This week was all about rumors, as a steady stream of details about Samsung’s and HTC’s next flagships trickled out. We have a good idea of what to expect from the One M9/Hima, with key details including a 20MP camera, larger battery, and an iterative design. Samsung did a little better at keeping the Galaxy S6 under wraps, but we still got a few juicy tidbits about the phone’s design and specifications. In other news, the Snapdragon 810 was in the spotlight, WhatsApp launched its first desktop client and banned 3rd party clients, Google’s plan to become a carrier leaked, and Cyanogen’s CEO revealed his vision of a Google-free operating system.
Inside AA HQ
It was a quiet week behind the scenes at AA HQ, with few public-facing changes, but quite a lot of work going on in the background. We’ve made some changes to the AA homepage, replacing the “hero menu” with a carousel showcasing our most recent videos. Our YouTube team is doing such a great job churning out great videos, that we feel this change will bring you more value in the long run.
We’re also ramping up our sister sites SoundGuys.com and TabTimes.com, with more news coverage and featured pieces, and adding some team members to bring you great content. We still have a long way to go with these properties, but we’re confident we can make them reference websites in their respective niches, just like AA is your source for all things Android.
Today, we’re giving out a Nexus 6 in our weekly sweepstakes! Throw your name in the hat here. Good luck!
Friday Debate podcast
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
Here are some interesting posts for your Sunday reading:
- Review: Lanh does his best to break the rugged Sonim XP7
- Review: How is Samsung’s new batch of metal mid-rangers? We review the Galaxy A5
- Feature: Microsoft announced some cool things this week. We look at how Android is impacted
- Review: Jewels from Asia: we review the Meizu MX4 Pro
- Feature: Andrew ponders the implications of Google entering the wireless industry
- Feature: Simon weighs the pros and cons of a potential Samsung-Blackberry marriage
- Opinion: Bogdan looks at HTC’s year ahead and why it’s time for the company to grow again
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
HTC One M9 rumors
- Alleged HTC One M9 “Hima” pics leak, possibly prototype version
- Bloomberg: One M9 to feature 20MP rear camera, smartwatch coming along
- Alleged HTC M9 “Hima” cases leaked (updated)
- More details about the HTC One M9/Hima emerge
Nowhereelse.fr Render
Snapdragon overheating
- Samsung drops Snapdragon 810 in favor of Exynos for Galaxy S6 – Bloomberg
- Qualcomm’s 2015 roadmap reportedly outed, rumored to bring Snapdragon 820
- LG denies G Flex 2 and Snapdragon 810 overheating issues
Whatsapp news
- (Updated) WhatsApp begins crackdown on unlicensed 3rd party clients
- WhatsApp comes to the desktop, with a catch
Galaxy S6 rumors
- Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S6 to launch at MWC 2015, but no LG G4
- More details about Galaxy S6 edge’s special features surface
- Rumor: Galaxy S6 could feature glass back panel and non-removable battery
Google going wireless
- Google preparing to become a MVNO carrier as part of Project Nova – report
Cyanogen’s fighting words
- CEO: “Today, Cyanogen has some dependence on Google. Tomorrow, it will not.”
Sound off
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Happy Sunday!