Verizon HTC Droid DNA name crops up again

Verizon HTC Droid DNA name crops up again

The story of Verizon and HTC’s Droid DNA has led us from a nameless blurry-cam, through rumors of an “HTC DLX” to clear photos of the actual device and news of what appears to be the final branding. The 5-inch, 1080p smartphone, known in Japan as the HTC J Butterfly, looks set to become a major launch for Big Red later in the year.

Today brings further confirmation of the Droid DNA moniker, as the “HTC Droid DNA” name has appeared on a Verizon support page listing devices with non-removable batteries. Alongside the name is the ADR6435 name previously associated with the “DLX” codename. If you've been following this device, you'll remember we first broke news of the Droid DNA name a few weeks back, when we spotted it on a leaked Verizon MAP document.

So barring some last-minute change, it’s probably a safe bet at this point that the DLX will come to market as the Droid DNA. Verizon folks -- anyone thinking of skipping the current crop of phones in favor of a shiny new DNA? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Verizon, via: Droid-Life

AnnaLynne McCord
Kate Beckinsale

Waze updated with pick-up request and social features

Waze updated with pick-up request and social features

The Waze navigation app has recently been updated with a whole bunch of new social features, ranging from seeing the ETA of your friends, location sharing, pick-up requests, and lots more. Here's the full changelog for Waze 3.5.

• See friends driving to your destination & everyone's ETA
• Send a pick up request to grab anyone's location & navigate to them
• Share your drive by sending a live map of your route & ETA to anyone
• New design and UI throughout
• Sign in with Facebook
• Nearing destination bar
• Toll road usage indication
• Private messages
• Parking location pin

As always, Waze continues to offer croudsourced mapping data, live traffic alerts, points of interest searching, finding the best gas prices, and the usual voice-based turn-by-turn navigation.

The new features are pretty sweet, especially being able to request a pick-up, even if you don't use Waze. Still, it seems like the majority of Waze's new features depend on other friends using the same app, which can be hard to count on for less regular meet-ups. 

Any active Waze users out there? How often do you think you'll use the friends ETA feature? Anything else new that's really leaping out? 

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Marisa Miller
Cat Power
Moon Bloodgood

Who needs a Nexus 4 (and why)?

Who needs a Nexus 4 (and why)?

It's Nexus season again. That means a new phone, a new version of Android, and a bunch of folks arguing the merits (or lack thereof) of the new device. Everyone always wants the latest and greatest to actually be the latest and greatest, but the fact is that the Nexus 4 isn't for everyone. And that's OK.

Android is not "one-size-fits-all." There will be a slew of phones released for the holiday season, and plenty more following in 2013. (To say nothing of all the excellent phones already released this year.) Different sizes, different shapes, and definitely a different set of features. There's a very good chance one of these upcoming or current phones will suit you far better than the Nexus 4 ever could. That's what we're going to look at here. Discuss a few of the pros and cons of the Nexus 4, and hopefully help in your informed decision.

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Anna Kournikova
Hayden Panettiere
Cameron Diaz

Android 4.2 gallery and camera ported to Galaxy Nexus

Android 4.2 gallery and camera ported to Galaxy Nexus

  

That awesome camera app, as well as the new Gallery we saw from the upcoming Android 4.2 release  can now be installed on your Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.1.1.

There's still a bug in the photosphere portion, but dmmarck, the fellow working in it, says he has some ideas and will continue to look at things for a fix.

Be sure to visit the forum thread for the full instructions, as this one needs a bit of hackery to install. 

Source: Android Central forums

Ciara
Blake Lively
Scarlett Johansson

Deal of the Day: Cruzerlite Androidified A2 TPU Case for HTC Incredible 4G LTE

Deal of the Day: Cruzerlite Androidified A2 TPU Case for HTC Incredible 4G LTE

The ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day for Oct. 31 is the Cruzerlite Androidified A2 TPU Case for HTC Incredible 4G LTE. These Cruzerlite gel cases are made from shock absorbent and scratch resistant thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). They are slim-fitting, and provide great protection for the HTC Incredible 4G LTE from day to day use and accidental bumps and spills.

The sleek, light-weight design of the A2 TPU case fully wraps around the HTC Incredible 4G LTE while also raising the front of the device to protect the screen while face down.

Precise cutouts provide easy access to all ports and buttons. Flexible, easy to apply, and easy to remove, this affordable case comes in several different colors, allowing you to choose the case that fits you as well as it fits the HTC Incredible 4G LTE.

The Cruzerlite Androidified A2 TPU Case for HTC Incredible 4G LTE is available today only for just $5 -- that's 75 percent off.

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Adriana Lima

Party like it's Q2 2013 with this BB10 lockscreen mod

Party like it's Q2 2013 with this BB10 lockscreen mod

If you've at all paid attention to the recent news from RIM, the latest version of its OS -- BlackBerry 10 -- is definitely coming (no really guys, we're serious this time). We don't know when that'll be for certain, and we're not so sure it's going to pull anyone away from the Android world. If you're curious to try out the lockscreen from BB10, however, here's your chance.

The always hacker-minded folks over at XDA have conjured up a mod to add the lockscreen to some specific devices on specific versions of Android, mainly 4.1 Jelly Bean at the moment, but hopefully expanded support is coming soon.

Source: CrackBerry; XDA

Bar Refaeli
Malin Akerman
Mila Kunis

'It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown' free today in the Amazon Appstore

'It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown' free today in the Amazon Appstore

Looking for a fun way to entertain the kids -- or big kids -- in your house this fine Halloween? Amazon has you covered, as their free app of the day today is "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown." When launched in the Google Play Store, this storybook app cost $5, so if you've got access to the Amazon Appstore, this is a great deal for this and future Halloween's.

Of course, if Charlie Brown is a little too young for you, or your kids, be sure to check out our run down of the best Android games for Halloween.  

And, while the kids are entertained, be sure to head on over to ShopAndroid.com to take advantage of the 15% off special Halloween deals, or enter our sweet Halloween costume contest. 

Pen�lope Cruz
Hilary Duff

LG Nexus 4 back up for pre-order at Carphone Warehouse

LG Nexus 4 back up for pre-order at Carphone Warehouse

After unceremoniously leaking its LG Nexus 4 product page last week, UK retailer Carphone Warehouse is once again showing the handset as available for pre-order. This time the expected delivery date is Nov. 13, same as the international Google Play launch date for the device.

As before, there's no SIM-free price listed -- on Google Play prices start at £239 -- and on-contract rates on Vodafone and O2 start at £31 per month with a free Nexus 4.

With O2 being the only UK network to directly confirm that it'll be offering the Nexus 4 directly, this could give those looking for a subsidized Nexus 4 on Vodafone the chance to pick one up for free. But with the Google Play SIM-free price being so low, any network-subsidized prices starting around the £30 mark are going to be a tough sell.

Source: Carphone Warehouse

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Vanessa Hudgens
Danneel Harris
Zoe Saldana