Google blocks apps from streaming local data to Chromecast

Google’s Chromecast is a nifty little device if you want to watch your YouTube, Netflix or Google Play videos on your TV but Google left out the ability to stream local data the way Apple allows on the Apple TV.

To fix this situation, developers have been making apps that let you send local media files over Wi-Fi from your Android device to your Chromecast. It seems, though, that Google isn’t quite fond of this and has been actively blocking apps that allow this functionality.
AllCast is one of the apps that allowed you to send files locally to Chromecast. After the latest Chromecast update broke his app for the second time, the developer took to Google+ to voice his concerns and point out that Google is doing this deliberately to prevent people from streaming local content.
Google is doing this so that Chromecast is more attractive to content providers (such as Netflix), who otherwise won’t be very interested in the Chromecast if it supported local content. An online-only device means the user has no choice but to watch content from one of these service providers, which is good news for them. So if you want a Chromecast, you will have to live with that restriction for now until someone finds a permanent solution.

More images of the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C leak

With just couple more weeks left for the alleged launch event of the next generation iPhone, you can say the device is just around the corner. That also means, however, that the leaks are now coming in thick and fast to the point where there will be little new left to learn when the device(s) actually get announced.

Today we have more images of both the iPhone 5S as well as the iPhone 5C. The iPhone 5S here is seen in the new shade of champagne gold. It also has the glass back panels painted in white, so we now have a proper idea of what the final unit will look like, at least from the rear. The front should be identical to the current white iPhone 5. For more images of the iPhone 5S, click on the first source link below.

Then there are also images of the iPhone 5C, seen here in all five alleged shades that it would be sold in. Seen here are the yellow, green, white, cyan and pink colors with a possible color choice of black or white panel for the front.
At this point we have pretty much seen what there is to see in these new iPhones, at least as far as the design is concerned. Hopefully, the event invites come soon and it is indeed on the rumored September 10 date.

Nokia Asha 501 review:

Introduction

A nice little phone that looks fresh both on the inside and outside. That's what we took from our first encounter with the Nokia Asha 501 and we do hope we managed to get that point across. You know, with phones that go a dime a dozen, you always risk making it sound like a condescending pat on the head.
The Asha 501 is better than that. Yes, it's an entry-level package. A cheap, dual-SIM phone that fits the Asha description to a T. Yet, it's a fresh take on the touchscreen dumbphone concept - in terms of both industrial design and software.

Nokia Asha 501 official pictures
It seems Nokia is no longer looking at the Asha lineup as a back-office operation or a way to hedge its bet on Windows Phone with minimum investment. After years of living on the Symbian leftovers, the Ashas are finally getting the respect and treatment they deserve. They have been consistent earners in developing markets but the Asha 501 is, for the first time, likely to make the lineup relevant on a larger scale.
Of course, bargain-hunters and first-time buyers continue to be the main target, but a winning combination at last of a fresh, contemporary design and neat and clever interface will certainly raise the Asha 501's prospects.
Nostalgic Nokia N9 users buying it for their kid, or people after a sensible - and perfectly capable - backup phone. Why not the kind of users too who value looks over features, or any other group of non-geeks. Though it might help if they're just geeky enough to get the joke in "My other phone is a Lumia 1020".

Key features

• Dual-band GSM, GPRS, EDGE
• Optional dual-SIM support, dual stand-by, hot swappable secondary microSIM
• Nokia Asha software platform 1.0
• 3" QVGA capacitive touchscreen, ~133 pixel density
• Proximity sensor
• Accelerometer, display auto-rotation
• 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM, 40MB internal storage
• Data-efficient Nokia Xpress browser
• Nokia Store and 40 EA games for free
• 3.15 MP camera, QVGA@15fps video recording
• microSD card support (up to 32 GB) and 4 GB microSD card in the box
• Wi-Fi b/g connectivity
• FM radio with RDS
• Bluetooth v3.0
• Standard microUSB port, charging
• 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery
• Excellent loudspeaker performance
• Solid codec support

Main disadvantages

• No 3G
• Low-resolution screen
• Fixed-focus camera
• No smart dialing

The thing about Ashas is that they'd been trying too hard to offer a near-smartphone experience on the cheap. They always got near but not quite there, and the build and finish were the usual casualty of a tight budget.
With the Asha 501, the Finns are on the right track to fixing both issues. There's nothing revolutionary in the level of equipment: there's optional dual-SIM support and Wi-Fi connectivity, the updated Nokia Xpress browser, a lowly 3MP camera and an FM radio.

Nokia Asha 501 live pictures
A capacitive screen is making the right difference (not a first for the series anyway) and there's even a proximity sensor - finally. A fact that speaks to the Ashas' rising standing in the pecking order.
A fixed-focus camera and a low-res screen are things most users should be able to live with, considering the phone's price. No fast network data is a thing to consider but if you can't have both 3G and Wi-Fi, the latter is the more sensible choice, particularly in a cheap package like the Asha 501.
But it's not all about the features. More importantly, it's a good-looking, compact handset with a battery that lasts. If it sounds like something you might be interested in, you're most welcome to read on. We'll tour the bright-colored exterior and then continue with the clever, swipe-driven interface.

LG G2 hands-on: First look

Introduction

It's been a well documented and, some might say, overly-teased affair but it has come to an end. The LG G2 flagship is upon us here in New York city and it brings a ton of innovation in one of the most compact over-5" bodies out there on the market.
The LG G2 comes with an almost bezel-less 5.2" FullHD display in a body not much bigger than the one on the Galaxy S4. It gets even more interesting when we get to the camera. It's a 13 MP unit and it offers optical image stabilization in order to minimize blur and allow higher shooting speeds under unfavorable light.


The LG G2 comes to tackle the competition, especially devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One with a larger screen, more potent chipset, superior camera (on paper), bigger battery, etc.
Take a look at what the LG G2 has to offer.

LG G2 at a glance

• General: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, quad-band UMTS/HSPA, penta-band LTE support, LTE-Advanced
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
• Dimensions: 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm, 143 g
• Display: 5.2" 16M-color 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels) power efficient capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 and ~424 ppi and 450 nit brightness, extremely narrow bezels (2.65 mm)
• CPU: Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
• GPU: Adreno 330
• Chipset: Snapdragon 800 chipset
• RAM: 2GB
• OS: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• Memory: 16/32GB storage, microSD card slot (region-specific availability of the slot)
• Cameras: Primary 13 MP auto-focus optically-stabilized camera, 8X digital zoom, face detection, HDR mode, panorama, geo-tagging; Full HD (1080p) video recording at 60fps, Secondary 2.1 MP front-facing camera with FullHD video capture
• Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, standard microUSB port with MHL and USB host, GPS receiver with A-GPS, GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, wireless screen sharing (Miracast protocol)
• Misc: Camera has sapphire glass cover, customizable system key (can assign different functions to back, home, menu buttons); tap twice on the screen to turn it on and off
• Battery capacity: 3,000mAh Li-Po unit (2,610mAh in some markets)

LG purposefully teased the LG G2 relentlessly over the past couple of weeks and it managed to build up the hype, leading to today's event but this move also obliterated any mystery that could have surrounded the just announced flagship.

Asus Google Nexus 7 (2013) review: The magnificent seven

Introduction

A year after the original took the tablet market by storm, the second generation ASUS Nexus 7 has arrived to take part in an altogether different ballgame. With the first generation of the compact slate having established the Nexus 7 brand as the most popular Android tablet available on the market, it is up to the newcomer to elevate it even further and sway potential users away from the Apple iPad Mini and Amazon's Kindle HD.

ASUS Nexus 7 (2013) official photos
At a first glance, the new ASUS Nexus 7 appears to be everything a tablet sequel is supposed to be. It is thinner, lighter, more powerful, and better put together. And naturally, in a fashion befitting the release of a new Nexus device, the compact tablet sequel comes with a new Android version out of the box.
Here goes the list of talents, which the second generation ASUS Nexus 7 has to offer.

Key features

• 7" LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, 16M colors
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box with the best update support in the business
• 1.5 GHz quad-core Krait CPU, Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB of RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset
• 5 MP autofocus camera with face detection; 1080p video recording @ 30fps
• 1.2MP front-facing camera
• 16/32GB internal storage
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n support
• Optional LTE support
• NFC connectivity
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity
• Bluetooth v4.0 LE
• microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support, MHL, charging
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Wireless charging (Qi charging standard)
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Built-in stereo speakers
• 3950 mAh battery
• Thin and light construction; solid build quality

Main disadvantages

• Awkwardly positioned stereo speakers
• Poor video codec support out of the box
• Memory not expandable
• Limited availability at launch

Unlike the first Nexus 7 whose spec sheet sported some notable hardware compromises, the second generation of the slate appears to be a much more balanced product with no major omissions. The tablet ticks all the right boxes to find a spot in the Android tablets' top league - from the ultra-sharp display, through the capable chipset, all the way to the latest OS version, with timely updates guaranteed by Google itself.
Google has also ramped up its attention towards the tablet realm recently, so the long-standing lack of quality apps for tablets may finaly be taken care of in the year ahead. This would certainly help the cause of the 2013 ASUS Nexus 7 in expanding its reach beyond the current Android users.

ASUS Nexus 7 (2013) live photos
Naturally, considering the success of the first Nexus 7, our expectations towards its sequel run quite high. As always, we'll kick the review festivities off with an unboxing, followed by a design and build quality inspection.

HTC One mini vs Samsung Galaxy S4 mini: Young guns

Introduction

Yes, you can call it Round 2 but we don't think it'll be up to the minis to sort out any unfinished business between the flagships. What we do know though is that taking the dispute to the junior league doesn't mean there'll be less pain in losing and less honor in victory.
This doesn't have to be a rerun - the minis don't necessarily have to repeat the result of the flagships. Just like smartphones don't necessarily have to be huge to have premium specs and push the limits of comfortable single-handed use to just prove a point or get noticed.
What we have here is two smartphones that try to deliver a premium experience without getting in the way of their seniors or venturing too far beyond the 4" screen diagonal. However there's a clear difference in how the two makers go about downsizing their flagships.
HTC decided in favor of screen resolution whereas Samsung skimped there. 720p is obviously better than qHD, at around 342ppi versus 256ppi in favor of the One mini. The S4 mini's 4.3-incher on the other hand is a Super AMOLED, which partially makes up for the lower resolution.
Then there's processing power where the two devices share a Snapdragon 400 chipset but the Samsung mini has the upper hand in terms of clock speed. It also gets 1.5GB of RAM against the 1GB of the One mini but more on that in the benchmarks chapter.

HTC One mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
The S4 mini goes for 8 gigs of onboard storage but offers a microSD card slot, while the One mini only has 16 gigs on tap. As to software, it's Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 either way but the One mini has the elaborate visuals of Sense 5 against the feature-packed TouchWiz on the Galaxy S4 mini.
The cameras are opposites too. The Galaxy S4 mini goes for an 8MP unit with plenty of TouchWiz bells and whistles, while the One mini has the 4MP UltraPixel camera with 2µm pixels, F/2.0 aperture and a wide-angle 28 mm lens. The HTC One mini has Zoe but not the optical image stabilization of its bigger brother, the full-sized One. Both devices have 1080p video recording too.
Then there's build quality and looks. Both devices traditionally reflect their manufacturer's design philosophies: the One mini looks the flagship part with its aluminum unibody, while the S4 mini goes for a hyperglazed all-plastic case, which is nowhere near aesthetically, but a user-replaceable battery and memory expansion earn it usability points.
Here are all the points neatly compiled in lists.

HTC One mini over Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

• Aluminum unibody
• Higher screen resolution
• HDR and 60fps video
• More built-in storage
• Better audio quality
• Stereo speakers with Beats audio amplifiers

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini over the HTC One mini

• Faster processor
• Higher resolution camera
• Expandable storage
• More RAM
• Cheaper
• User-accessible battery
• NFC support
• Lighter

So, there's enough to compare in these two but one thing that sees them equal is the desire to fit as much of the flagships' features into more compact bodies at more affordable prices. And we love them for it. But we'll need to sort them out feature by feature, break them down to parts and pit them against each other.

The HTC One mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 mini at HQ
It's a battle in which most of you already have a side to root for, or a downright favorite. HTC and Samsung have always managed to attract different sorts of crowds and the same scenario plays out here too. In any case we're going all in over the following pages so get comfortable - next stop is the hardware checkup.

Huawei Ascend P6 review: Zen droid slim

Introduction

The razor-slim Huawei Ascend P6 has snatched the slimmest smartphone title right under the nose of the big guns. The China-based maker is not only keeping up with its high-profile competitors in terms of both hardware and software, but has achieved what few others have lately. The Ascend P6 offers a well-balanced feature set in a beautifully designed body, record-breaking thin at that.

Huawei Ascend P6 official pictures
The Huawei Ascend P6 was introduced in June and is now officially hitting the shelves with its record still intact. The Ascend P6's signature feature is the phone's 6.2mm profile, edging ahead of even the impressively slim Sony Xperia Z Ultra.
Sure, there has been word of even thinner phones like the Vivo X3(5.6mm) and the Umeox X5 (5.6mm), but they're the kind of gadgets to give small-time Chinese makers their 15 minutes of fame rather than make a big splash globally. Huawei's vision, on the other hand, goes well beyond the home market - though what a market that is!
The Ascend P6 is powered by the company's home-brewed chipset - the K3V2 - featuring a quad-core 1.5GHz Cortex-A9 processor, a 16-core GPU and 2GB of RAM. Having already seen this configuration on the Ascend Mate phablet, we can confirm that it's a more than adequate match for the 720p screen.
Here is the full breakdown of the Huawei Ascend P6.

Key features

• Ultra-slim 6.2mm profile
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; penta-band 3G with HSPA
• 4.7" 16M-color 720p IPS+ LCD capacitive touchscreen with Gorilla Glass, usable with gloves
• Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Emotion UI
• Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A9, 16-core GPU; 2GB of RAM; Huawei K3V2 chipset
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording @ 30fps
• 5 MP front-facing camera, 720p video recording
• Dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS
• 8GB of built-in storage
• microSD card slot, side-mounted, hot-swap
• microUSB port with USB host, USB OTG
• Bluetooth v3.0
• FM radio
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

Main disadvantages

• Non-exchangeable battery
• No LTE or NFC support
• Video recording could be better
• Disappointing audio output

As you can see, there is very little the Ascend P6 fails to deliver. Some may find the non-removable battery unacceptable, but lots of manufacturers these days are resorting to a similar design in order to keep their phones beautifully slim, yet sturdy enough.
For NFC and LTE, there's the Huawei Ascend P2, which was introduced early on in Barcelona. Actually, the jump from P2 to P6 is not to be construed as a massive improvement in terms of level of equipment. The two handsets are more like alternative versions for those with different design preferences. What's more important is that with the Ascend P series Huawei's looking quite solid in the upper midrange.

Huawei Ascend P6 live pictures
Anyway, let's cut to the chase. Follow us on the next page where the Ascend P6 is given a thorough hardware inspection.

LG Optimus L9 II photo leaks ahead of premiere, specs in tow

LG was the only one from the L-lineup not to receive a successor at the last MWC but it seems this will change soon. As the rumor has it the LG Optimus L9 II will be unveiled and launched very soon.


The handset looks a lot like its predecessor, but loses the hardware Home key in favor of a capacitive one. The Optimus L9 II will supposedly run on a Qualcomm's MSM8230 Snapdragon S4 chipset with a dual-core 1GHz Krait processor, Adreno 305 graphics and 1GB of RAM.
The rest of the L9 II specs include an 8MP rear and a 1.3MP front camera, 8GB expandable internal storage and a 2150 mAh battery. The Android version in charge is rumored to be 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.
If the official announcement is indeed just around the corner then we'll know all details very soon.
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Nokia Lumia 925 review: Take Five

Introduction

The Nokia Lumia 925 is a subtle but meaningful update of what was - literally until a few days ago - the company's top smartphone offering. While designers and engineers were busy fixing the Lumia 920, the guys next door produced a louder bang with the Lumia 1020.
Still, the Lumia 920 was in many ways the flagship that really showed the company with its best foot forward. And the Lumia 925 is a very welcome facelift, sporting a lighter, thinner aluminum frame instead of the all-polycarbonate bulk of its predecessor.

Nokia Lumia 925 official photos
The screen is of the same size and resolution, except this time around it's an AMOLED panel, which works great with the mostly black WP8 interface. It's the AMOLED screen too that takes credit for the fat loss. Other small highlights are the inclusion of an FM radio and some minor software improvements, but those will also be seeded to the Lumia 920 with a software update.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Quad-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4.5" 16M-color PureMotionHD+ AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of 1280 x 768 pixels
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording
• Optical Image stabilization with floating lens technology
• 1.3MP front-facing camera
• Windows Phone 8 OS
• 1.5GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 225 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset, 1GB of RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band
• GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support
• Free lifetime voice-guided navigation
• 32GB of inbuilt storage
• Stylish aluminum frame results in a thinner and lighter profile than the Lumia 920
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
• Wireless charging with optional accessories
• Built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port
• Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and file transfers
• SNS integration
• Xbox Live integration and Xbox management
• NFC support
• Digital compass
• Nokia Music
• FM radio

Main disadvantages

• No microSD card
• No system-wide file manager
• No lockscreen shortcuts
• Mono sound for video recording

When it comes to the updated chassis, the Lumia 925 refresh can be likened to BMW's M-Series - they're very similar to their non-M-powered brethren when it comes to design, but the updated body is a definite improvement over the original. In terms of what goes under the hood though, these are two different schools of thought. Because the 925 is basically the same package as the the Lumia 920.
The Lumia 925 is all about the looks and feel - the updated body is a definite improvement, and there's a few extra features thrown in to sweeten the pot as well. Although it may be minor, the inclusion of the thinner and, more importantly, lighter frame takes care of two of the disadvantages we listed for the Lumia 920.

The Nokia Lumia 925 studio pics
The chipset is the same as before and while it's not a benchmark blaster, but WP devices have consistently demonstrated they don't need too much horsepower to give a smooth ride through the UI. Of course, heavier apps may tend to load a bit slower, but lags and system freeze should be pretty much out of the question.
Up next, we'll be taking a closer look at the redesigned body in our unboxing and hardware inspection.

HTC Butterfly S review: Evolution complete

Introduction

The first Butterfly was somewhat of a wasted opportunity for HTC, the limited reach and high asking price preventing the 5" 1080p monster from becoming a global winner. Back then the company was merely trying to build up hype ahead of the launch of the HTC One and, had the Butterfly not been plagued by production issues, the strategy might have worked splendidly. Instead, the Taiwanese ended up losing sales to Sony, who delivered the Xperia Z ahead of the One, and Samsung who handled the Galaxy S4's supply and marketing better.
What we can't quite figure out is why HTC is sticking to the same plan with the Butterfly S. The second-gen five-incher by HTC comes with an even more capable chipset, the new UltraPixel camera and a massive 3200 mAh battery that should keep it on for quite a while.

HTC Butterfly S official photos
That seems like a winning combo to us and, even with the One Max just around the corner, we don't see why HTC isn't planning to offer it on as many markets as possible. The target audiences of the Butterfly S and the One Max are quite different really, so it's unlikely that one will eat into the sales of the other.
Anyway, we are not gathered here to guess whether HTC strategists know what they are doing. We are more interested in how the engineers have done with the Butterfly S. But before we dive in, here's the best and the worst about the smartphone.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support; 3G with HSPA; LTE
• 5" 16M-color 1080p Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen with 441ppi pixel density
• Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
• Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Sense UI 5.0
• Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 CPU, 2 GB RAM, Adreno 320 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset
• 4 MP autofocus "UltraPixel" camera with 1/3" sensor size, 2µm pixel size; LED flash
• 1080p video recording @ 30fps with HDR mode, continuous autofocus and stereo sound
• HTC Zoe
• 2.1 MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA; Wireless TV out
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• 16GB of built-in storage, microSD card slot
• MHL-enabled microUSB port
• Bluetooth v4.0
• NFC
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• Front-mounted stereo speakers with BoomSound tech
• Class-leading audio output
• Ample 3,200 mAh battery

Main disadvantages

• 4MP camera has disappointing performance in good lighting conditions
• No optical image stabilization
• Awkwardly-placed and uncomfortable power button
• Non user-replaceable battery
• Poor video and audio codec support out of box
• Questionable build quality - paint chips off easily

The HTC Butterfly S is obviously a very hot prospect and it can easily outdo its far more popular One sibling in all but two aspects - premium styling and camera. The large "ultrapixels" are there, but as we found out when we reviewed the One mini optical image stabilization is an essential part of the equation. And while the glossy plastic of the Butterfly S certainly catches the eye, it's no match for the aluminum unibody of the One.

HTC Butterfly S in our studio
When you turn to productivity, however, the HTC Butterfly S is certainly the best smartphone HTC has produced so far. We already know how good the 5" 1080p screen is and with a Snapdragon 600 chipset under the hood, it's a package that can do wonders. Add a huge battery, which is closer in capacity to the HTC Flyer tablet than the HTC One, and the expandable storage, and you get a multimedia monster and business tool combo that's hard to match.