Top 5 News: Nexus 4 revival, extended Nexus 5 battery, S4 camera issue

Kris Carlon 2014-04-05T08:00:00Z7 hours ago

Kris Carlon

Putting down roots in Berlin after six years of traveling is a major step for Kris Carlon, who has spent more time living out of a tent lately than sitting at a desk. Kris comes to the AndroidPIT Editorial Team via a lengthy period spent writing on art and culture in Australia and other places he has lived. He joined the Android community while resurfacing in civilization back in 2010 and has never looked back, using technology to replace his actual presence in other people's lives ever since.

It's been an interesting week in the world of Android. As the Galaxy S5 and One M8 have appeared we've now seen hints of the S5 mini and M8 mini. Both Facebook and Google have been busy with app and web-based updates, Office 365 became free and Apple and Samsung are at it again in the courts. Android 4.4.3 looks ready to pop and Amazon finally launched Fire TV. But this week really belonged to the All New HTC One M8 (2014) new version, shiny edition. What else has been read-worthy though?

Top 5 News of the Week. / © AndroidPIT

The Nexus 4 may have recently attained collector's item status, with some pretty silly prices for an old smartphone, but the simple fact of the matter is that the Nexus 4 continues to be a standard setter, right up there with the Galaxy S3 and Moto G as what a smartphone should be. With this guide, we'll show you how to make your Nexus 4 even more awesome than it already is.

© AndroidPIT

The Nexus 5 has some pretty infamous battery issues, but with impressive accessories like Limefuel's extended battery case you can more than double the battery life of your Nexus 5. Whether you keep your phone in the case or simply snap it in for a quick charge, the Limefuel extended battery for the Nexus 5 is almost as essential an accessory as a USB charger.

The Limefuel battery case may beef up your Nexus 5, but it's a worthwhile addition. / © AndroidPIT

Camera failed. The last error message you want popping up on your smartphone, especially when something significant is going on in front of you. Follow these three simple tips to get your Galaxy S4 camera app working perfectly again in a snap.

We have a fix for the Samsung Galaxy S4 camera problem / © AndroidPIT

Most of the major flagships are out already with a few more on the horizon. The Oppo Find 7 is a bit of a surprise entry, the LG G3 hasn't been confirmed yet and we're still waiting for the OnePlus One, but we've pulled together the specs we can to let you pick a winner from the current crop of Android flagship devices.

Clash of the Titans: which flagship is the best right now? / © AndroidPIT/Sony/Samsung/Oppo/HTC/LG

Along with the Nexus 4, the Galaxy S3 and Moto G represent major watershed moments in Android devices, seeming to be the perfect device at the perfect time and setting the standard for years to come. In this article, we put the S3 and Moto G side-by-side to see how they stack up against one another.

© Motorola/Samsung/AndroidPIT

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Gadget of the week: Limefuel extended battery case for the Nexus 5

Kris Carlon 2014-04-03T17:00:00Z21 hours ago

Kris Carlon

Putting down roots in Berlin after six years of traveling is a major step for Kris Carlon, who has spent more time living out of a tent lately than sitting at a desk. Kris comes to the AndroidPIT Editorial Team via a lengthy period spent writing on art and culture in Australia and other places he has lived. He joined the Android community while resurfacing in civilization back in 2010 and has never looked back, using technology to replace his actual presence in other people's lives ever since.

Before I departed for the non-stop circus of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month, I was lucky enough to pick up a Limefuel extended battery case for my Nexus 5. As we all know, the battery capacity of the Nexus 5 is far from legendary (more like infamous), and I couldn't afford to have my smartphone conking out in the middle of posting MWC party pics to social media. Check out my experience with the Limefuel L28N5 battery case below.

The Limefuel battery case may beef up your Nexus 5, but it's a worthwhile addition. / © AndroidPIT

First things first, this is not a fashion accessory. The battery case is an unassuming black rubbery slab, much like the Nexus 5 itself. The Nexus 5 slots neatly into the battery case, which fully encloses it, providing protection from falls and bumps at the same time as providing additional power. You simply remove the side cage, pop your Nexus into the case and snap the sides back on to keep it snug. Buttons and ports are still accessible, as are speakers and your camera simply shoots through a cutaway in the back of the case.

The Nexus 5 slides down into the Limefule case and connects with a USB port. / © AndroidPIT

The Limefuel battery case doesn't disappoint on the power front either, providing 2,860 mAh of juice. That's 560 mAh more than the Nexus 5's internal battery, so it's easy to see that the case, while doubling the thickness of your Nexus 5 will also give you double the battery life. Your Nexus 5 will either start drawing juice from the case as you use it or start charging (at about the same rate as wireless charging). The L28N5 is not designed as a rapid charger though, so if that's what you're after you need to look elsewhere. To my mind, the Limefuel battery case provides more of an extended battery experience as an attachment for your Nexus 5 even if you can also snap your phone into the case and drop it into your bag for a regular charge and then take it out when it's done.

The edges of the Limefuel case snap into place to keep your Nexus 5 snug and secure. / © AndroidPIT

The thickness of the battery case – which doubles the thickness of the Nexus 5 and adds a little to the height – makes it a little uncomfortable to carry around in your jeans pocket, although the case is quite light at just 111 grams. But once you've added it to the Nexus 5's 130 grams it all starts to add up with that added bulk and weight, even if you do eventually get used to it. Definitely more of a slightly awkward necessity than a bumper case with a bonus. The nicest part for me was that I could use my Nexus until almost dead and then just pop it in the case when necessary rather than having it attached all day. You can also charge the Nexus 5 while it's enclosed in the Limefuel case via pass-through charging, and as mentioned above, you can either keep your Nexus in the case or just use it to charge your device.

The Nexus 5 camera shoots through a cut-away in the back of the Limefuel case. / © AndroidPIT

As a functional accessory though the Limefuel battery case is beyond comparison. I was able to hammer my Nexus 5 all day with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, shoot dozens of photos and upload and download constantly with double my usual screen-on time and I hardly put a dent in the Limefuel case. I even dropped my phone a few times and that didn't put a dent in the case either. Under normal conditions and with some battery saving steps in place, you could easily expect to get two days out of your Nexus 5 with the L28N5 battery case. With less focus on battery conservation and heavier use you'll still make it all day and night before you need to consider looking for an outlet. It's become a staple in my backpack or jacket pocket wherever I go.

The Limefuel case has it's own USB port for charging and pass-through charging for your Nexus 5. / © AndroidPIT

So if battery life and a shortage of access to power sources is a concern to you, then you really can't do much better than the Limefuel L28N5 battery case. None of the competition is going to look any sexier and it certainly delivers what you want from an extended battery. It only takes three hours to charge fully, you've got a charge indicator on the back of the case and it reportedly has a 500 charge cycle lifespan. Even if you don't plan on using it as a daily accessory it's pretty unbeatable as an emergency backup or for particular use cases like business or road trips. If you've got the non-removable battery woes, there's a Limefuel battery case to suit your power demands, so keep an eye out and rest assured you'll be able to power on.

The Limefuel L28N5 battery case is 74.99 USD on Amazon.

Have you used an extended battery case before? Do you prefer battery cases or quick chargers?

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Extended ‘All New HTC One’ Leak Video Shows Brushed Gray Stainless Finish

The HTC One (not the old one, the new one) is being introduced tomorrow at an event in NYC that kicks off at 11 AM ET, but in case you weren’t yet tired of the steady stream of leaks that have ruined any possible surprises at the flagship unveiling, here’s a nearly 15-minute video look at HTC’s latest kick at the can.

The M8 (HTC’s internal code name for the new One) you see above is one of four rumored colorways for the smartphone, which also include gold, silver and black in addition to this sort of slate gray finish. You can see from the video that the finish is more brushed than the finish on last year’s HTC One, and the new metal edges surrounding the phone appear to have been polished to a mirror finish.

While this isn’t the first leak for the new HTC One, or even the first extended hands-on video look, it is a new perspective on this yet-to-be-announced hardware, and one that makes me even more excited to see the real thing in the flesh. HTC knocked it out of the park with the original HTC One, in terms of design and performance, and it looks poised to do it again. Hopefully this time around, consumers will take notice.

Rumored specs for the HTC One (M8) include a 2.3GHz Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, either 16 or 32GB of onboard storage with expandable micro SD memory up to 128GB, a 5-inch display with 1080×1920 resolution and 441 ppi display density, and the new Duo Camera which composes images from two separate captures for advanced editing features. Tune in here tomorrow as we bring you all the info about the new smartphone when it finally becomes official.