that they will officially release the Nexus 5 and their latest Android version, the KitKat in mid-October of this year.

Yes, folks; the already popular LG Nexus 5, who is already in the hot seat for the tons of leaks it has produced lately and the search engine’s latest partnership with Nestle will be with us next month. We’ve been quite intrigued with both items as of late, and in cases like these, the news of its unveiling will surely to gather waves around the world.

Alongside the release date (October 14th), the tipster also revealed KitKat’s latest innovations, including:

• Firmware availability for older phones
• Fragmentation changes (screen resizing)
• Miracast updates
• New Gallery Visualizations
• New APIs in regards to animation
• Changing the Android default palette from blue to other preset colors
• New notification widget

Keep it here on PinoyDroid for the latest news on the Nexus 5, the KitKat and the rest of the Android world.

With the supposed LG Nexus 5 lurking in the shadows in the past weeks comes a box full of new revelations that will somewhat put a period on our questions as new photos and a couple of videos were recently spotted.

We know know that the alleged Nexus 5 passed through FCC a couple of weeks back and we’re literally not surprised mainly because it comes with the NEXUS branding (and LG, of course). But, human as we are, we want more out of something that we are not that familiar, especially those treading the line of famous well appreciated devices.

Front and back shots of the LG-D820 were recently spotted around the Web and in all honesty, we’re pretty much satisfied. As per the shots, the back panel of the device will have a smooth feel and should have a curved top and bottom edges.

A rather large camera sits firmly on the upper left side of the Nexus 5 while a vertical NEXUS logo is situated in the center. The LG logo sits firmly on the bottom pane of the Smartphone.

But then again, an embossed “NOT FOR SALE” welcomed us, so it’s an unfortunate signal that this device won’t come out tomorrow.

According to 9to5Google, the videos and photos came from “a bar employee who took a look at the phone when it was left unattended”. Apparently, that employee was generous enough to take a few shots of the device.

Nexus 5 Leaked Video

Via: 9to5Google

Personally, I’ll be waiting for every news around this new Smartphone, especially with the fact that it comes with the hype of the KitKat Android build.

Moving on, the LG-D820 is said to have an “MSM 8974″ processor which is in layman’s term is the Snapdragon 800. It was also reported that it will go with a “aosp_hammerhead” build name and runs on Google’s latest Android version (4.4).

Putting them in a virtual side to side comparison with the Nexus 4, the supposed Nexus 5 is a tad smaller (131.9mm as compared to the Nexus 4′s 133.9mm) and a bit thinner at 68.2mm. Screen size comes in at 126mm, or around 4.96 inches and will incorporate a 2300mAh non-removalable battery.

Previous statements reveal that the LG-D820 has just passed through FCC; leaked photos show the device’s back plate with an NFC antenna and Qi wireless charging details.  What’s more surprising is that the skeletal frame looks strikingly similar to the one we saw during the Google event.

The device is also said to support a number of radio bands, including pentaband HSPA+ 42mbps on 850, 900, 1700, 1900 and 2100MHz, 7-band LTE on Band 2, 4, 5, 17, 25, 26 and 41, EVDO revA (CDMA) on 800 and 1900MHz.