TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for July 8 – July 14, 2013

We had another busy week at TalkAndroid so here’s a recap of all the top stories. Was it National Moto X week or something? Things have changed a little from a few months ago when the Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One were making all the headlines. Well now it’s Motorola’s turn. Motorola is definitely stealing the thunder with the Moto X, but the DROID Ultra is also making headlines. Google made a major update to Maps and T-Mobile proved once again why they are the UN-Carrier. It’s time to get caught up and get ready for another exciting week.

Guides

How to backup or transfer photos from your Android phone to the cloud or desktop computer

How to: cache maps for offline use in the new Google Maps update

How to add password protection to your Google Play Store account to prevent unintentional purchases

Reviews

Kids Mosaic [Brain & Puzzle]

Logitech Harmony Ultimate, Smart Hub, and Android app review

Patriot Aero Wireless Mobile Drive Review: Easily add 1TB of wireless storage to your smartphone or tablet

AT&T Optimus G Pro quick review: A fantastic phone at a fantastic price

Accessories

Garmin’s new HUD accessory will project navigation information on your windshield

Apps – New

Crazy Taxi pulls into the Google Play Store

‘One Today’ charity app by Google released to public, invite no longer necessary

Rovio Stars’ Tiny Thief now available in the Play Store

Sprinkle Islands makes big splash in Google Play Store

Pacific Rim game hits the Play Store

Vector Unit releases new videos showing Riptide GP2 gameplay

Tinder Android app launches when 1 million people want it

Apps  – Updates

Google Maps updates with new UI

Chrome update details noted on official Chrome blog, includes fullscreen on tablets and performance fixes

Google quietly brings back open-view option for offline maps in the new Google Maps update

Update for Google+ app allows users to see friends’ +1 activity in stream

Vine app for Android gets large update, includes timeline features and new camera tools

Rovio gives a tease of an Angry Bird in Star Wars gear, tells us to look out for July 15th date in the process

Carbon for Android Twitter client gets big update, promises of more in the near future

Carriers

T-Mobile announces ‘Jump’ program, major 4G LTE expansion, and new four-line family plan

Sprint looks to change “Everything” plans to “Unlimited, My Way” with fresh set of options

Sprint makes Unlimited My Way and All-In plans official

T-Mobile launches #hate2wait promotion

Verizon releases ‘FamilyBase,’ gives nearly complete control over kids’ phones to parents

Gaming

Test drive an NVIDIA Shield at a select few SHIELD Movie Theater Experience Centers

Google

Latest Android distribution shows Jelly Bean up to 37.9%, Ice Cream Sandwich slides to 23%

Google brings back phone calls to Hangouts

Google Latitude to be discontinued August 9

Google releases new Maps commercial featuring update v7.0, Google Glass… and Detroit Rock City

Phones – BLU

BLU Dash 4.5 is an Android 4.2 phone for only $139 unlocked

Phones – HTC

HTC One in Glamour Red surfaces in hands-on video

HTC One “Google Edition” passes Bluetooth SIG again, this time with Android 4.3 and Bluetooth 4.0 LE

AT&T and Sprint HTC One on sale for $49.99 on Amazon

HTC One variant for Big Red finally hits FCC, expected to launch later this summer

Leaked Verizon roadmap shows HTC One and Moto X release dates

HTC could be looking at mid-year refresh of HTC One, plastic body for next generation of flagship device

New shots of HTC Butterfly S with dual-sim slots pop up on Twitter

Phones – Huawei

Images of Huawei Honor 3 hint at mid-range device with a little extra

Phones – LG

LG G2 leaked photo shows how it looks from the side

More LG G2 front and rear images leaked

Leaked video, images of LG Optimus G2 hit the Internet

LG confirms August 7th G2 launch with new teaser vid

LG supposedly to launch G2 smartphone in Korea on August 20th… oh and probably plans on bringing the Nexus 5 along later in the year too

LG G2 comparison pictures leak, device alongside Samsung Galaxy Note 2

LG to release the slimmest full HD LCD display in the world, most likely for upcoming G2

AT&T LG Optimus G Pro finally gets Value Pack upgrade

Phones – Motorola

Possible Motorola DROID ULTRA image leaked

More DROID ULTRA images surface

Leaked storyboard for DROID MAXX promises 48 hours of worry-free battery life

More proof of impending Moto Droid RAZR Ultra and Droid RAZR M Ultra, both appear on Cellebrite machine image

Motorola DROID Mini, Ultra and MAXX in leaked picture

Yet more Moto X Phone images surface

Moto X to incorporate clear pixel technology in camera hardware

Rumor: Motorola set to launch European variant of the X Smartphone in Q4, will give it Nexus-esque pricing in the process

Latest Motorola X leak shows a dual-SIM variant is likely on the way 

More Moto X leaks; Shows off full back side of the device

Motorola to spend up to $500 million marketing the X Phone on all four major carriers

Leaked Verizon roadmap shows HTC One and Moto X release dates

Eric Schmidt reveals Moto X while talking about Google’s relationship with Apple [Updated]

Google Glass video shows Motorola’s Rick Osterloh having way too much fun with the Motorola X smartphone

Moto X customers will be able to pick back plate material, source says

Verizon Moto X pictured for the first time

Motorola X Phone pops up in video, shows off in white and black with always-on voice actions

Motorola hints at fast Moto X camera

Phones – Samsung

Could Samsung be planning to launch four versions of the Galaxy Note III at the same time?

Phones – Sony

T-Mobile nabs the Sony Xperia Z as an exclusive, available July 17 for $99 down

Sony sends invites for ‘Exclusive Booth Unveiling’ on Sept. 4, ‘Honami’ flagship announcement expected

Phones – ZTE

ZTE U988S could be the world’s first Tegra 4-powered handset

ROMs

Latest CyanogenMod nightlies allow Google Voice users to send texts through any messaging app

CyanogenMod official blog post reveals security bug fix in latest version, CM 10.1.1

Video showcases MoDaCo.SWITCH’s ability to easily switch between Sense and Stock

Security

Bluebox Security releases app to check if your phone has been patched or not from Android security exploit

Google releases patch to fix Bluebox security threat, users await OEMs and carriers for updates

New major security threat for Android devices revealed, but Google already has a patch in place this time

Smartwatches

Sony Smartwatch 2 UK availability pushed back until September

Tablets

Nexus 7 price goes down to $179.99, new model on the way?

Techno Source unveils kid-friendly line of Kurio tablets to be sold exclusively at Toys”R”Us

[Deal] Grab a 32 GB Nexus 7 for $199 through Newegg

Amazon to revamp Kindle Fire line with higher resolution displays and new design

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 series of tablets now available nationwide

Second-generation Nexus 7 may not reach 8 million sales

Benchmark on upcoming Acer tablet reveals a beast in the making

Grab a 16 GB Nexus 7 for $149 through Staples or 32 GB for $169

Entry level Toshiba tablet shows up in benchmarks

Updates

DROID RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD updates roll out

HTC Butterfly gets Android 4.2.2, Sense 5

Miscellaneous

Samsung, HTC, others may add Zigbee support to smartphones

Dropbox announces Sync API as part of Dropbox Platform for third-party apps

Samsung sees bright future for ‘wearables’ and phone displays in new concept video

Android co-creator talks about fragmention, considers it an “overblown issue”

True Apple fanboy at heart, man steals a bunch of iPhones, leaves Samsung Galaxy at scene of crime

Qualcomm releases video imagining world without mobile

Apple rubbing off a bit on Samsung? Samsung fights LG over use of the word “unpack”

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