Motorola pushes Android 4.4.4 update to the Moto G in the US

If you have the first generation Moto G and live in the US, you should check your phone for an update. Motorola has started pushing an update for the XT1032 model that updates the phone to 4.4.4.

The original Moto G has so far been on Android 4.4.3 but the latest 21MB update brings it on par with the new 2014 model.

Samsung refuses to pay licenses to Microsoft after Nokia buyout

Samsung has issued a court filing regarding its collaboration with Microsoft on Windows Phone and states that it refuses to fulfill its end of the deal as it now sees the software giant as a direct competitor. The business collaboration agreement between the two companies sees Samsung pay Microsoft north of $1 billion in patent royalties and $6.9 million interest due to payment delays. Microsoft took action in early August in an attempt to collect the cash.

However, that's unlikely to happen if the New York federal court, where the filing is made, decides in favor of Samsung. The company says that because of the Nokia acquisition, Microsoft violated its 2011 deal with Samsung. According to the deal, Samsung had to pay Microsoft royalties in exchange for a patent license on its Android smartphones.

Because Samsung is also making Windows Phone devices and shares confidential business information with Microsoft, the Redmont company agreed to reduce the royalty payments. Acquiring Nokia has made Microsoft a direct hardware competitor to Samsung and the South Koreans claim this will create problems with US antitrust laws for the software giant.

"The agreements, now between competitors, invite charges of collusion," Samsung said in the filing. However, Microsoft won't give up and is "confident" in the strength of its case. We'll continue to cover the development of the court case between the two companies and inform you if Microsoft will get its patent licensing fees or if Samsung will save $1 billion.

SmartBand Talk rolling out right about now

Some exciting news – today, the SmartBand Talk app has just gone live in the Google Play Store, as our new SmartWear device launches over the coming weeks*.

SmartBand Talk is our powerful, IP68-rated lifelogger – we built it for those who live life to the fullest. The curved, always-on 1.4” E-ink display is a fresh creative approach, based on your feedback – it’s power efficient lasting up to three days, but highly visible and clear, so you can view notifications & the time at a glance, and monitor Lifelog activity.

It sits above compact but powerful sensors – accelerometer and altimeter technology feel how you move – and how much – enabling you to accurately log life. You can see how active you were, what you’ve been doing and how you have been communicating, as it pulls all of your information to display a digest on-screen and the full story within Lifelog.

Our favourite feature? SmartBand Talk has an in-built microphone and speaker so you can take and make calls, complete with HD Voice support – useful for when you’re on the move or your phone is out of reach!

The SmartBand Talk app will let you do some pretty neat stuff (if we say so ourselves), including;

• Connecting to, and remotely locating SmartBand Talk

• Customisation of your settings:  notifications, text orientation… to name but a few

• Extension control – management of those extra additions to your experience; media player, weather, life bookmark, call favourites… with many more to come!

Stay tuned for more on SmartBand Talk over the coming weeks, as we plan to add more features to the software to keep the experiences as current as they possibly can be.

*Timings & availability will vary by market/operator, and some regional operator & market exceptions will apply – please check in locally for the latest information

Impossibly slim, breathtakingly light – Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

You’ve all heard about our new Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and how it’s the world’s slimmest and lightest waterproof compact tablet*. Well, with the retail launch just around the corner, we wanted to bring you a little infographic to show you just why we’re so proud of the new edition to our Xperia tablet family.

*Compact Tablets are defined by Strategy Analytics as tablets with a display size greater than 7 inches and less than 9 inches. Xperia™ Z3 Tablet Compact is slim (6.4mm), light (270g), dust-tight and waterproof (in compliance with IP65/68).  Specifications verified by Strategy Analytics’ SpecTRAX Service as of 26th August 2014, for more information on Strategy Analytics results go to: www.sonymobile.com/testresults. For more on waterproof go 

Trick or Triathlon – Happy Halloween from Sony.

This week physical stamina meets phone stamina as we challenged the Olympic triathlon medallists – brothers Jonny and Alistair Brownlee to an endurance test like no other.

The #GoTheDistance challenge involved a two day race across northern England where the sporting champions were pushed against a surprising competitor – Another athletic star? Another Olympic medallist? No, the brothers raced against the battery life of Sony Mobile’s new Xperia Z3 to test just how much is possible from one single charge.

Day one of the ordeal saw the brothers and Xperia Z3 compete through a range of events starting with swimming across the ice-cold Ellerton Lake, cycling the summit of Buttertubs Pass and finally running towards the Scottish border through Northumberland National Park.

The Xperia Z3 was used continuously throughout each stage and impressively ends “Day 1” with 50% charge, but which team will triumph in the end? The flagship smartphone or the world acclaimed sporting brothers?

You’ll have to stay tuned, but you can catch the first instalment of the action below:

From racing to releases – we’re pleased to announce that the PlayMemories Online App has become accessible for PS4 users this week. Users can now access their entire photographic collection directly through their PlayStation 4 with unlimited uploads via a PC, Mac, iOS or Android phone. PlayMemories Online allows users to sync, organise and enjoy each and every one of their visual memories – anywhere, anytime. Try it out now and bring your old memories back to life, the app is available to download via the PlayStation Network.

With today’s festivities we’re sure you’ve got plenty of funny snaps to share! But why not make your Halloween photos stand out from the crowd with our latest terrifying AR theme – Horror. Edit and add gruesome and animated effects to all of your Halloween pictures and videos to ensure your family and friends are shaking in their boots. The petrifying app allows you to discover an amazing augmented reality world where your friends are transformed into a series of ghosts, monsters, zombies and ghouls!

Talking of transformations tomorrow marks the beginning of Movemeber.

The Movember campaign is an annual event that sees men from all over the world put down their razors for 30 days and dramatically change their appearance by growing an elaborate moustache. The event aims to raise awareness of men’s health issues for an array of charities by sparking conversations and raising funds.

Look out for some marvellous moustache makeovers whilst you’re playing your PS4 as illustrator Tom Mac has redesigned some famous Sony characters as ‘you’ve never seen them before’ including Sackboy, iota, Delsin and Ellie.

To showcase your own hairy makeover simply tweet us a photo with our official hashtag #PS4Movember. If facial hair isn’t your thing then why not support the cause by purchasing one of our DualShock 4 light bar vinyl moustache stickers and give your controller a revamp instead. Stickers are available at selected retailers now.

That’s it from us now; we hope you have a frightful Friday!

Are you ready to PLAY? PS4™ Remote Play now available for Xperia™ Z3 series

Following the introduction of Xperia™ Z3 series at IFA in Berlin, Sony Mobile Communications (Sony Mobile) and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) have today launched PS4™ Remote Play for Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

From today, owners of any Xperia Z3 series smartphone or tablet can download the PS4 Remote Play application to start playing their favourite PlayStation®4 games anywhere at home on their smartphone or tablet with the DUALSHOCK®4 Wireless Controller via home Wi-Fi. This latest addition to the PS4 Remote Play family gives gamers even more options to remotely play their PS4 games away from the TV for those times when the TV isn’t available.

As an added bonus, and following the positive reception of PS4 Remote Play for the Xperia Z3 series, Sony Mobile and SCE will be bringing this innovative feature to the Xperia Z2 series in the coming weeks*. Both Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet will soon be able to connect to PS4 and offer PS4 Remote Play so current Xperia Z2 series owners can also get in on the action and connect remotely to their PS4 games. Full details on the release of PS4 Remote Play for the Xperia Z2 series will be announced in the coming weeks.

PS4 Remote Play is also available for PlayStation®Vita and PlayStation®TV, which is rolling out in Europe starting November 14. However Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z2 series will be the only smartphones and tablets to offer this unique gaming experience.

To make PS4 Remote Play even easier, there’s a range of different accessories and ways to get connected and started on the game – whether it’s using the GCM10 Game Control Mount accessory with your Xperia Z3 and DUALSHOCK®4 Wireless Controller or setting up your Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact as a screen on the BSC10 Bluetooth Speaker Dock.

For further details on how PS4 Remote Play works with your Xperia smartphone or tablet, check out the below video or visit www.sonymobile.com/remoteplay.

New Lollipop build for Samsung Galaxy S5 gets showcased

A few weeks ago we brought you images and video showing what an early build of Android L for theSamsung Galaxy S5 looked like.

Since that point, the Korean company's engineers have been hard at work tweaking things and integrating the TouchWiz UI with the new version of Android. And today it's the turn of a newer build of Android 5.0 for the Galaxy S5 to get showcased in all its glory.

  
Android 5.0 Lollipop on Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung has refined many design bits, as you can see in the first two screenshots above. The device information page still doesn't say the word Lollipop, but the Android version is now listed as 5.0, instead of the "L" we saw last time.

The new leaked build has mostly UI enhancements compared to the old one. A fingerprint lock screen like the one in the Galaxy Note 4 is present, there's a new system font, new animations, a Google Search bar in the Recents menu, the brightness slider in the notification area has a new color, "Interruptions" has been removed from Sound settings, the Gallery has new filters, Contacts has a new search box, and stock apps with Material Design get the colored status bar.