We had another busy week at TalkAndroid so here’s a recap of all the top stories. We are getting ready for IFA 2013, so we saw a number of leaks regarding the Xperia Z1, the Galaxy Note III, and the Galaxy Gear. LG’s G Pad was teased as well, but they went ahead and announced it a little early. By far the biggest shock of the week was Hugo Barra’s departure from Google. It’s a major loss for the Android team, but a big gain for Xiaomi. The Moto X finally landed on Verizon, but what’s the deal with T-Mobile and Sprint? It’s time to get caught up and get ready for another exciting week.
Guides
Reviews
Patriot Fuel+ 9000 mAh Mobile Rechargeable Battery review
Accessories
Mophie Juice Pack for Samsung Galaxy S 4 now available
Motorola Debuts Official Moto X Desktop and Car Docks
HTC Mini+ shows up on HTC’s site, essentially a phone for your phone
Apps – New
Rovio releases teaser videos of four Angry Birds Star Wars 2 characters
Apps – Updated
Google Hangouts updated, AT&T users can finally make video calls on mobile network
Google+ app now gets auto-awesome notifications
DIRECTV updates app with UI overhaul, new features
Twitter opens up their Android Beta Program
Hangouts Goes HD in a Move From Google to Go Plugin Free
Shazam for Android update brings revamped UI and tablet support
Foursquare CEO thinks location based notifications is the future for the app
Cameras
Pricing for Sony’s upcoming ‘Lens Cameras’ QX10 and QX100 leaked
Samsung Galaxy NX camera to hit market in October for $1,599
Plug-in mobile camera lenses teased by Oppo
Sony lens-camera devices will reportedly be called Smart Shot
Carriers
Aio Wireless rolling out nationwide during September
AT&T 4G LTE now available in 12 new markets
Sprint will release the HTC One in blue on September 10th
T-Mobile Moto X could be offered exclusively through Google Play
[Deal] Grab the Verizon Moto X for $139.99 with promo code
Verizon officially outs Kyocera Hydro Elite, enlists Bear Grylls to market features
Chromecast
Google responds to blocking local video playback from Chromecast apps
Gaming
New MOGA Power Series mobile controllers go up for pre-order
7-inch game-pad from Wikipad to be released to UK on Sept. 27 for £250
Hugo Barra resigns from Google, will join Chinese phone maker Xiaomi
Google TV
Behold— the Sony NSZ-GU1 Google TV + Chromecast unit in all it’s glory
Hardware
Qualcomm aims a little Snapdragon firebreath in MediaTek’s direction
Phones – ASUS
ASUS Padfone Infinity A86 gets pictured alongside current A80 model, could launch in September
Phones – BLU
Low-end, cheap, and trendy smartphone line launched by BLU Products
Phones – Goophone
Goophone to release Android-powered iPhone 5C clone
Phones – HTC
Some more specs for HTC One Max leak, fingerprint scanner may be gone
More HTC One Max images put fingerprint scanner back in play
Sprint will release the HTC One in blue on September 10th
HTC Zara Mini leaks, looks to be a smaller version of previously rumored device
HTC Zara to officially ship as ‘Desire 601′
Phones – Kyocera
Verizon officially outs Kyocera Hydro Elite, enlists Bear Grylls to market features
Phones – LG
LG shows off G2 product features in new introduction video
LG shows off G2′s OIS and low light performance by filming the Earth from the Stratosphere
LG officially announces Optimus L9 II
Phones – Meizu
Meizu MX3 pictured in what looks like official photos
Phones – Motorola
Moto X now available from AT&T through Moto Maker
Moto X costs $23 less than the Galaxy S 4 to build
Can the Moto X survive a hammer and knife scratch test?
[Deal] Grab the Verizon Moto X for $139.99 with promo code
T-Mobile Moto X could be offered exclusively through Google Play
Motorola could possibly offer “swappable” back-covers for lower-cost Moto X
Moto X to have $99 price tag on-contract come Q4, will add ‘at least’ 4 new wood-grained backs
Motorola posts kernel source code for Moto X
Phones – Nexus
Price of all Nexus 4 phones cut $100 in the Play Store
Recent Nexus 4 buyers can claim a $100 refund
Phones – Oppo
Oppo gives us a better idea of what the Rear Touch Panel on the N1 is all about
Phones – Samsung
Galaxy Note III won’t have Optical Image Stabilization after all
Galaxy Note III front panel leaks, shows 5.68-inch display and very thin bezel
Samsung exec confirms what we already knew, Galaxy Note III and Galaxy Gear on tap for Sept 4
Samsung Galaxy Note III possibly releasing to Taiwanese markets on September 27th
Latest Samsung Galaxy Note III rumor says shooting 4K videos will be possible
Samsung UK hyping Galaxy Gear/Galaxy Note 3 via Facebook contest
Image of Galaxy Note III leaks, rumored to have extremely thin bezel
New, cheaper variant of Samsung Galaxy Note III could be in the works
Samsung Galaxy S 4 Zoom LTE camera officially hits European markets
Report: Samsung readying production for metal housing on the Galaxy S 5
Phones – Sony
Latest Sony Xperia Z1 teaser confirms G Lens
No more pictures, Sony teases Xperia Z1 (Honami) in video
Phones – Xiaomi
New images of Xiaomi Mi3 smartphone surface amid rumors of 8-core processor inside
Security
Android devices receive 79 percent of malware attacks
Smartwatches
Samsung exec confirms what we already knew, Galaxy Note III and Galaxy Gear on tap for Sept 4
Rumor: Samsung Galaxy Gear to come in 6GB and 8GB flavors with poor battery life
Gear Manager Android App for Galaxy Gear Smartwatch Leaks
Patent application filed by Motorola for smartwatch device
Google’s upcoming smartwatch has a secret ingredient; the purchase of WiMM labs
Samsung UK hyping Galaxy Gear/Galaxy Note 3 via Facebook contest
Tablets
ARCHOS announces new line of devices
ASUS Padfone Infinity A86 gets pictured alongside current A80 model, could launch in September
Kobo announces Arc 7, Arc 7 HD, and Arc 10 HD tablets
LG G Pad will sport the same display technology as the iPad mini and upcoming iPad 5
LG releases boring teaser video for G Pad 8.3
LG announces G Pad 8.3 before IFA, set for a global Q4 release
New Nexus 7 now on sale in the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, and Japan
Nexus 7 LTE now available in Germany and Italy
Samsung makes the Galaxy Tab 3 Kids tablet official
Samsung Galaxy Note 12.2 leaked ahead of IFA expo
Xiaomi ready to release 7-inch Zimi tablet
Updates
Nexus 7 update apparently did not completely resolve touchscreen issues
Miscellaneous
Vast majority of highest grossing Android apps are free in Google Play
Sign-ups now being taken by Samsung for October Developer Conference
Apple’s Siri tries to get snarky with Google Glass
Amazon introduces Mobile Associates API to help developers further monetize apps
HTC to build smartphone operating system for Chinese markets instead of using Android
Xiaomi co-founder Bin Lin talks about phone sales and hiring Hugo Barra
Xiaomi’s app store hits 1 billion downloads in a year, company looks to be on the climb
IDC lowers projected tablet estimates for 2013 due to wearable tech and bigger smartphones
Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for August 26 – September 1, 2013
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